Stock Schlueter

Snow Leopard 18x24 oil on panel

2012-02-14T14:10:00.000-08:00

This is something different. I did this for our upcoming April show for Art Helps the Planet At the Hall Gallery. It is to help big cats through Panthera.

Pagani Ranch 8x8 oil on panel

2012-02-12T14:41:00.000-08:00

This painting was done on a Plein Air trip to Sonoma. This scene is part of a large old Family ranch. While I was painting it I met the owner. And we talked about the old days and how it has changed over the years. Click to bid

2012-02-09T16:19:00.000-08:00

I always get a charge out of standing on the edge of the Pacific while a storm marches in. I can feel the power of nature

2012-02-09T16:16:00.000-08:00

I tried to simplify this complex ranch scene to keep it fresh but still tell as much of the story as I could

2012-02-06T13:51:00.000-08:00

Hot off the press I painted this morning I always love the light breaking through the clouds and hitting the bay.

2012-02-06T12:59:00.000-08:00

I am doing some nocturnes for an up coming Show. I think this is an old Peterbilt out at one of the mills. I got permission to photograph a few years back.

2012-02-03T09:16:00.000-08:00

Back lighting and winter morning sun set a mood of there own. It's all about the mood

2012-02-03T09:10:00.000-08:00

Elk River I find some kind of visual poetry in the arrangement of farm buildings. I think form and function create a visual logic that lends itself to design.

2012-02-03T09:06:00.000-08:00

This is a new plein air work from out on the dunes looking back across the Arcata bottoms. I am finding the winter light exciting to paint.

2012-01-24T10:17:00.000-08:00

I love the broken cloudy days with the light hitting just part of the landscape. I have trouble getting it to hold still. this was done standing on an overpass above the freeway. Noisy but serene to look at.
I have launched a new web site that I can update myself and have promised to stay current. www.stockschlueter.com

Fisk Cove 9x12 oil on panel

2011-06-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

The first day I got to Sea Ranch The wind was howling and I did some exploring to find somewhere to paint the next day. I found this place way off the beaten path. Oddly there was a headstone here for a man named Fisk and his very young daughter dated 1871. He built a saw mill in this point and constructed an apparatus out of wood and cable anchored to a large rock to transfer lumber to the ships as they bobbed in the surf. I must have been dangerous. Anyway I had company as I worked this day.

The Storm Breaks 9x12 oil on panel

2011-06-03T20:13:00.000-07:00

At Four in the AM it started raining like a cow P---- on a flat rock. I mean it hammered until about nine then it started to ease up I took a chance and went out to give it a try. I dodged the rain and the sun under an umbrella but got er done.

Looking North 9x12 oil on panel

2011-06-03T20:10:00.000-07:00

This is turning my back on the last post. This was truly an amazing place and to catch it without the wind was nothing short of a miracle.

Ragged Coast 9x12 oil on panel

2011-06-03T20:06:00.000-07:00

This is doing the human telephoto thing. I was looking clear across the inlet in front of me to do this scene.

Evening Surf 9x12 oil on panel

2011-06-03T20:03:00.000-07:00

Just starting to cloud up for after a fine day on the coast with no wind.

12x16 oil on panel

2011-06-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

This small painting was a challenge. This place was so big. I painted my entire peripheral vision. We are so used to the view through the camera lens. It stretches the mind to Draw how we actually see.

Cove 12x16 oil on panel

2011-06-03T19:52:00.000-07:00

This was from a recent trip to Sea Ranch. My Friend Jim McVicker just started a blog of his own. He featured some of his work from the same trip. It sparked me to get off my ---- and post my own work from the same trip

Freshwater Slough 9x12 oil on panel

2011-06-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

It is amazing sometimes the little jewels one can find close to the populated areas. This is just off the freeway close to Target

levee break 12x 16 oil on panel

2011-06-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

I loved the drama of this day

2011-02-25T13:29:00.000-08:00

I did a week long plein air workshop while I was in Mexico this year. This was my demo piece.

2011-02-25T13:27:00.000-08:00

This was a lot to bite off plein air ala prima but I hung in there. I like this one even if I do say so my self.

2011-02-25T13:25:00.000-08:00

The sun just breaking over the jungle mountains. This could bee anywhere in the tropics.

