Fullerton Arboretum
Arboretum
Arboretum Footbridge 2
2017
oil/panel
15" x 18"
$400.00
2017
oil/panel
15" x 18"
$400.00
I have always been attracted to bridges. Bridges have strong historical and romantic associations. Bridges both separate and unite. Castles had moats and moats had draw bridges.
In the Arboretum I set out to paint a footbridge. It was built over a brook close to the visitor center. It was not greatly used but as a painting subject it had several other obstacles. It was in a shaded area. Moving water is always a challenge to paint. The stream that flowed in a notch under the footbridge made it difficult to find firm footing for my easel. And the light is always changing.
And there were questions. Should I place a figure on the bridge? With so much attention paid to the bridge what should I do with the background? I explored these and other questions as I painted four versions of this painting- three were success, one not. Framed in a thick black frame.
In the Arboretum I set out to paint a footbridge. It was built over a brook close to the visitor center. It was not greatly used but as a painting subject it had several other obstacles. It was in a shaded area. Moving water is always a challenge to paint. The stream that flowed in a notch under the footbridge made it difficult to find firm footing for my easel. And the light is always changing.
And there were questions. Should I place a figure on the bridge? With so much attention paid to the bridge what should I do with the background? I explored these and other questions as I painted four versions of this painting- three were success, one not. Framed in a thick black frame.
The Doctor is In
oil/panel
11 x 14
$400.00
oil/panel
11 x 14
$400.00
The only traditional house in the Arboretum was once owned by a doctor. It is now a popular site for tour groups to visit. The attraction for me were the many gables and their highly intricate ornamentation.
Finding the best place to position my easel required several attempts. In the end I painted the building from three different vantage points, each favoring a different interesting feature. Capturing the complex shape of this Victorian building in the changing morning light itself a major challenge.
Finding the best place to position my easel required several attempts. In the end I painted the building from three different vantage points, each favoring a different interesting feature. Capturing the complex shape of this Victorian building in the changing morning light itself a major challenge.
Resting at the Arboretum
2016
oil/panel
11 x 14"
$400.00
2016
oil/panel
11 x 14"
$400.00
A worker rests under a large tree. His wheel barrow and rake are in shadow; a couple of bright spots to either side of the tree reveal the location to be the large field adjacent to the Heritage House - once the home of a doctor Clark.
The theme of laborers resting after completing their tasks was a popular one in Western art from the Renaissance on. In an earlier phase work and rest were virtues often allegorized as attributes of Church or State. In the 19th century this function shifted as Nature and naturalism replaced the earlier values.
I was drawn to the subject of rest in my study of French 19th century mural painting
where rest is often combined with work. Artists such as Chasseriau, Delacroix, and Puvis de Chavannes, were heirs to the allegorical tradition but modernized it with more naturalistic figures and less allegory.
The theme of laborers resting after completing their tasks was a popular one in Western art from the Renaissance on. In an earlier phase work and rest were virtues often allegorized as attributes of Church or State. In the 19th century this function shifted as Nature and naturalism replaced the earlier values.
I was drawn to the subject of rest in my study of French 19th century mural painting
where rest is often combined with work. Artists such as Chasseriau, Delacroix, and Puvis de Chavannes, were heirs to the allegorical tradition but modernized it with more naturalistic figures and less allegory.
Cactus Garden
oil/canvas
28" x 34 "
$600.00
oil/canvas
28" x 34 "
$600.00
Although I enjoy visiting large California deserts- like Death Valley - painting them is more difficult than making a study of a cactus garden at close range in the Arboretum.
The problem with making a large desert landscape is choosing what to leave in and what to leave out. How to connect the plants to each other, to the land, and how to avoid repetition. Although one could say this kind of problem could occur in any landscape, here it just seemed more obvious.
My solution was to open up the foreground and create a shallow “ stage” on which to show the twisting rivulets where the rain had carved up
the soil. In doing this the cacti were pushed to the sides. The twisting chanels left by the rain would be continued in the movements of the trees and clouds, thus connecting earth and sky in a swirling mass.
