Eliot's Art Blog

Happy New Year! I have some exciting plans for this year. To kick things off, I’m taking a month(ish) off from my normal day job to focus on making art.

I’ve been referring to this period as a “Self-Made, At-Home Artist Residency” which is both an oxymoron and a mouthful, but it does get the point across. Starting January 6 and going until February 10, I’ll be spending my working days making art in some way.

Goals

Given this is such a unique opportunity, I want to be structured about the time so I can make the most of it.

One of my primary objectives is to dedicate lots of time to actually oil painting. I want to elevate my skills in a meaningful way and I know the best way to do that is to get out and paint. Tangibly, I aim to produce some finished pieces that can both represent my current abilities and also serve as a point-in-time portfolio.

Landscapes will be my main focus, though I’m open to experimenting with wildlife or portraits to push myself.

Stay tuned for updates throughout the month! Another goal I’m setting is sharing my progress with friends and other artists for encouragement and feedback.

Plan

For the first four weeks, from January 6 to January 31, my days will revolve around immersing myself in painting. Each weekday, I’ll dedicate my time to either a full day of plein air painting or a mix of plein air sessions in the morning and studio work in the afternoon. My focus will be on creating two “starts” every day—filling the canvas with bold, blocky shapes and laying the foundation for future refinement without getting caught up in the details. This approach is all about embracing the fundamentals and building confidence in my process.

As part of this phase, I’ve planned a few special opportunities to deepen my learning. I’ll be attending a plein air oil painting workshop in Mesa, Arizona, where I hope to gain new techniques and inspiration from seasoned artists. I’m also setting aside a day to paint the stunning landscapes around Sedona, soaking in its iconic red rock beauty and translating it onto the canvas.

The final week, from February 3 to February 9, will shift to a more focused effort in the studio. I’ll use the plein air studies I’ve created as references to work on one or two larger pieces. This will be a chance to integrate everything I’ve learned into more polished, thoughtful works. To round out my time off, I’ll attend a gouache workshop in the Bay Area, exploring a complementary medium to further push myself.

Plein Air in the Bay Area

There is so much natural beauty in the Bay Area that I could spend a year painting outside and never paint the same area twice. Here are some of the locations I’m planning to paint this month:

• Mori Point, Pacifica
• Gray Whale Cove Beach, Half Moon Bay
• Diablo Foothills Regional Park, Walnut Creek
• Old Borges Ranch, Walnut Creek
• Point Reyes Lighthouse, Point Reyes
• Drakes Beach, Point Reyes
• Los Vaqueros Reservoir, Livermore

And here are some photos from there that inspire me:

Workshops

To add some more variety to the month, I’m really excited to be attending two very different workshops.

The first is a workshop at Saguaro Lake Ranch in Mesa, AZ with Mitch Baird where we’ll be focusing on painting en plein air, working on composition, value, and color.

At the very end of this period, I’ll be attending a gouache workshop to explore a different medium and use that to expand my technique and style. I’m very new to gouache as well, and my hope is that by becoming more comfortable with that medium, I can use it as a more portable option for quick studies on the go.

Stay tuned for updates on my progress

I’m super excited to have this opportunity and really looking forward to spending some time painting in nature. I’ll be posting regular updates throughout the month both here and on Instagram.