2011-02-25T12:54:00.000-08:00

Mexico again this year. We got to stay a month this time here are some of the paintings.

stock in Xaltemba restaurant and gallery

2011-02-17T15:22:00.000-08:00

Rock Island 12x16 oil on panel

2010-11-17T15:45:00.000-08:00

Plein air from off the point above College Cove

2010-11-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

Want to get away. I am doing a workshop in Mexico. Tell your friends.

2010-11-10T10:25:00.000-08:00

I did this one on location over several sessions. I took a long time because I started it on a fine sunny morning this summer. I got a couple of days in then the fog settled in for the summer. I waited it out and finished this fall.

2010-11-10T10:21:00.000-08:00

This is a new studio work. It is a bit of a different view I liked the shapes of the rocks.

2010-11-10T10:16:00.000-08:00

It's been forever since I have posted I will do better in the future. This is a plein air work from Trinidad

2010-04-09T15:08:00.000-07:00

love stormy weather when it is possible to paint. The wind is the worst.

Fog Break 12x16 oil on panel

2010-03-21T12:17:00.000-07:00

Fog can be beautiful.

The Shanty 12x16 oil on panel

2010-03-06T17:36:00.000-08:00

Bright lights in a small town.

Pulp Mill 9x12 oil on panel

2010-03-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

This another work for the show. This road was once the main entrance to the lumber mills that gave way to the construction of the pulp mill. I muse on how many men have walked this path.

Gray Day No Work 9x12 oil on panel

2010-03-06T17:01:00.000-08:00

This is for a group show featuring the pulp mill which is now closed down. Eureka Books has invited nineteen artist to be part of this show.

2010-02-18T16:50:00.000-08:00

Another old truck in the snow I can't seem to resist. These old guys are like sculpture to me

Truck and Road 18x24 oil on panel

2010-01-27T14:19:00.000-08:00

I can"t resist old trucks and snow I'm not sure why.

Jungle Valley 9x12 oil on panel

2010-01-20T15:43:00.000-08:00

The rich farm land giving way to the wild jungle was striking.

Pineapple Fields 9x12 oil on panel

2010-01-20T15:39:00.000-08:00

What can I say another day in paradise.

Morning Fog 11x14 oil on linen

2010-01-20T15:36:00.000-08:00

Fog lifting from the jungle at 6:30 am it is already nearly 80 degrees.

Country Street 9x12 oil on panel

2010-01-20T15:33:00.000-08:00

Street and yard become one.

2009-12-22T12:34:00.000-08:00

I loved painting the street scenes of La Penita more often as not some kid would be watching and I would stumble through my poor Spanish and try to talk to them. They always smiled and shook their heads.

2009-12-22T12:30:00.000-08:00

Sunrise over the jungle and farm land or tropical Mexico. It is 75 degrees at 6am.

To the Sea 11x14 oil on panel

2009-12-18T14:34:00.000-08:00

This little spot on top of the ridge we would buy if we could swing it.

Sunset La Penita Mexico

2009-12-18T14:30:00.000-08:00

Painting the tropical sunset is an adventure things move very fast.

Wash Day 9x12 oil on linen

2009-12-17T15:01:00.000-08:00

This view into a backyard is from the roof top of Duane and Micky's house. People here live a good part of their lives outside and don't seem to mind if you peek in on them. As I painted the woman would wash something and put it on the line and I would record it as it happened.

Over the Hill 9x12 oil on panel

2009-12-17T14:54:00.000-08:00

This little road crested the ridge and led to a world from a simpler time where the jungle and farm land merge.

Ser Vende 9x11 oil on linen

2009-12-14T15:39:00.000-08:00

This old place is breaking off in large chunks of cement blocks and masonry, but life goes on and they just move farther inland. In the house. There is a story behind the title but it is too haunting to relate publicly.

Fish 9x12 oil on linen

2009-12-14T15:35:00.000-08:00

Repairing the nets is a daily chore here in the tropical sun where the water and air are about the same temperature.

Jungle House 9x12 oil on linen

2009-12-11T14:46:00.000-08:00

This painting is from the roof top of Duane and Micky Flatmo's house where we were lucky enough to stay. The jungle there grows so fast that they are constantly burning brush piles. The smoke gave this scene a great sense of atmosphere.

