A Cissy Bride Doll Oil Painting, all original, one of a kind

For you doll collectors, I painted this lovely oil painting of a 1950's Cissy doll in the impressionist style. It is lending toward realism, but I had to add some broken strokes of color to create a sense of light and atmosphere as the impressionists do. It is titled, "Cissy Bride", it is oil on board, size is 6"W X 6"H. Sorry, in my earlier post I referred it as being 5"W X 5"H. So it is a bit larger as I measured it this morning. It is unframed at this point. Since it is on a stiff art board, it can be mounted on a 6X8 board covered in a black felt material and framed within a 6X8 store bought frame. Or you can take it to your local framer and have one custom made. Or just buy a mini easel (sold at Aaron Brothers) and display it that way.
This is my first painting of the Cissy doll as I collected them for years and she was in my case until I sold her last year. I missed her and decided to paint her pretty little head. The dolls stand about 21" tall so this is a little larger than the actual life size head of the Cissy. I have painted the vintage Barbie for several years. They have all sold and are in private collections. I rarely paint the vintage dolls as I am so busy entering landscapes and seascapes into art exhibitions. My ability to paint portraits has to include dolls, they are the perfect relaxed subjects. Although I have painted plenty of real people figures.
This Cissy is a bride of course with red hair pulled up above her ears and some lovely red hair trails to her shoulders. She is wearing a millinery flower crown with tulle draping down from it. Her gown has tulle shoulders, there's just a hint of it. Cissy's face is round like a doll should be and she has the rosy cheeks and full red lips with just a dainty little nose. Her eyes sparkle as it appears as if she is glancing off into her future as a young bride. She is a classy doll with such elegance. I did her justice in that sense of eternal beauty she exudes. I simply signed it EJW in the lower right corner to blend into the shadows and not overtake the painting. This will be up for auction on eBay. Click here to bid!

1950s Bride Doll, Cissy - an original oil painting

This is on my easel right now as I speak, it's a 5"W x 5"H oil on gesso board painting. Just to let you know this doll is still being manufactured but is different looking now. I collected them for years and this was a Cissy doll in my personal collection. I am not affiliated with the Madame Alexander Doll Company and will not be offering prints of this in any way. There are trademark and copyright laws protecting this doll. I am offering only the original and as an artists I have that right to paint a single use. I have done original oil paintings of the Barbie and they are in private collections. That's where this one will wind up. So, please do not try to reproduce this or you may face legal actions from the mother company, not I. It makes me very nervous to post an image of a famous doll, I do not want repercussions by the head company. But I can't resist my drive to paint in admiration for the beauty, the essence, the reminder of an era in these vintage dolls. My feelings certainly show in this painting. I am working on the application of the colors today, I wanted the underpainting to set dry. I used a hand blended mix of cadmium yellow, cadmium red and a tiny of blue, then grey to make the color you see. I washed in down with Linseed oil and Gamsol to apply thinly and sculpt the head and face using more diluted paint to show lighter values. I almost want to leave it like it is, it's very vintage looking like an old Rembrandt, DaVinci or Michelangelo sketch. But this is a preliminary drawing to pave the way for color and have it down in the right values. I will post the finished image tomorrow.

Fishing Boats at Dana Wharf, seascape oil painting

"Fishing Boats at Dana Wharf", oil on Belgian Linen, 14"W x 11"H x .75"D. $300.00. You will need to purchase a frame. I have a great framer in Costa Mesa. Contact me if you are interested in this piece. Here are several more images of how the painting was begun on location at the Dan Wharf.














I worked en plein air on two separate days to capture the essence of this location and it's atmosphere. It was a challenge in being it was a complicated scene. That's what a good artist should do, try harder compositions to force ourself to evolve and accomplish higher aspirations. After two days of trying to paint with my sweet Chihuahua by my side, she was not allowing me long enough to work without wanting to get out of her doggie bin. I finished it at my studio on Thanksgiving Day in the morning.

Crystal Cove Cottage - "Faded Memories" - Impressionist Oil Painting

This is a 10"W x 8"H, oil on linen over board painting just completed. It is on eBay for auction right now for 10 days, click here to bid. I will add more pics later. I need to go cook a turkey today!

