Friday, October 15, 2010

Hazy Light

I have an almost insane love of the hazy light of LA. Clear skies are pleasant, but when I'm painting, the more smog the better.

I was sitting outside a restaurant in Eagle Rock, looking toward a hot, low sun. The palm trees and utility poles were pale and milky silhouettes. This was painted in watercolor in a 5x8-inch Moleskine sketchbook.
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Let me take this moment to thank everyone for hosting my presentations so far at the studios and art schools: Trion, SJSU, A of A, CCA, TAD, Otis, Atelier Marchant, LCAD, DreamWorks and Carlsbad Library! It's been a blast meeting you all and seeing your amazing artwork. My head is spinning! Today we go to the Watts Atelier in Encinitas (which is sold out), and then across the desert to AI Phoenix!
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13 comments:

  1. David TeterOctober 15, 2010 at 1:00 PM

    Ah yes... LA...Home.. Home.. hazy skies... where some deer and no antelope roam...
    You picked the right time to visit, we have had an unusually cool, cloudy, hazy summer this year.
    Most don't like our smog (can't blame them) but artists, like yourself, recognize the effect it has on the quality of light, the color of light.
    You should see it after days of wildfires... the light, maybe the air itself, is amber colored, glazing the landscape like an old masters painting.

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  2. James GurneyOctober 15, 2010 at 1:09 PM

    David--yes! Some of the best sunset paintings date from the year or two after the eruption of Krakatoa.

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  3. Finnian BeazlieOctober 15, 2010 at 1:51 PM

    Thanks again for coming out to Sjsu, James. Your presentation was very enlightening, and I can't wait for your new book to come out. I've got some landscape sketches in gouache up on my blog, http://fdbeazlie.blogspot.com, and I would be very grateful if you could take a look at them.

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  4. UnknownOctober 15, 2010 at 4:55 PM

    Thanks for the demo James!

    This painting was by far my favorite, it inspired me to pull out my water color kit again :)

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  5. AnonymousOctober 15, 2010 at 5:25 PM

    James - Thanks so much for the demo the other day at dreamworks . Very inspiring to say the least . I went straight out and ordered pencils and water brushes within 20 minutes of the demo ! You should get some sort of kickback or sponsorship from the makers .

    Cheers and best regards .

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  6. UnknownOctober 15, 2010 at 5:36 PM

    wonderful watercolor! wonderful!!

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  7. MicahOctober 15, 2010 at 5:42 PM

    Have you ever thought about coming to Houston Jim?

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  8. AnonymousOctober 15, 2010 at 6:35 PM

    Sadly I can't remember the name of the US watercolor impressionist who observed that his most popular paintings had three basic elements.

    I'm not a fan of formulaic art, but here they are:
    1. Atmosphere
    2. Strong verticals
    3. Human interest

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  9. tiffannysketchbookOctober 15, 2010 at 6:54 PM

    you're so good. if you're ever giving watercolor workshops in austin texas, i will be the first to sign up.

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  10. JsmomOctober 15, 2010 at 6:59 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  11. Erik BongersOctober 16, 2010 at 3:41 AM

    Captured the light beautifuly

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  12. David NakamuraOctober 16, 2010 at 3:47 AM

    Your presentation today at the Watts Atelier was amazing and very inspirational. Thank you so much for coming out!

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  13. António AraújoOctober 18, 2010 at 7:22 AM

    Great picture.

    Amazing how we see so much light in what are basically washes of some very dull colors.

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