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Wishing you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!  May 2011 be like heaven!

6" Squared Gala Art Reception & Exhibition at Randy Higbee Gallery

See over 250 amazing artwork gems that are all 6"x6" original pieces. Each is framed which makes them larger and have more impact. Reception and Gala event is Saturday December 4th, 4pm-8pm. I will be there approx. 5pm. I have three original oil paintings in this juried show for sale.  Exhibition will be carried through the Holidays.  See my blog for more particulars, http://estherjwilliams.com/blog/25409/6x6-exhibition-and-sale-at-the-randy-higbee-gallery-december-4-2010

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San Clemente Art Gallery Winter Judged Art Show, reception today

Come to the San Clemente Art Gallery reception today 3-5pm, or visit the Winter Judged Show art exhibition anytime between Nov. 6 2010 - January 6, 2011.

I will have two oil paintings in this show.  

"Limestone Canyon Oaks - Irvine Ranch Wilderness" above image and below image:

"Santa Margarita Lake in Summer".   

Limestone Canyon Oaks - Irvine Ranch Wilderness | Esther J. Williams - Blog

Because I have been so busy lately, I am linking my blog from my website to here, just click on the link below to go there. It is a nice long story with lots of pics!

Limestone Canyon Oaks - Irvine Ranch Wilderness | Esther J. Williams - Blog

Plein Air in Limestone Canyon

When the air is fresh and the sky is blue, the temperature is warm, there is nothing better to do than paint en plein air in the wilderness.  This location is in the Irvine Ranch Wilderness called Limestone Canyon and is accessible on Open Access Day.  The trails are wide enough for bikes, horses and hikers, even artists.  I showed up and two more artists did on this fine Sunday morning.  The fella you see painting is Anthony Salvo, he is a great artist, painted a beauty that day.  The other artist with me was Veronica Kortz, she is not in the images.  I shot video of her and will post it another time.  I am the smiling one, this was taken by a Irvine Ranch docent, Mike Boeck. 

It started out completely overcast, then cleared up at 11am, we painted until 2pm.  I showed my friends this meadow which is a good hike about half a mile up the trail.  There are some large oaks several hundered years old covering the trail at a bend, the Santa Ana mountains are in the distance.  Made a great composition with the trail going through the wild golden oats leading into the middle ground, then off into blue mountains.  It did get pretty warm later and we did sweat a lot hauling our supplies back, but capturing this scene was worth the effort.  I am presently refining my work sketch in the studio as I speak.   I am turing an otherwise rough looking piece into a more developed landscape.  The completed landscape will be posted later.   Back to painting in my studio now...

www.estherjwilliams.com

California Impressionist Artist

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Bold Brush Contest Entry

Please support me
by voting
for my art!

September 2010

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Painting Contest by
BoldBrush
Sponsor:
FASO
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2 Paintings Hung at San Clemente Art Gallery

Nestled Cottages, Crystal Cove and Fresh Cut Lemon is on exhibit at the San Clemente Art Gallery from Sept. 20 - Oct 28 for the Fall Judged Show.   The reception is this Saturday, Sept 25 from 3-5pm. 

To see more of a description of each painting go to my website at www.estherjwilliams.com  Thanks!

Update, Fresh Cut Lemon has won an honorable mention!

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Fabulous Crystal Cove Experience, New Plein Air Work

"North Shoreline - Crystal Cove"  14"W x 11"H, oil on Fredrix linen panel.  SOLD Just completed from the deck of a Crystal Cove cottage I stayed in for 5 days.  Funny thing is that an art customer of mine saw it in the making and wanted it before it was done.  I love it when things like that happen.  He wanted a painting that reminded him of the experience that Crystal Cove gives him.  Even though I knew it was taken, I still did my very best to create the greatest piece of art yet from my mind and art soul.  This painting depicts the abandoned, yet to be restored north shore cottages on a summer day in August.
I am painting a slightly longer angle of this scene in my studio from another workstudy, it will be placed in my Bower`s Museum art show on September 11-12 in Santa Ana, CA.  I will post an image of it here on the blog when complete.  I am doing a series of Crystal Cove paintings, any that are for sale will be placed on my estherjwilliams.com website.
If you would like to read more about the above painting and my process of painting it, go to my EstherJWilliams website blog and read the article, complete with several step by step images and a storyline.