Boat launch 9x12 oil on panel

2009-12-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

Launching by hand from the beach is a common practice in this small and absolutely lovely town of La Penita Mexico. We fell in love with this place. And we are already thinking of how to get back. The following paintings are works that I did there in a little over three weeks. Working plein air I did 21 paintings.

2009-11-08T12:22:00.000-08:00

We are off to Mexico for over three weeks to stay with some friends of ours who own a house there. We plan to do a lot of painting as well as have some fun in the sun. I will post the new paintings when I get back in the first part of December. We will then be off to Denver to The Coors National Western Art Exhibit, that I am part of again this year, It opens on the 5th and 6th of January.

Trucks and Snow 12x16 oil on panel

2009-10-14T16:54:00.000-07:00

This was on the same trip. Sometimes what you find is better than what you were looking for.

2009-10-14T16:46:00.001-07:00

We were visiting Katherine in Portalnd and went up to see Mt. Hood this is what we found.

Arcata Bottoms Slough 26x35 oil on linen

2009-08-30T11:39:00.000-07:00

Studio work can be fun too. I like trying to bring the same kind of life that plein air work has into the studio.

Truck 12x14 oil on panel

2009-08-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

I watched this scene for years I finely just went out and painted it. Since then someone tore off the door. I got it just in time.

The Pier 12x14 oil on panel

2009-08-30T11:30:00.000-07:00

Looking up at this makes it a much more interesting design. Structures like this are always an adventure.

Dark Pier 12x16 oil on panel

2009-08-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

There are rumors that this pier will be replaced I have painted it several times. I guess in some small way trying to stem the goosestep march of "progress"

Boxcars and Snow 18x24 oil on panel

2009-08-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

Snow is a lot more fun to paint than to be in. It was zero degrees.

Mill Truck 12x12 oil on panel

2009-08-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

What can I say I love industrial nocturnes

Cold Sunset 20x30 oil on linen

2009-08-30T11:07:00.000-07:00

In the studio I try to set a specific mood There is something about the winter landscape that does it for me.

Dry Lagoon South 12x16 oil on panel

2009-08-30T11:04:00.000-07:00

Simple story simply told

Baker Beach Surf 12x14 oil on panel

2009-08-30T10:59:00.000-07:00

This plein air work brings you up close. Get your feet wet. Hear the roar of the surf.

2009-08-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

11x14 oil on panel

It is sad to see the railroads in such a state of decline. It is a fine way to travel.

2009-08-17T14:13:00.000-07:00

Tracks 9x12 oil on panel

The remnents of the railroad era stand like ruins of some bygon age.

2009-08-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

Trinity River 18x24 oil on panel

This is another plein air painting that took multiple sessions. Not a bad way to spend a weeks worth of mornings.

2009-07-31T14:51:00.000-07:00

This was a little different from the other paintings on this trip I worked in two hour blocks of time going back every day at the same time until completion.

Old Brewery Helena 18x24 oil on panel

2009-07-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

This is an article I wrote on plein air painting it was published in the Times Standard newspaper. They did a bit of editing, this is it as I wrote it. I thought it would be fun to share it with fellow bloggers.

“Plein Air.” Means in open air, it is a style of painting that is somewhat common in this day and age and has recently become quite popular. There are shows and exhibitions all over the world and some Artists have become renown in this style of painting. It has also begun to be popular with the collector. It has not always been this way. At one time there were only three sources of patronage for the visual arts. The church was at the top of the artistic food chain followed by the state and then the aristocracy. The Artist did not have the luxury of choosing their subject matter. They Painted for the church, the king or did portraits for the rich and powerful. They were trained accordingly. For the most part they were taught the craft of painting and expected to paint in the style of their teachers. There was little room for innovation and even less for personal observation. Most of us think of art as the expression of the inner self or a byproduct of personal observation. This in fact is a modern concept brought about by the artist being able to choose their own subject and gaining the freedom to express it in their own language. In order for this to happen, things had to change. As in most things it all came down to economics. The church and state slowly lost their strangle hold on the common man and a middle class began to emerge. The controlling powers did not go away they just shifted into a less controlling posture. There are so many forces involved in this shift it is beyond my historical ability to go into them all. This emerging middle class developed a wider range of taste and circulated more cash than ever before, thus more money for art of different kinds of art. The very concept of just what art is changed for both patron and the artist.

