California Landscape Paintings, Photography and Life Adventures
Thirty of us were selected to paint in a Plein Air competition in Capitola Ca., on Halloween Oct 31, until Saturday Nov 12 with a Show and Sales on Sunday. I exhibited 9 of my paintings and had a successful sale. You can see and purchase (make an offer ) the paintings at my website AlShambleFineArt.com These are painting from the wharf on a day of rain and showers . Oils on linen panel , 12x 16 inch and 9x 12 inch
Or contact me at 510 585 8394
Hi Everyone, I finally decided that I needed a real website to showcase my work. I will continue to keep my Blog here, but it will be much easier to see my paintings on the new AlShambleFineArt.com website. I have 3 categories of paintings that are easily accessed in the main header under Paintings: They are Seascapes, Landscapes and Watercolors. I have loaded in over 50 paintings. If you hover over a photo: The Title, Size, Availability and Price will show. I had some trouble with photos of my paintings getting distorted on the blog, and the gallery section was cumbersome. I really like the new website, it has a sharper design , is speedy and easy to keep up to date. Hope you like it too.
Please subscribe on the new website to keep in touch. So far I will have Open Studio here at my Home in East Garrison the middle 2 weekends of October, and I have been invited to paint in the Capitola Plein Air Competition in November.
Well, We drove up to the Sierras last week , and my intention was to spend a week, and paint at least 7 Plein Air paintings. Unfortunately several wildfires in Northern California and smoke continue to cause the air quality levels to be unhealthy. I painted one evening in clear air and the next morning the smoke rolled in. We decided to leave and returned to our home in the Monterey Bay Area, where fortunately it was clear. Here is my unfinished mountain scene as it sat on the easel, and a finished Monterey Bay Plein Air painting I did yesterday with my MBPAPA group of painter.
Finally a Live show ! Juror Paul Kratter has selected about 50 wonderful paintings to have on display and for sale, at the Pacific Grove Art Center in the upstairs gallery. I am honored to have one of my paintings selected. “Morning at the Wharf” was painted from the beach en plein air one Saturday in Monterey. If you have time check out the show.
I’m certainly enjoying being member of the Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters Assoc. Great people and activities. We just launched a newly revised website where you can see the events and programs we have. I am on the executive board as the Paint Out coordinator, scheduling weekly locations for anyone in the area to paint at. Come join us!
And now for something different. In college in the 70s, along with life drawing, I had several graphic design classes. This new painting is based on one of my designs. Acrylic on Canvas 3ft x 3 ft.
Its springtime and as more of us receive our covid vaccines the brighter the future will be. Today is a beautiful day along the California Coast and I painted this morning at the harbor in Moss Landing. For the first time in over a year I went to lunch with 3 fellow painters on a deck overlooking the Elkhorn slough. My fish sandwich tasted especially great and I am pleased with todays Plein Air painting. I will post it soon.
For today I wanted to post a painting I did last Sunday afternoon with fellow painter Ellaine Goldstone. We both have signed up for the Open Studios Tour that will be held for 2 weeks around Monterey County in October. As a promotion for the Arts Habitat Monterey Artists Tour, artists were encouraged to drop off one painting Sunday at the Pacific Grove Art Center gallery for a show thru April. After the drop off we headed a few blocks to the shore and selected a safe location to paint. As sea otters and Scuba divers cavorted in the waves, we painted.
Hopefully I can spread some enjoyment and cheer here at the end of the year by posting a few of the paintings that I did in the last few months. Wow, I noticed that I haven’t posted since August.. The reason for my posting delay was that I had minor computer issues (now fixed) but also the many realities that 2020 threw at us with fires, politics and the virus. At our home we are healthy, but Covid has taken a toll throughout the world and nation. I think we are all looking forward to a normal, safe and healthy 2021.