Upcoming Art Show at Bowers Museum, September 11-12, 2010

I have been on summer vacation combined with a very hectic schedule lately.  I wanted to post two items of importance.  One is an article was written about me in my college alumni assoc quarterly newsletter, the TC3 Trio.  TC3 stands for Tompkins-Cortland Community College.  It is is Dryden, NY, near Ithaca.  I was featured for the Fall 2010 issue.  I am including the link to the PDF article.  You need Adobe Reader to open it.  Here is the link TC3 Alumni/Trio Fall  Go to page 3 and you will see my picture and an image of my San Clemente Pier painting.  It is a great article by a very creative editor at the college. 

Next, I am going to be in another juried art show.  This one is outdoors in the courtyard of the Bower`s Museum in Santa Ana, California.  The show is September 11-12, 2010, from 10am-4pm each day.  There is an artist reception at 11am on Saturday Sept 11.  Here is the link to that event, Bowers Museum Events  I will have approximately 18-21 works of my recent fabulous art on display racks for sale there.  They will be beautifully framed. 

Here is my latest portrait, I am extremely happy with this one.  It is called "Toni in Sidelight"  12x16, oil on Fredrix Linen Panel.    I am so happy to be an artist!

Hotel San Clemente Oil Painting, San Clemente Plein Air Competition

Day 1 of the 9th Paint San Clemente Plein Air competition: After spending several hours visiting my artist friends on the community center lawn, I decided to load up my art wagon and head out to find the perfect painting spot downtown.  Wherever that may be.  I had an intuitive vision upon awakening this morning that I was going to find a historic building and paint it. That is my spirit, I get inner information, I follow it.  So I set out to find which downtown building sparked my senses the most.  San Clemente has many old structures built by Ole Hanson and I observed several in my walking around several blocks.  I took pictures, did the hand framing gesture that movie producers do when trying to gather what a scene looks like in a frame.  I zigzag a few back alleys and finally rested upon the vivid warm light hitting the east wall of a courtyard cafe inside the Hotel San Clemente.  This building is 90 years old and in the Spanish style with bright cafe blue umbrellas, terra cotta pots and shingles.  There was one palm tree casting it's shadow on the wall and I was driven to paint this scene. The one table that had the brightest umbrella was turning over a group of people every half hour.  They were the focal point under that umbrella and palm tree shadow in a medium violet hue.  I could not focus on one specific group, so in the end, I invented my people with dabs of colors in various values.  I had to shorten the palm tree itself a tad bit so it fit into the 8X10 format and it also molded into the structure which was good for the design of the composition.  This architectural composition was a challenge and I had to render the sketch first to get the proportions correct and distribution of the windows right in perspective.  Thank goodness for my college year in architectural construction.  Plus that book I bought over 40 years ago on perspective drawing, it came in handy.  It was an enjoyable paint-out with ideal results.  This will be available next Saturday, June 26 for $250 unframed or $300 framed.  The regulations are that we can not sell any of our paintings until the event closes.  I can take commissions from them or hold it for you.

Paint San Clemente Plein Air 2010

I will be signing in tomorrow morning at the registration area by the San Clemente Art Gallery.  I might paint by the pier tomorrow or Mimi's Cafe or the nursery called La Casa Verde de Granada at 130 Avenida Granada.  The quick draw starts at 12:30pm - 3:30pm on the lawn near the gallery.  I might watch some of it or attend the wine & cheese reception afterwards.  I get excited to see my peers paint and also inspired, there are so many beautiful quick paintings.  I am not registered for the quick draw, being under pressure to finish a painting in 3 hours is too much stress.  I have done it several times, but for a competition, I think my nerves will get the best of me.
I have prepared 8-9 canvases for this event, I will paint everyday and have extra paintings to sell at my 2 day art fair on the 26th-27th.  Go to the San Clemente Art Gallery link to find out directions and the timeline for the events around this competition.  This is like the Olympics to me, I jogged 5 miles down at Salt Creek Beach this week to get in top physical shape, at least cardiovascular conditioning.   I like to haul my 1950's Radio Flyer wagon to carry my art supplies and need strength all week.

Hope to see you around San Clemente!

