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.

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.

Berkeley Botanical Garden

Last year we went back to the Berkeley Botanical Gardens. This was my first visit in over ten years. The views were still breathtaking. I was sporting a new camera with a wide angle lens. I was drawn to the palm tree and the overall atmosphere of the landscape . I was amazed at the quantity of vegetables that they had growing on the grounds. They had beautiful patches of collard greens. I was tempted to pick some to cook. That, I assume, would have been frowned upon.

Over Developed

This is another take on downtown development. My perspective is off on purpose. The crane is off too. Maybe too much development throws everything off.

Music Capitol

I'm having a love hate relationship with Austin right now. Change is a given in our world. In Austin it has meant more traffic and people. The constant construction and it's affect on traffic can make one scream. The landscape and new buildings inspire my painting and sketch book habit. I love the new pens and markers that I have acquired. I am starting to use them in my more finished pieces. I am also showing more respect for the line. So, my work will sometimes look unfinished. This painting is a downtown Austin scene. This town is such a muse.

Lake Surface

This is a little sketch on Khadi paper from my trip to the Eastern Sierras. The water was amazingly clear. I'm going to do more studies of the water surface from some of the photos that I took. My strategy when out painting, is to capture as many drawings in ink as time allows. I later add color from memory or photos. I added sky color to the snow to make it look less like white cut outs.

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.