I'm completely obsessed with this song right now.

Check out the Swell Season and listen to more of their songs for free at www.theswellseason.com

El Matador Beach

Back in July I painted Matador Beach, but I've never really been happy with the painting. I like the people in the surf, but that was about it. So I decided to go back with the now totally dry painting and see how it feels to paint over and hopefully improve it. It's from a higher vantage point and I went for different color. It was an interesting struggle, very confusing at first but slowly things started to click into place and then it was fun. I like it better than before, but I want to go back again a little earlier in the day and give it a little more paint.

La Jolla

I went out today with my mom to do some plein air painting in La Jolla since I'm down here for Christmas. It was a grey, cloudy day, but a great spot to paint. This is the view up the hill a bit above Scripps pier. Oil on canvas, 11 by 30.

J.G. Melon - NYC oil painting

.................................................Sold
----------------------------------"J.G. Melon - NYC"

----------------------------------------20"x20"
-------------------------------------oil on canvas
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I’ve just noticed that one of my recent painting is done in green and red and could make a nice postcard for my holidays wishes.
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Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to visit and comment my work. I hope you all have a happy holiday season.

Video Editing Software?

Hey guys,

I have been researching and playing with video editing software so I can make some tutorials and vlogs for you guys and also possibly offering video classes but I'm having trouble finding a good one.

I need something that:

-Allows me to change the time to speed things up. (for example, if I want to show me doing a painting sped up in ½ time or faster)
-Allows me to cut to a colored screen with text in between video
-Has to be easy to learn, I’m a blonde remember? ;)

Anyone have any suggestions?


Thanks so much in advance! :)

*HUGS*

Sarah

Xanadu

I've been on the Education Roster at the Orange County Performing Arts Center for the last

5 years, teaching Italian Street Painting Workshops and Residencies. So when I was asked

to paint large chalk mural for the the Center's West Coast premier of Xanadu, I was really excited.

It turns out, the main character is a street painter so the idea was perfect. The image was done

on a 15 x 15 foot piece of canvas taped down to the Center's central plaza. It took me about 3

days to complete and it was freezing outside. The nice thing was audience members could see

me working from windows on the 2nd through 5th floors on their way to their seats.

PCH

I went to Corral Canyon Road with Mr. Kilduff today and painted the afternoon light and view looking north up Pacific Coast Highway. This piece could use a little fine tuning, but I am actually really happy with it overall! oil on canvas, 24 by 36

Back from our honeymoon!

Hey guys,

We just back back from our honeymoon to Hawaii (Maui, Kauai, Oahu) late last night but I just wanted to pop in and tell you all that we are back and had an amazing time. The wedding in Orlando was beautiful and everything went off without a hitch thanks to our amazing wedding planner. I will have lots of photos to share with you soon and lots of fun little things I made for the wedding to show you too. We don't have all of the photos back yet but here is an awesome engagement slide show the fabulous Roots made for us and here are a few sneak peeks at the wedding photos.

I am kinda sad that the party is over. The planning was such a huge labor of love for me and it was fun to see it all realized. But, I am very very happy to begin this new exciting chapter, to be able to get things at home back to normal, and have more free time to work on my art, my classes and spending more time chatting with all of you. I have deeply missed it.

Lots of love, hugs and thanks to all of you who have sent us your well wishes and love during this wonderful time of our lives.


*HUGS*

Sarah

brünnhilde

There was a paint-out, technically a paint-in (which is good because it was pouring rain all day), down in Costa Mesa today and the whole California Art Club was invited. It was in a huge warehouse that is normally a gallery and framer. There were four areas set up with models in costumes themed from Wagner's Ring series opera, and from what I understand it was an event done in partnership with the LA Opera which is performing the ring cycle in 2010. I carpooled with John Kilduff and when we got there the place was ridiculously crowded! easels everywhere! I managed to find a spot in front of Brünnhilde and went at it. It looks everything and nothing like what I saw! I wanted to make something bolder than what was just in front of me so I made the model more iconic, like my sloppy version of Aristide Maillol! ahahaha!! She is much thicker in my painting because I wanted to portray her as a warrior. It was done on two separate 16 by 20 canvas panels because I didn't have a long canvas. It's kind of a mess, but it's all about trying to make the most of a themed model workshop with many things beyond the artist's control

el greco

I've always been a fan of el Greco, his painting is so unique and modern for it's time, it's like he was from the future! Here's a couple work in progress shots of my re-do of his painting "The Baptism of Christ". I started it a couple weeks ago and consciously worked on it very aggressively with the intention of stopping before I felt myself getting "tight". I wanted the first attack to be very rough and expressive and free. Then last night I took it to the Hive to paint during the downtown LA Artwalk, this time looking forward to defining the imagery more. I'm really having a fun time with this one! oil on canvas, 48 by 30