High Sierra Winter Creek Oil Painting by Esther J. Williams

"High Sierra Winter Creek" 10"W x 8"H, oil on stretched linen. I have been traveling to the High Sierras for over 20 years with my husband and kids. We stay up there several times a year. We used to just camp in Bishop Creek, then we would stay at a local motel and go up to the peaks, finally we met a friend who owned a cabin in Aspendell and we stay there off & on. It allows me to walk right out the door and hike along the creek. I have painted up here for years. There are so many special places I know that I like to keep them secret. This is one of them, I can visit this place and find fresh deer or bear tracks on the the thick ice leading up to the creek water. This was in January, there is a pond that fisherman wade into and fish, the foreground of this oil painting is the ice of that pond, the creek stays thawed as the snow melts from the high peaks and makes a continuous flow down to Bishop. The focal point of this scene is the larger, more detailed bush on the other side of the creek with the light pouring through either side of it and casting it's reflection on the water. I must add that I had just read a book about the painting process on one of Manet's impressionist paintings before I painted this. Manet painted a Paris street scene in glaring light which looked like a winter scene although it wasn't, he used light hues of white mixed with either blue, yellow-orange or gray, he slowly built up the painting by mixing his oils with mineral spirits to make a oil wash, then he layered on top some thicker brush strokes, not all of the painting was thick paint, in fact, there was many translucent areas of thinned paint. I liked how his street scene captivated me with it's dreamy atmosphere and light hues. I knew that was what I had to try for this snow scene. In my painting there are many thin areas where you can see paint glossed over the canvas grain, then in the focal area, the paint is piled on thicker. Nice effect, my whites are not pure white for my snow, in fact I add at the very last some white tinted with a small bit of the sky blue color for the final highlights. I also used a palette knife that had a mixture of the sky blue mixed with white to add that reflected sky appearance in the end. Edgar Payne often painted up here and I like to study his works, he used color combinations of blues, grays and yellow-oranges for his snow covered mountain peaks, a color combination I borrowed from to paint this scene. There is not any black in this for I did not want to make too dark shadows. The blues, mauve and blue-violet shadows was all that was needed and keeps this vibrant in color. This oil painting is available for purchase. Comes framed.

Bommer Canyon Oaks and Sycamores, Landscape Oil Painting

Just off the easel, "Bommer Canyon Oaks and Sycamores, 18"W X14"H, on stretched linen, 3/4"D. Another Irvine Ranch wilderness landscape oil painting that was just finished after starting this on location in the secluded Bommer Canyon. I was in attendance there on a limited open access day on Halloween, October 31st. What attracted me to this scene was the gigantic form of the oak tree as it sprawled out and over the slope. The fact that it was a part of a cascading line of oaks made it even more appealing, the smaller oaks lead to and told the size of the magnificence of the larger oak. This is fall and the sycamore trees are a vibrant array of gold greens, yellow orange and burnt reds. But they are supporting actors to the star of the show, the mother oak. The unique form of the giant oak sent chills through me as I could sense it's strength and natural energy. Here was a tree, a truly wild oak that was allowed to it's maximum growth, unhindered by man in developed communities. Here is nature in it's purest form, that excites me and I must capture this unique organic beauty in the autumn light, using my artistic abilities.
I used the color wheel for making different complimentary values, hues and chroma utilizing a tetrad that was organized beforehand on my palette after studying the special colors in this setting on location. I noticed a distinct tetrad of blue-violet, yellow-orange, green and red while analyzing the setting. The yellow orange light passing through the oak and lighting up the sycamores was balanced with the blue-violet shadows beneath the trees and shrubbery, also in the background in a hazing out into the distance. The deep shadow of the oak tree's form gave it vivid dimension. To paint this, I gradually built up the form of the tree using my creative processes and working from shadow families to light families to build a strong composition. I have learned much from a modern master, Kevin Macpherson by reading his books, "Landscape Painting, Inside & Out" and "Fill Your Oil Paintings with Light & Color". I have practiced what he preaches for 2 years now and he is a great influence on my work.
The painting is signed in the lower right corner, it will be framed and is presently being submitted to the Points of View Landscape exhibition through Southern Calif. Artist's Association. Price is $500 and will be available soon wether or not it gets into the show. It is a modern landscape exhibition and I am just not sure if they will consider it contemporary enough.

Sailboat oil painting commission, Dana Point

Here is a commissioned work of art I did last week for a gentleman's sailboat in the Dana Point Marina. The piece is titled "My Destiny" after the boat's name. It is oil on linen, 16"W x 12"H. The top spreaders and mast were purposely cut off to fill the width of the canvas with the boat's length and save from painting it on a larger canvas. Instead of painting it in it's natural surroundings, which it was tied up to the slip with many other boats, he requested I paint it to look like it was anchored in the bay with a tropical background. So, I had to use my imagination and some reference to trees and deep water from my other paintings. The whites and grays of the boat were also to remain free of artsy colors, in other words, neutral. This was a lesson to me in holding back on color reflections until I got to the water, then I went "Wee!" I just love creating water! I still had to use refrain to allow a unity between the boat and it's foreground and background. I also employed thin glazing techniques to add the lines and trim lines, rails and lettering. My customer loved the results, everyone was mutually happy.
If you would be interested in having your boat painted locally, feel free to add a comment below. Blogger will email it to me and I will email you back with further information. This size painting would be $500 with a deposit of $100 to start. Frame is not included, but I have several frames on display for you to decide upon and I can refer you to the retail outlets close by to purchase your frame reasonably, around $40-$50.00. If I paint it on a 16x20 linen canvas, the price increases to $800 with a $200 deposit. Frame increases to approx. $80-90.00. You can enjoy looking at your special boat in your home when are are away from it.

