Evening Painting in Pacific Grove

It took 3 attempts to get these paintings completed. The winter weather in Pacific Grove, CA is rainy and it makes no exceptions for painters.

The concept was to paint nocturnal scenes of across Monterey Bay from Lovers Point in Pacific Grove. We intended to paint using only the moonlight, the distant park overhead lights, and a small head lamp. On our first attempt, both myself and the Mexican plein air painter Gabriela Marquez were met with a steady rain after about 2 hours of set-up and painting had passed. The showers came and went a couple of times before finally increasing in intensity enough to make us finally give up. We were working in acrylics. There was a point early on that our work could have been salvaged had the weather dried up, but as it turns out it went in the opposite direction.

At about 10PM we finally packed up and put what was left of our paintings in the car. We both decided to keep what was created from the combination of our work and Mother Nature's.

We then returned a week later, and to our pleasure the rain was nowhere to be seen this time around.

I am very pleased with both paintings. The 'rain assisted' abstract painting is thin and washed. Its color and temperament are reflective of the rain, fog, and cool evening air from under which it was created. It is abstract, modern, and deliberate in it's composition.

The 2nd work is also an acrylic base, but with a bit of oil paint on top representing the lights. With layered background colors of blues, grays, browns, and reds it provides a base to project the distant warmth of the cross bay lights yet does not allow one to escape the surrounding chill and empty darkness looming outside of the frame. The peaceful calm of the rippled bay is challenged by the gathering wedged and rolling clouds. The browns and reds show up much better than is represented in the photograph.

What a wet mess!

Many of the rich colors were lost as the water ran off of the canvas carrying the pigments with it.

Both the abstract and the impressionistic paintings are available for purchase at http://www.chrisgeremia.com/.

Mojave Campfire

This new painting was born in early December while camping in the Mojave Desert in CA.

This represented new challenges in painting. First, it was done late in the evening and depicts the campfire glow on some nearby rocks and a tree. It was also from this light source that I illuminated the canvas to paint. It was also done with an acrylic under painting with oil on top. I like this technique for plein air painting as I prefer to complete my paintings during one sitting, and this allows for layering that otherwise is impossible with oil alone due to the time needed for drying. Third this evening was quite cold, around 35'F, and the paint had a paste like consistency. In the morning I noticed that there were small ashes from the fire embedded in the top layer of the paint. Considering the challenges in the production of this I am pleased with the result.

It truly was a relaxing evening spent deep within the desert. Relaxing that is until some nearby yahoo threw an aerosol can of automobile starter fluid into the fire. Your going to have to use your imagination as to what the scene looked like after that but I can assure you that the warm, gentle, glow of the fire became a tad more intense for a time.

This painting and many others are available for purchase at http://www.chrisgeremia.com/

Stonehenge

There is nothing like an international trip to put things in perspective. One thing that was reinforced is how glad I am that I was never part of one of the groups of people that had to move huge rocks over hundreds of miles of earth. There are large rock tributes all over the English countryside, not just at Stonehenge. I also was given a tour of the lesser known Woodhenge. Let's just say that it doesn't inspire quite the same awe as the stone version.

Whether this thing was used as an altar for prayer, sacrifices, or toga parties it is a pretty powerful structure. I wanted to capture it as the sun fell down in the cold October sky. It is a moving place. I only wish that the stones could talk.

This painting and others are available for sale at ChrisGeremia.com

F-14 Tomcat Movin'

A minimalist painting of an F-14 Tomcat from the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) in the South China Sea. The F-14 was taking part in exercises and ran over head at greater than mach 1, low to the deck, creating a nice sonic boom and some memories. It then ended up in vertical climb and disappeared into the sun.

Do you have an ex-F-14 pilot in your life who is now depressed because of the aircraft's decommissioning? Lighten his day and celebrate his past with a piece of original art.

This minimalist painting is 30" x 40" on stretch canvas. It has a multi-layered impasto texture that eases the negative space between the jet and the sun and provides dynamic movement. It will look great against natural or red stained wood either in a frame or without. Who ever said that all minimalist paintings need to feature a barn or a tree? This and other paintings are for sale at ChrisGeremia.com.

John on a Mountain

This is a painting of John M mountain climbing. As if mountain climbing wasn't enough adventure for a chap, this guy quit his job as a teacher and is now mountain climbing all over the world. As of this writing he is in Nepal.

I'm not here to judge any one's motivation or judgement. I'm here to celebrate the adventurous among us, and if this doesn't qualify then nothing does! My hat is off to you my friend and may you find what you are after. John's blogsite is http://www.thefuckitlist.blogspot.com/

This is a 30" x 40" oil on stretch canvas. It is clean, simple, symbolic, and sturdy. It, and other paintings are available for sale at ChrisGeremia.com.

The Greek

I hung out with this cat in Greece. During one particular evening in Santorini we climbed onto the roof of a house that overlooked a 200' sheer drop to the sea below. On the downward slope of the dome roof we crawled to the edge on our stomachs and finished a beer each while watching the surf crash into the rocks below.

This trip contained all of the makings for a great adventure. Exotic destinations, exploring, fighting, drinking, women, and illegal trespass.

This is an interesting painting with a large Prussian blue presence in front, over an Indian Red and white background. It creates an awkward visual tension that is indicative and fitting of the awkward tension that this character brought to the Greek countryside.

This is a 24" x 36" oil on stretch canvas and is in private collection.

USS California (CGN-36) Night Missile Launch

This is a studio painting of a night SM-1 MR launch from when I was on board the USS California (CGN-36) on an Indian Ocean deployment. In addition to the SAM we also launched an ASROC and a Harpoon Missile. Thankfully none of the launches were in combat situations. This particular missile launch did cream a drone a few miles up.

Do you have any good military stories with a photo you want me to put on a canvas for you? Send me an email to discuss.

This is a 12" x 18" oil on stretch canvas. This painting has been donated to the Maritime Museum of Monterey, CA and is part of the collection of materials of interest from all three USS California named warships.