On Her Toes, ballerina dancer in Degas style, oil painting

"On Her Toes" is 5"W x 7"H, oil on linen over panel.  I started this a few weeks ago and only sketched in the figure. In an afternoon, I painted the rest alla prima.  The model is Toni Czechorosky who posed during an open figure studio at Randy Higbee's Gallery.  She has become a good friend of mine and I will paint more of the ballet dancer poses.  It is a subject I have wanted to paint for many years and finally started.  This was sold in hours of posting it on Facebook to another artist friend I have met from Randy's Studio sessions.  You can see here the red oil wash sketch I began with. I find that if I paint in my subject this way, in diluted oil color, I can manipulate the drawing to suit my needs for focal point and accuracy of proportions, values and placement.  Once I am content or if I am not, I continue to wipe away and redo until I feel it is ready to add color.  The color painting process can alter the drawing, but nothing is set in stone.  I was very pleased with this in the final completion. 
One more bit of information, I spent a month studying Edgar Degas and how he painted the ballet dancer.  His paintings and statements inspired me.  Although I knew of Edgar Degas for decades and admired all of his works, I was sparked to paint this by the latest modeling session of the above model as she dressed in Degas style ballet attire.  This was an extra pose the model made while on a break and I shot the image.
I wanted to take up ballet as a young girl when I was spry.  My family could not afford lessons, so I would just dance around the livingroom on my tippy toes.  I think it stubbed my toe growth, I didn't wear the proper ballet shoes.  Now, I can experience the magic of ballet by painting the dancers.  More will be made!

New Juried Exhibition with Esther J. Williams art, coming up reception, June 12, 2010

Two of my artworks have recently been accepted into the "Islands Show" at the SOCALPAPA gallery on the Newport Peninsula. This painting "Great White Egret - Back Bay" and also "Hurry Before It Closes" was juried in the exhibition.  The show is being juried by noted artist, Frank Serrano with the awards announced at the reception. Reception is June 12, 2010 from 4-6pm. Gallery is located within the compound of the Newport Nautical Museum at the "Fun Zone" on Newport Peninsula.  If you want to meet me, I will be at the reception.  Art will be framed and for sale.   Update:  "Hurry Before It Closes" is SOLD.

Join Me at the Ninth Annual Paint San Clemente Judged Fine Art Competition

Click on the above image to open it larger and be able to read the announcement. The Plein Air competition starts in 2 weeks!  My two day art sale is in 3 weeks!  It all takes place down in San Clemente, California.  The painting shown is for sale, it is called Blue Umbrellas, 6X8, oil on linen panel. 

Laguna Memory, 8X10, oil on linen, Laguna Beach seascape oil painting

"Laguna Memory"  8X10, oil on stretched linen.  Painted on location at Heisler Park, Laguna Beach, CA.  I spent a special day here painting with other LPAPA artist members on Memorial Day weekend.  The weather could not have been better, the colors were high key this day.  I walked around trying to decide what to paint, everything was so gorgeous.  I saw this cypress tree reaching out over the ocean bluff, as if it was pointing to the jutting rocks below and the clear coastal waters.  I thought it might be nice to include part of the cypress to frame and add a design element to the painting.  The bluff was made very warm in color and the rocks below have an added cooler blue over the warms to separate the two.  I used Cerulean blue in the sea and faded it out towards the southern coastal waters.  There was little tide and waves, so I painted in the swirling white water as it gently moved past the rocks.  I purposely left out people and any buildings in the distant bluffs to give this a serenity.  Price is $250.    The second image is how it looked when I left with it on location.  It fell on the seat of my Jeep and I spent 3 more hours studio time correcting the mishap.  Luckily, the seat of the Jeep only smeared it and no dirt got into it.  I think the accident was a good thing as I improved upon the plein air work by painting from the images I took later that afternoon in the studio.  Life of an artist is not as easy as it looks.

Blue Umbrellas, 6X8 oil on linen, plein air impressionism painting from Esther J. Williams

I went to the San Clemente Pier yesterday to paint in plein air.  I have to prep myself for the upcoming "Paint San Clemente Plein Air Competition from June 19 - 26th.  I will be a contestant for the eighth time this year.  I started competing in 2003 and it has become an annual event for me.  I love San Clemente, it has a beautiful pier, lots of clean beaches, historic clay tile roof homes, quaint shops, interesting people and pretty fine weather.  Yesterday was one of those fine weather days, a slight marine layer in the morning that parted to blue skies and gorgeous aqua colors in the ocean around the pier.  I decided to paint a portion of the pier since it is so long.  I just kept looking at how intense blue the umbrellas were on the outdoor deck of the Fisherman's Restaurant.  People were dotting the deck and strolling along the pier.  Such life everywhere!  The mid day sun was lighting up the cobalt blue color of the umbrellas and I just happened to have cobalt blue oil paint.  I also had a vintage tube of cerulean blue oil paint, both had to be played with. They are brilliant colors and cheered up the whole painting.   I toned down the rest of the composition using combinations of red-brown, ochre-brown and a seas green blend in the ocean and pier.  I spent a leisure 3 hours painting this on scene while watching hoards of Memorial Day weekenders arrive to bask in the sun on the coast around me.  It was a great day, I was productive and spent a little time sitting in my beach chair reading and eating my meal I brought.   I love days like this when life goes smoothly.  Today I did lots of housework which was drudgery, but I am not a rich artist who can afford a housekeeper.  Besides, I do it better.  Have a wonderful weekend, I am going to picnic with my family at some beach, not sure which one yet.  I will be painting in Laguna Beach tomorrow, Sunday, Saim Caglayan from LPAPA is giving a demonstration at Heisler Park, one of my favorite places to paint.  I will be posting a seascape again in a few days!  If interested in purchasing this piece, "Blue Umbrellas"  it is $100 plus a small shipping fee.  email me by clicking on View My Profile, my email address is there.

