Author: RLOArtist

Ronald Lee Oliver. I am a San Diego born, lifelong self-taught artist, plein air, and studio painter who captures the vivid essence of subjects that interest me. I don't limit myself to a genre or "style" but prefer to work on an eclectic mix of subjects. Each is rendered in oil paint with varying degrees of realism or impressionism with selective vision. My paintings are done both “plein air” with a portable artists pochade style easel or on a larger easel in the studio. I consider the framing of the finished art very important to my vision of the completed work and therefore I offer much of my art pre-framed as envisioned and intended by the artist. I also make custom jewelry in 18kt gold and silver with gems and cabochons.
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Hacienda Carrillo, Plein Air Paintout in Carlsbad, California

Yesterday started with another bright and beautiful, Southern California, morning. A little chilly (34 degrees) at dawn but nothing compared to temperatures some other parts of the country are experiencing in Mid-January. Got to paint in a new locale (for me) up in the Carlsbad area of San Diego’s North County. The Leo Carrillo Ranch is a 27 acre historical park that preserves the early California adobe architecture and landscaping. It has very nice walking trails and colorful botanical gardens, as well as preserved and restored buildings from the long working history of the Rancho. It was last privately owned by Hollywood actor, Leo Carrillo, who was friends with many of the A-list stars of Hollywood’s golden era. For example, Clark Gable was a friend who often vacationed with Leo at the Ranch. Here is the brand logo and motto of the Rancho: carillo_logo …and here is what part of one of the trails looks like… carillo_pillar …and a little farther down the trail… carrillo_trail …and these guys are roaming all over the place, I must have seen thirty or forty of them… peacock IMG_0078 …I found a view that made a nice composition for the canvas (in this case a 12 X 12 cradled gessobord panel)… cropview …so I set up my easel and painted it, which came out like this… hacienda_carrillo I received many complements on this one by passers by and fellow artists at the park. For now, I’m calling it “Hacienda Carrillo,” but if you can come up with a more compelling name, let me know and I’ll consider it. Here is a link to this one at my online gallery:

https://ronaldleeoliver.com/blog/product/hacienda-carillo/

All in all, a great day for painting outdoors.

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Winter Swell, Cabrillo

I got out for a plein air session last week-end. Had been sick for some time with a nasty flu that left me with a persistent nasal drip and cough. It was good to get out and the day was absolutely gorgeous. I’ve been meeting up with a painters group that uses online social media to designate places to have painting sessions. This morning, I was the first to show up (as usual), and I arrived early at the Entrance to Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma in San Diego. It was a crystal clear and chilly December morning. As I drove into the park and headed down the hill to the lower parking lots where there is access to the tide pools, a magical thing happened…

…a Peregrine falcon swooped down not more than five or ten yards in front and to the left side of my slow moving truck–and without flapping soared down the hill about three feet off the blacktop pavement…it was almost skimming the tops of the buckwheat and sage bushes at the side of the road, leading me into the park. It was so magical, I was laughing as I drove behind my escort. I followed it all the way to the bottom of the hill–nearly half a mile. What a great way to start the day.

When I parked, I got out with my easel and bucket and took some photos as I went…I’ll share them with you…

First I got out and took a photo of the view from the parking lot…

Then, I walked down the trail a ways and saw this…

and this…

and I painted this…

which came out like this…
(apologies for the phone photo)

And then I packed up, hiked back to my truck and drove out of the park but had to stop and take some shots because it was just too beautiful to resist…

looking West…

…and looking East…

A very quiet and emotional place.

What a great day it was.

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Ramona Grasslands Meadow, Winter Plein Air in SoCal

Yesterday morning, early, I made a trip to the Ramona Grasslands Reserve, near Ramona just outside of San Diego. The grasslands are a wide open space with rolling hills, meadows, rock formations and California Live Oaks. It was early and the light was good as the fog had just cleared and the grass was dew-laden. I parked my easel in a quiet and shady spot and painted this scene on a 12 X 12 cradled birch panel.

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Strelitzia nicolai ~ Giant Bird of Paradise

Giant Bird of Paradise

While I haven’t posted in a while, don’t worry! I am still painting. Here is my latest work in progress, which is NOT finished, so don’t be too disappointed. This is from a photo I took of this spectacular specimen, which grows in my front yard, near the dog run. I water it every morning at around sunrise. It is very dry here in Southern California and I have a watering regimen that is a daily ocurrence unless it is raining, especially for some of my more tropical plants. The painting is 12 X 15 on gallery wrap canvas, which I prepared with several coats of umber toned gesso. While in progress, it is mostly done, so the next post will (probably) be in the finished works section of the blog.