As the thinking changed the needs of the artist changed with them. At one time all paint was mixed by hand generally by the artist or his apprentice who bought the raw materials and ground them into powder and blended them into various mixtures of solvents and resins such as Damar varnish and linseed oil. A pig bladder was the accepted way to carry such concoctions as one can imagine this could get cumbersome. Technology as it always seems to do caught up to these new needs. The advent of the lead tube for carrying paint was huge. Brushes and portable easels were mass produced and became much more accessible and affordable. For the first time the common man could also pursue the arts. This type of painting was popular in the 18^th and 19^th century and then seemed to fade with the advent of modern art. The fact that it has endured and has once again emerged validates it as an important part of the continuum of art.

History lesson aside I can from personal experience testify to the difficulties and pleasures of Plein air painting. It is a discipline that is not for the feint at heart. It takes many years to do a believable landscape at all let alone out in the open air. This “open air” thing sounds benign and pleasant, which it is. But with the “open air” come the flying gnats, the biting bugs, and the blowing wind. Not to mention the freezing cold, the blazing heat, and the astounding amount of dirt, leaves, pine needles and other vegetable matter that seem to be abnormally attracted to your canvas. Sometimes bugs dive bomb into the paint and swim across the sky leaving a wake of tiny foot prints. I have had my entire easel paints brushes and all lift off in a gust of wind and hurl itself into the river. After retrieving my floating brushes I had to dive to the bottom to get tubes of paint. Then I had to tie a stick to the easel to replace a broken leg. As they say “The paint must go on.” I have huddled under a tarp in the snow and rain and thought that I may never be warm again. I have had the easel collapse sending the painting and pallet into the dirt only after giving each other a big smearing wet colorful kiss on the way to the ground. This only happens when you are just about finished of course. Paint can be insidious and darn right clever in its ability to get all over everything before you know it. Oil paint is always at room, or should I say outdoor temperature and you don’t feel it like you would a liquid. Generally it takes another painter to come up to you giggling and say “nice yellow nose.” This just covers the pleasant parts. The wind can drive you insane. I can’t tell you how many times I have felt like a complete fool screaming long strings of obscenities at the wind. Even if it isn’t freezing you to death it is constantly moving your easel and canvas all over the place when it is quite strong it is surprising how it moves your body. This makes any semblance of accuracy impossible. I have often thought I should try a new type of impressionism, by painting in the wind, just mix the color hold my brush close to the canvas and let the wind do the work.

The upside of working Plein Air for me far outweighs the inconveniences, except when I’m trying to paint in the wind of course. There is no substitute for direct observation of the landscape. There is no better way to understand it than to be in it. Walk it. Touch it. Smell it. Get out in it and feel it. Let it speak to you. If you listen it will. Don’t paint that tree from a distance without going up to it and introducing yourself. Find out how it feels, how it smells, what its bark, leaves and roots look like. How does it stand, why is it in this place? Then go back and paint it. Even if you do not paint it well the knowledge will help the next attempt. Painting the landscape in Plein Air is a body of attempts it cannot be achieved in a single lesson. Along the path you get some good and some not so good but they are all bricks in the wall. I think it was Richard Smicht that said” if your painting falls short at least you have had a nice day in nature. For me one great benefit of working in the field is that it is a good deal of exercise. I often carry thirty to forty pounds of gear all over the country, set up my easel and stand painting for several hours. When I am camping on location it is not unusual to paint for ten hours a day. I love the adventure and discovery. It is a needed change from the sedimentary life of the studio.

As in any style of painting there are different approaches. Some, Plein air painters work on large works taking them to the same location every day until they finish. They paint in short blocks of time of an hour or two at a time so that the light does not change too much. It is a good idea to have a painting for each block of time in the same location. That way the artist can work in the same place all day. These larger works tend to be a composite of a place and season gleaning bits of information from each day. It can be frustrating. If you start in the sun it will get fogy. If you start on a nice calm afternoon the wind will blow for a week. One trick is to get something started for each condition and be ready. I have worked in this style but I tend toward what is called Ala Prima. This means basically that the work is created in one pass on the spot with no revisions. As one can imagine it is not always as successful as one would like. But there is a freshness and a purity of direct observation that comes through. . This is not to say that I always stick to these rules. I have in the past and still do work on them in all phases of their development. But if at all possible I leave them alone. The urgency of this approach keeps me on my toes and forces me to extreme concentration. I know that I have to do it right the first time. Knowing this, changes the way I start and even the research I do in finding what I want to paint. I plan out when and where I am going to set up according to my anticipation of what the light is going to do. If I want to paint the nine o’clock light I am there at seven thirty setting up and getting my drawing in. When the light swings across that, twenty minutes of light that I want I go like crazy to get the essentials in then the rest of the time I clean up the gaps. This type of painting necessitates a quicker application of paint and an economy of brush work. Each stroke is critical. The paintings tend to be more painterly and of smaller size. One of the things I like is that it is a statement and recording of a single day, a single block of time. The entire story is about that one time and place, told in one song.