Beach Cove Morning by Esther J. Williams, a Crystal Cove Cottage

"Beach Cove Morning" Oil on stretched linen, 14"W x 11"H x 0.75" Depth. A cool Crystal Cove morning at the "Beaches Cottage" the one they filmed the movie "Beaches" at. It starred Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey, made in 1995? It is my favorite cottage here. I removed the ugly red picket stretched fence that borders all the closed cottages from the painting composition.
This is available for $385 without a frame or $420 with.














I won another honorable mention from the San Clemente Art Gallery on May 8, 2010. It was for "Alaskan Fishing Vessel", 12"W x 9"H, oil on linen. The painting is for sale there at the price of $300.00 with a black wood frame, gold inner trim. It will be on exhibition until June 17 or 18th, 2010, unless it is sold first.

Balboa Village Art Fair, Friday April 23, 2010, Esther Williams has a booth in this event.

BREAKING NEWS! I will have a booth in this Friday`s Balboa Village Art Fair! I will be there one day only from 11am-7pm. It is held in the parking lot and back alley section of the old Balboa Market on Balboa Blvd, Palm Ave and Bay St. See you there! Click on this link to go to the Balboa Village website for more details!

Sprawling to the Sea, New Seascape Oil Painting

"Sprawling to the Sea" 10"W x 8"H, oil on Linen Panel. I have more to say about this, I will add it later. $250 with frame. $200 without.

American Pie - Lobster Boat, Original Plein Air Painting by Esther J. Williams

"American Pie - Lobster Boat" 6"W x 6"H, oil on linen over panel. I discovered this boat when it was on a dry dock, uplifted in the boat yard a few months ago. I saw that the former name was being whited out and a new name was about to go on. The next time I saw the boat, the new owner was looking at the new paint job. I asked him why the name change and he said he bought it in a bankruptcy sale and since the boat already had bad luck, he didn`t think a new name would jinx it. He said a song kept playing over in his head on the way back east, you guessed it, "Bye, bye, Miss American Pie" He shortened it and I love it. The third time I discovered the boat, it was in a slip in the Dana Point Harbor. I was excited to see it again, drove home and got my easel and paints to come back. Like the song, I could not get this boat out of my mind and was glad for the chance to be able to paint a small workstudy like this.
Which brings to mind a quote I created this day:
"It's not the song you sing, it`s the voice you deliver it in."
By saying this, I am referring to the image that the artist uses to produce a painting must carry the artist`s style or maker`s mark. It is their unique way of expression. I have developed my unique style over the years and it's only going to get better with each painting.
I won a blue ribbon on Saturday, April 10, 2010 at the San Clemente Garden Festival, held in the San Clemente Community Center, downtown, SC, Calif. I painted the image you see below. I was asked to attend and paint some of the flower arrangements in the auditorium for the San Clemente Art Association. I looked around and didn`t pick a floral arrangement, I saw this gorgeous iron vase with a unique succulent plant pouring out of it like wine. It asked to be painted with it`s shape, so I did. It is titled, "Succulents in Iron Vase", 6"W x 8"H, oil on linen panel. Price is $100 without a frame. $140 with a gorgeous wide edge dark wood frame.



















I am the assistant director this year of SOCALPAPA`S Back Bay Show & Sale at the Muth Interpretive Center in Newport`s Back Bay. The show dates are July 24-25, 2010. There will be both a juried art show with the opening reception on July 23rd and an outdoor art sale on the 24th-25th. More info will be coming soon. This is going to be a big, important show! Mark your calendars! I will be there!

One last request, would you like to sign up for the Esther J. Williams - Newsletter? It is a monthly email newsletter chock full of show and award news, art, hikes into the wilderness and stories about my personal artist life. Sign up on the link!

