"I'M OUT-A-HERE"

I do love painting in black & white, it is a definite challenge but, I love the whole process of it, the making of the color black... This painting is a 36x36 inch oil on canvas.  If you are so inclined, you can read an extensive explanation of it at "BLACK  & WHITE" There you have it, my last painting for the "LAGUNA ARTS FESTIVAL" WOW! Am I glad I am finished with the painting portion, now its labels and stuff.. I will be posting on this site about the show for the two months that it is on.

As a side note, I am only showing on this site a few of the fourteen canvases I painted for this show, thought you might like to know.   Talk later...

'STORM RUNNER" 60X36 oil on canvas

Here again is a painting that will be in this show, I just finished working on the sky and clouds, next week it gets a light varnish and its on the road to the show.

"SOFTBALL & FIREFLIES"

This is a painting I did about two months back but added some stuff that for me and hopefully you made a big difference to the overall feeling of the work.   Working on another black & white to go along with this one. (SOLD)

"AFTER THE RAINS"

This painting keeps developing as I look at it and tweak here and there... It's just that I grow and see more that I ether want to add or remove. In this I added, I added more trees, more light in them from the setting sun, the puddles got bigger and the clouds have more color in them so now this to is added to the inventory of paintings for the "FESTIVAL OF ARTS"

"EARTH"

This is a painting that I had in my private collection and have talked about bringing it to the "Festival of Arts" selling it, and giving it a new home. Well, the time has come to let it go. This July it will make it's debut. I have gone back in and made some subtle changes that I have been meaning to do for some time. It is now ready...The size is 60x48 oil on custome canvas...

"AFTERNOON SHADOWS"

This is in Laguna beach up around a place called "Bluebird Canyon" Great place to walk and you can see the ocean from almost every yard or street.. You have million dollar estates all over the hills up here... Lots of new homes leaving a big footprint in this relatively small community. Mixed in there are houses that are form the forty's,on up.  I like the feeling of them, something homey about them.. This that I painted, with the electric and telephone poles is vanishing to the new, we call it progress, but am I wrong? don't you feel a bet of nostalgia in looking at this, a little innocents.. yeah!.. me to. Oil on canvas 30x30"

"THREE SAILS AT SUNSET" 40x20"

Close-up of the sails...

This is looking south along the coast toward San Diego. Some brave soles where out sailing in now calm waters as the rains have finally stopped. I felt it would make for a good subject. This 40x20"oil is on custom canvas and is but another for the "LAGUNA ARTS FESTIVAL" this summer. I am really excited about this years show, for one, I feel confident in the paintings I will be displaying. Competition is high at the show, some of the top artist in the area are in. One has to be at the top of his or her game... You are vying for customer attention and you are vying for a high score that will allow you an invite to come back the fallowing year... I should know all about this as I have been a part of the jury system because of my long standing with this show.  If anyone is interested in seeing this show, email   (Back to Home page) (SOLD)

"SATURDAY NIGHT COCKTAILS" 20x20"

Based on my 6x6 inch painting I posted this month on the 12 I new it was going to be a prerequisite for the now "SATURDAY NIGHT COCKTAILS" 20x20 inch canvas painting. This is another for the Laguna Beach Art Festival this summer. I have painted the Frolic room four times over the years. Two being daytime paintings and now two at night, all giving me new challenges, each different with there own problems to be worked out so all four can stand on there own. I feel I am finished with this one but I will have to live with it a little longer to know... The challenge of creativity is to know when to stop and yet there are those moments when like a light clicking on, you're back painting... I love it.

"COTTON CANDY" 36x36"

Cotton candy, kettle corn, hot dogs, root beer floats, summertime.  We all know and remember.  That's what I wanted in this painting.  I used different photos in putting together the composition and mood I so sought.  The painting is in oils on a heavily gessoed canvas, the painting is on all four sides of the canvas.  The size is 36x36 inches by 1 1/2 inches in depth. Number four in my arsenal for the Laguna Art Festival this summer.

"HEADING WEST" 24x36

For me it was like finding a long lost friend.  This painting was lost in the shuffle of a galleries inventory, when the relation ended this painting reappeared and was shipped back to me.  Yes I to am at blame for not keeping closer tabs, but, it all has a happy ending, I got my baby back and can re-introduce it.  This painting came about from being on a road at the right time.  I was heading back to California when out of the corner of my eye I saw this red pickup coming down a dusty road, I slowed letting him get in front, as the truck entered into my lane I was excited to see the pillbox air-stream in tow, reached for my trusty camera, took one shot knowing my next painting was locked inside...  This is an oil on canvas 36x24 and will be "unless sold before" in my summer show where I know it will find a home. For serious interest email me. schwartzart@earthlink.net      

"EARLY SHADOW'S" 36x36"

This painting was a bit of a workout.  There were a lot of things to consider such as what do I paint first so I started with the sky.  I began with the sun and worked out from there moving to the left developing the yellows, oranges, reds, rusts and so on.  I then developed the tops of the trees and worked my way down the left side  and back across to the right with the shape of the foliage and back over to the sun.  Then came the foliage behind the tree trunks that I had not yet put in. I painted this part feeling  where the light might be coming in and through the trees.  I then brought the trunks down and began to develop  the mist and the shadows  until I was satisfied.  After that came the foreground of the dark grassy area and the shadows that moved across this part of the landscape.  Lots of drying time painting between wet and dry back and forth across the canvas.  Am I finished, lets just say yes, but I must leave it an open ended yes... you know what I mean.  This painting is 36x36.

"FIREFLIES & SOFTBALL" 36x36"

After looking at this painting for over a month, I felt something was missing, this thought began to build inside my head and after a week of restlessness I had the enlightenment of what I was going to to. Back to the easel the painting went and the changes began... First the rake fallowed by the softball, the ever so familiar plastic chair on the right and the kitchenette in the other room.. Oh! yes...soft lace curtains...  There! I can now sleep..

This is the finished painting.  Below you can see the some of the progression but this here is complete.  It is primarily a black & white with shades of gray giving a hint of color in those tones.  The red bicycle is the only real color and to paint this without having it jump out at you there is an under color of dark gray softening the red.  The 36x36" painting is gallery and wrapped and painted on all sides.   For inquires  

schwartztart@earthlink.net And for more on my B&W paintings GoTo