Kronos

I had fun on Let's Paint TV today. I recommend playing this show in the background and then doing all the things you've been procrastinating on all at once. Multi-task. And here's the drawing I did during the show, it's Saturn, or Kronos separating the heavens from the earth

painting workshop

My mom is, as the French would say, an "amateur" of painting. She hosted a painting workshop by the artist Carolyn Anderson and I was happy to attend! I felt our teaching philosophies are in total alignment and I had a great time listening, learning, and painting. These are my favorite images from the class. Two paintings from life, a Sorolla master copy and a painting from a photograph taken by Carolyn Anderson. The painting of the girl with the multi-colored scarf was the last one I did at the workshop... when I was doing it I thought it was the worst of all the paintings I did over the weekend, but looking at it now I like it the most! AHHAAHHAHA!!

Necessity From Finian's Rainbow, Musical with book by E.Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, Lyrics by Harburg, music by Burton Lane

I posted this and the next two backwards, so you could read a story forward from this to the next two posts. It's a timeless American tale:

What is the curse
That makes the universe so all bewilderin'?
What is the hoax that just provokes
The folks they call God's children?
What is the jinx that gives a body and his brother and everyone around...the run-around?
Necessity, necessity.
A most unnecessary thing, necessity.
What throws the monkey wrench in
A fella's good intention?
That nasty old invention
Necessity.
My feet want to dance in the sun
My head wants to rest in the shade
The lord says go out and have fun
But the landlord says, 'Your rent ain't paid!'
Necessity, its plain to see
What a lovely old world
This silly old world can be
But, no it's all in a mess
Account of necessity.
I'd like to play some tennis
Or take a trip to Venice
But sister, here's the menace
Necessity.
Oh, Satan's the father of sin
And Cupid's the father of love
Oh, hell is the father of gin
But no one know's the father of
Necessity, necessity.
That's the maximum that
A minimum thing can be
There's nothing lower than less
Unless it's necessity.

Come and Get it from Finian's Rainbow, lyrics by E.Y.Harburg

On that great come and get it day,
Won't it be fun when worry is done and money is hay.
That's the time things'll come your way
On that great, great come and get it day.
I'll get my gal that calico gown.
I'll get my mule that acre of groun'
'Cause word has come from Gabriel's horn
The earth beneath your plow is a-buddin'
And now it's yourn.
Glory time's comin' for to stay
On that great, great come and get it day.

On that great come and get it day,
Won't it be fun when worry is done and money is hay.
That's the time things'll com your way
On that great, great come and get it day.
My gown will be a calico gown.
My shoes will dance all over the town.
'Cause word has come from Gabriel's horn
The earth beneath your plow is a-buddin'
And now it's yourn.
Glory time's comin' for to stay
On that great, great come and get it
And keep it and share it, great, great
I'll get my gal that calico gown.
I'll get my mule that acre of groun'
'Cause words has come from Gabriel's horn
The earth beneath your plow is a-buddin'
And now it's yourn.
Glory time's comin' for to stay
"Come and get it" day.

Idle Poor/Idle Rich From Finian's Rainbow

When the idle poor
Become the idle rich
You'll never know
just who is who
or who is which.
Won't it be rich
When everyone's poor relative
Becomes a 'Rockefellative',
And palms no longer itch
What a switch!
When we all wear ermine
And plastic teeth
How will we determine
Who's who underneath.
And when all your neighbours
Are upper class
You won't know your 'Joneses'
from your 'Ass-tors'.
Let's toast the day
The day we drink that drinky up
But with a little pinkie up.
The day on which
The idle poor
Become the idle rich.
When a rich man doesn't want to work
He's a bon vivant.
Yes, he's a bon vivant.
But when a poor man doesn't want to work,
He's a loafer, he's a lounger
He's a lazy good for nothing
He's a jerk!
When a rich man loses on a horse
Isn't he a sport, oh isn't he a sport?
When a poor man looses on a horse
He's a gambler, he's a spender
He's a low life, he's a reason for divorce!
When a rich man chases after dames
He's a man about town,
A man about town.
But when a poor man chases after dames
He's a bounder, he's a rounder
He's a rotter, and a lot of dirty names!
When the idle poor
Become the idle rich
You'll never know
just who is who
Or which is which.
No one will see
The Irish or the Slav in you
'Cause when you're on Park Avenue
Cornelius and Mike
Look alike.
When poor tweedle Dum
Is rich tweedle Dee
This discrimination will no longer be.
When we're in the dough
And off of the nut
You won't know your banker
from your but...ler.
Let's make the switch.
With just a few annuities
We'll hide these incongruities
With clothes from Abercrombie-Fitch.
Wheeeeeeeeeen the idle poor
Wheeeeeeen become the
Wheeeeeeeen idle rich
When the idle poor
Become the idle rich!