Chipped Paint - An Original 8 x 8 Still Life Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Chipped Paint ©

8x8 inches   Oil

George De Chiara

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 I've really been enjoying these simple still life paintings lately. I don't know if simple is the right word to use though. In many cases, they are just as taxing to paint as a still life full of objects and are almost as hard to arrange. When arranging so few objects, I must be very careful with its placement. I don't want it centered and I want it to still be interesting in the way it sits on the canvas. Plus, with just the one object, I need to make sure my work on it is strong enough to carry the painting. It's been a lot of fun trying to solve these issues. When I showed this one to my wife, she gave me a sort of shoulder shrug "It's okay" response. When I asked her what she didn't like she said it was the background color. Originally, the background was a light tan color. I though about her response for a while and then put the painting back up on the easel and changed the background to the blue-grey color you see now. I'm glad I made the change since it helps the lure stand-off better. If you look close you can still see some of the original color coming through.

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Spring Blooms - An Original 8 x 10 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Spring Blooms © 

8x10 inches  Oil

George De Chiara

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 I started this painting last week at the "Paint Historic Waxahachie Plein Air Event", but wasn't totally happy with it. It just seemed to lack some of the detail I remembered from the day. Thinking back,  it makes sense. It was a very windy afternoon when I started, so much so that the flowers were never in the same place for more than a second or two, then the wind would come through and rearrange them. I was trying so hard just get the shapes correct, I didn't have any time to get any kind of detail or completion into the painting. Today, I was able to get the painting back on my easel and spend a few hours reworking the areas I didn't like and finishing off the areas I did. I'm glad I was able to do this since I think it made the painting stronger. 

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Morning Delight - An Original 8 x 8 Still Life Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Morning Delight ©

8x8 inches  Oil

George De Chiara

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 My favorite part of summer has to be the abundance of fresh fruit that is available at the supermarket. It seems lately that every trip through the produce section brings more seasonal fruit. The cantaloupes our store has now are unbelievable. From the outside they don't look like anything special; in fact, I almost passed them up because I didn't think they would be good yet. Once I cut it open, though, I quickly changed my mind. The color on the inside of these melons is outstanding! Bright, intense and lot of variety. I knew the moment I cut the first slice of that I was going to want to paint it before we ate it all up. As soon as I was done with this painting, I ate this slice. Couldn't resist after staring at it all morning.

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Upper Falls - An Original 10 x 8 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Upper Falls © 

10x8 inches  Oil

George De Chiara

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I've painted at this location a lot over the last two years. It's a view I never get tired of and one I still haven't completely captured. There's something that always seems to elude me when I'm standing in front of these waterfalls trying to capture them in paint.  Not that I haven't been happy with my efforts over the last two years since each attempt has taught me something about trying to capture this scene and given me clues about what I should try next time. In a way, I hope I never capture it the way I see it in my mind because it's the hunt that keeps me going back. Keeps me packing up my gear and heading out into the elements. It's the hunt that keeps me growing.

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Late Afternoon - An Original 8 x 8 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Late Afternoon © 

8x8 inches  Oil

George De Chiara

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 I painted this during the time of day called golden hour. This is usually the hour or so right before the sun starts to set. It's a wonderful time to be out painting since everything is glowing with color and the shadows tend to be nicely defined. I picked this view of a gentle hillside littered with small trees and shrubs because of the strong play of light and shadow. I had to work quickly since this light doesn't last long. When I was finished, I was treated to a beautiful sun set. Not a bad way to spend an evening. 

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Watching The Clouds - An Original 10 x 8 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Watching The Clouds ©

10x8 inches  Oil

George De Chiara

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 This is my painting from the quick draw at the Paint Historic Waxahachie Plein Air Event. We had 90 minutes to paint anything within eye sight while staying within a two block strip in downtown Waxahachie. I spent a long time before the event started looking for an inspiring scene within the allowed area, but never found one I really liked. Finally, a few minutes before we where suppose to start painting, I picked a scene out of desperation. I started to block it in, but just wasn't happy with it. That's when I looked up at the sky and noticed the wonderful clouds passing by. I scraped off my block in and quickly started over with the clouds. These where very fast-moving clouds. After about 5 minutes, these no longer existed and I had to paint them by observing the other clouds passing by. Fun times!

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Getzendaner Garden - An Original 10 x 8 Plein Air Landscape Oil Painting by George De Chiara

Getzendaner Garden ©

10x8 inches  Oil

George De Chiara

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 I spent all last week painting in the "Paint Historic Waxahachie Plein Air Event". This little garden sits at the entry way to Getzendaner Park. I was attracted to this scene because of those thin, bright red flowers. I loved the way they burst through the garden greens and seemed to grow in any direction they wanted. This was the first painting I completed during the week and felt it was a good one to start my week off with. I'll be posting more from this event during the next few days, so be sure to check back often!

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