Bernard V. Fallon

Back from a 5-day painting trip a few weeks ago.

Sea Lions, Channel Islands. Image © 2010 Bernard Fallon

Our trip was organized by artist Dave Gallup and a bunch of us got to see an extraordinary aspect of California. Here’s a couple of oils that I completed.

Freshly Caught Whitefish. Oil. © Bernard V Fallon

Rocks

A freshly caught Whitefish and a dramatic aspect of East Anacapa Island at the sea lion colony. We were anchored and painting the views while others were diving, snorkeling or kayaking, when the sea mist enveloped everything. Quite eery. The photos show our boat the “Conception” at anchor with a diver and kayak; and the sea lions lazing about.

Our Boat

I’ve been working with pastels over the Summer. I like to start with medium ones to start with, to establish the big shapes. Get the drawing and basic design done first. Then it’s time to apply the thicker , more painterly layers to establish what is important for the viewer to absorb. attached are a couple from Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach. The other is a wine country barn near Paso Robles that fills the heart with warmth.

I’ve been out painting in the snow, and on the beaches south of LA airport. I’m going to post 2 paintings soon.

Next week I start teaching at the Palos Verdes Art Center on Tuesday night. It’s a beginning painting class. All media. And I’ll bring acrylics, oils, watercolor and pastels if you are not sure which to pick.

Currently I’ve also been very involved with the Redondo HS Auditorium. We have had non-stop shows in since early December, and the new stage manager, Monty, is just getting acclimatized.

Saralyn Lowenstein invited me to give a pastel painting demo to the Mid-Valley Art League in Arcadia, (in the Los Angeles area.) It was a simple Christmas theme still life. I started out will a basic charcoal drawing and gradually added in colour, emphasizing tonal value, relative warm and cool colours, then stressed highlights. It was a wickedly wet evening and I appreciated the very warm reception from the members. Mark Wood took the photographs and we raffled off the painting at the end of the demo.

Welcome.

This is my first posting and I’ll be concentrating on paintings and photographs.

I’ve made them both for most of my life. These two subjects are of great interest to all, of course.

At Liverpool Art School my final history paper was “The Influence of Photography on Painting in the 19th Century”. Plenty of fascinating material lies there in the wake of photography’s invention, and the later reversal of painting’s influence on photography.

The photograph was taken of a bargeman having a mug of tea, while the rare Liverpool sunlight danced through the grain dust behind him.

The painting is a plein air oil of fishing boats in San Pedro Harbour, south of Los Angeles.