Yosemite Falls

Lower Yoemite Falls  20x16"  oil on canvas  studio piece

This painting was done using a plein aire sketch that I did earlier in the summer last June.  I literally finished it and then delivered it to a gallery and then realized that it was now hanging in the gallery and I didn't have a single photograph of it!

I pulled it off the wall last weekend and took a shot of it. I'd hate to see it sell and not have a photograph of it.  Be sure to always keep good records of all your work and photos of it.

In this painting I tried to show the power and energy of the falls and the calmness of the mist and haze in the atmosphere.  Balancing it all out.  I  love Yosemite.  Paint what you love and it will show in your work.

El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, CA

El Capitan, oil on canvas, 40x30"  Studio piece painted from field studies

I just finished this painting this morning.  It was done from sketches that I did in Yosemite National Park this past summer.  I did several plein aire sketches and many small pen and ink and watercolor sketches in my mole skiene book.

When I got home most of my photographs are of El Capitan as viewed from El Capitan Meadow.  It is an enormous view but encompasses so much with all the trees, vegetation, sky, clouds, and the huge El Capitan itself.  The largest single piece of granite in the world.  Remember what I said about being overwhelmed with the scene?  Too much to capture?  I simplified this painting by zeroing in on the enormous face of this rock, showing the pine trees that are dwarfed by its presence. I had zeroed my camera in on a close up scene of the rock face as well as doing a quick sketch of the view I knew I would later want to paint back in the studio.

Get yourself to Yosemite if you haven't been there yet.  There is an entire world in that 7 mile long valley just waiting to be captured on canvas!

Danville Plein Aire

8x10" oil on canvas  "Waterfront St. Cottage"

This little cottage is located at 212 Front St. in Danville, CA.  It is currently a massage business.  This little cottage sits there with the creek behind it in a row of other old cottages.  They are original dating back to the 1800's.  Sitting there on the water front, the street was named Waterfront St. and the community of Danville was later built up around these cottages.  Years later the name of the street was shortened to Front St.

This piece was painted for the historic Danville Building show celebrating the 150th birthday of Danville.  It is currently being exhibited in the Pioneer Gallery on Hartz. Blvd. in Danville, CA.  I sold this piece before I even had a chance to deliver it to the gallery along with the eucalyptus painting done at Wood Ranch, posted earlier.  The collector was nice enough to allow me to exhibit the 2 works in the show and then deliver them to her after the show closes in about 6 weeks.

I started this piece at the location, and finished it later sitting outdoors at the Pacific Fine Arts Festival last weekend.  The time of day was later afternoon and the warm golden sun was brilliant as it dappled across the roof and kissed the tips of the lavender plant out front.

The Pride Of Danville

18x24" oil on canvas, "The Pride of Danville"

This painting was done for a show celebrating 150 years of Danville, CA history.  The show opens Oct. 3rd at the Pioneer Gallery in Danville on Hartz Blvd.  Saturday night from 5 to 8PM is reception for the show. This 350 year old California live oak stands on Diablo Rd. and serves as the community tree.  They light it every Christmas season.  The citizens post birthday wishes on it.  It truly is the pride of Danville.

There are over 150 buildings on the historical register for Danville.  Because they didn't want every artist painting the same building, a lottery was held assigning various buildings to different artists.  Not being a painter of architectural structures, I tried to beg out of the show once I found out that I wasn't even going to get to pick out my subject matter.  Low and behold I ended up with the community tree! 

This was a scene that I viewed one evening in July when California was having those horrible fires all over the state.  Because of all of the smoke in the air we had the most dramatic sunsets.  The minute I turned off the freeway and on to Diablo Blvd. I knew I had to paint that sky!  Having no camera with me, this scene was painted from my memory of that evening. Gone are the fires and along with it the glorious sunset where the hills appeared to be on fire that night behind the old oak.

Come by and see the show, it really is great.  522 Hartz Blvd., Danville, CA.

Guardian at Wood Ranch

This was painted on location at the Don Wood Ranch in Danville. This big eucalyptus seemed to be standing guard as it stood at the entrance to the ranch on the driveway.  The size is 10x8" oil on canvas.  Beauty can be found in almost anything.  For me that day the gnarly bark was my muse.  Just calling for me to paint it.  The ranch was full of barns and silos, old fences, out buildings, windmills, etc.  Almost too much to take in.  I tried to simplify for the day and start with just one tree.  Keeping my brain from overloading.  Look for this painting in the Pioneer Gallery in Danville as the historic Danville show will be going up soon.

                                                                                                                                                                         

Copyright Infringement

Diablo Summer  30x48" oil on canvas  ©2003 Catherine McClure Lindberg

Last Saturday a small local paper in a nearby city ran an image of the above painting without my permission. It was a great spot, right on the back page of the paper, taking up 1/6th of the page. Nice size.........  Although there was no credit to me at all.

I phoned the paper yesterday and spoke with the art director.  I informed him that the image belongs to me and that I own the copyright.  I also explained that the public notice of copyright is posted on the front of the painting but is conveniently cropped off in the printed image in the paper.  He was appalled that someone on his staff did that. He actually had the newspaper on his desk and was just waiting for the artist to call. The first thing he said, was "What can I do? How can we fix this?"  This guy is new at this job, having come over from a big paper. He told me that he obviously has some rules to go over with his staff and journalism etiquette.

The paper is going to run a thumbnail image of the same painting and an explanation with full credit to me.

Everyone is happy, problem solved.  Never let anyone get away with using your art with out permission.  Many thanks to those who recognized my work and drew it to my attention as I don't live in that  city and may have never seen it or knew about it.

Hazardous Waste & Tightie Whities!

Today I decided to clean out my Silicoil Brush Cleaning Tank. It is basically a wide mouth jar with a metal coil in it.  It has been years since I last cleaned it!  The paint residue gunk had risen so high that it was almost above the coil.  It was mostly wet gunk and not enough usable odorless thinner.  

I went outside, got a rag from the garage and dumped the gunk out. I used a palette knife and scrapped out all that I could and then wiped it clean with paint thinner.  Well, the gunk and dirty rags were all contained in one pile that I later put in a plastic bag and tied shut. But this is hazardous waste. I need to take it to the hazardous waste disposal facility and explain to them what it is.  Now here is the tricky part........

When my husband retired from the Coast Guard, we retired all the white underwear to the rag bin.  They make great rags ..........  even the tightie whities ....... Except I never put them in my paint box or else they end up out with me when I go plein aire painting.  That is embarrassing when you are talking with someone who has approached you and you reach for your rag to wipe your brush. Your tightie whitie that is.  Talking and gesturing with my hands as I do when I talk, with a tightie whitie waving around..........  a dirty tightie whitie........... Not pleasant.  So, they are for home use only.

Back to the hazardous waste.............  I have a bag full of diry tightie whitie rags to drop off at the hazardous waste facility............... oh joy......... I have some explaining to do.........