Cool Shady Oak Tree, Oil Painting by Esther J. Williams

"Cool Shady Oak Tree" 18"W x 14"H, oil on stretched linen. I am welcoming spring with delight, the colors are blooming everywhere. My latest spring painting excursion results. I made another hiking trip into Bommer Canyon on March 21 to see my favorite oak tree in southern California. This tree is so big, you can fit three of me in the trunk. It survived a fire even. It completely shades the trail with filtering light lacing through the leaves and branches. It rests on the edge of a steep hill and down into a canyon. There is a broken branch on it that points to the mustard flower covered hill several hundred feet away. Since I was a little girl, I have loved oak trees, I used to climb them. Now I respect them greatly and wish to paint them again and again. This is a protected wilderness park in the old Irvine Ranch, Bommer Canyon is controlled by the City of Irvine. This painting is offered at $500.00 and will be framed. You can email me through here by clicking on my Profile and there is an email link there.

I invite you to come to an exhibition that I have a painting in. It is called "Small is Beautiful" at the new SOCALPAPA Gallery located in Newport Beach, CA. It is a show of over 70 small paintings done in the California Impressionist "Plein Air" style. Show begins April 3rd, Saturday, 2010 from 4-6pm with a cocktail reception. Come and meet the artists, I will be there. The show runs through June 13th, 2010. The new gallery is located within the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum, 600 East Bay Avenue, NB, CA 92661. My painting Balboa Bay Boats is a juried entry piece.



















I do have another oil painting in an art exhibition at Ironstone Vineyards in Murphy, CA. This was a juried show, part of the event called Spring Obsession. It is an annual art, flower and culinary weekend. The weekend was March 6-7, 2010, I did not attend unfortunately. I should've listed it on my blog previously but I have been so busy painting in March. The painting in the exhibition is titled "Rays of Light", 8"W x 10"H on stretched linen. Price $300, framed. Ironstone Vineyards is located at 1894 Six Mile Road, Murphys, CA 95247. The show runs through May 9, 2010. This is such a gorgeous winery, the owners are fabulous and so are the people who run it. The scenery is spectacular, it is in the foothills of the Sierras in gold country. True country, like the old wild west.

New artworks, Seascapes and a Still Life

"Alaskan Fishing Vessel" Oil on Linen, 12X9. Painted at Dana Wharf en plein air. $300 framed.















"Asters on the Bluff" Oil on Gesso Board, 8X10, painted en plein air at Heisler Park, Laguna Beach, CA. $250 framed, $210 unframed.




















"Dancing Rosehips" oil on linen panel, 6X6. $100.00, unframed. Painted from life.

Contact me through my email link if interested or go to my website link and contact me through there. Thank-you!

Miniature Work of Art, Seascape Oil Painting 6X8

"Calafia Beach Shimmer" - 8"W X 6"H, oil on linen over board. Fresh off the easel is this miniature oil on linen started en plein air and completed in the studio. There was a subtle and unique lighting that morning, it was low light and overcast although the sun was determined to peek through the marine layers causing a glitter effect upon the green waters. In the distance was pink glow. Price is $100, unframed. $140.00, framed in dark wood wide edge plein air style frame. Shipping is additional. Go to www.estherjwilliams.com and click on Contact to email me if interested. If it is sold, I will create more but no two are alike! This one is SOLD.

Won Second Place Award for Boudoir Beauty Rest Painting

This is a good feeling, I have been working very hard to get to the point where I receive higher awards. Finally on Saturday February 20 at the San Clemente Art Gallery, it happened. My painting Boudoir Beauty Rest took second place in the Figural category. This gallery does not give out the upper awards so easily and this means a lot to me to receive it. For those of you who own one of my paintings, it means that you are benefiting by collecting the art of an artist who is getting higher awards and will continue to do so. Not only do I strive to create an emotional, beautiful, inspiring work of art each time, I give everything I have learned to create a great work of art that follows established rules. Although I am known to break the rules and still make it work. If you are interested in seeing this piece in person, it and another one of my landscapes is available at the San Clemente Art Gallery from now until April 2, 2010. To see a better image of this, go to my website, www.estherjwilliams.com
My landscape painting, Tres Robles - Three Oaks is also on view and for sale in a plein air frame at the SC Art Gallery.

California Ocean Wave, original oil painting by Esther J. Williams on eBay, $99.00 minimum bid, 6X8

"Monarch Waves" 8X6, oil on linen panel, From plein air study to studio work. Presently on eBay from February 8 thru 18, 2010. Minimum bid $99.00. Go to auction listing here.

Latest works by Esther J. Williams, oil paintings

I have been spending more time on my website and the blog there. My website is www.estherjwilliams.com I also have been spending more time painting. Here are some of my latest works so far this year. Click on each one to open it to a larger image.

















































Go to my website link to see titles, details and prices, plus my contact page to email me. Thank-you!