Sunswept

"Sunswept", oil on gessoed board, 11x14"

If you have ever scrolled through my paintings on the CeliaKellystudio page you will see over the last two years I have painted a lot of vineyard scenes. I have always love the symmetry and organization it took to plant and maintain rows and rows of fruit. And it helps to have a sister who sends unlimited photos of various Sonoma, Napa, Healdsburg, St. Helena and everywhere in between!!

Springhill #3

Springhill #3, oil on panel, 11x9"

Here is the third of 3 paintings from my jaunt to Springfield,KY a few weeks back. This one ended up my favorite. I really loved working from sketches and memory over my normal photographic references, so hopefully I will find some more inspirational landscapes to work from.

Springhill #2

Springhill #2, oil on panel, 11x9"

Here is the second painting produced from a multitude of plein air sketches a couple weeks ago. It was interesting  painting from sketches.... really allowed for the creative process to take over in all aspects.

Springhill #1

Springhill #1, oil on panel, 11x9"

A week or so ago, I traveled to a small vineyard an hour south of Louisville. It was a beautifully hot day, and in an extremely quiet country setting. It was the best medicine I could have given myself. I sat in various shady spots creating pen and ink drawings, breaking in a new larger sketchbook. It was nice to walk around undisturbed and focus. The greens were brilliant, and the shadows cool. From the ten or so drawings I produced, I decided to create a series of three. Instead of painting them in a linear fashion however, I set all three panels on the easel side-by-side. The idea was to work on them simultaneously (something I drew from my visit with landscape artist David Skinner in Asheville) so the color values and palette are not disjointed. Here is the first of three...

"September in Napa"

oil on hardboard

11x14"

Yesterday after a quick warm-up painting, I hunkered down with some beautiful photos taken by my sister Claire. She visited her "second home" in September and sent me a lot of photos. When I began painting, I thought it would be nice to document various stages of the painting, starting with the toned board and sketch and progressing to the end. The first photo is the finished painting and then they progress henceforth. Let me know what you think.

Landslide

Landslide, oil on board, 14x 18"

Rows and rows of uphill vines acting as earths sun catchers.

Long-legged

Long-legged, oil on board, 16x20"

I really need to get a phone with a better camera. I took several photos of this painting, and I feel like it still isn't represented to the best of its ability.  Regardless, I loved these long-legged vines.  I wish I knew what varietal they are.  When I was painting the background, I blurred the photo so I wouldn't get to caught up in the nitty gritty, i.e. the details. The abstraction was fun to do, and still shows the depth of space.

Sunlit Vineyard 2

Sunlit Vineyard 2, oil on canvas, 8x8"

NFS

This is my 300th painting since I started my blog in April 2014! I have not necessarily been painting and posting everyday but a lot more then I thought would be posting when I started.  

This is a second go at this vineyard scene. This painting, as well as its counterpart, will be a donation to the Louisville Art Association's ArtSquared fundraiser in April. I will write more about that later. 

When I realized I had to paint a second version, I left the original packed up, interested in seeing how I would interpret the scene again. I was just comparing the two, and even though there are some similarities, I am really pleased at their differences.  It shows that one any given day, my brain is wired to see color, shapes and points of interest differently.

Uphill

Uphill, oil on canvas, 12x16"

This is the fourth of my vineyard paintings.  I have them all lined up near my easel so I can keep checking on my own progress. A little "checks and balances" I guess.  This one is a bit smaller, only because I ran out of the other size.  The light on the vineyard was making the vines in the foreground sparkle!

Evening Vineyard

Evening Vineyard, oil on canvas, 14x18"

The photo of this painting is actually much duller then the actual painting. I am not sure how to remedy this at this moment. Just imagine it very vivid and alive. While painting it was difficult at first to switch from a vertical orientation of the vineyards to horizontal.  But it was fun because of the light and brilliance that help guide my brush.

