Tag: Austin

Hill of Life: The Gnarly Side of Barton Creek

HILL OF LIFE | Oil on Canvas | 24 x 20” 

Say hello to the inaugural composition for 2025, HILL OF LIFE. If you’re a mountain biker living in Austin, then you know. For the rest of you, this is the northern endpoint of the Barton Creek Greenbelt, 7 miles upstream from one of Austin’s most iconic sights, Barton Springs. 

It’s fitting that the two ends of the greenbelt are polar opposites. The southern end is accessible via a short walk from a parking lot, and is suited for swimming, cooling off, and relaxing in the shade of live oaks. Conversely, the northern entry is a sketchy ride down a steep, rocky, 300 foot drop-in and is suited for mountain bikers with a death wish or adrenaline junkies. 

The HOL is actually an old maintenance road that was used (I believe) by the city to access the trail in emergencies, be it fire fighting or EMS services for some poor bastard who’s riding skills couldn’t cash the check their ego was writing. Over the years, the road was decommissioned and all that remains are the cement joints that connected the main sections. Over the years, erosion has created  big “steps” off the lip of these joints… and therein lies the focal point of HILL OF LIFE. Oh, and great sunsets, too!

This piece started with plein air sketches, which was easy to do given this location is a 5 minute hike from my house. I had intended to do a plein air study from this location, too, but after the sketches and my own personal experience with this trail over 20+ years, I felt like a study wasn’t necessary. So I teed this up in the studio and started throwing paint at the canvas! 

Hill of Life Old Road
Hill of Life Sunset
Impasto Sun
Hill of Life
Kerbey Lane Show

The obvious focal point is the huge setting sun, but I also consider the darkest section, namely the last ledge down the trail, as a main hook for the viewer. The odd looking concrete bar at the base of the painting is one of the aforementioned joints in the original road, which makes a little more sense when you look at the painting and reference photo side-by-side. I spent considerable time ensuring this was more realistic than impressionistic to garner interest in the piece, hopefully without causing confusion for those who haven’t been to the Hill of Life. 

Lastly, the sun is done primarily with thicker paint application using a palette knife, which gives it more texture and a stronger presence on this larger canvas. It also allows for more blending, which I find helpful when trying to nail the value and warmth of something as intimidating as the sun. 

For those of you in the Austin area, this piece is part of my solo show, “Something for Everyone”, on display (and for sale) through end of June at Kerbey Lane in San Marcos. 

Thanks for reading!

#austinart #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #pleinair #pleinairaustin #paa #hilloflife #bartonsprings #hikeaustin #alltrails #bartoncreek #violetcrowntrail #kerbeylanecafe #sanmarcos #HOL #mountainbiking #hiking

by Categories: Events, Landscapes, plein airTags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Bat Skrawing

The bats are coming! This is a skrawing, or is it a dretch… I dunno, whatever you call the in between gray area of an informal sketch and a structured drawing. Regardless, the plan is to do a larger piece, at least by my standards, of the iconic Austin bats departing their home under the Congress Street bridge. 

The focal point will be the silhouettes of the people on the bridge, secondarily the bats. The anchor, not something that’s officially a painting term as far as I know, will be the brilliant sun in the lower right corner, which is very tricky in a drawing, so you’ll have to use your imagination. The value contrasts will be extreme, so balance is going to be key. Why I’m attempting this is beyond me…

12×36 will be the dimensions… stay tuned! 

by Categories: Drawings, Urban LandscapesTags: , , , , , 3 Comments

Plein Air Study – FALLS AT HILL OF LIFE DAM

Dam at Hill of Life Falls, Austin
Block In
Nice Day at the Office
Value Contrasts!
Not Bad for 90 Minutes

2024 will be the year of more en plein air! I love being outside painting in the field, but it does require getting up earlier, planning the night before, and a commitment regardless of the weather. This is a whole lot like camping, which I used to do all the time many years ago, so perhaps I just need to think of it as a short camping trip without sleeping on the hard ground. 

I’ve finally made a return to this site after more than a year, which is kinda sad given it’s about a 20 minute hike out my front door. I’ve had a lot more practice since my last session (Breath of Plein Air) at this location, so I was excited to see how this study would compare to the previous work. 

I opted for a profile perspective this time instead of landscape, as I feel that compositionally it just works better. The eyes are drawn down and up into the waterfall, the clar focal point of this work. The horizontal landscape can work, too, but I feel like it takes away from the expanse of the landscape, which flows naturally top to bottom. Structure is important, something I didn’t understand entirely when I tackled this last time. 

