West Maui Icons

Email me to Buy: erinsart@erindertner.com

Whenever I'm away from home and only using my iPad, it is a serious challenge to stay in touch. I keep trying to perfect the method and hope that I'm successful this time. 

Maui has been delightful in hundreds of ways, but I suppose the main blessing is the warm weather. It's perpetually summer here and the sunset colors abound virtually around the clock! Here is a peek 

at the West Maui mountains and an iconic image that spells Hawaii, the palm tree. I hope you feel warm and beachy just looking at it and be assured I'll post a lot more upon my return.

Bye Bye for a Coupla Weeks

Hi Y'All- Just a quick shout out that we leave tomorrow for Maui and won't be back til the 18th of December. I'm showing new small works at the Village Gallery, Lahaina on December 13th, so will be focusing on that while we're away. I hope to resume some kind of normal schedule upon my return, but in the meantime want to wish you a splendid holiday season. Pictured above is my sweet little family that have been here this past week for Thanksgiving, so it's been non stop cooking, eating, cleaning and repeating! Blessings upon each of you and your families, your artsy fartsy friend, Erin

Studio Clearance Event!

Hello Art Loving Friends,
  Happy to let you know that I have compiled a batch of artworks to offer at prices that are often 60%-80% less than retail. Every now and then, my husband and I want to do some Spring cleaning and get ready for something new. Check out the Sale Corner on my website via either link included here and when you see an image that strikes you just click on it and you will find the size and price and a few of my thoughts about the scene. Hope you enjoy this 'virtual' exhibition and can find something to beautify a spot in your home or an offering for a friend or family member. 
  We will be able to ship things this week and Monday, or during the week of December 16th to ensure a Christmas delivery just in case you choose something for holiday gift giving. Thanks so much for tuning into my art endeavors and I wish you a truly blessed holiday season and a prosperous and inspirational new year! Warmly, Erin

http://erindertner.fineartstudioonline.com/collections/60761

Winter Wonderland

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Couldn't help myself. Even though I am a summer enthusiast, I had to delve into my winter photo archives and create something else that included a red house. I have to admit something though. My husband took this particular batch of photos while on a skiing trip. Snow and I just DON'T get along well at all, so I can enjoy painting it while having that warm fuzzy feeling rather than the freezing prickly alternative. Many of you know that I'm from Lake Tahoe and that I don't ski, but I hope you still like me.

Country Elegance

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Back in the saddle so to speak an had a hankering for some red. So, I chose the elegant and grand Victorian landmark that graces highway 128 out in the Anderson Valley. This is the route we most often take to get to 'civilization' and love passing by this fabulous sight in all its pastoral and colorful glory. One day I hope to find out the square footage of this place as in this painting I have only included about half of it! It's near the close of a lovely summer day and now that it's November, sweet memories of summer are lingering just beneath the surface.

11/12/13

Just the Rainbow

The rainbow over our Laurel Street building (on the left)

The sky behind the Guest House Museum on Main Street

Here is what inspired me today while I was running about doing 100 other things. Hordes of us hit the street and had a spontaneous block party as we gawked over how God was painting the sky in every direction. The the west, the most glorious sunset EVER and to the east, a dreamlike rainbow against a dark blue sky. All I can say is W.O.W. for Wonder Of Wonders. Hope to get back to my daily painting un-schedule tomorrow, but in the meantime do enjoy these shots taken on this very special day. 11-12-13

Last Flicker of Light

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I have honestly no idea how I managed to paint 6 small paintings a week last year. Somehow, there was a special measure of grace over me because this year has been entirely different. I am still enjoying it VERY much, but maybe my life has just sped up and out of control or something.............eek, but thanks for hanging with me and sharing your thoughts from time to time. 

