Hopper On Freight

One of my current favorite painters is Edward Hopper. I'm drawn to what I perceive to be the "Aloneness" in his paintings and drawings. This house from my hood reminds me of that imagery. I recently dipped back in to my passion for gel and dip pens. This drawing started out with just the Kuretaki Aurora Violet as the background. I used a dip pen to add the drawing of the house and you know the rest.

ATX Musing During Walks

I've been walking a lot in the mornings before working. During these walks I have been sketching. The subject matter varies. I've sketched people walking their dogs, vice versa, construction equipment, construction workers, etc. I've also been attracted to the morning atmosphere and how it affects the greens and sky. Transformers and telephone poles are showing up in a lot of my musings. They demonstrate connectivity.

Church Muse

Last week I found a box of photographs from 2001. It contained some photos of the old Mount Moriah Temple Baptist Church building before it was torn down and made into a parking lot. I have done many paintings of this old building. I call it one of my many muses. If she were alive today, my mother would laugh. She knew how much I disliked going to church. Some would say that that revokes my "black" card.

Rain Over Mono Lake

I completed the underlying sketch and added watercolor later. We were at the visitor's center which was right next to the lake. I was attracted to the lines created in the sky from rain in the distance. Mono Lake is a saline lake that does not contain fish. It also has limestone formations called tufas. The island in the center of the painting is called Negit Island.

Sierras Car Sketch

This years birthday trip was to the Eastern Sierras. We spent three days in the town of Lee Vining, California. The town has a population of about 450 people. Mono Lake is located there and tourism is a big part of the town's income. In order to get there we had to go through Yosemite National Park. The landscape in and around the park was jaw dropping. I had three sketchbooks and loose sheets of Khadi watercolor paper to work with. I did some sketching while Pam drove (thank you Pam). This image is from my new Etchr sketchbook. I chose the hot press version because of the ease of sketching in pen. I was inspired by the different trees and the character of the rock formations.

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.

Berkeley Fountain

I don't know the name of the street we were on, but I remember this fountain and the light on the water. That is what I tried to capture in this little study from my sketchbook. One recent goal that I set for myself is to make more complex and challenging paintings. As such, you will be seeing more buildings and hopefully larger plein air pieces. I also want to document the construction and destruction in and around Austin. The location of the study is the Berkeley Hills area in Berkeley, California.

A View of The Woods

This is a spread from my larger Illo sketchbook. I was sitting on the grass over looking the beach at Mackenricher State Park just outside of Fort Bragg. It was foggy and very atmospheric. This was an attempt to capture that. Fog really forces you to see values.

Dad's Watchful Eye

I did this sketchbook spread in Fort Bragg, California while sitting on a cliff over looking the beach. The person lying down had on jeans and wasn't paying too much attention to girls playing in the water. I used my larger Illo sketchbook with a fountain pen for the initial drawing and added watercolor later.

Masculine Quandry

I am continuing to explore my sketches done during a performance by Ballet Austin. I love sketching during any event. I have even gotten good at sketching in the dark. I like the line quality you get when you really can't see much of what you are drawing. Masa paper with gesso was my surface of preference because of the irregularities in the paper. It makes one want to explore and get close.

Just Look Down

I did this painting from a thumbnail on my computer. It was one of many images I had taken over at Redbud Isles. I also used an ACEO as my surface to force me to minimize details. Water is a great surface to paint because it reflects, deflects, distorts, etc. All in all a great mystery to constantly explore.

Another face for you.

One more. I'm using artist tiles that are 3.5 squared. Easy for all kinds of sketching.

Last one. Enjoy the snow day. I am.

More Faces

Happy New Year everyone. I hope this year came in as quietly or as noisy as you wanted. This post should put me at about seven portraits. These were all done on Artist Tiles that I purchased on Amazon. These are people that were around during our recent holidays. I kept a stack of artist tiles handy to capture a face or landscape and to practice quick sketching.

Daily Magic

This is one of my many "sunset over the ocean" paintings. I call it daily magic because it is.

Sketchbook share.

Which Is Less Travelled

A little painting of the tracks that used to separate African Americans and whites in my home town. Its strange to have been part of segregation and desegregation. Now we have more of a mixed community which is good.

Sketchbook share.

Slice of Spring

I saw these daffodils growing by a tree in my hometown.

Sketchbook share. Characters from a recent trial.

Tied Up Veggies

I really haven't figured out why I like to paint radishes. I rarely if ever eat them, unless they are in a salad.

Sketchbook share.

Off Road

The sketch that inspired this painting was done from the passenger seat of Pam's car.

Sketchbook

Garden Glads

Another painting inspired by Pam's gardens. These gladiolas were growing out front. I liked the new blooms and the variations in color on the petals.

Sketchbook share.

Colorful Forest Floor

This park is such a beautiful place. It smells good, the light is just right and its cold. I actually went down a small hill to get to this area. I should have worn different shoes etc. It was worth it just to see the stream.

Sketchbook share.

Model on Blue

This painting was started earlier this year when I was filmed painting this model in my studio. The initial sketch was in graphite on Fisher 400 pastel paper in a square format. I later added the pastel from memory.

Sketchbook page.