Saturday, February 28, 2009

tracks 8x6

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

Friday, February 27, 2009

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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Thursday, February 26, 2009

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.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

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.

Monday, February 23, 2009

lemon half #2 7x5

I've been cutting things in half lately.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Sentinel Rock #2 11x14

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

Friday, February 20, 2009

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.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

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.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

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

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

fuji half 5x5

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

Monday, February 16, 2009

avocado #7 7x5

Grilled cheese sandwiches with avocado are one of my favorite things to eat.
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Sunday, February 15, 2009

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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Saturday, February 14, 2009

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.

Friday, February 13, 2009

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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Thursday, February 12, 2009

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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Wednesday, February 11, 2009

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!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Monday, February 09, 2009

lemon #5 5x5

Some of my students eat lemons with salt. I've never tried them that way.
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Sunday, February 08, 2009

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.

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Friday, February 06, 2009

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.

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Monday, February 02, 2009

interior with sink 10x8

This is the sink in my classroom.

Sunday, February 01, 2009

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.