"This is the book that started it all" —Patrick O'Brien, MICA
James Gurney
This weblog by Dinotopia creator James Gurney is for illustrators, plein-air painters, sketchers, comic artists, animators, art students, and writers. You'll find practical studio tips, insights into the making of the Dinotopia books, and first-hand reports from art schools and museums.
You can write me at: James Gurney PO Box 693 Rhinebeck, NY 12572
or by email: gurneyjourney (at) gmail.com Sorry, I can't give personal art advice or portfolio reviews. If you can, it's best to ask art questions in the blog comments.
Permissions
All images and text are copyright 2020 James Gurney and/or their respective owners. Dinotopia is a registered trademark of James Gurney. For use of text or images in traditional print media or for any commercial licensing rights, please email me for permission.
However, you can quote images or text without asking permission on your educational or non-commercial blog, website, or Facebook page as long as you give me credit and provide a link back. Students and teachers can also quote images or text for their non-commercial school activity. It's also OK to do an artistic copy of my paintings as a study exercise without asking permission.
Here’s a plein air study of an industrial landscape from Pasadena. I have no idea what all those tanks and tubes are for, but I enjoyed trying to convey the variety of forms and colors.
Thanks, John, but lest you think I did the oil painting of industrial blight, it's by my ever-lovin' husband Jim! I'm strictly watercolor, and lean more towards gardens and domestic architecture. He's been doing portraits of Berber tribesmen in the Atlas Mountains, last time he called.
My friend Sam likes to photograph scenes like this for his collection of "urban/industrial blight" images. My chemical engineer inner soul drives me to tell you that the tall skinny ones are distillation columns and the shorter wider ones are storage tanks. Most likely the two add up to an oil refinery. I do like your rendering - it's more colorful than most refineries I've seen. But I still prefer nature scenes!
I dunno what's up with the shorter silo in the front (is that a shadow, or a different plating on it? I'm still not sure...) but I do love the colors at work...remind me of aged copper.
Corporate, thanks for the explanation of the two-tone paint on the storage tank. Jim did this painting down on Fair Oaks, near where the Pasadena Freeway began, about 25 years ago.
Wow, I love this blog, and I just wanted to thank both Jim and Jeanette for helping it run. I really like this picture, something I wouldn't look at twice is really shown as interesting. A case for close observation!
10 comments:
Hi Jeanette,
Just wanted to let you know that I really enjoy your posts. You should start a blog of your own.
Thanks, John, but lest you think I did the oil painting of industrial blight, it's by my ever-lovin' husband Jim! I'm strictly watercolor, and lean more towards gardens and domestic architecture. He's been doing portraits of Berber tribesmen in the Atlas Mountains, last time he called.
Wow, those two figures blew me away!
Stunning and inspirational Gurney!
My friend Sam likes to photograph scenes like this for his collection of "urban/industrial blight" images. My chemical engineer inner soul drives me to tell you that the tall skinny ones are distillation columns and the shorter wider ones are storage tanks. Most likely the two add up to an oil refinery. I do like your rendering - it's more colorful than most refineries I've seen. But I still prefer nature scenes!
I dunno what's up with the shorter silo in the front (is that a shadow, or a different plating on it? I'm still not sure...) but I do love the colors at work...remind me of aged copper.
The black/white paint scheme on the tank in the foreground has an interesting purpose.
As the sun shines on the tank, the difference in temperature between the black and white sections causes the distillate inside to circulate.
This prevents settling and other problems associated with large volumes of liquid sitting for long periods.
Great painting! I wonder if this was on Fair Oaks?
Corporate, thanks for the explanation of the two-tone paint on the storage tank. Jim did this painting down on Fair Oaks, near where the Pasadena Freeway began, about 25 years ago.
Hey I remember seeing that while I was down in Pasadena for school over the summer! coooool!
Looks like a picture!!
thanks Jeanette to put articles on the blog while James isn't here!!
Wow, I love this blog, and I just wanted to thank both Jim and Jeanette for helping it run. I really like this picture, something I wouldn't look at twice is really shown as interesting. A case for close observation!
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