Josi Callan Art

Saturday, October 10, 2015

The following paintings recently sold, "Hot Cocoa," and "Coronado Roses."  Hot Cocoa was painted from roses of the same name from my garden in the Northwest.  They were at the end of a cycle, drooping and changing color quickly.  Coronado Roses was painted on the island of Coronado in California, this past July.  It was a family vacation - I was able to sneak in some painting time during a rain storm.
 
 

Thursday, October 1, 2015

I learned a lot from this painting.  Always take a photo of your reference.  I had a panel that I wanted to reuse - set up a few flowers and leaves - painted for a couple of hours - then set it aside.  A few days later, the flowers long since past their prime - and no photo to look at - I went into the garden, found an almost dead sunflower bud, some lazy Susan stems with no leaves and let my imagination take over.  I am very pleased with the result...

Sunday, August 30, 2015

I spent last weekend plein air painting in Snoqualmie and Seattle on the docks.  The weather was perfect. 

I painted this "shed" the first day.  The light was terrific and I could not resist the addition of the red can.

The next day by the river the air was very misty and there was a lot of smoke from the wildfires several hundred miles south.  The result was a very subdued painting.  I added a few hard edges to take the eye back, but kept the composition and the palette, much like the day, subdued.

The Seattle fisheries dock provided lots of opportunities to paint.  In the morning, I painted an old boat that had seen better days, the hull had originally been painted a turquoise blue, which showed through a lot of rust.  In the afternoon, I turned my easel and painted a large yellow truck - such fun.  This one painted itself!
 
 
 

Thursday, August 6, 2015

I have many rose bushes in my NW garden - one of the most remarkable is "Hot Cocoa."  The buds are a dark pinky violet, as they begin to open they turn to orange and then a rusty tone. With the recent hot weather the roses are not lasting as long as usual.  I picked these yesterday and they were turning color and drooping as quickly as I was painting them.  It's parents are Playboy and Easy Living - this particular bush is between the two.  Over the years I often see roses take on the characters of other roses beside them, a white becoming pink, etc.  One of the things I love about gardening!

Monday, August 3, 2015

Just returned from a family vacation in Coronado, California.  Not much time to paint, more fun being a Grandma.  During a huge rainstorm I was able to take a few hours and paint some roses I had spied in a neighbors garden.  No matter how many times I paint roses - it always seems like the first.

Monday, July 6, 2015

I recently launched a new website and have made a commitment to blog more frequently.

The idea for this painting began last summer - a few miles from our home in the Northwest is a lovely garden - each August it boasts amazing sunflowers.  I took several photos last year - some in the evening - the result is this painting - "Full Moon" 30"x40" Oil on canvas.