Symmetry

Symmetry, oil on canvas, 14x18"

I'm on a roll with vineyards as subject matter, but I don't feel as if I've exhausted the subject for a while. I am thoroughly intrigued by how simple it seems when evaluating a photo reference to paint, to how that turns into something that requires so much more focus then expected. In other words, I am loving it. Despite how detailed vineyards are to paint, I feel like I have been much looser and freer with my painting style.

Long Shadows, Vineyard

Long Shadows, Vineyard, oil on canvas, 14x18"

The rows between the grapevines in a vineyard are equally as manicured as the vines themselves.  They are living, breathing natural artwork, representing painstaking symmetry and balance. 

I dedicate this painting to Peter Mondavi, who along with his brother Robert(who would later leave to start Mondavi Winery) turned Krug Winery into a quality wine growing/making facility. They were early leaders in helping Napa Valley become a premier wine growing region in the world . Krug is also my favorite winery in Napa. Peter lived on the property that now houses their tasting room in a  restored historic structure. The several visits I have made in the last few years, I always hoped to see him and take a selfie with him. But it wasn't to be. Peter died Saturday February 20 at the grand old age of 101. Cheers to Peter Mondavi and the delicious, bold Cabs his winery has given us. 

Sloped

Sloped, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 8x6"

Day 18  30 paintings/30 days

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When you are standing in a vineyard, you can easily become mesmerized by the neatly organized rows, and how they can lead your eyes back to the layers in the distance.  I attempted to capture this in Sloped.

Fruitful

Fruitful, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 6x9"

Day 9, 30 paintings/30 Days

I switched gears with this one. I tried to stay loose and use purposeful organic marks. I am happy because this is the direction I have been working towards!

Harvest

Harvest, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 6x6"

day 8,  30 paintings in 30 days

This is the first painting I have done with this color palette and it felt very foreign to me. I actually enjoyed working through the issues I was having and liked having to twist my brain a bit.  

Groomed

Groomed, oil on gessoed watercolor paper, 9x12"

day 6, 30 paintings/30 days

 This photo reference was taken was from the northern part of Sonoma County in California's wine country, near Healdsburg. It a wonderful place to visit. I would love to set up and paint en plein air soon, as those endless rows would put me in a painter's trance.

Lowland vineyard

Lowland Vineyard, oil on gessobord, 5x7 inches

I have said before how much I enjoy painting vineyards as much as I enjoy being in them. I wish I could combine the two....paint in the vineyards while I drink a glass of wine (or two). :-)

Cypress

Cypress, oil on gessobord, 5x7 inches

I began painting again one year ago this month, and I started with similar subject matter as this. Conical trees sitting amongst a vast landscape. You see them everywhere, but do you truly notice them? These trees are lucky to live in California, in the Napa Valley, surrounded by hilly vineyards. The property they rest on contains a 13th century Italian castle that was built after it was brought from its homeland and pieced together.  Wrought iron hardware made by artisans centuries ago hold it all together. I don't know how long the project took from start to finish, nor can I imagine the cost of such a project, but it is fascinating nonetheless.

The driveway to the castle winds up the Napa hillside (where else would a castle rest), and is lined mesmerizingly with these cypress, catching the light and casting their shadows.

Chardonnay Fields

Chardonnay Fields, oil on gessobord, 5x7"

I needed a little change of pace from the cattails and reeds, even though they are fun to paint and require a lot of thought on my part.  So what better subject matter to explore than a vineyard. The title actually refers more to the color of the vines rather than the varietal. And they looked like parallel roller coasters. 

Country Lane

Country Lane, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

Despite having had a decent day to photograph this painting, I must say the image above turned out too light. I don't have photoshop, and the basic color editing program on my macbook distorts other colors if you try and boost particulars, so I leave it alone.  This painting made me happy to paint because it put me right back in the car, stopping to take a picture of the plethora of vineyards in the area, on the way to a wine tasting   *BIG SMILE*