head study #7 5x7

I got off work a bit late this afternoon and didn't get around to painting until later this evening. It was dark and I was tired.

Wolf Ridge #3 8x10

This is one of my favorite spots to paint. I did a similar painting a couple of weeks ago. On this one I made the river more of a key player.

3 desert dandelions 5x7

Desert dandelions have longer more fibrous stems and smaller flowers. There's a ton of them behind the science classroom right now.
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haybales 9x7

There's a bunch of hay bales out near Winters right now.

backyard 8x10

This is the view behind the Orangevale Meat Shoppe. I like how the late afternoon sun hit the fence.

tree study #2 8x6

I didn't have time to get outside this afternoon, although it was a beautiful day. This is a little demo on atmospheric perspective that I did in class.

Rattlesnake Bar #4 10x8

Today was cool and clear. The lake is a bit low. That's o.k. I like the orange granite that's exposed around the shore.

Bear River #2 8x10

I hiked upstream from the Dog Bar bridge today to paint this spot in the river. It was overcast but not raining when I started. after I had been painting for about an hour it started to rain a little bit. I thought it might clear up but after about 15 minutes of light sprinkling it really started to pour. The water stared interfering with the paint so I had to take off. I have to say that this kind of thing is one of the reasons why I really like painting ouside. Weather is just one of the interesting challenges that have to be worked through.

Mammoth Bar 10x8

This is the middle fork of the American river at Mammoth Bar. It was overcast this afternoon and I ended up getting rained on toward the end of this painting.

Cosumnes Gorge 10x8

I used to rock climb here practically every week when I was younger. This was the first time that I ever hiked down to this place without a rope and a pair of climbing shoes. It's quite beautiful. It was cold this morning and I was the only one there. Perfect conditions for climbing or painting. This is just downstream from Buck's Bar on Missouri Flat Road.

Rainbow Bridge #2 10x8

I stayed a little closer to home today and painted the rainbow bridge again. This one is from a slightly higher vantage point that shows more of the water than the last one. It was pretty windy out there this afternoon and some dust got blown into the wet paint. I guess that's all part of the plein aire experience.

Wolf Ridge #2 10x8

This is painted from the upstream side of the same formation that I painted a couple of days ago. The back lighting was a challenge. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

two dandelions 5x7

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lime slice 6x6

I didn't have time to paint outside again today. I'm pretty happy with this little lime though. As much as I've been enjoying my outdoor experiences lately I must admit that I don't miss the driving around that is often required when painting landscapes. It's also nice to not have to race the sun, although that is often part of the fun when working out doors.
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Wolf Ridge 8x10

This rock formation is downhill from Mammoth bar on the middle fork of the American river near Auburn. There are actually a few rock climbs on it that I climbed years ago. It looks too hard now. There is a bit of ancient graffiti on it that reads "wolf ridge" with an arrow pointing up. I don't know if that's actually the name of the formation but it's what we always called it so I guess that's good enough. There's a lot of great stuff to paint down here. I'll be back.

pencil#4 10x2.5

It was a beautiful day today and I fully intended to do a painting out in the field. Unfortunately, I didn't plan well and I ended up driving around to several nice spots but I never really got started. Before I knew it, I was out of time so I did this small study on a piece of mounted linen that I had left over.

end of the bluff 8x10

This is the western end of the bluff at Lake Natoma near my house.

near Lincoln 10x8

This is a small bluff behind the Gladding McBean plant in Lincoln.

Natalie's barn 7x7

Natalie is my mom. This old barn is at the house where I grew up. We had a little family get together there today and I did this little sketch. At the time I was complaining (in my mind at least) about the placement of the trees and the fact that There wasn't a great vantage point to paint from, but in the end, I'm pretty satisfied with the result. This is how it looks from the direction of the house and I pretty much grew up with this view.

This painting is available for $95.00 plus $8.00 shipping anywhere in the continental U.S.

dandelion #7

This painting is available for $50.00 plus $8.00 shipping anywhere in the continental U.S.

Yankee Jim's 8x10

I drove down to the American River on Yankee Jim road just out of Colfax today. My parents used to take us swimming at the river there when we were kids. There's an old suspension bridge and a very beautiful bit if river that's definitely worth painting. Today, however, I was drawn to the dry, poppy covered canyon wall.

north fork 8x10

This was painted looking upstream from the old Iowa Hill bridge near Colfax on the north fork of the American River.

dandelion #6 5.5x7

The dandelions are in bloom again. I like painting them.
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American River near Folsom 12x9

I've been doing these huge paintings since the weekend. I know, they're not really that bib. They just seem big to me. It is fun working a little larger. I like the combination of rock, water and foliage that this area near my house affords.

trailer 10x8

I painted this in Winters as well. It was sitting in a lot adjacent to the only stop light in town. I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out.
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fishing trail 12x9

This is another piece from Winters. This trail parallels Putah creek and gives access to people fishing the creek. It's upstream from Solano Lake.

Holocaust Monument

I've donated a painting to Cindy Jackson's Holocauast Monument fund. I came across her work when I was surfing around looking for interesting art other night. I like the idea and I think she is a wonderfully talented artist. Heres some more information:

PLEASE DONATE ART TO FUND THE MAKING OF THIS EXTRAORDINARY HOLOCAUST MONUMENT
I have a project that I am trying to fund myself.
It is a huge undertaking- a holocaust memorial. www.babiyarrequiem.com
I am asking for the artists in our Art community to donate one painting, drawing, or sculpture to help make this monument happen. As an artist, you know how hard it is sometimes to get funding- I am asking for your help to bring what will be a truly important Monument get made. We might not all have money, but we do all have artworks stuffed in our closets- so all I need right now is a yes, a jpg of the work, dimensions and starting price. I will put the art on the website and link the art to your page (maybe even bringing in a little interest for you.) The auction will be in June- online.
You can go here.
Please do really consider this. A small contribution from you would be a truly great help to me and this project! Thanks so much.
Cindy Jackson

Putah Creek 10x8

I'm participating in a plein air event in the town of Winters just outside of Davis. I took the day off of school and this is the first painting that I did. Briggs and Co is the sponsoring gallery. It's a nice place and the people there are very nice. I'm already looking forward to being better prepared and participating next year.

figure studies 9x7

I wet down to Terry's figure session tonight. It was a lot of fun. I managed to do a couple of small sketches. I didn't have time to prime any larger sheets of paper. I like using primed paper for stuff like this because it's inexpensive so I feel a little bit freer to experiment and I do like the surface.

ballpeen #2 5.5x7

I had so much fun painting the shoe yesterday that I decided to return to one of my favorite subjects today. I've been collecting old hammers from friends for about a year with the intention of eventually painting them. I can't even remember who gave me this one but I really like the worn patina of use that it has. It was a bonus that I was able to use basically the same palette as on yesterday's shoe.
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Converse 11x5

I didn't have time to get out before dark once again. I'm sort of glad it worked out that way though because I really enjoyed painting this one. It reminded me that I love painting objects.
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