Marsh 7x7

almond tree 7x7

I got up early again to paint this one. This almond tree is all by itself out by the train tracks near the Auburn Rec Park. I drive by it on my commute every day. For about two weeks out of the year it's pretty spectacular.
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Folsom lake #3 7x7

I got up a little early today and did this painting in the morning on my way to work. It's very similar to one I did a week or two ago. In the previous painting I had a slightly higher vantage point and I painted it around 3:30 in the afternoon. This one was painted between 7:00 and 8:30 a.m.

Rattle Snake Bar #2

I drove out to the boat ramp at Rattle Snake Bar on my way home today. The ramp is high and dry. I walked down into the lake bed and looked back out to paint this hill side. When I got back to my car I found that I had a parking ticket. It's going to cost me $64.00 so that's where I'm going to start the bidding on this painting!

Elephant's Foot 7x7

This is a small granite and conglomerate formation at Rattle Snake Bar at Folsom Lake. When the lake level is normal it is a small island. I was planning on doing another nocturne this evening but I couldn't resist the sun. One of my students showed me where this strange little formation was on Google Earth and I stopped by on my way home. Pretty cool!

suburban nocturne 7x7

It finally stopped raining late this afternoon. I went out at about 7:00 this evening to paint. I was inspired by this post on James Gurney's blog, Gurney Journey. This is probably the most helpful painting blog on the web. It's packed with wonderfully practical information.
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Logan #2 9x7

I had a lot of fun painting the coat on this one.

Amanda 9x7

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Nikki 9x7

The weather is cold and rainy again. I'm glad I enjoy these little head studies so much. I really have no desire to paint out in the cold and wet.

Sacramento River #3 7x7

Cool and clear on the Sacramento River. This is down by Miller Park. I've painted here before but the scene was quite a bit more colorful.

Orbit Mart #2 8x7

This is just about the coolest building in the greater Orangevale area.
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Logan 9x7

Of all the students that I've painted so far, Logan has been my most serious model. He didn't budge. It doesn't even really bother me when the model moves around. I'm kind of used to it and I let him know that. He was like a sphinx anyway.

Jason #2 9x7

Jason looks older than he really is in this but I like it anyhow.

Dominic 9x7

Dominic looks angry in this painting. He's a super nice kid though. I think he's just concentrating on his pose.

Kayla #2 9x7

I painted Kayla once before. I tried to loosen up a bit on this one. I think it's a lot more successful.

Jason 9x7

I glue sized a bunch of heavy card stock and cut it up into small pieces. I wanted to do some relatively quick studies and didn't want to be inhibited by using hard to prepare or expensive grounds. The sized paper is very cheap and easy to make and I like the surface texture. I used it a lot when I was in art school. I mix a little red acrylic with the size because I like the warmth it adds. The point of these studies is to avoid being overly fussy. I want to keep them loose and to the point. Jason is a student of mine.

train 7x7

These freight cars are on a railroad siding in Bowman near interstate 80. I saw them one morning as I was driving to work and decided to go out and paint them after school.
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Folsom Lake #2 7x7

This is a view of Folsom Lake from the top of Auburn Folsom Road. The lake is very low right now and shows ups as only a slight sliver from this vantage point. The haze was fun to paint.

bluff near Sunrise Bridge

This is the bluff along the American river just upstream of the old Fair Oaks bridge. I thought the palm tree growing out of it was kind of cool looking.

Lake Natoma #4 7x7

I got down to the lake a little before 10:00 this morning. It was a really beautiful day. I was painting in a tee shirt which is a nice change from some of the freezing temperatures that I've endured lately.
A couple of other painters showed up a little while after I started. Judy and Kaitlin were a teacher and student from Casa Roble high school. Kaitlin is doing her senior project on impressionist painting. They were very nice and fun to talk to. It was sort of funny hearing their conversation, wondering whether or not to include the near shore in the composition. The painting I did a couple of days ago has the near shore and this one does not, so I could really relate!

Marina #2 7x7

Looking north from Discovery Park up the Sacramento River you can see River Bank Marina. This was one of my favorite places to letter boats when I was painting signs for a living.

Palm Avenue 7x7

I used a couple of sketches and a photograph and then painted this at home. I prefer to paint on location but I would have had to be in the middle of the street to do this. This is also the first time I've painted on linen. I bought some pre-primed and mounted it to masonite. I can see why it's so popular!
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Lake Natoma #3 7x7

I like living right next to the lake. This is at Negro Bar (that's really what it's called). It's about five minutes from my house. The bluff is a great thing to paint. I'm usually there in the afternoon so it's in shadow. I'm going to get out there some morning and paint it when the sun is hitting it. Maybe this weekend.

cut orange with water

I didn't have time to get out and paint a landscape this afternoon. I didn't mind too much though. I do enjoy painting glass and I just got this new one from the 99 cent store the other day.
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foggy trail 7x7

This is the trail along the top of the bluff near my house.
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Granite Bay #2 7x7

It was windy and freezing cold out here even though the sun was shinning.I was attracted to the abstract shape of the low water and surrounding banks.

Clementine Dam #2 7x7

In spite of the fore casted rain, it was mostly clear today. I took the opportunity to get back out to Lake Clementine to paint the dam again. I'm trying to be less fussy in my painting.

tangerine and water 7x5

The rain continues. No landscapes for now.

calendula #7 5x7