I also split my board in half with blue tape, the intention being a return to this same spot later this month to build on what was learned from this session. I might play with this work a little more in the studio, but I’m more interested in developing experience and skills in the field, most notably improving value contrasts that really capture the outdoors, and secondarily developing a better palette that emphasizes atmospheric perspective. 

This study lasted about 1.5 hours of actual painting, so I’m pleased with how much was done in that short timeframe. I’ll get out earlier next time – I started at 10am – and spend a full 3 hours and see how things turn out.  

#artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #painting #art #abplanalp #austinartists #atxartist #atxart #atxlife #pleinairaustin #hilloflife #HOL #bartonsprings 

by Categories: Landscapes, plein airTags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Barns, Bluebonnets, and Barks

COMMONS FORD RANCH BARN | Oil on Artboard | 9×12”

This is my first composition of an old barn and it was an absolute blast! I came across this barn exploring a metro park near my home called Commons Ford Ranch. My initial goal was to simply find a new place to explore with my dog, and I was surprised to find this metro park on the map near my home, of which I’ve lived in for decades.

Commons Ford Ranch parkland was donated by Bradley and Wooley, Inc. in 1983, but the historic buildings, including the barn, were from the Resaca Ranch, which was a working cattle ranch in the early 20th century. If you live in the Austin area, I strongly suggest exploring this small park, which has riverfront, hiking trails, and obviously historical elements to enjoy.

After my plein air recon visit with Wolfy, I returned a few days later to do some quick field sketching. Having no experience with barns, I took some time back in the studio doing a more formal drawing, trying to figure out how best to simplify the elements of the barn and ensure I could get the whacky angles figured out. When I finished the drawing I realized the better angle was going to be from the other side of the barn because the tree was a distraction no matter where I put it, seemingly popping out of the barn like a jack-in-the-box gone wrong. But this is why we do sketches and practice drawings, right? 

I spent about 3 hours painting on-site the following week. The weather cooperated for the first 90 minutes, then the clouds rolled in, which threw off some of the preferred lighting. Luckily I took a few reference photos when I first setup and was able to use those back in the studio. I really focused my plein air session on highly contrasting values, something I feel would help improve the realistic nature of my landscapes. 

The studio work went very quickly, which I’m convinced was due to the strength of the values throughout the piece. I was able to convey a more realistic composition with depth. At least that’s my impression. The most tricky bits, which were honestly a bit maddening, were determining the colors for the wood. The gray of the actual barn wasn’t going to make for a very interesting painting, so I went with 20 versions of reddish brown. I used almost exclusively painting knives for the barn, finding ways to maximize wet-on-wet technique to get swirls and variations in the wood panels, giving them (hopefully) a more aged look. Lastly, using the edge of the painting knife, I applied somewhat random crisp black lines to get a more realistic look to the slats and slight gaps between the wood.  

The addition of wildflowers was a suggestion from my wife, which I think adds a nice pop of central Texas spring to the piece. These were also done with a knife, using scraping and splotching techniques. 

Overall, the Commons Ford Ranch Barn was a great introduction to this type of landscape feature that lends itself nicely to en plein air. 

#artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #painting #art #abplanalp #austinartists #atxartist #atxart #atxlife #contemporaryart #bernabplanalp #pleinair #pleinairaustin #commonsfordranch #getoutside #hikeaustin #austinparksfdn

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Icy Imperfection

SMOKY ON ICE | Oil on Board | 8×10″

Building off my most recent still life, SMOKY OLD FASHIONED, I wanted to finish another piece with smoke effects so I could refine the process and build on the original. SMOKY ON ICE changes some core compositional structure, none of which is hard to miss, but obviously the focal point is the massive ice cube. The challenge, in addition to that pesky smoke, was making sure the other key elements worked the viewer back to the ice.

First, let’s talk about that ice cube. Even clear ice cubes have flaws, but they’re hard to see in standard light. Ironically, if you drop one in a low ball of whisky and incorporate some mood lighting, the imperfections will jump out. And these imperfections are the coolest part of a clear cube! 

The cherries hovering over the glass, immersed in smoke, are a design decision to keep the proverbial “you” in the glass… with the imperfect ice cube… and all that tasty whisky (GlenAllachie for me, please)… you’re welcome! Lastly, I used a palette knife for the cherries to give them a different texture. It also worked out better with manipulating the red colors into the smoke without smudging, which was hard to avoid when using a brush. The ice cube was done with thinner paint and brushes, ensuring a smooth, glassy look.
Thanks for reading!

