This is the first in my 2 part hotel lighting fixture series. I was sitting watching T.V. in the room and really liked this fixture. I used my little guerrilla painter paintbox and painted this one from life. 5 by 7 watercolor $100.00 pesos

Bright Wave

This is a scene from Glass Beach in Fort Bragg, California. The sound is amazing and the wages are plentiful. Its been fogged in a bit on my most recent visits. But on this day I caught a warm wave that really contrasted with the other parts of the scene. I actually drastically underexposed the image. I think that helped me a bit on the values as I tend to be too timid with them.

Pastel Pacifica Pier

As you can see this area of California has really inspired quite a few paintings. Its not far from San Francisco and a short drive from Pam's home. The image on the bottom represents the first initial block in. The image above is where I currently am with it. I think a little more tweaking and I will call it done.

Sneaker Wave 1

This is the first version of sneaker wave. I worked on a 5 by 7 inch copper panel for this one. I wasn't able to get the entire wave on this version but I'm working on putting more on the small panel. This one is available for $115.00 unframed.

Hotel Lamp 1

Hotels are great places to do interior paintings Its always good business to make your customers feel warm and welcome. This was a small study I completed during my most recent hotel stay in Commerce, Texas. 5 by 7 inches $100.00

Sneaker Wave 2

This is based on a photo reference from Pacifica, California. The first one which I will post tomorrow was a 5 by seven inch study. This one is a little larger measuring 6 by 12 inches. This copper is a little thinner than the version I purchased at Crippen Sheet Metal here in Austin. The folks at Crippen were great. They cut the copper down to size for me and carried it to my car. I think I need my fan brush for the foam.

A Commerce Barn

The photo that inspired this little one was taken during the same trip that inspired the post below. This barn was on the same farm as the bales. There was very little shade in the field except for the shade that covered the barn. Over the years I think I have either photographed or painted most of the barns in Commerce, Texas. 5 by 7 inches $115.00 pesos

Three Bales

When last in Commerce, Texas I drove around some back roads that I used to run. Once you hit Collin County you find a lot of farms and farmland. The roads aren't paved and at times the steer are in the road. You have to be careful of private property and being in range of a shotgun. When I was a kid and teenager my Mom and I would get in the car and ride these back roads. I remember being out with her after midnight riding these very roads. Those were some special times. Available $115.00 5 by 7 inches oil on copper.

Dont Fall

On occasion I will take a photo from high above the ocean. The resulting pictures usually give me vertigo. A few years ago I painted this same scene in watercolor. This is the oil on copper version. I really like how the paint lays down on the surface and how bits of copper shine through. This is a 5 by 7 inches and available for $115.00.

Warm Surf

I'm torn on this one. Part of me wants to leave it alone and the other wants to harmonize this one a little. I like the warmth portrayed by the water. Of course this is California. I'm thinking this is a Mendocino shot. Its oil on copper my current obsession.

Asunder

Another tulip painting inspired by some flowers a coworker received. I worked on a Raymar art panel with water misible oils. I may go back in and work a bit more on the value transitions in the main flower. The monitor can be like looking at a painting in a mirror.

Pier on Copper fini

I'm finished with this one. Or I should say I will not work with it again. Every painting can be finished even more in my book. But knowing when to step away is my constant pursuit as an artist. 6 by 6 inches $110.00 unframed.

Tulips on copper 1

One of our law clerks got flowers the other day. Of course I'm a sucker for tulips. This is my first attempt at florals on copper. I like the way the way you can see the brush pathway. I'm now using Galkyd to seal them . I hope I can take a few panels with me to California.

Wave 2 on Copper Fini

I went back in on this one and did a little more modeling with he paint. I tried in this on to get as extreme as I could in the values. Plus I wanted to paint the shapes as opposed to the picture. I like the way this one turned out. $125 pesos.

Close Watch in Court

This is another image from the trial associated with the post below. The guards take their jobs very seriously and will tell you to move for your own good if you get too close to certain defendants. Sometimes but not often I take for granted that I'm withing shoving distance of robbers, murderers, etc. These guards are there to protect us the sheep from the wolves.

A Perry Mason Moment

I used one of my courtroom sketches to create this one. I usually use the first photograph of a painting to examine design, value, etc. When I first saw this image on the screen I laughed because the defendant on the left has shock written all over his face. I immediately thought "a Perry Mason moment". Of course the eye needs to be reworked...maybe. I saw the guard sitting next to the door the other day and his skin is much lighter than depicted in the painting.
I don't remember the nature of the crime but it was certainly a crime of violence. With two co defendants, two or more guards monitor the defendants and the trial.

Pacifica Pier (in progress)

This is the first lay down of color in this image. This is the thrid painting on copper and it does take a little to get used to the surface/ It reminds me a little of working on Yupo. I will post the finished image soon.

Wave on Copper 2 in progress

This one has been reworked a lot since this stage. This represents the first lay down of color and the establishment of the basic value scale. After this stage I spent about 2 hours more of refining before I stopped to avoid over working the impression.

Wave study on copper

I have been wanting to paint on copper for a long time. This was my first attempt and I also used oils which I rarely use these days. I burnished the surface a bit with sandpaper before painting. This is a shot that I took on the seawall in Pacifica, California. I like going to Pacifica because it usually involve lunch at the Princeton Seafood Company in El Granada, California. The best seafood.

Overlook plus sketch

To the left is the sketch and to the right is the watercolor version of an image previously posted. I was attracted to this image because of the unusual perspective and values. We had taken an afternoon walk along the seawall and we walked up to this cliff and this is what I saw.

This is the original sketch completed during a murder trial I was watching. The sketch has the defense lawyer questioning the detective, taking notes his brother that was second chairing him and a few people in the audience.

The painting whcih represents a portion of the sketch.

Yardwork 3

This is the second painting of the purple flowers in Pam's garden. I used less pigment in this version and tried not to overwork the purple. It was nice and breezy in the shade so I only completed two of this flower before I went into the sun to warm up. Love that Northern California weather.