Paintings from the Pacific Northwest: Beach in Kapaa/Happy New Year 5 x 5

I grew up in the Pasadena area of Southern California and attended UCLA. After graduating with a BA in graphic design, I worked in the creative department for graphic design and advertising firms in Los Angeles. For the past 16 years I have lived in Seattle with my husband Michael and our two growing boys. I picked up my brushes again in classes taught locally by artist Victor Sandblom.

Lately I have been painting under the influence of leading plein air colorist Camille Przewodek. Przewodek carries on the tradition of teaching principles she acquired while a student of Henry Hensche at the Cape School of Art in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The Cape Cod School of Art was founded in 1899 by Charles Hawthorne and Hensche was Hawthorne's devoted student and protege.

Since studying with Camille, I have completely changed the way I see color in nature and the way that I paint. Camille has her students paint numerous color block studies in the bright sunlight en plein air, or in the open air. Her students use only a palette knife in order to keep the colors pure as well as to focus on painting the masses not the details--getting the masses right. She suggests using a limited palette which I continue to utilize: a warm and a cool of each of the three primary colors plus titanium white.

This site is dedicated to my parents who always encouraged and nurtured my interest in art. I post small works painted in oil on canvas or masonite panel. I welcome questions or comments. Thanks for taking the time to look.

Concepts of Camille:
Everything you see depends upon the conditions, whether it is a bright sunny morning or a cool gray afternoon, for example. The local color of an object is not as important as the effect the light has on that object. A black object in the sun is lighter than a white object in the shade. Focus on the color relationships that exist in nature.

If you are interested in purchasing an original artwork, please email for price and availability.

All images © Barbara Geri

Paintings from the Pacific Northwest

Friday, January 09, 2009

Beach in Kapaa/Happy New Year 5 x 5

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