#oldfashioned #cocktail #bourbon #agedandcharred #thecraftycocktail #cocktailsmokers #theglenallachie #buffalotrace #whiskey #whisky #artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #painting #art #austinartists #atxartist #atxart #atxlife #contemporaryart #abplanalp #bernabplanalp #stillife

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FALLING INTO WINTER – Group Show at Art for the People

Gallery! Welcome to Winter(ish)! I’m honored to be included in another group show at Art for the People Gallery in Austin. I’ll have 4 paintings in the show covering a wide range of topics – beaches, mountains, dogs, rowing, and champagne!

Ready for the Show
MIMOSA
BEACH DOG
FLATIRONS
MORNING ROW
Falling into Winter show

The show runs October 28th, 2023 – January 5th, 2024, opening reception Saturday, November 4th, 12-4pm CDT.


Reach out if you have any questions, or better yet go to the gallery and check out all the arts:

MIMOSA | 12 x 16″ | Oil on Canvas Board | $400

MORNING ROW | 9 x 12″ | Oil on Canvas Paper | $275

BEACH DOG | 9 x 12″ | Oil on Canvas Paper | $275

FLATIRONS | 8 x 6″ | Oil on Art Board | $240

Thanks for reading!

#artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #atxart #artforthepeoplegallery #aftpg #rescuedogs #dogsofinstagram #pleinairaustin #austinpetsalive #beachdog #stillife #champagne #happyhour #mimosa #brunch #mimosawalk #bouldercolorado #eldoradocanyon #flatirons #cubuffs #coachprime #lakeaustin360 #texasrowing #ladybirdlake #texasrowingcenter #bartonsprings #lakeaustin360

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Serenity Now

MORNING ROW LAKE AUSTIN | 9 x 12″ | Oil on Canvas Paper

First, let me give props to the reference photo, which I came across randomly while mindlessly scrolling through my Instagram feed. Thank you @lakeaustin360 for the wonderful shot! 

I started this painting as a visiting student in my mother’s art class, using my plein air setup, but inside… which was a little weird at first, but it was better than sitting down for 2 hours! I guess this piece is a pseudo plein air piece, especially given the subject matter, but ultimately it was finished in the studio back in Austin earlier this week. 

This is intended to be a study, as I anticipate making a go of this on a larger scale. I love the colors and the serene nature of the composition, despite knowing the rower must be exhausted. Or about to be. I struggled a little with putting the rower in the center of the canvas, so I made sure the horizontal positioning was dropped to the bottom 1/3rd. I tried to use other compositional elements to ensure the piece was balanced, namely the oar bars pointing into the rower, and the color sandwich effect of the orange from the trees on shore and reflected in the water. Lastly, the subtle glance of the rower to the right gives some additional interest in terms of what’s happening just out of sight. Like I said, it’s one hell of a reference photo!

Lastly, Lake Austin is so crowded with paddle boards most of the year, the mere fact that a rower could find some peace and quiet brings a smile to my face. 

#artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #abplanalp #austinartists #atxartist #atxart #worldrowing #rowing #texasrowing #ladybirdlake #texasrowingcenter #texasrivers #bartonsprings #saveoursprings

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Special Occasion Libation

WEE DRAM | 8 x 6” | Oil on Board

As you well know about my artwork, I like to bounce around with subject matter and styles. This week’s work is a return to still life that I can relate to, namely a dram of whisky, in this case The GlenAllachie from the Speyside area of Scotland.

The artwork style is influenced by the work of Neil Carroll, the whisky by Billy Walker (more on him later). What I like about his work is the realistic look of the glass as it’s affected by the drink, be it beer, whisky or a pile of strawberries. He’s masterful with reflections, glass sweat (don’t know if that’s a real thing, but sounds good to me), and other elements that give a sense of realism while maintaining a painterly look.

WEE DRAM is a nod to the best Scotch whisky I’ve ever tasted, The GlenAllachie distillery in Speyside just outside the town of Aberlour. My wife and I visited this fantastic distillery on a recent trip to Scotland and loved everything about their operation – the people, the idyllic location, and of course the whisky. They have something really special going on at this Speyside gem, with Master Distiller, Billy Walker. We came home with one of their finest offerings, a 2006 Single Cask limited edition for The Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival 2022, which serves as our new “special occasion” libation. While the 2006 Single Cask is no longer available, it looks like they’ve done it again with a 2007 Oloroso Puncheon. Fantastic!