This little vision was from my Mom's property near Placerville. I was drawn to the last tidbits of light hitting the background trees of the neighboring forested hillside and took a fuzzy photo with my iPad. This is the moodier side of me and maybe a bit akin to the simple hillsides I've also been doing. The life of a painter is always challenging, exciting and somewhat dangerous when a scene pops up out of nowhere and the camera isn't within easy reach. Thankfully, I wasn't in the car when I spotted this one.

Here again are some fun things coming up:

Lahaina, Maui/ December 7th, 2013

Poster Unveiling

Lahaina Courthouse Gallery

at the Banyan Tree 5-8pm

Lahaina, Maui/ December 13th, 2013

Exhibition of New Work

Village Gallery on Dickenson Street

5-8 pm

France Workshop

July 8-22 2014

please inquire for details

erinsart@erindertner.com

France, etc.

Long Lavender Shadows

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Still riding the wave of those golden California hills with their yummy and dramatic shadows while I catch up on miles of piles. 

One exciting new development is a trip I'm planning for next year to Paris and the south of France. I love going there in the height of the sunflower blooming season, so the dates will be July 8-22. Please email me at erinsart@erindertner.com for the full, fabulous scoop! 

Hills at Daybreak

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Another pajama party with paintbrushes in the glorious California hills. You have to work quickly when the sun is just coming up because pretty soon the shapes are all different and the colors aren't so saturated and warm. Who doesn't like pumpkin and pomegranate? 

Sliver of Sunlight

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Here is another impression from my time in the hills. This piece was done just as the morning sun was cresting the opposite hillside, lighting up a neon path while lightly brushing the oak foliage. I was wearing my pajamas and everyone else was still asleep, so it was a matter of seizing the literal moment. I take thousands upon thousands of photos and love working from them, but being on location evokes so much more tangible emotion whether the results are successful or not.

October Oaks

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You're right about that. Long time no see, no hear. You'd think I have been sitting on my laurels, eating bon bons and staring out the window or something. Truth be told, I was on a joint birthday galivant with my buddy Leslie over in 'them thar hills' and we were busy. Busy painting one hill and oak tree after the other in hopes that one of the compositions would ring loud and clear and add up to a thousand words. No, I will NOT make up for all the lost words but will just say thank you for your patience. It's been a great week of time in the golden hills in the golden month with a golden friend.

My 'Go To' Place

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I'd been indoors for hours and couldn't stand the fact that a gloriously sunny day was being wasted at the computer and doing paperwork. I called a friend at that last minute to see if she might be up for a jaunt to Pacific Star to take in the last bit of the day and she said, "YES". Thank you Georgia for changing your plans, zipping over to my studio, packing me and my art supplies into your car and heading north. I can't get enough of this spot, and darling Sally who is pictured below is always smiling when I show up. We finally got a photo of the two of us together, and even though one side of my glasses is dark and I look like a pirate (!), here we are soaking up the beauty of this place yet again. Yep, those are cows out there on the bluffs.

Colorful Corn

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I had a hankering to do something really Fall-like today. The coast doesn't reveal much in the way of Fall color though, so I went digging into my photo boxes where I have a treasure trove of great stuff from my many October travels to New England. I even spent my 40th birthday in Vermont if you can believe it, at a Chinese restaurant no less! We work with a licensing company there, so it's been great to wander around in the leafy countryside while doing a bit of business too. Haven't been there in years, so it was really fun to re-live many yummy moments via my photo jewels.

Peek at the Lighthouse

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Out to the deck I went once again in order to try and capture a snippet of my view to the north. Pt. Cabrillo Lighthouse continually flashes and even helps me make my way to the bathroom in the dark of night! The coastal pines that adorn the edge of my neighbor's property always 'ask' to be painted as well, so don't be surprised if you continue to see this theme crop up over and over...............

my website

my blog (so much more to see that what arrives in your inbox)

Surf's Up

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Besides my mother-in-law's birthday, I think I've had a bit of 'painter's block'. I hit the Mendo Paint Out so hard and got so much feedback that I've honestly been reluctant to pick up my brush. I'm not much different than the horse with the carrot held at arm's length, always hoping for more, for better, for excellence. I took my mother-in-law up to Pacific Star today but there was a lot of noise there due to erecting a tent for a Saturday wedding, so I came home instead and found this photo on my iPad from an earlier visit. It was fun to paint a more active surf than what I saw on sight today, so it almost felt like I was there, but a bit better. Hopefully.

