Eye of Zebra

acrylic on canvas, 20" x 20"

A minimalist painting of the sort that I often resist -- namely, high contrast.  Not sure why, since I love high contrast in a painting.  Maybe I'll do some more.

Toucan Tango

oil on canvas, 8" x 16"

More big-billed birds.

Rainbow Sherbet

oil on canvas panel, 6" x 6"

Here's a little abstract using leftover paint from the palette I chose for another bird painting I've been struggling with.  I like the abstract, though.  In fact, I think it looks good enough to eat.

Toucan

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

Here is another in what is fast becoming an obsession with big-billed birds.  They are so exotic!

Marshall Petaluma Road in January

oil on canvasboard, 6" x 8"

The sun came out the other day and so I worked on this palette knife plein air sketch until the cold air forced me back into my car.  The grassy hills are intensely green now, after all the recent storms.

Flamingo Portrait in Profile

oil on canvas, 11" x 14"

Not my usual subject matter, but I've been thinking a lot about birds lately.  There are so many exotic species in the world, and this one, an American flamingo, is among my favorites.  

Pond Swan at Ellis Creek

acrylic on canvas, 18" x 24"

This painting was done from a photo I had taken at Ellis Creek not too long ago.  I painted it with a palette knife, except for the swan and the slim tree trunks in the mid-ground, for which I used a brush.  The black area surrounding the swan was left unpainted, having been primed with black gesso.

Monica

oil on canvasboard, 14" x 11"

This tonal study was an exercise in black and white, for which I used ivory black, payne's grey, and titanium white.

Ellis Creek Reeds and Trees in Winter

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

From a recent foray to one of my favorite spots in Petaluma.  The subtle color variations are so beautiful to me, especially when set against a gray sky.

Ballerina in Dark Blue Tutu

iPad painting, 14" x 10"

Was in the mood for a tutu, what can I say?  They're fun to paint.

Eclectic Love

iPad painting, 10" x 10"

I upgraded my iPad recently and noticed my go-to art app, ArtRage, had been upgraded as well.  This is my first digital painting in a square format, an unexpected perk of the upgrade.  I've only been able to produce digital art in a 10" x 14" format, for which I could choose either portrait or landscape perspective and nothing more.  Now that they've added the square format and a few other nice features (along with a few frustrating setbacks, imho), I'll be doing a lot more square digital paintings.  Now, if they would only upgrade again and actually give the artist complete control over format . . .