Esther J. Williams won 3rd Place Award for oil painting, "Oak Canopy by Trail"

I had a surprise hit me on Saturday, Nov. 7 at the San Clemente Art Gallery during the awards reception. My name was announced for winning third place in the Landscapes/Oils category. It was based on my entry of "Oak Canopy by Trail" oil on linen, 16"W x 12"H. I had two entries in the show and I didn't know which painting got the ribbon until I flipped the ribbon over. Of course when I entered both pieces I thought they each were winners. The reception was very crowded as close to 100 people showed up. There were 146 entries by all artists. I was doing my volunteering hours that day and brought home made cupcakes to add to the food table. There was plenty of tasty treats to go around and wine was being poured. I never saw so many happy faces in there before, the camaraderie was up in scale this time. I received lots of congratulations as this was the first time I won a third place in 5 years, I had 10 Honorable Mentions, so it was a big deal to me and my friends were very happy for me. Winning in a judge show is extremely competitive in the Landscape Oil category in this association. There were 3 judges, 2 were watercolorists and 1 was an oil painter, so it was tough. I am grateful for the scores that tipped me into the winner of third. Here are the two oil paintings that I entered, the award winner is in the oak trees by the trail in the gold frame, the 2nd is called "Mission Contemplation" in the black frame with gold liner. It measures 16"W x 12"H and is oil on linen. Both paintings are up for sale at $350 a piece at the San Clemente Art Gallery in downtown San Clemente. The gallery is located the community center on the corner of Avenida del Mar and Calle Seville. (949) 492-7175. Hours are Monday-Friday: Noon - 4pm, Saturday & Sunday: 10am - 4pm. If you want to become a member, go to the website link above to find a link to print out a form. Also keep up to date with the winners, future shows, etc... It is a large organization and run like a tight ship. San Clemente is getting national attention as being a town dedicated to artists. The current exhibition runs from now until January 6, 2010. Stop by and see all the variety of art.

Agua Chinon Sinks Wilderness Hike

Two weeks ago I decided to check this place out called "The Sinks" in the Agua Chinon canyon area of the Irvine Ranch Wilderness. I was glad I did, it was a visual feast of pure landscapes. It was a nearly seven mile hike round trip on foot. The morning was perfect, blue skies and cool, not cold. I could smell the moisture in the air on the shrubbery, wild grasses and trees, it was a wonderful scent. The trail was a dirt road, a fire trail and it had some steep climbs but the docents and other hikers kept great company. We saw a few snakes but not any mountain lions or bobcats on that hike. What I did see was a plethora of new landscapes that I never saw before that I could paint outstanding oil paintings from. I brought my new Canon T1i EOS 500D Rebel and I was snapping away with it. I think I rather annoyed the docents (trail guides) with my frequent stops, but I was going crazy inside my heart and spirit. This wilderness is an artist's haven, you do not see a housing community, roads or telephone wires anywhere. Just glorious nature! We stopped at the very top of the mountain and there it was, the Sinks, looking like a mini Grand Canyon. There was one high reaching granite edge of a glacier carved ridge and the rest took a plunge for several hundred feet deep into the crevice of the earth. Mountain Lion has been spotted in there before, also fox. I took several images of the mighty tall cliffs and ravines, it was overwhelming to stand there on the edge. A docent took this image of me also. I was so happy to be there, you can see it on my face. The docent showed us images that their posted webcams took of the raging fire that destroyed 1,000's of acres in the recent fires of October 2008. It was sad to see how fast that fire swept through and even more sad to know it was arson. But the land recovered quite well in just one year. The oak trees are extremely hardy and fire doesn't engulf them easily, so there are many oaks still standing. I love to see trees dotting the hillsides, who doesn't. I really want to come back there to paint, I will take more hikes and just stare at the wonder of nature all around me in awe for now, I can rely on memory if I have to and the digital images to make large paintings at my home studio. You can register for docent led hikes to here and many more choices within the Irvine Ranch by going to their website, Irvine Ranch Conservancy. Click on the Activities or Let's Go Outside to see the current month's listings and how to register either online or by phone. You need to be in good shape to go on some of these hikes, I was completely exhausted by the end of the seven miles. Later that evening I still attended the Irvine Art Museum opening reception of "Selections from the Irvine Museum" by early Calif. Impressionists. I think that coupling the two events together gave me a significant natural high. The current exhibition at The Irvine Museum runs through February 13, 2010.

New Oil Painting, "Trail Under Old Oak Trees" Impressionist Landscape

Please note: I think the colors are way off on these images. I just received my laptop after it was being repaired for a month and looked at this recent blog after I posted this earlier today from my old computer. Everything on this page is way too light. It's horrible in fact! I had no idea how bad my art has been looking because I was working on my 10 year old desktop for the time being. So, the monitor on that machine must be off in color profiles. I will correct the images in Photoshop and add them later.

