Valley View

The vineyard is painted with combinations of Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Yellow Medium and Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Yellow Medium + White. Sunlight, streaming into the painting from the upper left, dances and skips across the tops of the vines.

Wildflowers spread in a multicolored carpet beneath the lush vines. Mixes of Dioxazine Purple + White make those in the distance, moving forward Magenta + White and then Alizarin Crimson + Cadmium Red Light are used.

California Poppies fill the foreground. The blossoms are blocked in with Cadmium Red Light, Cadmium Red Light + Cadmium Orange and Cadmium Orange. The soft grey-green leaves are combinations of Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Orange + White and Pthalo Blue + White. The mass of color for the flowers is painted first, then the leaves are painted around the reds and oranges, giving shape to the individual Poppies.

Centers are added to the Poppies with Magenta + Liquin.

Roses, made of Permanent Rose + White, cascade over the old, split rail fence. The distinctive buds are delineated with a warmer green made of Ultramarine Blue + Lemon Yellow + White.

The sign is first covered with mixes of White + a little Ultramarine Blue and White + a touch of MUD (2 parts of Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson). The cooler blue mix is used at the back of the panel while the lighter and warmer mix of White + MUD is used at the part of the sign closest to the viewer. This helps to give the appearance it is coming forward. “Merlot” is lettered in a mixture of Magenta + Liquin.

A small cluster of grapes adorns the top of the plaque.

“Valley View” 11 inches by 11 inches

The brilliance of spring flowers makes this “Valley View” sparkle with happiness. In the fall, large clusters of Merlot grapes will be ready to harvest and make into delicious Napa Valley Wine! I appreciate you following along! With Colorful Hugs,

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES ARE PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2021

www.senkarik.com

Painting the Wine Country

Starting a new painting for my Napa Valley gallery in Yountville, California: Gallery 1870. I begin sketching up the composition with a brush dipped in a thin oil wash of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Liquin. As you read through my blog you may click on any of the pictures to see enlargements.

The vines are washed in with Sap Green + Liquin and Pthalo Blue + Liquin.

We’re sketched up and ready to begin painting.

I start with the sky because it’s the source of light for the piece and sets the color mood. “Painting Forward”, the most distant hills are blocked in first, then the closest ones are painted with warmer mixes. The Napa River, glistening in the sunlight, winds through the valley below. The silvery strand is made using the corner of my square tipped, Bright brush.

The tin roof of the old barn has a beautiful patina of rust caused by years of exposure to the elements.

Tall evergreens line the back of the vineyard.

We’ll be working on the vines, sign and wildflowers in the next session. I hope you’ll come follow along!

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Thank you for subscribing and have a wonderful day! With Big Hugs,

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES ARE PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2021

www.senkarik.com

Texas Tapestry

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Blocking In the Rocks

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Blocking In the Water Cascading over the Rocks

I know the videos make it appear as if this paints very quickly but it has taken most of today to get the rocks and water to this point! Lots of going back and forth working on little details. The water rushing over the rocks causes foam to collect at their base. To indicate this, mixes of White + a little Ultramarine Blue are applied with thick brushstrokes. The contrast to the smoothness of the water in the pond below the falls, adds textural interest to the painting. You may click on the image to see this better.

To paint the lower edge of the Gallery Wrap Canvas, the canvas/cardboard unit is taken off the easel and placed upside down on the floor. You can see how having the canvas attached to the cardboard makes it very easy for me to handle the wet painting. There is no way I could do this without the cardboard backing!

“Texas Tapestry” 24 inches x 36 inches

I had originally planned to have more flowers, nestled to the right of the Sunflowers. However, when the rocks were complete I liked it better that you could see the stream dancing and splashing behind the large leaves and blossoms. More flowers would have covered this up. It also gives a welcome resting spot for the viewer to mentally “Sit on the Rocks”, listen to the melody of the babbling brook and enjoy the “Texas Tapestry” of spring wildflowers blanketing the hill! I appreciate you following along! With Colorful Smiles,

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES ARE PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2021

www.senkarik.com

Phlox, Bluebonnets and African Daisies

Phlox nestles at the base of the Burgundy Prickly Poppies. The pink flowers are painted with several mixes of Permanent Rose + White. The leaves, made of Pthalo Blue+ Lemon Yellow, are worked around the masses of pink, helping to shape the flowers. Please remember, you may click on the images to view them larger.

