Sunday, December 6, 2015

Sale Corner

Click on Title to see Many Works within my Blog/ We decided to take a wee break from making small paintings and work on getting this batch of previous pieces framed and ready to show. We had a lovely First Friday opening at our little frame shop the other night and since many of you were unable to attend, you can sit in your cozy chair and view them this way. Many of these works are familiar to you and have been sleeping in my studio for some time, waiting for me to get around to making revisions. Funny thing is, a frame can pull a painting together all on its own! Prices between $135-$300 including the frame. Happy browsing and Happy Holidays and many happy thanks for tuning into my Easel Events.

Alexander Valley Sojourn 5x10 Click Here to Buy

Autumn Confetti 5x10 Click Here to Buy

Bands of Fall Color 6x8 Click Here to Buy

Blossoms Aflame 7x5 Click Here to Buy

Gazing North 6x8 Click Here to Buy

Gleaming Snippet 8x6 Click Here to Buy

Looking Heavenward 5x7 Click Here to Buy

Mustard Season 5x7 Click Here to Buy

October Oaks 6x8 Click Here to Buy

Old but Glowing 6x6 Click Here to Buy

Old Vines Aflame 5x7 Click Here to Buy

Out My Upstairs Window 6x8 Click Here to Buy

Pastoral Daybreak 5x10 Click Here to Buy

Quiet Inlet 6x8 Click Here to Buy

Reading Room in Red 8x6 Click Here to Buy

Riverside Light 7x5 Click Here to Buy

Sandy Toes 6x8 Click Here to Buy

Sliver of Light 5x7 Click Here to Buy

Snippet of Maui 10x5 Click Here to Buy

Snippet of Mendocino 10x8 Click Here to Buy

Snippet of Philo 6x8 Click Here to Bid

Soreze Gateway 5x10 Click Here to Buy

Sparkling River 10x5 Click Here to Buy

Sunny Hilltop 6x8 Click Here to Buy

Surf's Up 6x8 Click Here to Buy

Fun and Festive Display. Check out the gift items on the Erin Dertner Studio page on Facebook.

Monday, November 23, 2015

Coastline Sublime


Click on title to view image within the online blog/ I had the ultimate privilege to stay overnight up at Newport Ranch last week, going to bed and waking up to this majestic stretch of our coastline. I took about a hundred photos as the sun was setting and again as it was breaking over the eastern hills, all in hopes of creating more paintings that evoke some of the emotion I felt. My buddy Robin has been working up there to fill the new inn with sumptuous colors, textures, accessories and furnishings worthy of this truly remarkable location and I have benefited greatly from her visits. Thank you Robin and thank you God!


Monday, November 16, 2015

Celadon Horizon

 
Click on title to view image within my online blog/ Last weekend I had the privilege of teaching a 2 day class at the Mendocino Art Center. On the 2nd day, we went outside to the cypress grove and peered out between the massive trees to this quiet but majestic scene. A storm was coming on and the colors were very muted as the mist and clouds were winning a battle over the sun. The cathedral of trees provided shelter and we enjoyed bantering back and forth about what colors to choose and how to best describe the white water and swirling foam. 'Painting by Committee' is what I sometimes call it when a group is watching me and adding their 2 cents and it's really fun and helpful. I must say that the darkest area within the foreground cliff looks quite black in this photo but has a deep blueish purple color in real life and is much more inviting. Ok, over and out for now but thanks for tuning in.

Monday, November 9, 2015

Colorful Corner


Click on the title to view image within the online blog/ I had a great weekend teaching a 2 day oil painting with a palette knife class at the Mendocino Art Center and enjoyed practicing ahead of time. This is one of the sweetest subjects about town, the corner of Little Lake and Kasten Streets as the roofs are staggered and all are set off by the fabulous white fence and overflowing foliage. Come on over and pinch my cheeks for me to prove that this is for real. 

Monday, November 2, 2015

Colorful and Quiet


Click on Title to view painting within online blog/ Sharing another sweet watercolor I did on Poros Island Greece early last month. The Neorion Harbor has been one of my favorite places to paint since my first visit in 1992 as I never tire of the colorful boats at rest along the waterfront. Ideal that many lovely cafes dot the shoreline, so it is easy to paint and lunch simultaneously!


Friday, October 16, 2015

Shadows and Palms

 
Click on the title to view image within the blog/ Three weeks ago I was in a remote village on the island of Serifos, soaking up the ancient atmosphere and sharing the experience with 12 other lovely American people and one Dutchman. This was my 2nd painting and done just before we were to board our van and head back to the 'big' town where our hotel and dinner were waiting. The late afternoon sun created a huge shadow from the nearby palm and it was enthralling as it pointed to these small dwellings, the inviting roadway and the rolling hills beyond. This scene could be just about anyplace and the elements here are relatable in their simplicity. Thanks for being an armchair traveler  and hanging out with me.
Click Here to BuyClick Here to Buy

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Sunlit Stone Wall

 
Click on the title to see image within the blog/ Just returned from 2 glorious weeks in Greece and visited 4 islands plus a night in Athens to visit the Acropolis museum. It was completely delightful and my group couldn't have been better. On the island of Poros we stayed at the Odyssey Apartments and it was perfect. Classic construction with blue shutters and balconies and food that is out of this world. The owners adopt each of their guests and we are family forever! Here is a little watercolor of their colorful stone wall adorned with flowering clay pots. Hope you get to visit this wonderful place one day and escape to a haven of beauty, pampering and rest.