"Trail Under Old Oak Trees" 16" wide X 20" high, oil on stretched Belgian linen, ultra fine tooth. This is my latest oil painting of a landscape scene that I discovered along Bommer Canyon's trail. I went there on September 26 during Irvine Ranch Conservancy's Wilderness Access day. I was like a kid in a candy store dragging my Radio Flyer wagon up the trail all by myself with the wide open space of wilderness all around me. I hauled my art supplies one-quarter mile up the trail until I arrived at the 'shady spot' I discovered on a previous hike there a couple week's before. This place at Bommer canyon is not open access, you have to be a registered participant on a scheduled activity since it is a protected wildland reserve. I have been hiking quite a lot lately since I am a nature buff from way back. I was lucky to be able to paint en plein air this day and my spirits were high. I gasped when I came upon this almost fairy like scene with the very old and large oak tree towering over the trail while sunlight dappled through the branches. There was a coolness in color to the farthest reach of the trail while at my feet the wild grasses were warm from the sunlight. It was actually one of the hottest days of the year, I started to paint in the morning and definitely grabbed the shady spot so I wouldn't roast slowly under the baking sun.
Back to the substrate, I chose to paint a bit large this time, I usually paint on Belgian linen but smaller when en plein air to get it done onsight. Also, I have been using a medium texture linen for landscapes in the past. I have not been satisfied with the way my brush drags broken colors across a medium texture linen so I switched to an ultra smooth portrait grain this time. I was much happier with the way my brush glided over the linen as I drew in the tall oak branches. Since this tree was huge, over 250 years old, I wanted to paint it on a verticle good size canvas.











Here's how much I got done before I had to leave because a grumpy park docent told me I had to leave by noon. I was late getting to the exit and he almost locked me inside the padlocked gate. He then told me the police would have to deal with me next time. Nice guy! He doesn't understand artists and how much effort it takes to haul heavy art equipment a 1/4 mile down a bumpy dirt and rock trail. He rained on my idyllic mood.
I took about 100 images while trekking up this hill and quite a few of the exact scene too. Before I left the spot, I took down some very important notes of colors I observed and sketched a thumbnail with all those notes and arrows to have a sound idea of what I wanted to get into the painting once I worked on it from my studio. It turns out those notes where vital for me to create a believable image of what I saw in the natural setting, but also to add my artistic touch of colors too. Life got in the way for a week and I didn't get to working on it until the next weekend. I finished it in 2 days as I wanted to paint wet into wet. I wanted to convey the huge height of the foreground oak tree and how the sunlight reached the trail and dotted the wild grasses, then the trail carrying you out too the dreamy distance. I painted some yellow-orange tones in the tree and the ground to give warmth to what really was a lot of greens. I could probably paint it in another month when the leaves turn more golden, if they do. I would like to paint this scene again but in a larger canvas and on a horizontal to show more of the brush around the old oak tree. Also to make a wider view more like a true landscape painting.





Here is the spot again without my easel in the way. The trail went in a curvy fashion up and down, then up a gradual climb to 200 feet. This is the only spot that had gracious old oak trees along the edge of the trail. There are more oaks trees a further distance from here on another hill. It is also a very nice composition for a landscape, I will come back and do another workstudy in oil. This is a beautiful wilderness and I just love it for all the nature one can see, plants, trees, brushery, animals, insects and birds. There are rattelsnakes too and tarantulas even. The fresh but warm air with all the scents of the wildlife kept me in an exhilarated mood, except for the little flies that kept landing on me. Oh, and the grumpy docent who got up on the wrong side of the bed. If interested in this original painting, email me. You can find my email link by visiting my profile.

Mission Contemplation, Mission San Juan Capistrano oil painting

"Mission Contemplation" Oil on Belgian Linen, 16"W x 12"H X .75"D. There is an air of antiquity all over the grounds of the Mission San Juan Capistrano. One of spirituality that is also heavy in the air. The gardens are abundant and gorgeous too. You can not help but want to sit on a bench and soak in the beauty of the scene. It is a peaceful place when there are not bus loads of elementary school children on a field trip there. The focal point of this painting is the lady on the bench looking as though she was just thinking about her life. I kept the focal area tight and purposely loosened up the flowers, trees and shrubs. The brickwork on the mission and the stucco was painted to look rustic and aged like it really is. I had to include the cross on top of the bell tower to add more spirit to the imagery. I truly enjoy coming to the Mission SJC, it is a place of contemplation. I treated this as a work of art and not as a realistic recording of a place. There are plenty of marks of my brushwork in rich dimension in this work. Price is $385 unframed or $425.00 framed in a dark wood, wide edge plein air frame.

Laguna Beach Oil Painting by Esther J. Williams and I got a new Canon Camera, Rebel T1i EOS 500D

