Wave Pose

Another study of wave formations in watercolor. Its a process of taking in the formation and putting it down on paper while the image is still fresh in your memory. I need to start working some of these up into larger paintings. This weekend I intend to gets some plein air work done in my hometown. I am also thinking about a project involving portraits of various people from my hometown. My goal will be 200 paintings. I will keep you posted.

Leggett Bound 1

An Inktense watercolor sketch made on our trip up to Leggett, California. I really liked this beach I think I have raved about the rock formations before on another post.

Beach History

The surf at Mackerricher State Park. The poles were probably associated with a pier.

Wave Texture Study

On this one I tried to focus on the texture of the waves. I used both regular and Pan Pastels on Canson paper.

Austin Cityscape

Remember the Chicago 1920s establishment? This is a painting of that corner when it was open. During that time frame Texas French Bread was right on the corner.

Leggett Bound 2

Inktense sketch from our trip to Leggett, CA.

Lake Weeds

This is an attempt at painting lake weeds. The colors and patterns kept changing as the ducks were bathing themselves and hunting for food in close proximity. I will try it again because it was a fun challenge.

Familiar Cove

I should start calling my Fort Bragg pieces "paintings from the patio" as a lot of them are done sitting or standing on the hotel room patio. I have come to love painting and photographing this area. The rock formations are breathtaking and the light is unique.

Across The Lake

A small portion of the view across the lake at MacKerricher State Park. I spent a little time enjoying the view and painting while Pam slept on the beach across the way.

Butcher Trial Defense

This is the defendant (far right) and his two lawyers. The jury sentenced him Friday to life in prison. It was a great win for the prosecution. The defendant had an extensive history of abducting and assaulting children. I don't know if the jury knew that info during the guilt innocence part of the trial. This was a retrial after a hung jury. During the last trial a juror wanted to convict the defendant of a lesser offense than was charged therefore no unanimous decision.

The True Judges

Another sketch from the Butcher trial. In this you see three jurors and the victim testifying.

Butcher Trial Prosecution

This drawing is from the Butcher trial which is currently in its sentencing phase in the 403rd Judicial District Court. In the foreground you have the prosecution team and the background left is the victim. The court reporter is on the right back. The defendant was convicted of kidnapping this young lady when she was 9 years old. This is the retrial after a hung jury.

Street Music

I went through old photos to find this image. A street musician during the Pecan Street Festival.

House on the Hill

I started this one back in and July and left it at Pam's unfinished. This is a scene out her dining room window. I worked with Pan Pastels on Canson paper. I finished it the day we got back in from Fort Bragg. I like the way the light hit the house.

Access to the Bridge at Night

When I was setting up to paint Moon Over Ocean Pam commented about the lights across the bridge. It reminded her of an Alfred Hitchcock scene. I always take her advice on scenes to paint. The fog made the edges blurry for the most part. The street lights and stop sign were my area of focus. I used Pan Pastels on Canson paper.

Familiar in Fog

Familiar cliffs in the fog.

Moon Over Ocean

On our first day in Fort Bragg a hotel neighbor mentioned how nice the moon had been the night before. That night it was amazing. I was too lazy to change my camera settings so I decided to just paint it. I set up outside and got this image down in about 30 minutes. I used Pan Pastels which can cover a lot of space easily in one stroke.

Drive by 36

We took another break and I got in another sketch. I can't remember the town.

Drive by 35

I really shouldn't call this one a drive by. Pam had pulled over to stretch her back. I did the sketch in about five minutes and we were back on the road. This barn was in the middle of a vineyard in the Anderson Valley.

Wave Study

To strengthen my memory I force myself to memorize a set of waves and paint them. I think I did about five wave studies during the recent trip to Fort Bragg. I did use the Inktense pencils for this one. 5 by 7 inches

Drive By 33

I haven't posted as I have been on vacation. This year I chose to ignore the Internet and news for a few days ( OK I did post pictures but I just couldn't help sharing). It was very relaxing. We took many walks along the beach, drove through a tree in Leggett, California and rediscovered a beach that was just gorgeous. I painted a lot. I tend to work small so I was able to complete about 17 pieces mostly painted en plein air. I worked primarily with pastel, watercolors and Inktense watercolor pencils. I wanted to try drawing from the car. I did about 5 drawings in the car using Inktense watercolor pencils on Shizen watercolor paper. This painting is the first in what I will call "drive by paintings".