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Branches Aflame

 
Click on title to see image within my blog/
Off to Greece today but was able to sit calmly on my deck yesterday and paint this view of my neighbors trees. I wake up some mornings and it almost looks like the trees are on fire because the sunlit branches are so red and golden. The sliver of blue as a backdrop adds to the composition by complementing the warm tones and makes me downright happy. I'll be back in a couple of weeks with more to share, so stay tuned!
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/442661

Friday, September 18, 2015

Juicy Light and Color

 
Click on the title to see the image on my blog
 
It's been a busy few weeks with the Mendocino Open Paint Out and preparations for my painting trip to Greece. Besides that, it's been downright sad learning about people that we know that have lost their houses in the various California fires. I just found out that one of my fellow MOPO featured artists Dale Laitinen from Mountain Ranch lost everything.
The coast is beautiful after a bit of rain that helped the fire effort a bit, so I went outside on my deck in between packing and fretting and painted a little something to share. I hope to share about my trip with 11 other people including 8 painters within these next couple of weeks, but you might have to refer to my Facebook page as posting to the blog doesn't work very well via my iPad. Please know that I cherish each person that tunes into my goings on and it gives me great encouragement to hear from you as you're able to shout out.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Mendocino Open Paint Out

Erin's Arbor 12x9 oil
Jewel by the Bay 6x12 oil

Upstairs View 6x12 oil
 
Today was the first day of our 3rd plein air painting event here in Mendocino and this year I'm what's called a 'celebrity' artist. That means I do my painting and people can watch me and at the end of the week I help judge all of the work and decide on prizes for each category. I don't have the opportunity to win prizes this year, so in one way it's relaxing and in another way it's a little boring! Oh well, I get to paint like a fool and enjoy the most amazing weather we've had all year. I started at 9 this morning with the center painting, went home and did the arbor and then sat on my deck just after dinner for the 3rd one. Not so sure my camera is doing these paintings justice but I'm working quickly to paint them, shoot them and then frame them for showing in the Art Center gallery. Visit the website to learn more about the event and read up on the other amazing artists that are here in town this week.

Monday, August 17, 2015

Israel and Sweden plus paintings

Our family on the Old City Ramparts in Jerusalem

We took a month long trip to Israel and Sweden this summer and I am sharing some highlights from our time in both countries. Our boys joined us for 2 out of the 4 weeks and we 'made tracks' and rarely slept! We visited friends and family in both places and did our own thing without taking scheduled tours and it was exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. Dear friends in Jerusalem allowed us the use of their fabulous apartment while they used our car in California (yes, we missed seeing them) and other long time friends housed us and showed us special places around their villages. In Sweden, we visited my husband's cousins and were pampered daily with lovely outings and fabulous feasts. We spent time there with close friends of his cousin's as well and had a Midsummer weekend at an idyllic cottage on the southern Archipelago on the south east side of Sweden. I didn't have much time for painting as you might have guessed, but have included a few things that I was able to do while there, plus the last painting that I did upon our return. We feel so blessed to have taken this trip after 29 years when we went to these places with our 4 and 7 year old boys! Nothing like longtime ties with people and places that are near and dear. 

View of the Old City of Jerusalem from Yemen Moshe

My new painting friend Katherine

My watercolor of the Old City

View of Jerusalem from the south

Value Study in pencil

View for the value study

          Men dancing and praying at the Wailing Wall                 Observant Jews in the Old City


Light show in the Old City of Jerusalem


Tel Aviv Farmer's Market
                                                              Old City shadow patterns                                                                                                                    
Ibex hanging out along the roadside

Gathering of old and new friends in the Negev- the couple 2nd from 
the left stood up with us in our wedding 37 years ago

Old and new friends in Tel Aviv-the center girl went to school
with our boys in Fort Bragg and now lives in Tel Aviv with her
husband just to the left


Now onto Sweden and our Midsummer head garlands
My husband's first cousin is 3rd from the left


My husband's first cousin in the center with her family and ours

A typical summer scene on the coast of Sweden

A typical Swedish cottage

Boat harbor where you can see the bridge from Malmo to Copenhagen 
in the distance

\
Lovely scene in the village of Vellinge Sweden, near Malmo

Midsummer flower fields outside of Malmo, Sweden

Bent metal bike rack

Malmo park, complete with windmill and foxglove flowers

Children dress up and 'shoo' the geese for summer tourits

Lovely entry garden in the south of Sweden


Red poppies in full bloom in the village of Vellinge, Sweden

My 9x12 oil painting of the poppies