Centers are added to the tiny flowers with pure Permanent Rose.

Cobalt Blue + White Bluebonnets pop up in front of the Prickly Poppies. The details of the blossoms are made with the corner of a medium sized Bright (square tipped) Brush. To learn more about the brushes I prefer to use CLICK HERE!

Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Orange + White is used for the star shaped foliage of the Bluebonnets. Next the White “Bonnets” are added.

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Painting the African Daisies

The babbling brook will begin to flow and we should be finishing up in our next session. Come follow along and see how this springtime painting turns out. AND, I’m going to have a couple of videos! In the meantime have a great day and here’s a HUG,

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES ARE PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2021

www.senkarik.com

Lots of POPPIES!

Walking into the studio the next morning after finishing the wildflower meadow shown in the previous session, I realized the white flowers in the distance just didn’t work. They distracted from the Bluebonnets and White Star of the Texas Flag on the barn roof. So I painted more colorful flowers in place of the white ones. Now you can really see the Bluebonnets with their White Caps! In the picture above I’m adding some cactus and limestone rocks along the fence line. Please remember as you read through my blog, you may click on any of the images to see enlargements.

Cedar fence posts march up the hill, leading your eye to the barn.

California Poppies are blocked in with mixtures of Cadmium Red Light + Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Orange + Alizarin Crimson and Cadmium Orange.

After painting the leaves with several shades of Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Yellow Medium, the centers of the California Poppies are made with a mix of Magenta + Liquin.

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Painting the Burgundy Prickly Poppies

The first step in painting the Sunflowers is to form their basic shapes with mixes of Cadmium Orange + MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson), Cadmium Yellow Medium + Alizarin Crimson + MUD, Cadmium Yellow Medium + MUD and Cadmium Yellow Medium. Then the large centers are added with a mix of MUD + Liquin. You can see how the painting goes over the edge of the Gallery Wrap Canvas and on to the sides.

Broad leaves are combinations of Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Yellow Medium + Lemon Yellow.

The intense, warm brightness of the Yellow Sunflowers makes them come forward of the cooler, multicolored flowers in the background. More wildflowers will be springing up in our next session, Come Watch! With Hugs and Smiles,

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES ARE PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2021

www.senkarik.com

Texas Barn in a Sea of Wildflowers

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Painting the Barn

The entire surface of the barn doors is covered first with mixes of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Ultramarine Blue + Cadmium Orange + White. Then the Z boards on the outside of the doors are painted with a darker shade of the same mixture.

The same colors used for the doors make up the shadow side of the barn.

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Painting the Texas Flag Roof

The colors I’m going to use to begin blocking in the wildflower meadow are shown above. #1. Cadmium Red Light + White. #2. Two shades of Magenta + White. #3. Ultramarine Blue + White. #4. Two combinations of Dioxazine Purple + White. #5. Five mixes in different proportions of Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Yellow Medium + Lemon Yellow + White. #6. A couple of shades of Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Orange + White.

The far edge of the field has been defined with mixes #2, #3 and #4. Then several patches of green are made in the meadow. Some of the lighter green #5 mix is used near the barn to indicate the sunlight illuminating the top of the hill where the weathered structure resides.

The distant Bluebonnets are painted with the mixture of Ultramarine Blue + White. Please remember as you read through my blog, you may click on any of the pictures to see an enlargement.

Coming closer to the foreground the Bluebonnets are blocked in with several shades of Cobalt Blue + White. Because Cobalt Blue is more intense and brighter than Ultramarine Blue, it “Comes Forward”. This helps to give the appearance of depth in the painting.

The white tops or “Bonnets” on the Bluebonnets closest to the viewer are made with pure White.

Moving toward the back of the field the White tops are made with White + a touch of Ultramarine Blue. This makes the White a little less bright so it recedes. The White flowers in the distance have also been painted with the same mix of White + a bit of Ultramarine Blue, causing them to drop back.

We’re moving right along. More flowers will be popping up in our next session, hope you’ll come follow the progress! With Colorful Smiles,

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES ARE PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2021

www.senkarik.com