"Laguna Waves - Heisler Park" 16"W X 12"H, oil on linen over board, 1/4"D. I painted on location with my Socalpapa group of plein air artists on 08/28/09 in Heisler Park, Laguna Beach. Any artist can set up their easel along the rail on the bluff there and you are bound to find unlimited seascapes to paint. I love this place to paint. I actually started this one last year on a similar day and only captured the general mass shapes, so it acted as an under painting. I blended my oil colors on the palette before I applied them again. I wanted to first match the colors already laid down. The beauty of this painting is that the grain of the linen is not as visible as in my other plein air paintings using a medium grain linen. That's because I layered more oil on top of the dried oil. Also, the multitude of colors is high since I added color upon color, although they were the natural colors I could mix to match with the scenery. I used a technique taught by Kevin Macpherson to re-wet the areas of a previously dried painting with colors blended on the palette to match and then you innovate to add that spontaneous creativity that erupts. I have read both of his books. I spent more hours on this than a usual plein air painting on a clean surface though. I wanted to record new things I saw and change things from last year that I no longer felt were needed. I felt a shift in awareness and evolvement from being in this same spot last year. Growth is frustrating. In the end I felt better. I took an image of this on location when I thought I was done. My camera then broke down, it was my old Olympus E-20N SLR. I downloaded the image, so it was saved. Then I was faced with buying a new camera or fixing this Olympus. I decided it was time to upgrade to a better technology and higher mega pixels. I ordered a new SLR online. I had to go 4 days without taking any pictures, it was traumatic to me! I just got the Canon EOS, Digital Rebel T1i 500D this week. What a lot of camera in a lightweight housing, it is jam packed with features and has 15.1 mega pixels. The above image is the Canon's and to compare image & pixel quality, the Olympus 5 mega pixel E-20n is the image below that I took at the coast before the shutter froze. I used that camera for 6 years and it served me well. But it was more fuzzy with less mega pixels and the colors never matched my artwork's natural colors. I would spend hours in Photoshop adjusting levels, colors, profiles and exposure. Now, I feel exhilarated in owning a Canon SLR! I will be able to show my artworks off much more clear, colorful and brighter. With the Canon, you can see the intricate brush strokes and crisp edges. I can even use these large megabyte images to make giclees from selected works or enter sharp images into juried exhibitions. I am psyched! I am in love with this camera, it's odd how an artist can get depressed when her camera breaks down. It is like my life blood to have a great camera and now I feel whole again!

E.J. Williams Paintings at Auction on eBay

The above thumbnails are several of my original oil paintings now on eBay, click here to go to my Seller's List. Thank-you!

Doheny Palms, plein air oil painting 11X14

Painted completely en plein air, this is Doheny Beach, Dana Point, CA. It was our picnic day with SOCALPAPA, Southern California Plein Air Painters Association. We also had a little paint-out so I chose the palm grove above the picnic area. They are extremely tall and elegant. The whole atmosphere was one of a tropical essence, the day was warm, the breeze was blowing onshore, people were setting up canopies to shade themselves and the beach was filling up with people behind me. I liked the palm tree backdrop and tried to create a wispy, summery day feeling. It is 14"W X 11"H, oil on belgian linen, stretched onto stretcher bars, no frame. This is considered a work sketch, price is $125.00. It received lots of compliments also. This is now on eBay up for auction for a short time longer at the asking price of $125.00. There are several more original oils up there also if you are in the market for lovely art.

Sweet Innocence, little girl on beach, oil painting by Esther J. Williams

I have painted a figural oil, it's been a long time overdue. Last Sunday, I went to a picnic at Doheny Beach and saw the ultimate little child with the most adorable face. She was like an angel with that platinum hair curled by the sea air and wind. I had to paint her. She reminded me of my own daughter when she was young and I dressed her up in cute dresses. The shot I took was miraculous, as if it was meant to be. I spent an evening sketching her first, then the whole next day I tackled the painting. I departed from my larger brush strokes applied in plein air and impressionism and went semi-realism with a touch of being painterly. I wanted to do honor to this beautiful child for the first time I would paint her. I took several images so I will probably paint her again. I have slightly changed the dress, it had a pattern, but I wanted to make it simple and kept it all red. The ocean really was a gorgeous blue with aqua colors beyond the waves, it was the perfect beach day. I want to go back and find that little girl again, the aura about her was so pure. She was very well mannered and the pose she made was real, almost a curtsy. That's why I called this Sweet Innocence. It is 8"W X 10"H belgian linen stretched canvas. Price is $250.00 including a dark wide frame.

A Dangerous Catch Type Boat, oil painting

I got so excited when I saw this old fishing boat in the Dana Point Harbor. I went to paint with the SOCALPAPA artist's last Friday, July 17th and I think I swooned and babbled so much about how I would paint it that it got a few more artists painting it too! Anyway, I had wished I had a larger canvas. This is oil on linen over board 14"W x 11"H. I have purposely cut off the last quarter of the boat to give the front end the focal point. I watched it for awhile and mentally pictured how my scene would look in the end. There was a little dingy that would come by once in awhile with fish on it and the guys would stir up the pelicans and egrets. I felt it created drama and artistically placed them aroud the focal area under the boat's name, "Cachalot". I really loved painting this one and I think it shows. I have since gone back to where it was docked and it is still there. I want to paint it again, but there is so much going on right now with my art life. I am working on entering two more exhibitions. This was entered into the SOCALPAPA's summer online juried show. I will find out the results of the show next Sunday at our annual summer party. We will be at Doheny Beach having a potluck picnic!
I have also painted a small work study from my upper deck at my new house. I have a view of a canyon corridor that when the sunset dips behind it, it creates a new atmosphere every night. I am completely enthralled with this setting and want to paint it many times. Living within the two mile coastal climate makes our place have it's own weather patterns. I am eager to prepare many small linen panels to paint these little jewels in the future. I will also create a larger painting from several of them someday.
I am still unpacking and organizing our home. The Koi pond is done and we have had a Great Blue Heron problem, no fish lost, but I had to install the electric fence again. I am still working on planting lilies, irises and daffodils around the rest of the pond. I realized that Monet has influenced me more than an artistic way, I love to build a sanctuary pond and garden like he did. Mine is a smaller scale at this house. If I ever buy a larger plot of land, I will most definitely go larger. I have spent many an evening just sitting in a chair watching the fish swim and the sun set, it's very calming and rejuvenating too. Until next time I get a chance to write, enjoy your life, plant seeds, plants and spread love from your heart into the earth.

