Bodega Bay on a Sunny Day

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

This was a quick little 10-minute sketch done the other day while on a walk with the pups, looking south from Cheney Creek Trail at Bodega Bay.  I was lucky to get even 10 minutes before they started bugging me to get off the bench.  The upside is that it forces me to work really fast, which makes for good practice.

Sous la Mer

oil on wood panel, 6" x 6"

Another colorful abstract made from leftover paint on the palette, done with a palette knife, the implement of my choice lately.

Point Reyes-Petaluma Road at Dusk

oil on hardboard panel, 6" x 6"

This was an interesting exercise.  I started this painting on an unprimed panel and when I paused and stepped back, I realized the color of the panel itself was well suited to the composition and so I left parts of it unpainted, particularly on the left side.

Millerton Point Grazer

acrylic on canvas, 10" x 20"

This painting was done from a photo I had taken at a pullout along Shoreline Highway, just north of Point Reyes.  It was either at or near Millerton Point, but I can't be sure.  I loved the halo of light violet behind the black cow provided by the distant hills.

Backlit Lola by the Barn

oil on canvas, 10" x 10"

Here's my little dog Lola sitting by the big barn on the property where my art studio resides.  She loves it there!

Lily Pads

acrylic on canvas, 16" x 16"

Here's another palette knife painting, a color study using lily pads as the subject.  

Hills of Nicasio

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

This plein air sketch was done the day before yesterday after the latest storm broke, leaving some neon green hillsides in its wake.

LA Skyline

oil on hardboard panel, 16" x 20"

This is a palette knife painting done from a photo I found online.  I've been wanting to do city scenes and high-rises in particular, and I really love palm trees.  So, it was very satisfying to combine the two in one image.

Winter Pond

oil on canvasboard, 6" x 8"

I was lying in bed the other night thinking of a color combination, of pairing a yellow ochre with a mauve or slate blue.  It got hold of me, for some reason, and when I awoke the next morning, it was the first thing on my mind.  So, I went to my studio and started laying down the colors I envisioned.  It turned into a landscape painting, and although not one based on an actual reference, I can see the influence of my many visits to Ellis Creek here in Petaluma.  The whole thing is an invention, really, and I am most pleased by what I see on the right side, where the blue/gray water of the pond meets the yellow ochre reeds, which are set against the dark red trees.  

Origami

oil on hardboard panel, 6" x 6"

An abstract palette knife painting that started and ended as a color study.  Sometimes these adventures lead me to something else, but this one stayed true to its origins.

Past Abstraction

oil on canvas, 8" x 24"

This was an abstract painting attempt that I eventually wiped off but thought to photograph before doing so.  I find it very informative whenever I do this, as often it turns out that I regret wiping off my work.  I do it out of frustration, usually, when I realize that my idea wasn't fleshed out enough or when technical setbacks and delays interrupt the flow of response in the act of painting, causing a loss of momentum.

Tomales Bay Ridge in January

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

A quickie digital sketch done yesterday late afternoon.  Just as I finished, the sky turned all sorts of colors -- pink, orange, violet, yellow -- and I managed to capture the gist of that scene with my iPhone before leaving, with the hope of turning that into a painting.