tracks 8x6

I did this in down town Sacramento this afternoon. It's near 19th and T streets.

No Hands Bridge #8 8x10

It was a beautiful day today so I headed down to the canyon after work. I ran into Frank Ordaz, a very fine painter from Auburn. I had corresponded over the net a bit with Frank a couple of weeks ago because we had run into each other on James Gurney's excellent blog. It is astonishing to me that we could come across each other on a painting blog that's written on the east coast (I think) and then actually be at the same place, doing the same thing a couple of weeks later. Anyhow, Frank is a fine painter with a lot of insight and his blog is well worth a visit.
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two trees #2 5.5x6

This is a little class room demo I did today. I thought I was making it up based on some stuff I've been reading in John Carlson's guide to landscape painting. When I was done It looked pretty familiar though. It turns out it's very similar to a couple of paintings that I saw and really liked on Terry Miura's blog. It was a pretty fun little painting to make though and I think I was able to articulate the points I was trying to make to my students.

art room #6 10x8

shelf 8x10

My short trip to Yosemite spoiled me. I'm really itching to get out and paint some landscapes. It's a little more convenient when the days are longer and the weather is more reliable. For now these classroom interiors will do.

lemon half #2 7x5

I've been cutting things in half lately.

paint brush #2 5x7

Sentinel Rock #2 11x14

Here's a little larger version of Sentinel. Did I mention it was cold as hell?

Sentinel Rock 8x10

I climbed the Steck-Salathe route on Sentinel Rock with my friend Richard Swayze about 20 years ago. I Think I'll do a larger version of this painting tomorrow.

Lower Yosemite Falls 8x10

My son and I went to Yosemite valley for a couple of days. We had planned on staying longer but the nights were bitterly cold in the tent cabin. My feet got numb while I was painting this and my oils were really stiff.

avocado half #2 5x5

I will be away from my computer for a couple of days but I will have my paint box with me. I'll post the paintings when I return. Thanks for looking!

avocado half 5x5

fuji half 5x5

Fujis are my favorite apples. I usually bring a few pieces of fruit to snack on through out the day.

avocado #7 7x5

Grilled cheese sandwiches with avocado are one of my favorite things to eat.
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Red Cloud Buttes 14x11

This one is a commission. I painted a smaller study for it here. The clouds in yesterday's painting were practice for this one as well. I'm pretty happy with how this turned out.
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telephone pole #2 3x8

I was driving around this morning and I saw something like this. I tried to paint it from memory after I got home.

orange slice #2 5x5

Well, I have to say that I have enjoyed doing these paintings with colored backgrounds. I'm trying to keep the background color desaturated so that it doesn't compete with the subject. Now I just need to get some more fabric scraps so I can give these blue shop rags a rest.
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bird #2 7x5

This poor bird hit a window. My students all thought painting it was somehow cruel. I had to remind them that birds die every day. I just happened to find this one before a cat.
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banana #4 7x5

It was recently pointed out to me that I don't vary my background colors much. I used a blue shop towel for this one. It was a nice change of pace. Thanks Patrick!

bartlett #4 7x5

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lemon #5 5x5

Some of my students eat lemons with salt. I've never tried them that way.
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Fair Oaks bridge 10x8

I joined a plein air meet up group a few months back. Today was the second time that I've gone out with them. I ended up walking upstream a ways so I could get a good vantage point of the bridge. Susan, our meet up organizer, walked up to where I was for a bit of pleasant conversation and I chatted a bit with Terry Miura. It was a lot of fun.

Kia 10x8

window shelf 10x8

This is a shelf in my classroom that is next to the front windows. The back lighting was what attracted me to this view. This photo has a bit of glare. I'll try to take a better one tomorrow.

peeled clementine #6 5x7

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pumpkin #2 7x5

bartlett #3 5x7

Nice colors in this pear.

interior with sink 10x8

This is the sink in my classroom.

interior with table saw 12x9

I have been doing small still life paintings for a while now and I felt the need to shake things up a little. My classroom is a pretty cluttered, visually busy place. I thought it might make an interesting challenge to paint. I tried to approach it the same way that I approach a plein aire landscape. I tried to get the drawing and the colors accurate enough to create a convincing sense of depth and mass. I tried to edit out all of the unnecessary detail but I had to leave in enough to get an actual sense of the place. I'm going to do some more of these and see where they go.