My Mother in Law's 94th Birthday

Today is Renee Dertner's 94th birthday and we feel blessed that she is in our lives. Here are a few shots from her early days in Sweden with her husband and two children and the last one from last week when she was celebrating with our son Levi. We'll be heading out of town to celebrate with her, plus to visit my Mom and other friends, so wanted to shout out that you won't hear from me til next week. Our lives are crazy, but it's because we have to do all the memorable stuff, besides the tidbits of work that we manage to squeeze in too. Hope your lives are similarly full and blessed.

My End of Town

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I did this little watercolor during the Mendocino Open Paint Out and love that this amazing scene is just steps from my house. I could pinch myself just about everyday when I have the time to zip out to the headlands and along the many paths leading to one glorious view after another. I did an oil of these vista just after this one, but I always like the immediacy of a watercolor and that you leave the white of the paper wherever there is a white shape in the composition. The term for that is 'negative painting' and it takes a bit of planning. I even painted the dark tree around the flagpole!

Planning the Maui Trip

Hey Y'All- In case you aren't on my email list or Facebook, I wanted to shout out about a coupla things. First of all, I have a newly refurbished website that can be viewed at erindertner.com. I am so jazzed to have a site that I can manage MYSELF. Fine Art Studio Online has a great template for artists and though it's still been a learning curve, at least I didn't eat much pavement while I was riding it. 

Pictured is the lovely harbor at Lahaina, Maui, with the courthouse peeking out from behind the boats and trees. On the evening of December 7th of this year the new poster will be unveiled there and I'd love to extend an invitation. The Village Gallery on Dickenson Street will also host a hoopla on the evening of December 13th with the poster and a new batch of my local plein air paintings. Who knows, maybe some of you already have such plans in the works, or know someone that lives there and might want to attend!

Welcome to Mendocino

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I'm in a "Less is More" kinda mode these days, meaning I am trying to tell my story with fewer details, colors and brush strokes. Trying to create larger and more dominant shapes, accompanied by smaller areas of detail and bits of contrast. It is not easy for someone that sees everything, even the fly on the windowsill from 100 feet away. This piece was done during the 'Quick Draw' segment of the Mendocino Open Paint Out and I may have posted it during the event. I rather like the big block of warm color and the narrow stripe of Main Street, all set off by the quiet sky and snippet of ocean. Hope you do too.

Tunnel Reflections

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Realizing just how tired I am after last week because I've only posted twice! My son has been in town, so the pace has been different because of that too. I did this little piece last week when the skies were gray but the temps were warm. I live within spitting distance of this spot but have only painted it twice in 27 years, crazy huh? People walk to the end of that arch and have their photos taken, but I am content to enjoy it from a safe distance..................

Fanciful Fog

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You guessed it. Way too tired to do a new painting even though the weather is 100 times better now than last week at the Mendocino Open Paint Out. I had a fabulous time and though I didn't win an official prize I did sell the moonlight piece and small vineyard with garden. Some fun friends gave me the MAPSA award which stands for Most Art Per Space Allotted! I did 15 paintings during the 6 day event, the last one during the 2 hour 'Quick Draw' where each artist stayed within certain boundaries along Main Street. We were supposed to talk to passersby, but we weren't very talkative let me tell you. That was a dumb idea, putting us in harm's way like that, but each intruder figured it out when we reminded them that we were under the gun! I didn't win the People's Choice award for this piece but many votes were cast in my direction and I was thrilled at the turn out afterwards. The entire event was stupendous and I really look forward to taking part again next year. 

