Yardwork 2

Painting this one really brought home for me the value of painting on site. I sat in Pam's garden and did two paintings of this flower. As a second thought I took a picture and the flowers came out blue as opposed to this purple I saw with my eyes. This one took about 40 minuets to complete.

Co Defendants

These were the two guys were recently convicted of robbing two exotic dancers and their friends. One of the defendants testified against the other two. I like the guard on the left. He has great features and looks like he could break down most defendants. The guy in the middle with the beard is one of the defense lawyers.

Harmonious Skirt

A fellow artist (David Ohlerking) organized this mixed media event one Christmas holiday. The concept was to provide music and entertainment along with painters documenting the event in paint and film. I worked small to get more stuff to work with later.

Yardwork 6

The nasturtiums in Pam's yard just begged to be painted. The flower is delicate but its color is strong and bold. These three were close to the concrete. The leaves are unique in shape also. I spent about an hour on this one with the majority of it trying to solve value problems. Available if you like.

Osaka Home

I'm still fine tuning this one but its almost home. This is a painting of part of one of my favorite diners in the San Francisco area. Its called Welcome Home. Ive had their cheeseburger and pie a la mode. The atmosphere is unique and it reminds me of another time when we were less distracted by life. Osaka is a sushi place next door that I have never visited.

Glass Beach Overlook

Actually I don't think this area is Glass Beach. Its about a mile down from the Beachcomber Motel as you walk out of Fort Bragg, California. We were looking down on the beach from the cliffs. I'm still thinking about some changes but for now I like it as is. 11 by 14 inches

Court Security

The sketch was executed while waiting in court. The painting was done later. Whenever a person approaches the bench that is in custody he or she is with a guard or two. They require the defendant to have his hands behind his back and they stand ready to attack if needed. I have stood by many dangerous people over the course of the years. When my stomach tells me to be wary I listen.

Pun ishment Phase

These are two prosecutors from a recent trial that only had a punishment phase. The defendant had originally been sentenced to 5 years in prison; the second jury maxed her out with 10 years. This was painted from the courtroom sketch. 6 by 6 canvas board $100.00.

Muir Beach 4 in progress

I had to turn away from the wind for a while to warm up. This was what I saw. The fog was heavy so I intend to go in and clean this up a bit value wise. This is a scene from Muir Beach as you look away from the ocean.

From The Sketchbook

Yaredwork 4

This was the last of about four paintings completed while sitting in Pam's backyard. The sky was a beautiful blue and the trees were just nice so I had to paint it. The weather in Northern California is always conducive to outdoor painting.

Muir Beach 3

We forgot towels, the wind was roaring and it was cold. I was determined to get some paintings done. We sat in the sand for about 2 hours. This is the first of five pieces I was able to get down that day. I'm going to leave it alone for now and maybe revisit it next month.

Independence Day 4

This was the last piece that I completed on the sea wall in Pacifica, CA. I had my guerrilla painter box set up on the wall and I was standing. I like the way this one turned out. I used a large brush and lots of wet on wet washes. It took about 30 minutes. I could go back in and do some cleanup work but I think this one stands on its own right now.

White Party (in progress)

This is one of my tighter floral paintings. I like painting the white flower because you are forced to look beyond white to convey it. I took the photo that inspires this work at the Fort Bragg Botanical Garden. Right now I think I have too many hard edges so the goal will be to balance them out a bit.

Muir Beach 2

This sailboat drifted by while we were sitting on the beach. This is one of the two watercolors I was able to complete. This one is in Pam's collection now. The sails are a bit off scale but I think the fog is there but the ocean is a little too warm,

Muir Beach 1

This was the last one that I painted while freezing on Muir Beach. I laid in the darks quickly and hinted at the water waves and foam. The beach was fogged in as per usual but this one almost looks tropical. Muir Beach is a small beach close to Stinson Beach. In my opinion Muir is more intimate.

Yardwork 1

These are flowers from Pam's yard. I did quite a few flower studies while sitting in her backyard enjoying the weather. I sat out so much that I got tanned a bit. Yes it is true I tan. I didn't want to overwork this one so I stopped when Pam said step away.

Independence Day 3

This is a plein air piece done in Pacifica, CA. On the pier they have this cute little cafe. When Ive been there they usually have a young man working the grill outside. They have a good burger by the way.

Independence Day 2

This one was executed on the seawall in Pacifica, California. I really want to go back in and clean this one up a bit but I will put it away for a month and come back at it with fresh eyes.

This is one of the many plein air pieces executed during my most recent trip to Northern California. We were in Pacifica, California on the sea wall. This was the first painting of the day. The sun was nice when I was painting this little one. I was trying to capture to flow of the waves.

Orange and Red (in progress)

I posted this one on the Artist Daily blog and a fellow artist suggested that I smooth out some of the edges. This is the 10th layer so far. Let me know if you have any further thoughts and I will post the finished version. I think the background should be a bit darker too.

Red Floral in progress.

I'm back to painting florals. These usually take me a long time to complete because they require multiple layers to get to a good finish. I tend to work on three at a time. I paint a layer let it dry and then I do another. It always pays to look at them on my computer monitor because the mistakes are easier to spot. The florals are inspired by a number of shots taken at various botanical gardens that I visit throughout the year.