"Spring Symphony in Bommer Canyon" 20"W x 16"H, oil on hand stretched, hand gessoed linen by Esther J. Williams. This was actually from last year when I visited the Bommer Canyon, one of the Irvine Ranch Conservancy lands in March 2010. The flowers were abundant then. I painted a burnt red oil sketch of the scene on location on this large linen canvas and drew it in my sketchbook, along with many detailed notes on the lighting, colors and atmosphere. My time was too limited there to be allowed to paint it on location. I took high resolution images and went home in hopes of finishing it, but it got pushed aside due to other pressing projects. When I did a new year cleaning of my art studio, I rediscovered this large piece and went to work on it within a week. Funny how things happen, I procrastinate and it took a week because I wanted to read some new techniques on art by a great artist Thomas Buechner who wrote "How I Paint, Secrets of a Sunday Painter". In his book he talks about many things in delivering the paint on your canvas, how to arrange the composition and lead the eyes to the center of interest and more. I was glad I read it, it acted as a guide to me to push me into a new direction. I also have been reading the Edgar Payne book on Composition of Outdoor Painting. I could not wait to start the painting, but then I saw a hike I wanted to go on with the Irvine Ranch Conservancy, so I went on nearly 7 mile hike this past Sunday to Dripping Springs in Limestone Canyon. I nearly died of exhaustion, I was out of shape from the winter holiday season! The head field person wanted to call a ranger to truck me back the last 3-1/2 miles but I told her my pride wouldn`t allow it, I kept hobbling along. I am getting bad knees and hip joints in my mid-50`s. It was all worth it, I got to see the early spring flowers popping up all over the canyons, I smelled the unique flavor of the oaks in the air, the new wild oat grasses, the wild sage brush and so many other delights to my senses. I took all of that and banked it in my mind to place that freshness into this painting as if I had been there in Bommer Canyon again on that spring day. The green colors were all over the canyon hills that day. But for the sake of not over doing it with the greens in the painting, I painted complimentary colors, lke red and oranges in a imprimatura layering to provide a middle tone to place my upper layers of color over. I used larger brushes and some galkyd-lite to make almost a watercolor effect in this bucolic setting. I started with warmer colors, even though you could not see burnt oranges and reds in the grasses, I did it for the painting`s sake and the viewer`s emotions. I really like this effect of color transition and will use it again and again. I can`t wait to see more spring flowers on another hike I will go on this Sunday in Fremont Canyon which is a flower photographer`s hike! Only 3 miles and slow paced! I will definitely paint something from that visit or ask the Irvine Ranch partners I know to be taken out there so I can paint it en plein air. I feel lucky to be alive and to be an artist. The price of this is $950 framed. I will be entering it into a Spring Judge Art Show. More details later.
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