From a strictly art viewpoint 2020 was hard. No Plein Air competitions, few shows, few sales; conferences and workshops cancelled. My motivation was lacking until I decided to volunteer to be the coordinator for my Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters Associations paint outs. I published a weekly schedule, and starting Sept 30th anywhere from 5 to 12 of us began to meet at outdoor locations wearing masks and painting at a safe distance from one another. I think we all enjoyed the boost it gave our paintings. Now on Dec 14, Monterey county begins a lockdown and I have cancelled meetings until further notice. Just when us painters were getting in the groove again too, but now we have positive momentum so its ok!
These are all Plein Air paintings . All are available for sale. Sometimes an outdoor painting is a study for a larger work, sometimes it is a finished piece. Either way, seeing the actual light and colors on location are the real reason we paint Plein Air.
Happy Holidays to Everyone ! Al
Unusual for these worried times of the Pandemic and now lightning fires in California : our Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters Associations members show will be in a real gallery at the Pacific Grove Art Center. Juried by Laurie Kersey it should be a nice enjoyable show.
Here are my 2 entries: “View from Pleasure Point” 14 x 18 in. Plein Air , Oil on linen panel “A Gentle Day on Monterey Bay” 12 x 16 in. Plein Air, Oil on linen panel
These are interesting times for Artists: as we continue to paint many of the opportunities to show and sell our work have been cancelled. A solution has been to have virtual online shows elected by jurors , and in a few instances juried shows where the Art still appears in a real gallery.
In July I have paintings in both of these situations. Beginning July 3rd – Aug. 27th the MBPAPA Signature Artists show is Open to the public at the Pacific Grove Art Center near Monterey. The theme “From Plein Air to Studio” challenged us to take a small Plein Air piece and make it larger in the studio. Honored to have my painting ” Yosemite January 2020″ , in the show with so many talented artists and to be selected by juror Brian Blood.
A Virtual online juried show by the Coastal Art League of Half Moon Bay is online running from today July 15 – Sept 1st. This show titled “Uncharted Territory”, is the Juried All Media Show 2020 of 51 pieces of sculptures, drawings, photographs and paintings. I am very pleased to have all 3 of my entries selected .
“Toward Big Sur from Pt Lobos” 9x 12 in. PleinAir, painted this winter as a rainstorm appeared on the coast. “Incoming Morning Tide ” is 12 x 16 in. PleinAir painted facing into a brisk salt spray during the first day of the Los Gatos PleinAir event in June 2020. Finally a La Jolla PleinAir 12 x 16 in. entitled ” To the Blue Horizon”
With Covid19 still around, I am sincerely hoping that everyone still practices safe distancing, wearing facemarks in public and being kind to others. Happily after months sheltered in place, I have begun to find some secluded places where I can paint outside again. Studio work is important but there is nothing like being outside to lift the soul and spirit. Opportunities where I usually show my work have been cancelled or postponed, but lately there are some virtual online shows that I have applied to. This has given me a creative spark to re-evaluate some older works and also to get the creative juices going for newer works.
The Monterey Bay Open Studio Tour was scheduled for May , and is now rescheduled to October. This has been my most successful show in the past , so I look forward to seeing many you then. Another successful venue for me last year was the 2019 Los Gatos Plein Air event. It has been cancelled for 2020 and will reoccur in 2021.Another great show last year was the 2019 Capitola Plein Air, it will be downsized this year but hopefully will still occur in November
Several Art shows are now going virtual on the web. This is a great and creative response for solving the problem of having too many people in one place for an Art show. The California Art Club is having a show “Our World Reimagined, a Virtual experience” where we submit images on line for judging and virtual display from July 1 – August 14. Similarly, my MBPAPA Signature artists show will be virtual this summer, as will the Coastal Art Leagues show “Uncharted Territory” for July 15 – Sept 1.
Here are a few paintings I have worked on during sheltered in place or just before. Enjoy
“To the Blue Horizon” Plein Air 12 x 16 Oil on linen panel La Jolla Ca. “Incoming Tide, Pacific Grove” Plein Air 9x 12 Oil on linen panel “Serenity” Studio 16 x 20 Oil on Canvas
