Shadow Music (study)

This little painting is a study for a larger piece. I photographed and painted this musician while I was in South Carolina a few years ago. He had on a shirt that advertised Crosby's Seafood (or something similar). This was the first time I spotted him. Later on he was playing in the park in front of the hotel I stayed in.

These are sketches of people waiting in court.

City Recreation

I love how people in Austin enjoy themselves. This was a Sunday and I had situated myself in the shade under the bridge. I did the ink drawing on site and added watercolor later.I liked the calm of the lake as people rode by on their various forms of water transportation.

Fulton Ave Flag

This painting is just another view of the alley way from the previous post. The first phase of this painting was an ink drawing. I then applied various layers of Daniel Smith watercolors. I tried to keep the shadows lively. Every corner of Charleston is a painting I must say. I need to visit again for some plein air work and sketching.

Pacific Green

I was sitting on the captain's deck of the hotel and looking down on this beautiful ocean. I was playing with some ink and gouache too. It was the new year and inspiration was abundant.

Sketchrawl 38

I participated in the most recent Sketch Crawl here in Austin. Here are two sketches from the day.

Drive By Extension 4

This is from one of my car sketches. The coastal highways in California are hilly and curvy. Two things that freak me out while driving as well as riding. It seems as if the road disappears.

Annie's 1

This is the sketch I did last weekend sitting across from Annie's on Congress Ave.. I used Inktense watercolor pens on Arches watercolor paper. The light was a lot cooler than conveyed in the sketch.

Ellison Trial 3

The defendant from the side. He was probably enjoying the fact that he is spending time outside the prison walls.

Ellison Trial 2

The major challenge in this case was that it happened in the eighties. Many of the witnesses had passed away or moved on. It was a trial for wizards of the rules of evidence. The lawyer in the forefront actually has hair that red. The witness was from the crime lab. CSI is so not true to life. In real cases the crime scene guys do not interview witnesses or defendants. They gather the evidence (without house music) analyze and testify if needed. In the best of situations they are not invested in the case or the law enforcement officer tied to the case.

Ellison Trial 1

This is the lead prosecutor Bryan Case in the Ricky Ellison murder trial that occurred last week. The jury found him guilty on Friday. The crime was committed in 1981. I was two years out of high school then. He apparently went on a crime spree that left two civilians dead and a police officer paralyzed. The police officer later died. The defendant has been in prison but he has been up for parole. To prevent him from getting out we tried him on this cold case that was still pending.

Trial Day One 5

The defendant and one of his guards. This trial did make the Sunday papers. He was sentenced to 40 years for murder.

Trial Day One 4

Two of the defendant's three lawyers. All three lawyers are ex prosecutors. They were listening to the 14 year old witness testify. The first day of trial is filled with lots of nervous tension and posturing. Day two is the job part of it as you get comfortable in front of the judge and jury.

Trial Day One 1

A sketch from the murder trial that I sat in on briefly. This trial involved two homeless men. The allegation was that the defendant stabbed and killed the victim over his begging spot. The witness was 13 at the time of the offense. Its a pity that a person so young has to watch someone die right in front of them. The prosecutor was going over a map of the area.

The Neighbors House

The house (or part of it) across the street from Pam's. I painted this from the comfort of the living room so not really totally en plein air. Something about her neighborhood makes me want to paint it. I just created another project for myself. We just had a nice reception at the gallery. Nice crowd for a school night. A respected art instructor from the University of Texas complimented me on my work and may become a collector that always makes me feel good.

Drive by 32

One of the drive by sketches completed in the car on the way back from Fort Bragg.

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".

Wet Streets (in Progress)

A little watercolor cityscape waiting for finishing touches.

Dublin I The Process

Both paintings were done from the sketch in the middle. I like to explore an image before committing to a larger painting. Also, its fun to work on an image in multiple mediums. It tends to exercise the problem solving muscle a bit more.

403rd II

Another painting from a sketch executed in the 403rd. I don't like the red in the hair and plan on removing it. I really wish my eyes were better. If they were, my images would have more of a likeness. One advantage: I don't have to squint to blur and image down to values. That's my real eyesight.

Icon (in progress)

I'm still working on this one. This image represents my second session with this piece. I snapped this photo in downtown San Francisco after the Richard Avedon show. I liked it because the guy was looking back at another woman. I also liked the Avedon flag on the pole above.