Moved into New Residence, setting up art studio

I am afraid I will still be offline with the blog for a little while longer. I have taken a long needed break from the internet to organize my new place of living. I hope to be back soon. All is well despite receiving two hard hits to my head while moving. One resulted in a concussion and it took days to recover. I am enjoying the ocean breezes at our new residence and the coastal atmosphere. The canyon corridor we live on is spectacular and will offer many views for plein air paintings right from my backyard and deck.
I entered into the San Clemente Plein Air competition from June 20-27. I painted a 9x12 oil on canvas and it sold already. I didn't get a chance to photograph it, maybe I can contact the new owners and get one. Until we meet again.

Happy 4th of July to all!

Artist out of sync

I wanted to let everyone know that I have been packing to move my overloaded abode in the past 7 weeks. I have been out of touch with my artistic self for the most part until I move. Actually, I have been reading and observing as an artist still with some stolen hours of painting to save my soul as a true artist. One can not deny thyself. My belongings of art including, antiques, vintage collectibles and art supplies could belong in the Guiness records. I am archiving many unbelievable tokens of valuable bits of history from my many years of purchasing collectibles and drawings, paintings and creative objects de art since I was 13. That's it, now you know the story of why I haven't posted a blog update for awhile. I have become a machine with interjections of the artist spirit saying, "What about me?" Until I settle into my new space in this crowded southern California location of the coast, I will be absent.
I did paint today after a break of seven weeks, it felt so strange but so emotional, then a high after it was done like I haven't experienced in a long time. I truly feel the kinship of being an artist today. Thanks to my crazed desire to ignore the schedule of being ready to move. Goodbye nature, I am moving, it's pure HELL!

Artist's New Website - www.estherjwilliams.com

I finally took the plunge and signed up with Clint Watson's Fine Arts Studion Online. I have spent the past two days building an official website with much of my available art on it. You can see it at www.estherjwilliams.com It is looking good but I have to add about 40 more paintings on there, it is time consuming. I am pleased with the presentation of the initial page of the site, the links, the categories and organization. I just wish the images could be larger and I could offer a multiple number of detailed close-ups for each painting. I am doing the 60 day free trial now, if I am content with the outcome of the complete site, I will stay on. Right now you can't look me up in his directory since I am not a paying member. Check out the website, it is nifty!
Recently sold is Easy Rider Dinghy - Balboa. I hand delivered this to a new client as she wanted to surprise her husband that evening. He proposed to her in front of this little boat, it carries a most pleasant memory for them, so now they have a beautiful painting of it to last them a lifetime. I am honored and touched by this, see the sold painting below. Easy Rider Dinghy - Balboa, oil on canvas 18"W x 14"H, framed.

Waterlilies and Koi Pondscape Oil Painting

The first digital image I placed here weeks ago has been deleted due to flaws in the color profile of my old desktop computer in which the colors had shifted too much. I had to bring my laptop in for repairs and was forced to use my old dinosaur computer. This latest image was composed on my upgraded laptop which has been calibrated. If it appears too dark or too light to you, then I suggest calibrating your monitor with the Spyder2 calibrator or any quality calibrator.
"Pondscape of Waterlilies and Koi" Here it is, I spent 8 days painting this beauty. It measures 48" wide x 24" high. It is oil on 3/4" depth canvas. It is not framed. Price is $1,250 including shipping. Click here to buy it now on eBay. It is a gorgeous work of art, it looks ten times better in person. See the added image of the painting placed above the fireplace in my livingroom. It truly gives a sense of depth to a wall, it takes you into the water with the fish. If interested in purchasing, contact me by going to my profile page and clicking on email or going to the eBay listing to contact me. I have many more close-up images on the eBay listing. Click on the image above to make it larger in another screen.

Cala Lily Rain, Oil Painting

"Cala Lily Rain" 12'W x 16"H - oil on stretched linen. I am totally better, I have really taken some time off to collect my health and spirit back. This latest piece is from my paint-out day at the San Clemente Garden & Flower Show. Several of us San Clemente Art Association members came to paint at the community center on April 18th. It was a beautiful day and the floral arrangements were colorful. I liked the way these tall Cala Lilies stood out against blue velvet drapery in a tall glass vase. I stayed later than all the other artists and when all the gardeners left, I had silence and solitude to delve into my banks of creativity. That's when I got the urge to turn the blue drapes into rain instead. I was laughing as I mixed up several values of blue and made long strokes down the canvas in strategic places. I also took some of my mineral spirits into a paper towel and trickled it over the paint to cause it to run down the canvas. I laughed some more! It was thrilling to see the colors melt and bleed. I stopped before I went too far and packed it up to go home. I started and finished this painting in one afternoon, it is a beauty in person. Price will set later, email me if you are interested. This may go on eBay for a Buy It Now Price. I will add the link if I do later. I am taking off from this piece into a 4ft wide x 2ft high work of art using similar but different colors. The subject, a waterlily pond!

