Lemony Mustard in Geyserville and A Place in Tomales

I took many Artisric Liberties with this painting by changing the color of the house, abstracting the background, and adding lots more mustard in the vineyard..

 

 

This is the third time I've painted this scene in Tomales, and I think this is, by far, the most successful 

Winter Mustard

 

A scene from Highway 101 frontage road in Geyserville. 

Walnut Orchard Mustard

This impossibly beautiful scene was also painted last year from the same location. But this year was different. After I set up and started painting, the property owner's son arrived with his tractor mower, warning me that the mower threw rocks, and proceeding to mow down the mustard because his mother, who owns the property, doesn't want anybody looking at the magnetic scene. Fortunately I was able to finish the painting from photos. A word of note: English Walnuts are grafted onto Black Walnut roots, because the roots are stronger, making the base of the tree look like it is sitting in a bucket., 

A Meadow of Pennyroyal

 

 

As a result of painting abstracts, my plein air paintings are becoming looser.

Nude Descending an Umbrella

 

It's not easy changing gears from painting plein air landscapes to abstracts. I'm finding abstract paintings take a dreadfully long time to finish in comparison with plein air paintings which take 2 or 3 hours in the field before the light begins to change. On the other hand, abstracts can take weeks or months before the composition and colors are right because the finished image results from internal influences in comparison to landscapes which result from exterior influences.

 

In this painting, I have experimented with Williamsburg Interference paints which contain Titanium Dioxide coated Mica particles, giving the painted surface reflective qualities, much like Dichroic glass.