Donner Peak 10x8

I went climbing with some friends at Donner Summit today. It was beautiful and very clear with none of the recent smoke in evidence.

olive oil 5x7

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Cheez-Its #2 7x5

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green bell #3 7x5

One of our neighbors gave us a sack full of fresh vegetables from their garden. This bell pepper was among them.
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ladle #2 5x7

cherries #5 5x7

Here's a healthier snack. I'm pretty much addicted to cherries as long as the price is around $2.50 a pound.
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ruffles #2 7x5

At long last, more junk food.

screwdriver #3 5x7

Today was one of those days where I could have been happy painting anything. The world just seemed full of possibilities. I chose to stay close to home and do this screwdriver.

3 hammers 12x6

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hammer #4 5x7

I have been a little busy lately and unable to make it outside. I still have lots of ideas that I want to try, landscape-wise, but I think a bit of a break will nice. It's nice to come back to still-lifes every now and then. There is a different kind of looking involved.

head study #14 10x8

Clint #3 10x8

I'm on a roll! I talked my son into sitting for me tonight. He was tired but he soldiered on. I think he even enjoyed it. It's a nice opportunity to talk.

Cathy 10x8

I went over to my sister's house this evening and I managed to talk her into sitting for me. We had a good time.

head study #13 10x8

I guess I needed a break from landscapes. I've been sitting in my studio (garage) after the sun goes down listening to podcasts of This American Life and Radio Lab and painting these self portraits. I'd paint other people, but my family members are usually not up for sitting still for an hour or two. I like the way this one turned out. It has a spontaneity that I strive for but rarely achieve. I turned off the light that shines on my palette so that it wouldn't interfere with the light on my head which made it hard for me to see much detail. This ended up working out okay for me. Detail is sort of my enemy right now.

head study #12 10x8

head study #11 10x8

Dash 10x8

Some friends of mine asked me to do a painting of their dog. This is the first of several studies that I need to do before tackling the final piece. I'd like to get out to visit them so I can get to know Dash a little better in person.
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cabin 8x10

This is my 700th painting. I'm not sure how significant that is at this point. I like painting every day.
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granite hill 8x6

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Silver Lake #2 10x8

Silver Lake 8x6

We went camping up at Silver Lake near Kirkwood in an effort to get out of the smoke and heat. It was a bit cooler, but only slightly less smoky. The mountain scenery was a nice change from the foothills though.

Rainbow Bridge #3 8x6

I'm heading out on a camping trip right now so I won't be able to post for a few days. I'm bringing my paint box and I will back fill my blog when I get back. Stay Tuned!
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confluence 8x10

This is looking up the middle fork of the American River from the confluence down below Auburn. The view is from the spot where I parked yesterday when I painted No Hands Bridge. I liked the view and made a mental note to come back.
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No Hands Bridge #7 8x10

It got up to 107 in Auburn today and the air was pretty unhealthy. The haze really amplified the atmospheric perspective and turned everything a bit brown. I actually like the muted tones of these paintings. I picked up a mask at the drug store. Hopefully it's keeping most of the bad stuff out of my lungs.
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scrub oak 8x10

This is out near a small lake which I originally intended to include in today's painting. On the hike out to it, however, I was sidetracked by the trail and this back lit tree. The scrub oak, dry grass and smoke laden air is just so typically Californian that I couldn't resist painting it.

suburban nocturne #2 6x8

The temperature is creeping up into the 100's so it's a lot more comfortable to paint at night. I liked the different colors of lights in this scene. Below is a photo of my night painting set up. It's the same as my day painting set up with the addition of a small clamp on LED on a flexible stem. The light works pretty well but I do like to set up my palette before I go out.
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freeway palms 10x8

tree study #3 8x6

I didn't get out today. This is something I was messing around with in my studio/garage.

Rattlesnake Bar #9 10x8

This painting is from the same area as yesterdays. As you can see, the air was quite a bit cleaner.

Rattlesnake Bar #8 8x6

It's still smoky. I do sort of like how the smoke heightens the atmospheric perspective.

forbay #3 8x6

This is the small forbay (or is it an afterbay?) that the Bear River Canal empties into and then flows out of. It's in the north east corner formed by the intersection of Bell road and Highway 49.