A Blog About Oil Painting
Welcome to my blog. Here you'll find me rambling on about all sorts of things related to art in general and oil painting in particular. There's even a recipe for dog cookies hidden away somewhere.
Like the rest of the site, this section is still a work in progress and I will be making it tider and easier to navigate in time. There is a lot of content, so using the buttons below may help you to get around. Newest posts are shown first.
Sketch Marathon Day 18: A Long Walk
by Simon Bland / 23 May 2016
Field Study: Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage 6x9, oil on linen panel. 2016 To paint this sketch I had to walk the three mile round trip to the beach while carrying all my painting gear. I've been trekking increasingly further distances this past month and I think I've pared down my supplies and equipmen...
Sketch Marathon Day 17: Hillside
by Simon Bland / 21 May 2016
Hillside. 5x7, oil on linen panel. 2016 This sketch is based on a notan study that was done on location. Painting with some separation from the spring greens allows me to be much more creative with the color choices. This isn't the first time in 17 days that a sketch didn't survive the morning after...
Sketch Marathon Day 16: In and Out
by Simon Bland / 20 May 2016
Field Study - Discovery Park 052016. 7x11, oil on linen panel. 2016 A productive day, with studies done both in the the studio and out in the field. This is the afternoon's effort, done en plein air. I spent a lot of time squinting at the scene to help me reduce the detail to a manageable amoun...
Sketch Marathon Day 15: On the Back Trails
by Simon Bland / 18 May 2016
Back Trail. 7x5, oil on linen panel. 2016 Just a small sketch out at Discovery Park today. I walked into the center section on one of the back trails. There was no one else around. It's easy to get carried away when I'm outside painting. I have to constantly remind myself that the reason I'm there i...
Sketch Marathon Day 14: Back Outside
by Simon Bland / 17 May 2016
Edge of the Sound (plein air). 9x12, oil on linen panel. 2016 Back outside today to paint at Discovery Park. I first developed a handful of notan sketches using a marker pen. I chose my favorite of these and used it as the basis for the block in, then took the painting to completion from life. I mad...
Sketch Marathon Day 13: Even More Abstraction
by Simon Bland / 13 May 2016
Bainbridge Point. 5x7, oil on linen panel. 2016 This one took a lot of experimentation. I had to keep painting and destroying the forms over and over again until I got what I was looking for. I've always been very careful about mixing my paint and keeping everything super tidy, so it's a big change ...
Sketch Marathon Day 12: More Abstraction
by Simon Bland / 13 May 2016
Millville Road. 7x5, oil on linen panel. 2016 One of the things that I've been working on over the past couple of weeks has been an increased emphasis on abstraction. It's not that I suddenly want to declare myself an abstract painter, I just want to use it as a way to place more emphasis on the lig...
Sketch Marathon Day 11: Painting on Location at Carkeek Beach
by Simon Bland / 11 May 2016
Carkeek Shore (plein air). 8x10, oil on linen panel. 2016 I painted on the beach at Carkeek Park today. What a difference compared to my last visit - a rainy winter day when I had the whole place to myself. On a bright spring day like today, the colors of the PNW coast almost look artificial. ...
Sketch Marathon Day 10: Revisiting a Plein Air Notan Sketch
by Simon Bland / 10 May 2016
North Field. 8x10, oil on linen panel. 2016 Sketch marathon day 10. Starting to feel like I'm making some progress. [Before I continue, I have to say that this sketch didn't photograph very well (much like yesterday's painting). I'll try to get a better image when the paint has dried a little.] Yest...