Artist Recovering, Convalescing

I am still recovering after a mild heat stroke and illness I suffered last weekend. Yes, they were about to call the paramedics and I said no. No I am not kicking the bucket yet, so my collectors of my art will have to wait awhile for the works you own to accrue. Heh-heh, I am trying to insert some humor here! The weekend art show at the Mission SJC was a lesson in the outcome of a bad economy also. It' is not just me, it is world-wide how the art market is suffering. If you doubt it, read this unbelievably intelligent article from MutualArt.com. I subscribe to their newsletter, as an artist wanting to know what is going on in the world of art, I highly recommend this website for global art information. In a nutshell, the author speaks of how the declining art market needs to develop new strategies to stay afloat.
Meanwhile, as I am convalescing, I am redeveloping my own approach to my art. I am beginning a large piece, 4ft wide x 2ft high. Large artworks take planning. It's been a long time since I painted large, it is not anything new to me, I have focused too long on small works for plein air. Being ill has it's perks, I am staying home and placed a large easel outside on my clay tile patio. I get to breathe fresh air, not over exert my body by lugging heavy art equipment and the Chihuahua puppy can play in the backyard. I'll give you a hint what my subject matter or motif is, 'waterlilies'. Oh, I can't wait to build the palette. I have done sketches so far yesterday with lots of brainy notes based on composition, color choices, values, design and focus. Next, I will do an oil sketch to map out the layout in 4-5 values. I will take images and place up here later. Enjoy Easter!

Art Day at the Mission San Juan Capistrano

Today was such a fun day at the Mission, pessimism was not allowed here. The weather was perfect, the art was upper crust, the spring breeze was cool and the live music was the icing on the cake. It started out very slow, I was very late, (what's new?) but once I set up, the conversations with passerbys started. Sales were next to bare minimum, but the artists understood because of the economy. The art collectors seemed to have an unanimous opinion to avoid spending, only 7 total sales were conducted among 60 artists spaces. I didn't mind, I had some that came very close to buying, but in these times I wasn't giving it my sales person pitch as in the past. I want someone to fall in love and want a piece that they will be happy with the rest of their lives for their investment. I got a couple of strong nibbles on my best works, I knew those pieces would get lots of interest beforehand, but the upper price is something people now think very hard about before plunging. So, I had a stand back attitude and let's just enjoy this incredible day with music from a solo musician within twenty feet of me. He serenaded people all day, his voice carried away on the wind like butterflies in the breeze, it was tickling the senses. After awhile, the spiritual essence of the Mission grounds called me and I took my camera and went on a photo safari. For your enjoyment as it was mine, here are some images from today. My art space with my art works for one. Half the show of artists for another. Myself standing next to my space thanks to my artist neighbor. Then I wandered off to the waterlily, koi, fountain pond, my favorite spot in the whole mission, besides Father Serra's Chapel. I melt into putty when I walk into the chapel, it is incredibly spiritual and will bring any Catholic, Christian or believer in God to their knees. The alter was brought over on a ship from Spain, it is over 400 years old and an intricate golden sculpture in wood. There are candles everywhere. You can light some. Once you pay your respects to the divine, you feel free to enjoy the gorgeous nature of the mission grounds. I feel the whole property is divine and holds many spirits of the past, it's what makes this place so special. I will be there tomorrow, if you don't mind paying $9.00 per adult, it is well worth it. Better than a movie by far! Here's the link to the Mission SJC. If it is slow again tomorrow, I will do a painting en plein air, I need to capture some of the unique color and antiquity of the buildings. See you!

Outdoor Fine Art Show at Mission San Juan Capistrano April 4-5, 2009

This is where I will be this weekend, "Painting the California Landscape" Annual Members Juried Art Show & Outdoor Art Show. Held within the grounds of the Mission San Juan Capistrano. Admission to the Mission is $9.00 per adult, $8.00 per adult over 60 yrs old and $5.00 for 12 & under. The outdoor art show is within the central courtyard of the Mission around the larger fountain. I am booth 43, I will have a sign that says Esther J. Williams at the top of my display rack. Come by and visit, see many gorgeous works of art, view the Mission's fabulous spring array of flowers and relax watching the koi swim among the waterlilies. The weather is expected to be gorgeous, nothing like fresh air to breath! Here's the link to the Mission SJC. Here's one of my paintings that will be on display and for sale.