The problem with making a large desert landscape is choosing what to leave in and what to leave out. How to connect the plants to each other, to the land, and how to avoid repetition. Although one could say this kind of problem could occur in any landscape, here it just seemed more obvious.
My solution was to open up the foreground and create a shallow “ stage” on which to show the twisting rivulets where the rain had carved up
the soil. In doing this the cacti were pushed to the sides. The twisting chanels left by the rain would be continued in the movements of the trees and clouds, thus connecting earth and sky in a swirling mass.
Potting Shed Hazy Day
oil/canvas
24" x 28"
$400.00
oil/canvas
24" x 28"
$400.00
A large white shed in the Arboretum used for potting plants is, in this view, partly hidden by
bushes and trees. The fire plants in the foreground flank the entry to the scene. The spatial recession formed by the sunlit path to the left is balanced by the agricultural buildings and large fire plant to the right. This progression is echoed in the atmospheric shift
seen in the sky, where the blue-violet air on the left changes to warmer grays and greens on the right. This painting is one of my best attempts to evoke the warmth of the Arboretum.
Framed in light colored wood.
bushes and trees. The fire plants in the foreground flank the entry to the scene. The spatial recession formed by the sunlit path to the left is balanced by the agricultural buildings and large fire plant to the right. This progression is echoed in the atmospheric shift
seen in the sky, where the blue-violet air on the left changes to warmer grays and greens on the right. This painting is one of my best attempts to evoke the warmth of the Arboretum.
Framed in light colored wood.
Tower at the Arboretum
oil/canvas
16" x 20"
$400.00
oil/canvas
16" x 20"
$400.00
This white tower is one of several older
structures to be found at the Fullerton Arboretum. It stands along an unpaved road
close by the Victorian house - now called the
“Hermitage House”. Partially hidden in a grove
of trees the tower seems an unusual building
in a domestic context. It may have been a water tower; it’s rectangular design and exterior stairs may have been added later
to harmonize the building with its neighbor.
In painting it I stressed the strong contrast between the white rectangle and the dark organic shapes that surrounded it.
structures to be found at the Fullerton Arboretum. It stands along an unpaved road
close by the Victorian house - now called the
“Hermitage House”. Partially hidden in a grove
of trees the tower seems an unusual building
in a domestic context. It may have been a water tower; it’s rectangular design and exterior stairs may have been added later
to harmonize the building with its neighbor.
In painting it I stressed the strong contrast between the white rectangle and the dark organic shapes that surrounded it.
Yellow Tree
oil/canavas
24" x 26"
$400.00
oil/canavas
24" x 26"
$400.00
The Yellow Tree.
The tree’s leaves were turning more yellow every day that fall. I decided that instead of creating a three-dimensional effect for the tree, I would play with various shades of yellow for the leaves and use the simple black lines to
Indicate the paths of the trunk and the branches.
The mass of the tree would be surrounded by the cool blue of the sky above and the darker mass of green to the right.
The foreground was also abbreviated into a red triangle surmounted with three simple objects:
a grey rock, a green plant, and a black line which represents the steel marker used to identify plants.
One more challenge remained: how to create
a feeling of depth. I saw there was a path that led to a small house , painted tan, and identified by a tiny window frame. This house seen behind the yellow leaves and the mass of green becomes the fulcrum around which the rest of the forms revolve. Frame in a light colored wood.
The tree’s leaves were turning more yellow every day that fall. I decided that instead of creating a three-dimensional effect for the tree, I would play with various shades of yellow for the leaves and use the simple black lines to
Indicate the paths of the trunk and the branches.
The mass of the tree would be surrounded by the cool blue of the sky above and the darker mass of green to the right.
The foreground was also abbreviated into a red triangle surmounted with three simple objects:
a grey rock, a green plant, and a black line which represents the steel marker used to identify plants.
One more challenge remained: how to create
a feeling of depth. I saw there was a path that led to a small house , painted tan, and identified by a tiny window frame. This house seen behind the yellow leaves and the mass of green becomes the fulcrum around which the rest of the forms revolve. Frame in a light colored wood.
