“Fall Reflections”; 12″ x 9″, oil on canvas panel

This is my recent studio painting.  Nearby lake in the fall. Beautiful place to take a walk, have a picnic, catch some fish or just contemplate. Or paint!

]]> http://dijanagallery.com/dgwp/?feed=rss2&p=660 0 http://dijanagallery.com/dgwp/?p=649 http://dijanagallery.com/dgwp/?p=649#comments Mon, 18 Jul 2011 22:03:25 +0000 dijana http://dijanagallery.com/dgwp/?p=649  

“Twilight”, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel

This is a studio painting – a scene from a beautiful park-forest in my hometown, Split.  This area had been  used as a park by the citizens as early as the 3rd century.

Plein Air Study by Dijana Maroevic-  Summer Landscape, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel

California Plein Air Landscape Painting

TURPENTINE by Brandi Carlile

This song was playing on Pandora while I was painting…

“Tree with a View”, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel

I’ve painted this one an plein air, in merely 40 minutes.  I’ve came to the location after 6:30, looked around little bit while I’ve found a decent spot, set up my easel and the time was 6:50.  Oops!  The meadows looked quite beautiful at this time of the day, but as the sun was setting, small hill on the west side cast a shadow onto the meadows I was painting.
The tree was leafless, looking almost burned in the fire but perfectly shaped like somebody is taking a good care of it.  There was a rabbit making me a company and number of different birds, who sang just beautifully.

Plein Air Study by Dijana Maroevic – Woods, 8″ x 6″ oil on canvas panel

California Landscape Painting

“Saddleback Mountain View”, 6″x8″, oil on canvas panel

I have painted this one two days ago en plein air.  This took place at a newly found location, near a top of a hill, that I might visit again.  From there I had a view all the way to Saddleback Mountain.  I have decided to include some cookie-cutter homes while I was finishing the work.

“Plein Air Painting in the Park”, California Landscape Painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel

I have painted this little one over the weekend.  When I arrived on location it was already 3:30 PM so I had to decide quickly on what to paint.  The hills in the distance caught my attention because of their subtle colors.

“Before the rain”, 8”x6”, oil on canvas panel

This Sunday morning I went to the park not far from my home to do some plein air painting.  I packed all my painting gear the night before and put it by a door so that in the morning I can get an early start.  Usually I pack everything I need just before I leave and that always takes valuable daytime.  My idea was to head out around 7 so by 8 o’clock I can already be painting.  But then I’ve stayed up late that night and came to my painting spot only around 10.  There were already a lot of people in the park, more than usual.  I found a nice spot on a top of a hill and after contemplating for only about 10 minutes about the exact view for my painting, I made up my mind and started to paint.  When I scouted this spot back in early September, the grass on the hill was dry, it was midday, the scene looked quite a bit different and boring.  I’ve sketched it using charcoal and without doing my usual underpainting I’ve started to paint.  The sky was windy and cloudy most of the time with an occasional moments of sunshine.  At moments I was afraid wind was going to blow away the pochade box but that thing is quite sturdy.  The temperature was around 53F according to yahoo app and I was basically freezing for two hours.  I found it very hard to hold a brush when my fingers are so cold.  Maybe gloves would have been helpful, if I only had a pair.  There were some passersby who came to see a view from the vista but nobody bothered me.  One loud group of people came to have a picnic on the nearby table but they were discouraged by harsh wind and left moments later.  That made me laugh.  So, there are some advantages painting in the “harsh” Southern Californian weather.  Good to know.  If only weather were not that perfect the other 95% of time.  I had finished this little painting in two hours sharp.  Just in time since a shower had started soon afterward.

This was painted en plein air in December.  The fall colors were in full force.  Temperature in the high 70′s!

]]> http://dijanagallery.com/dgwp/?feed=rss2&p=361 0 http://dijanagallery.com/dgwp/?p=317 http://dijanagallery.com/dgwp/?p=317#comments Sun, 07 Nov 2010 04:21:53 +0000 dijana http://dijanagallery.com/dgwp/?p=317 “Chasing the Light”, 8″x 6″, oil on canvas panel

Painted on location in Dana Point on Sunday afternoon.

As the sun was moving shadows and light changed.  I had tried to stay true to the  original idea as much as I could.  As I was halfway through the painting a woman came and climbed this very tree while her daughter took some pictures. I expected her to move after a minute or two but she stayed there for a little while until her husband and son joined them.  Then they approached us.  My husband was sitting on the chair behind me reading a book while I was painting and listening to my iPod.  Family of four  stood behind us and watched. The little girl came closer and asked me if  they can take a picture of my painting.  I couldn’t have disappointed the girl so mom took some picture and concluded that painting is very beautiful.  After they left some teenagers came to do some skateboarding.  This was an interesting painting experience for sure.