June (ok...July) Gloom

Summer schedule has arrived! Minimal teaching schedule leaves a lot of studio time....although somehow everything seems to take longer (perhaps I'm just moving slower). I still feel new to Southern California, transplanted here from Marin County twenty something years ago. I find myself going into a bit of a panic with the thought of the late summer heat just around the corner. I cling to the "may gray" and "june gloom" mornings and aside from a quick early heatwave we are still enjoying the a.m. gray. Going about my early morning walks and errands I have become infatuated with the fog as it moves through the olive trees.

As much as I lamented the end (or hiatus) of my recent printmaking foray I am happy to be painting again. I got stuck on the "one tree per square" format which offered up all kinds formal and conceptual avenues but the shallowness of the space began to become an issue for me. The emphasis on atmosphere, air and space, along with the coolness of the fog has been commanding my attention.

Nearly all of my painting experience has come from oils but I'm sticking to acrylics for now, trying to keep the fumes down. The small paintings have gone well (like the one pictured) but I've just begun a large painting (3'x4') and I'm finding the acrylic challenging (read nightmareish)....like I'm needing to re-learn how to paint, or maybe it's because I've been working small for so long. Regardless, I'm enjoying the struggle (kinda) and letting the fog keep me cool.