Red Roses in a Cranberry Fenton Vase oil painting

On exhibition at the San Clemente Art Gallery, downtown San Clemente, California on Aveida Del Mar in the Community Center Building across from the library. It is in the Spring Flower & Garden Show from April 5-May 30, 2009.
Title "You Got My Heart on a String", Medium-Oil on Linen over board, Size-8"W x 11"H. Price is $300 in a gorgeous black frame with antique gold trim. Statement: It's a funny story about this painting. I received a dozen long stem roses for my birthday on March 18th, the largest vase we have is a big Fenton art glass in a cranberry color. The way the light goes through this vase is incredible with the coin dot pattern it has. I placed the vase on our kitchen table and it took up the whole table practically. The night before my birthday, my 15 yr old daughter, Alina, decorated the whole downstairs in paper hearts and swirling spirals, it was magical looking. Still have them hanging, I love it and her too. The roses started to beckon me with their rich red color, so I decided to paint the whole vase with roses. I reached to grab the vase and carried it out to the diningroom where I had more sunlight. The tall roses caught up one of the paper hearts and it just hung on the string off the rose. I knew right away it was a sign, some magic had happened again, it was meant to be in the painting. So, I made sure it was facing the right way and I painted it in there. This is a different style or an evolution of a style to me as I really painted in strong colors and boldly. I also wanted the heart and the rose closest to it to drip in color or bleed downwards. I saw it once in a Picasso painting and was drawn to it. So, I tried that technique for the first time, I loved it! This painting has been done also with a painting gel similar to what Cezanne used to enhance the gloss of the oils and keep the impasto strokes. It really works well. The other funny thing was that I have a Cezanne print in my bathroom of some tulips in a stone vase and the background always intrigued me, so this painting has a background similar to it with some of my own innovations. I am going to make prints of this, if you are interested in a high quality giclee, please send me an email. ew@visions2art.com I will ask $75 for the 8x11 size on stretched canvas. I really am excited about how this turned out. Here you can see a close-up of the bleeding heart and rose, even some of the leaves bleed.


















Also, here is the actual bouquet of roses next to the painting. The light blasting through the windows was too much and whitened out the background. I think I want to make this into cards also, it really has a romantic feeling to it. Enjoy!

Three more Oil Paintings on eBay

Go here to see my latest original oil paintings up for auction on eBay.

Vintage1959 Barbie in Plantation Belle Oil Painting on eBay, Buy It Now

"1959 Vintage Barbie in Plantation Belle." 12"W x 16"H oil on stretched linen. Click HERE to go to the eBay auction listing, Buy It Now for $250.00. SOLD That is a deal of a price for such an incredible painting. I have sold four already on eBay for a similar price, don't miss out on this. I do not do many of these, I have to 'feel' the inspiration.

Juried Art Exhibition next weekend, you are invited!

SOLD

There will be an exhibition next weekend in which one of my art pieces will be hung. It is called Small Wonders 2009, at the SoCal Artists Studios on Laguna Canyon Rd. A portion of all sales will benefit School Power. Opening reception is Saturday, March 21, 6-9 pm. Go to their website for more info. Or email me. Here is the entry piece, "Creekside Birch - Caspers Park."

Barbie celebrates 50 years today on her birthday, oil painting tribute

Painting title, not yet decided upon, size, 12x16. Medium, Oil on Linen. Price, $250.00. SOLD. Here is my latest Barbie oil painting just in time for her 50th birthday. Barbie was given a birthday of March 9, 1959. She was released for sale at the New York Toy Fair that time, so you can consider it a birth of an icon. I am no stranger to this doll, I own fifty of the early 60's Barbies. This painting is of my blonde No. 1 wearing Plantation Belle, she is one of the few left of the first Barbies. I have a brunette also which I have painted from before. This is about my 6th or 7th oil painting of the No. 1 Barbie and they get better and better each time I do one. I wanted to paint the Plantation Belle outfit because of it's celebratory appearance, it's southern belle femininity, it's airiness, it's springtime appeal. I felt spring coming on, I felt Barbie would want to dress like she is going to a garden party with her fluffy white pooch running along her side. The sun is coming through her from behind and it leaves a shadow of the skirt with lace on the ground that I gave some attention to in my artistic way. I added spring colors behind her to keep with the season and to add a compliment to the pinks and pale violets. Her face is part in shadow with a sultry glance and so is her front bodice and skirt in shadow, it makes the sunlit areas stand out more. Her hat is just the perfect addition with it's wide brim and streaming ribbons. I made sure Barbie's facial features hold true to the 1959 doll with the inverted v brows and you gotta love her full brick red lips. Those eyes have it all with that side glance, she is the cat's meow of all the Barbies. Happy Birthday Barbie, you made it through half a century! I will place this up for sale on eBay, look for a link in a day or two.

On eBay.com, Three Esther J. Williams Oil Paintings

I have placed these three oil paintings on eBay, click on each of the thumbnails to go to the eBay auction link.
Crystal Cove Cottage #12, an original oil painting, 8X10.












Barack Obama Taking the Oath, original oil 8X10,









$120.00 for the Laguna Beach, CA original oil painting, 9x12. SOLD
Enjoy these one of a kind originals!