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Beach House, La Playa, Point Loma

Beach House, La Playa

I finished another painting, which is waiting on a frame before it is posted in my website gallery. Here is a photo of it, unframed. This painting began as a plein air work, started on location at Kellog’s beach–also known as La Playa in Point Loma, San Diego, California, USA. I brought it home and made substantial changes in the studio. As you can tell, my back was to the water of San Diego Harbor. Eventually the tide rolled in, and I had to move my easel further inland several times before there was no more dry real estate and I had to pack up.

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PB4Y-2 Valiant in Service

I finally had time to return to the air tanker painting. I probably should have done this on a canvas that was three or four times bigger than this one, which is 10 X 20. It made it harder than it should have been to work so tightly. I’ve had some strong positive reactions on this one. What do you think?

“PB4Y-2, Valiant in Service”
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September Morning Fog, Point Loma Plein Air

When I first brought this painting home, I wasn’t very happy with it…but it grew on me. After some studio work, I like it very much. It looks great in a nice gold leaf plein air frame. You can see photos of it unfinished, on location at Sunset Cliffs in San Diego, California, USA–over in the Uncategorized Posts section of the blog.

September Morning Fog, Point Loma 16 X 20 Plein Air
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Plein Air at Sunset Cliffs

16 X 20 Plein Air Ala Prima

I couldn’t decide where to set up my easel for a plein air outing this morning. At first, I thought I’d stay close to home and try setting up at Lake Jennings Park at sunrise. I was up at 5:00 and the park opened at 6:15. I would have plently of time to set up before the good light hit and left. I wasn’t too sure about Lake Jennings though, I haven’t been there in about 25 years, and decided at the last minute to try the view from Lowes Coronado Resort on the Silver Strand (the long isthmus that connects San Diego’s South Coastal Community, Imperial Beach, with the “Island” of Coronado. As I remembered, there were some great views of the city skyline and Coronado Bay Bridge form the back of the resort. Having packed the easel and supplies in the truck the night before, it was easy just to motor down there before sunrise. When I got there, the fog was too thick and showed no sign of clearing, so I scrubbed the idea and headed back to Coronado Town. Along the way, I stopped in two places, looking for a view that would be a good subject for my plein air outing. Nothing inspired me–maybe I’m just too picky. Anyhow, I carried on and drove over to Point Loma and the Sunset Cliffs area. When I got there it was foggy, but not so foggy that I couldn’t make an attempt at filling a canvas. The good thing is that parking is free and there is plenty of it and there are lots of good places on the sandstone formations above the cliffs and the waves.

The fog was challenging. It was rolling in and clearing in waves, so the scene was alternating between highly visible and partially obscured throughout the whole session. That didn’t bother me though and I kept plugging away. I chose a 16 X 20 canvas on stretcher bars, which is a fairly ambitious size for plein air. All in all, it was a good time, once I found a place that inspired me to paint.

Attached are some shots of the easel and the view. I’ll be posting the finished painting in the next few days.

Reference View for “Sunset Cliffs Fog”
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Why Purchase Fine Art?

You may decide to patronize a particular artist and purchase an original work or limited edition print because the image pleases, moves or inspires you–or, you may believe the artist’s work will appreciate in value as a long-term investment–or it may simply match the colors of your couch. Whatever the reason–purchasing original and limited edition art is a satisfying and rewarding experience unlike any other, with the dual benefit of capturing and preserving the enjoyment of the beauty in the work but also in rewarding the artist, who will continue to create works and expressions of their creative spirit and inspiration.

While Fine Art originals and limited editions may seem expensive, consider that they are extremely rare, and are the culmination of many years of an artists observations, experiences, and practice. Jewel-like, Artworks are multifaceted expressions of human existence that bring a special satisfaction each time your eyes gaze upon them. They are indeed, more rare than jewels, which are merely accretions of minerals dug from the earth, while Art is mined from human consciousness and soul and is the medium through which they are shared.

These truths make Fine Art a fool-proof investment, because not only does it immediately bring such great joy and enjoyment, but it will also hold or appreciate in monetary value over time. Inevitably, when the time for personal enjoyment has passed, the art remains as a tangible asset to be left for others, conferring a reciprocal benefit in the joy of holding it for a time as steward and then in the joy of passing it on.

There is truth in the axiom that “a thing of beauty is a joy forever.”

Fine Art of collectable quality will endure the test of time and will remain long after you are gone. Others, possibly heirs, unto posterity, will have the opportunity to feel the same sense of wonder and emotion that inspired you to collect the artwork. By purchasing Fine Art, you become part of the legacy of preservation in this cycle of inspiration for generations to come.

Purchasing Fine Art is a reward for everyone.