The GlenAllachie Distillery
Exceptional Single Cask Whisky

The challenges with this piece were largely in the balance of orange, red, and yellow that seem to shift and shine in the glass. One of those situations where the actual whisky looks a little fake when you really think about it – I mean where does that bright yellow sparkle come from?! I’ll have to try this again with a lighter background, allowing the whisky hues to be the star of the composition. I might need to go get another bottle from the GlenAllachie collection!

Hopefully you have a special occasion libation in your home. If not, go to The GlenAllachie have a dram of their magical elixir and bring home a bottle.

Cheers!

by Categories: still lifeTags: , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Soup for You!

The Soup Peddler (study) | 12 x 9” | Oil on Canvas Paper

I’m learning a lot more lately en plein air, painting outside essentially. In 2023 I intend to get in at least 30 days outside – I’ll keep track and post updates against that goal… more to hold myself accountable, but perhaps it will entertain all of you as well. 


There is a great artist group in Austin called Plein Air Austin (www.pleinairaustin.org), which organizes multiple outings monthly for members – non members are encouraged to come join us to see what it’s all about, too. This particular outing was what we call “Urban”, where we get together in an area of town that has great architecture and buildings, as opposed to nature-based landscapes, and try to capture the scene. This particular outing was on South 1st near Mary Street, which has plenty to work with in terms of urban scenes. I tagged along with one of the other artists who had scoped out these great blue green umbrellas at a restaurant called The Soup Peddler. 


The weather was ideal, a little chill in the air, but the clouds cleared out around 10 and gave us plenty of sunlight. It was tricky to simplify this scene, an ongoing challenge for me with plein air compositions, so I tried focusing on the umbrellas first and building the painting outward. Having just painted umbrellas in a recent studio piece, I was able to quickly get the bones of this piece on the canvas before the lighting changed. Luckily the lighting was steadily improving all morning, so I never panicked due to major shifts in value. 


In terms of compositional challenges, I got most of it worked out in the field because I was happy with the umbrellas themselves. I also got very lucky in getting the structure of the building, sign, and patio details on the first try. Sometimes those architectural details trick me and I have to make a few attempts to get it right, or at least avoid having it tank the painting before it even begins. The updates I made in the studio were pretty straight forward, building on what I had already started, but I did leverage some artistic license. Most notably I opted to exclude the cactus coming out of the metal planter, in large part because it was nearly the same color as the umbrellas, and even a deviation from the coloring would have been a distraction. And while I don’t love the final look of the metal planter it serves as a good balance for the composition. Maybe I’ll add some other plants in the future, but for now I’m calling it done. 

Finished!
Studio Refinements
Starting Studio Refinements
On Site – Always Alert for Cars
Sky Starting to Clear
Anticipating Light
Fellow Painter Tom
End of Session Get Together Review


Thanks for reading! 

#artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #painting #art #abplanalp #bernabplanalp #austinartists #atxartist #atxart #atxlife #bullcreekaustin #pleinairaustin #souppeddler #souppeddleraustin

by Categories: plein air, Urban LandscapesTags: , , , , , 3 Comments

“ABUNDANCE” Group Show at Art for the People Gallery

Art for the People Gallery in Austin Tx, is a showcase for 100 local artists.

Art for the People Gallery in Austin has included 3 of my compositions in their Summer group show “ABUNDANCE”, which runs July 2nd through August 26th, 2022. I’m thrilled to be a part of this talented group of artists! If you’re interested in original artwork by Austin artists, check out AFTPG either in person in Austin or browse their online store. 


The following paintings are part of the show (links lead to previous blog posts about these compositions):

Sniffer | 16 x 20″ | Oil on Canvas Board

Dog Tired | 16 x 12″ | Oil on Canvas Board

  Shaken | 8 x 10″ | Oil on Board

Thanks for reading!

#artbern #berntx #crashboomzip #painting #art #abplanalp #austinartists #atxartist #atxart #atxlife #sedona #pleinairaustin #artforthepeoplegallery #aftpg #rescuedogs #bestfriends #dogsofinstagram #dogsofinsta #dogstagram #petsofinstagram #contemporaryart #fosteringsaveslives #dogsofig #adoptme #takemehome #austinpetsalive #mutts #muttsofinstagram #snouts #wetnoses #blacklabs #labradorretrievers #martinigin #monkey47 #martinipainting

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