18×24″ oil on linen– Happy Thanksgiving everybody! I have so much to be grateful for. One thing I’m thankful for is the time I get to spend outdoors with a paintbrush appreciating nature and I’m thankful for you for appreciating it, supporting it and encouraging me to continue creating it.
The inch of rain we had a couple weeks ago is bringing back the green as baby grasses and herbs are sprouting. In Southern California, all the stuff we learned about seasons in Kindergarten is horsefeathers. Rather than everything going dormant and dying in late fall and winter, around here the first autumn rains bring an early spring and new life to the landscape. So happy Spring in November, everybody!
Garrapata Dawn– 8×16″ oil on panel– This was painted on a lovely Big Sur morning. This is by far one of the prettiest parts of the planet I’ve ever experienced. 
Late Afternoon Glimmer– 6×8″ oil on panel– This small study of light on the water was painted at Limekiln State Park where I slept in the overflow site, under the bridge at the edge of the sand listening to waves roll in all night and the rain falling at one point.
8×16″ oil on panel– A sweet morning view from the top of Elings Park watching the sun burn off the morning mist…
9×12″ oil on panel– The fireworks show of roses in the Santa Barbara Rose Garden in starting! This was an anniversary commission for a couple who got married under that big eucalyptus tree a year ago.
15×30″ oil on linen– I hiked my easel out to the cliffs for a particularly beautiful afternoon last weekend… The backlit mustard glowed an electric yellow and the softest marine layer was rolling in from offshore playing lovely tricks with the light. Come out to the Bacara this Friday from 2-8pm for and Saturday 10-5pm for SCAPE’s “Visions of the Gaviota Coast” show which benefits the Gaviota Coastal Conservancy! Opening Receptions is Friday from 5-8 pm.
12×24″ oil on canvas– One of the most beautiful biking, running, rollerblading trails around early on a Saturday morning before the parade of weekend people playing begins…
I’m excited to share this large oil painting (36×48″) that I created from memory, plein air sketches and photos of the hike up the creek to Seven Falls. I really wanted to try to show the feeling of coming out of the golden dappled-light of the oak canyon to the sun-drenched opening where the rocks and falls rise up. I had to invent the view a bit since the trees and geography get in the way as you are hiking up… it’s a truthful lie. I’m including some process images for the painters out there who would like to see how a painting like this develops. 
It starts with a sketch… I was thinking of the composition on this one as being kind of like a tunnel where the focal point of the cliffs and falls is circled by a ring of trees. 
My first block-in is really general with simple shapes that describe big features in the landscape. I was thinking of having the color palette on this one be triadic, with warm versions of green, violet and orange. 
The progress of the painting is starting to bring things out of the “fog” and describe them in smaller and smaller shapes. I’ll attach a couple of details below. Enjoy your day!
Kevin Gleason Art 