Meyer Lemons Plein air painting by RLOArtist
Meyer Lemons Plein air painting by RLOArtist
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Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer

The reference aircraft for the “Valiant in Service” painting.

This is the plane that inspired the painting, “Valiant in Service.” I saw one in action, many years ago, dropping retardant on a fire in mountainous terrain near the Walker River Gorge in Western Nevada. The sight was awe inspiring and stayed with me all these years and is now being expressed on canvas. The following regarding this type of aircraft is from Wikipedia:

The Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer was a World War II and Korean War era patrol bomber of the United States Navy derived from the Consolidated B-24 Liberator.

The Privateer was externally similar to the Liberator, but the fuselage was longer to accommodate a flight engineer’s station, and had a tall single vertical stabilizer rather than the B-24’s twin tail configuration. The defensive armament was also increased to 12 .50-in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in six turrets (two dorsal, two waist, nose and tail), with the B-24’s belly turret being omitted. Turbosuperchargers were not fitted to the engines since maritime patrol missions were not usually flown at high altitude.

Privateers in aerial firefighting P4Y-2 Tanker 123 BuNo 66260 N7620C, of Hawkins & Powers in service supporting the CDF, at Chester Air Attack Base in the late 1990s—crashed 18 July 2002. PB4Y-2 BuNo 66261 marked as BuNo 66304 in the collection of the National Museum of Naval Aviation at NAS Pensacola, Florida.A limited number of refitted PB4Ys continued in civilian service as airtankers, dropping fire retardant on forest fires throughout the western United States. On 18 July 2002, one such refitted PB4Y, BuNo 66260 seen in picture to right operated by Hawkins and Powers Aviation of Greybull Wyoming, broke up in flight while fighting a wildfire near Rocky Mountain National Park. Both crew members were killed in the accident, and the Federal Aviation Administration temporarily grounded all large air tankers in the region.[6] Following the accident, all remaining Privateers were retired. See 2002 airtanker crashes.

via Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

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The Artist at Work…

A kind lady who is a birdwatcher and photographer saw me painting outdoors early this morning at San Elijo Lagoon.  She loved the painting and asked if she could take some photos.  Well, here they are!  Thanks Jo! These pictures made my day.

Early Morning at the Easel
Across the Lagoon
A Serious pose.
Almost finished…and Happy.

 

 

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Dawn at San Elijo, California Plein Air Painting

I got out early this morning to try to find some good light. San Elijo Lagoon Nature Reserve was the destination. I got there before sunrise and set up my easel in a spot that had a nice composition for the canvas.  I finished before 9:00am, when I took this shot.

San Elijo Lagoon, 9:00am, September 15, 2012

Here is the signed and finished painting, Available for purchase at my online gallery, here.

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Papaya Perch

This little guy caught my eye as my wife and I were walking down to D.T. Fleming Beach Park, in Kapalua, Maui, USA.  Rain clouds were moving in and the early morning colors were lit in a moody light. I had my telephoto lens on and was able to frame up a good shot.

The papayas were out of reach or they would have made a nice breakfast.

The papayas would have been nice but we had some really good, Maui grown pineapples instead.  Here’s a tip a Hawaiian worker in the produce section of a Mauian supermarket gave us: Pineapples never get “riper” after they are picked–if they are not sweet when picked they will never get sweeter with shelf time.  He also said that the best pineapples have a golden color and the leafy stalk on top should be dry and not lush or green.  Since taking this advice to heart we have not been disappointed with our pineapple selections…now you know!

Maui Gold!
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Torrey Pines Plein Air

Here is a shot of my easel as it stood after completing, “Highway 1, Torrey Pines,” which is available for purchase in the gallery. Following is shot of the completed painting.  This was a fun outing and I had to hike in quite a distance to set up here with a full french easel and a five gallon bucket with supplies.

 

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“Valiant in Service”

Here is what I’m working on now.  This is going to be a Tanker Plane dumping retardant on a forest fire below.  I’ve just begun to work on the mountain scenery.  There is still work to do on the smoke, fire and clouds, as well as the plane of course, which is blocked in in magenta.

Work in Progress 09-11-2012

I’ve done some more work on this and like the rhythm it has.  There is still much more to do but all in all I’m pleased so far with the composition and the colors.  I think I can work through the problems with this one, which is saying something because that is not always true.  Sometimes you just have to scrape it off and try something different.  In fact, this painting began its life on a scraped, cast-off painting that I tried to bring to life but it was eventually D.O.A.  Here is the second installment: 

…Just an update on this painting. I’ve done a bit more and still have quite a bit to do. Here is the third installment:

Added more trees, smoke, clouds, etc.