Welcome to Mendocino 9x12

Thursday Night & Friday Morning

Colombi's corner store in Ft. Bragg

Fanciful Fog 4x9 watercolor

Neon at Nightfall 11x14

Tunnel Reflections 6x8

Today was almost the end of the Paint Out, but the event culminates in a 2 hour "Quick Draw" tomorrow between 11 and 1. We turned in our favorite painting (I chose 'Happy Hour' with the help of friends and family) to be judged today and tomorrow's pieces will also be judged separately, with the awards being announced in the evening. It's been a great week, but I'm pretty stinkin' tired. A couple of the participants are going to Sonoma next week to do this all over again in that area. More power to 'em!  Here is my wall of 13 paintings, coincidentally displayed on September 13th. More news and at least one more photo to follow soon. Thanks for taking the time to check out all of these visuals and a few wacky words.

Last Night and This Morning

A Mendocino Morning 12x16

Happy Hour 8x16

My End of Town 8x11 watercolor

Working for my breakfast

The order of these photos is not correct as I did the two town paintings last evening and the breakfast one this morning, but the computer goofed up. It was a warm and wonderful evening last night after a fairly foggy first part of the day, so I made hay while the sun was shining. It was shining so brightly that I had to take shelter behind a shady tree, IF YOU CAN BELIEVE THAT ABOUT MENDOCINO! When it started out foggy again today, I remembered a scene that I've wanted to do for years which is breakfast on the porch at the MacCallum House with their spectacular view. It didn't matter that the skies were gray because the food was colorful enough and it sure was fun. My husband joined me and we bought 3 meals, 2 to eat and one to leave as a permanent prop throughout the session. Yes, crazy but oh so delightful.

More to See

Hi Y'All- Just touching base to say hi and let you in on what I've been up to since my last post. I've actually done 2 other paintings as well, but will share those soon! It's a downright crazy week and I feel like a painting machine, but it sure is fun. A really cool tidbit is that Macario Pascual is part of the Paint Out and he and I both show at the Village Gallery in Maui. He is a true master.  Fun coincidence and we're getting to know each other.

Heavenly Handley 16x20

Macario and Karen Pascual from Maui

                                      

Macario painting roses at Navarro Vineyards

Spot of Color 6x8

Sublime September 10x5

Tuesday's Moon 10x5

LOTS to See and Read

Harbor Haven Inspiration

Harbor Haven 11x14

Mendocino Sunspill Inspiration

Mendocino Sunspill 8x16

Here I am with Kathryn LeMieux 

Ok folks, here is this week's happening news. I am taking part in MOPO, or Mendocino Open Paint Out and today was the first day. I woke up earlier than usual and raced out to catch the sun as it began to spill into the Big River basin, lighting up the bluffs and hilltops on the south side of the village. It was truly spectacular, though my 'inspiration' photo doesn't reveal that fact. I worked feverishly because things change rapidly at that hour, but even more so because the fog came in. Rats. Decided to head north toward the Noyo Harbor and found a fun spot along the South Harbor where you can see my vantage point and completed painting. I enjoyed this slot with Kathryn LeMieux, my darling painter friend from Westport and I hope I get to share her painting as well one of these days. I am not certain that I will be posting the rest of the week, but had to let you in on at least a tidbit of this great event. The paintings will be for sale through the week at the Mendocino Art Center and each evening the artists will be hanging their work from that day. The end of the week culminates in a juried show where prizes are awarded for best painting and best 'Quick Draw', which is a 2 hour timed paint out along Main Street in Mendocino. You bet your boots I'll be whooped by Saturday afternoon, but I'll have lots to share! 

Ok, before that day comes, I wanted to also share that I entered these two images into the annual Lahaina Poster Contest and just found out on Friday night that I won first place!!!! The winner was 'Island Flora' which is a painting of Front Street at sunset bordered by many beautiful flowers of the Hawaiian Islands. Yahoo, I get to fly to Maui within the next few months to sign 1,000 posters and have a lovely getaway.......

Island Flora

Lahaina Majesty