2009-07-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

China Gap 9x12 oio on panel

The morning sun and clouds battle for the light on this view from Blue Ridge.

2009-07-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

Big Slide 9x12 oil on panel

This large landslide carves a swash of color across the mountains. I like the abstract quality it brings to this landscape. Here I thought it was important to keep the brushwork loose and fluid.

2009-07-24T12:42:00.000-07:00

Riffle 9x12 oil on panel

Late afternoon on Canyon Creek the sun drops over the ridge and the day starts to cool. It was a challenge to get the riffle to drift to the left then drop a level without getting too fussy with it.

2009-07-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

Lightning Strike 9x12 oil on panel

Early June was still cool and stormy. This strike happened while I was painting I thought "I wonder how, or if I can do that"

2009-07-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

Bend in the River 9x12 oil on panel

It was interesting to try to get the vastness of this bend in the river on a small 9x12 panel.

2009-07-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

Big Flat was a big gold strike in the 1850s it was quite a settlement a flood in 1862 wiped out most every thing. It is now a hub for rafting and kayaking.

2009-07-20T12:08:00.000-07:00

This is the first of some 22 paintings completed in the last month and a half on a painting trip into the Trinity Alps where we camped along the Trinity River. I am going to dole them out over the next week or so three or four at a time.

This is late afternoon light in Canyon Creek

2009-07-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

This old work shed was built in the late 1800s and is a reminder of the mining history of this area.

2009-07-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

The sun is breaking over the Trinity Alps and caressing the ridge tops of Rich Gulch.

2009-05-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

I hate to brag. But!

Here I am on the cover of South West Arts. They have written a fine article about yours truly as well. This a great magazine that I am proud to say I subscribe to. All of the people that I worked with on this project were great. I will take this space to publicly thank them for a job well done.

2009-05-22T10:07:00.000-07:00

Here is something different. I have been doing the art for the Blues by the Bay poster for the past several years this is this years image. This is a great event featuring the likes of Norton Buffalo, Roy Rogers, The Boneshakers, and more.

2009-05-07T15:20:00.000-07:00

Delta Spring 9x12 oil on panel

Little paintings are so much fun it is like grabbing a fist full of life and throwing directly to the surface and saying "this is how it is today"

2009-05-07T15:15:00.000-07:00

Strawberry Stand in Sonoma. 12x16 oil on panel

Big Plein Air festival this weekend

2009-04-20T13:13:00.000-07:00

Check out Katherine Treffinger's Blog she is doing a why artists paint section. It is quite interesting

http://katherinetreffinger.blogspot.com/

2009-04-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

27x32 oil on linen

New studio work

2009-04-08T16:41:00.000-07:00

South to Moonstone 12x16 oil on pane

Plein Air

Gray again after a couple of bright sunny days could not resist the mood of the storm moving in.

2009-04-08T16:38:00.000-07:00

Rush 11x14 oil on panel

Jackson Ranch

2009-03-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

9x12 oil on panel

This is a new work painted plein air in the ala prima tradition

The Mary Stewart

2009-03-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

9x12 oil on panel

New painting painted plein air

Ruby Canyon

2009-03-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

11x14 oil on panel

New work headed for the Pinon Gallery in Littleton Colorado.

Trinidad Gray

2009-03-15T16:26:00.000-07:00

13x17 oil on panel

Plein air.

Gray days are fun to paint

Midnight Crossing

2009-03-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

12x16 oil on panel

Roys Kitchen

2009-03-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

12x16 oil on linen

China Alley

2009-03-15T14:47:00.000-07:00

12x16 oil on panel

Fields Landing

2009-03-15T14:24:00.000-07:00

12x16 oil on panel

plein air

Loleta Road

2009-03-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

36x48 oil on linen.
Studio work