Parts of the Angeles Forest Reopen - Today!

Although Hghwway 2 into the Angeles National Forest remains closed, today, two and a half years after the Station Fire, larger portions of the forest and many popular trails will reopen.

A word to the wise: many of the trails may not be in good shape. There may be washed out areas, rock slides, and fallen trees. Many trails will be different and many fire roads have yet to be graded.

Respect any trail closure signs you come across - although these trails are in the newly opened areas of the forest, some individual trails may still be posted as closed. For the sake of forest recovery and for your safety stay off those trails.

A list of the openings:

Brown Mountain (to the saddle)

Gabrielino (JPL to Paul Little)

Gabrielino (Switzers to Redbox to Chantry)

Bear Canyon Trail

Sam Merrill Trail

Castle Canyon Trail

Sunset Ridge Trail

Mt. Lowe West Trail

Idlehour Trail

Kenyon Devore Trail

Rim Trail

Sturtevant Trail

Santa Clara Divide Truck Trail (Dillon Divide to Mt. Gleason to Three Points)

Chilao Loop/Mt. Hillyer

Vetter Road

Silver Mocassin

Shortcut

Valley Forge

Mt. Lukens road (once the highway opens)

Earl Canyon

Haines Canyon

Doc Larsen

What remains closed? In the map above, everything within the blue border line is still closed. This includes:

Strawberry Peak,

Tom Sloan

Dawn Mine

Upper Brown Mountain (Saddle to the Summit/Ken Burton)

Ken Burton

Gabrielino from Switzers to Paul Little

Grizzly Flat

Hoyt

Stone Canyon

Condor Peak Trail

Trail Canyon

Alder Creek

Colby Canyon

Josephine

Mueller Tunnel

I've heard that the parts of the forest have been open for awhile have been very crowded. It will be nice to be able to spread out a little.

More info here: http://arcadia.patch.com/articles/graphic-reopened-areas-of-the-angeles-national-forest-2#photo-6051345

The Forest Service map with zoom capability can be found here:http://maps.fs.fed.us/stationfire/

Be careful and happy hiking!

Sold: Coastal Pines Overlook I

Coastal Pines Overlook I  ©2011 Katherine Kean
oil on linen 6 x 6"

I spent all of yesterday afternoon at the emergency vet with my dog Bear. Somehow he got a foxtail in his ear, even though he was indoors at the time. There was quite a wait with lots of pets coming in needing immediate care. The wait was so long that Bear fell asleep under my chair. I've never seen him so relaxed in a vet's office before. What's more, I looked up to see someone I know coming through the door - a lovely woman that I've worked with over the years. She and her dog were experiencing their own canine medical emergency. We used the long wait to catch up. 

Our turn finally came. The vet got the foxtail out we went happily on our way. Once home, I found a message on the phone from the gallery saying that Coastal Pines Overlook I had sold.

What is Your Most Used Color?

Marsh Labyrinth work in progress ©2011 Katherine Kean
30 x 24" oil on linen

Other than white, which may be the most used color for many painters, what is the the most often used color on your palette? For me it's a toss up between Ultramarine Blue and Cadmium Orange. I use both of them a lot in mixing. The blue is obvious in the end results, but the Cadmium Orange might be a surprise. Not only do I use it a lot in under painting, but I just get something out of looking at it. Is there such a thing as a "color high"?

Fresh Off the Easel: Connect the Drops

Connect the Drops  ©2011 Katherine Kean  SOLD
12 x 16" oil on linen

I've had no lack of inspiration for rainy day paintings this year! This is the second one in a series, the first can be found here. I like the contrast between the soft, misty background and the sharpness of the drips.

While working on these I came across the saying, "No one raindrop thinks it caused the flood", which some say describes the mindset that brings about the social phenomenon called "diffusion of responsibility"; related to these other social phenomena; design by committee, the bystander effect, and the Nuremberg Defense. However, couldn't it also mean cooperation, gathering together to accomplish a common goal, or achieving something otherwise out of reach for a single individual?

New Glass Palette

I've used this round glass palette for quite a while. I believe it's original purpose was meant to be as a table topper. It's heavy and thick, about 16" in diameter, and the edges are beveled and smooth. There is nothing wrong with it other than it seems a little bit small when I'm working on a larger canvas.

For my new palette I'm using a glass kitchen counter protector. It has a crinkly surfaced top, but the bottom is smooth, so I flipped it over. It also has smooth beveled edges. There were little silicon pads on the bottom four corners which I found easy to scrape off - really easy, I just lifted an edge with a fingernail and then they just peeled off. I then stuck them on the other side - the side that was the top and is now the new bottom. The rectangle fits well on the table next to my easel and provides a lot more room for mixing. Here it is, below, in use.

The colors at the moment, from the lower left corner and moving clockwise, are as follows: Titanium White, Hansa Yellow Deep, Cadmium Orange, Quindracinode Red, Venetian Red, Raw Sienna, Raw Umber, Grey Green, Olive Greem, Terre Verte, Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Blue, Ultramarine Blue, and Mars Black.

Japan Earthquake Relief Fundraiser - Saturday, April 23

I'm participating in this fundraiser with TAG Gallery and the U.S. Japan Council Earthquake Relief Fund. The event begins at 11am and continues all day, concluding with a reception from 4-6pm. I have donated three paintings towards this effort, from which 50% of proceeds will go directly to non governmental organization projects in the devastated Tohoku region of  Japan.

DVDs For and About Art and Artists: Jeremy Lipking's The Portrait Sketch

Recently I had a few artists over and we watched Jeremy Lipking's two hour demonstration of a portrait sketch on DVD. In the DVD Lipking paints a profile of his wife Danielle. As demos go the production value on this is high. We loved that there was an inset view of the model at times throughout so we can see what the artist sees as he paints. The demonstration is divided into chapters: Introductions, Materials, Blocking In, Painting Eyes, Nose, Lips, Ear, Hair and so on. He says very little as he goes, clearly absorbed in his work, however there is an alternate version with ongoing commentary with Tony Pro, the producer and an artist in his own right. Also included on the DVD is a written listing of materials; his palette, panels, and brushes. a selection of paintings and a bio written by Michael Zakian. I always find it a little bit magical to watch a painting unfold. It was even more fun with friends and a few snacks.