Sunrise Walk 3

Happy New year all. I'm cooking tomorrow's meal and painting.

Mosaic 1

This piece started out as as gelli print on a "masa" like paper. I later added tempra paint and gel pens. I find abstraction to be difficult but somewhat liberating.

Sunlit House

The spring flowers this year were breathtaking. This painting is my attempt at blue bonnets and blackeyed susans. I did a series of value studies and generateed the paintngs from the value studies. This is a patch of flowers in South Austin.

Downtown Hat Lady

This hat lady lives on yet again. This is a small oil. The subject was photographed by me in the 90s. She was entering a bank and dressed to the nines. I located the photo again this year and noticed that she had a cigarette in her hand. I then began to wonder if she was a bank teller or banker returning from lunch. Her story lives on in my imagination.

Here she is again.

Mesa Bus Stop

I'm old enough to remember actually having conversations while waiting for the bus or train. Now we can self isolate and not even acknowledge anyone. This is a new part of Austin for me. I still visit my old hood out of habit. The economy and feel of Austin changed as we "emerged" again from the pandemic. The cost of living almost tripled for most of us and we had to move our homes in a very short time. I feel as if wolves have taken over our economy. It's unpleasant to witness and be victimized by. This will pass in time. I took the photo that inspired this painting during a walk. Of course the light attracted me but also the distance we create between us with technology.

In The Shade Made

These days getting a picture downtown without people is pretty hard. During the pandemic, not so much. Downtown was literally just buildings and a few cars. I hope our attempt at returning to "normal" will be sucessful this time. For all of you visiting our city for the Rodeo, SXSW etc..stay safe, healthy and enjoy Austin.

SOCO Coffee Buzz

South Congress in my opinion is more like an inner city vibe than anything else. The pace is fast and the people are young and unique. That is unusual for a small Texas town like Austin. Even though it has grown in population and density, it is still a small Texas town. This is the companion piece to "SOCO Boots On The Ground ."

Building Facade

A few years ago I decided to start a series of buildings from around Austin. This building is on 6th street. Of course I took liberties with color and perspective. This weekend is the second weekend of the Austin Studio Tour. I will be at Austin Artspace both Saturday abd Sunday. Come by and safely view and perhaps acquire some great local art.

Pecan Street Festival 90s

Years ago and still Austin celebrates the Pecan Street Festival twice a year. I havent been in quite a while. For years I would go to sketch and take photos of the interesting people milling about. The food and music were great too. I keep a stash of old photos and I frequently revist them for painting ideas. These are festival attendees and sixth street regulars in this painting.

Barton Springs Viewpoint

On occasion I walk around town and randomly sketch downtown views from the surrounding neighborhoods. This drawing was done while standing in the Green Mesquite restaurant parking lot. The initial drawing was rendered in ink on Strathmore Blue Toned paper. I finished up with markers and gouache.

From South Congress

This is from South Congress looking towards the Capitol. I just wanted to have fun with color and mediums. I used the blue toned paper and played with paint, markers, pens, watercolor etc.

Family Ping Pong

This is a scene from pre pandemic Austin on a typical weekend day. The photo that inspired this painting was taken on 6th street downtown. This is an outdoor venue with ping pong tables. When I opened the photo up on my computer and was able to zoom in on the people in their various groups. This appeared to be a sweet little family.

Kohlrabi Muse

This is a plant from my garden of course. I have always loved painting and drawing what I grow and eat. This is a Kohlrabi. I like it raw and cooked in stir fries. It reminds me of both turnips and broccoli. I like that it grows above ground and the leaves are just other world like.

This is my rendition of the Grove Building in downtown Austin. I have never been good with perspective so I have embraced my fallacy and started to paint more structures. I think that is what art is about: creating and embracing your own vision and spirit.

This is another version of the Driskoll Hotel in downtown Austin. With this painting, I chose Khadi paper which is made in India. It has a nice rough texture. I like subject because its complex and forces me to play with perspective. Plus its a pretty building. Pre pandemic I would see this building a lot. Its across the street from the gym. I havent been to the gym since March. I'm not sure if I will return to the gym. Things have really changed. I continue to feel optomistic about our future even now.

Close Of Day

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The recent clouds have inspired me to look up for inspiration. I do a lot of walking lately. The clouds and light have been amazing to witness. I open the back portion of my car and paint away. I get shade and the plein air experience.

Corner Music

I love revisiting old photos especially those taken during SXSW here in Austin. During the festival I keep my camera with me because of scenes like these. I remember these two young men were performing outside the Whole Foods on 6th street. I was in my car heading home and caught a few shots of them. They saw my camera and posed for me. It will be nice to see what happen next year for the festival. I'm optimistic.

Almost A City

A lot has happened since my last post. We are now in full pandemic mode. Almost all of my life takes place online with very little physical human interaction. The new normal. I am using this time to reflect, paint, photograph my world, etc. I'm an introvert by nature so this sort of suits me. The threat of the virus looms everywhere. My hands are dry from washing them so much. I'm spending time in my sketchbooks too. This is an Austin image. My take on the over development of a little town. My hope is that this post finds you healthy and well.

South Congress Barber Shop

Pam and I were hanging out on South Congress earlier this year. While she was wandering around in one of the shops, I stood outside and got in a few sketches. These guys were waiting outside Bird's Barber Shop for their cuts. The town has really grown over the past few years. I remember when SoCo was way more eclectic and less crowded.

South Congress Brunch

A few weeks ago Pam and I explored the South Congress (SoCo) area in Austin. With growth, this area has improved but also managed to retain some of its funkiness. The people watching was rich with variety. I took the time to do a few on site sketches on loose Khadi paper. Pam is used to me sketching but, I try to work quickly so as to not bore her. I liked the people so that is the point of this little sketch people appreciation.