Abstracted Landscape of 10-27-2025

oil on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

A loose palette knife study to distract me from the urban scene I'm currently struggling with.

Chaos: The Natural Order

 

oil on canvas, 20" x 20"

Did a landscape for a change.  This is somewhere in Thailand.  I love these banana leaves.  And the water is very still, making for a conducive atmosphere of inner contemplation.  

Flower Tower

 

oil on canvas, 36" x 12"

For a change of pace, a painting of stacked hollyhocks.

La La Land in the Light

 

oil on panel, 12" x 16"

This is a somewhat abstracted landscape of the LA skyline done mostly with palette knife.  

Magenta Moon

 

oil on panel, 12" x 24"

Another abstracted cityscape at night.  

Schwing!

 

oil on panel, 14" x 11"

Here's another dancer painting to add to the series.  And we're not done yet.

Call It A Day

oil on panel, 24" x 12"

This is a palette knife painting I did after I got back from a two-week trip to Europe.  I'm still on U.K. time, so it feels a bit slluggish getting back to my usual routine.

Jade

oil on panel, 8" x 8"

This is a portrait of Jade, my friend Eva's daughter.  Eva's husband was my partner Roy's twin brother.  I may tweak it a bit before varnishing.  I'm going to spend some time with Eva in the U.K. soon and will bring it with me to give to her.

Pete

acrylic on canvas paper, 12" x 9"

My late partner Roy had a great friend in Pete, who's portrait I've painted in honor of the great friend himself.  I'll be seeing him and his wife Jacqui next month in Cornwall for the first time in a decade.  Can't wait!

Fashionista

 

oil on panel, 10" x 8"

This is a stylized portrait of the U.K. fashion designer Pam Hogg.  She was a sitter on the BBC's Portrait Artist of the Year and I found her to be an interesting subject.  

Childless Cat Lady

 

oil on panel, 24" x 12"

My version, lol.

Running Late

oil on panel, 8" x 8"

Here's an improvisational piece in progress.  

Young Frida

oil on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

This is a study portrait of Frida Kahlo as a very young woman.  Not sure I got the likeness, but I do like the portrait on its own terms.  It is compelling to me.

In Transition

 

oil on panel, 8" x 8"

A mysterious little narrative piece I did recently.

Feelin' It

 

oil on panel, 14" x 11"

This is the third in a series of break dancers I'm having fun with.  She's wild!

Night Moves

 

oil on panel, 12" x 16"

A narrative painting about intersecting lives.  

Carefree

oil on panel, 12" x 9"

This little ditty came surprisingly quick and easy.  Fun!  Updated 8/11/2025.  I changed the title from "Driven to Distraction" so as to change the focus from the dude in the background to the girl in the foreground.  A simpler story now, lol.

Symphony in Orange and Green

 

acrylic on canvas, 24" x 24"

Another work in progress, I nearly gave up on this one.  It has turned around, though, and I may end up really liking it.

Tokyo Rococo

oil on panel, 12" x 24"

This is a work in progress.  The challenge will be when to stop.  Updated 8/3/2025:  Now it's done.

Neon Jungle

 

oil on panel, 10" x 10"

An experiment in pushing abstraction within an urban landscape.  

Umbrella Brigade

 

oil on panel, 16" x 8"

A palette knife painting of an urban scene.

Pam

 

oil on canvasboard, 14" x 11"

Here's another portrait study taken from the BBC's Portrait Artist of the Year.  The sitter was Pam Hogg, a British clothing designer.  She was an interesting subject, which everyone picked up on.  I'm thinking of doing a larger portrait of her from the same angle.  We'll see...

White Hydrangea

 

oil on panel, 11" x 14"

I rarely do still life paintings, but I came upon an early Matisse still life of flowers in a vase and felt compelled to do one.  

Portrait of Monica

acrylic on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

This is a portrait sketch of the Italian actor Monica Belluci.  I've painted her before from this same image, but this one was done fairly quickly, and I liked the green showing through in the lower part of her face and in the upper right of her forehead.

Head Series #2

acrylic on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

Here's the second head done from imagination with the self-imposed time limitation of 30 minutes.

Head Series #1

 

acrylic on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

This is a challenge I've set myself to paint a series of imaginary portraits, each in under 30 minutes.  This is the first one.

Coit Tower at Dusk

 
oil on panel, 12" x 12"

This is another in a series of urban scenes I've been painting lately, done mostly with a palette knife.  Updated 8/1/2025:  I toned down some of the oranges to draw more attention to the tower.

Floodlights

 

oil on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

Another palette knife study of a somewhat abstracted cityscape in the rain.  Just playing with abstract elements within a cityscape.

Sacto

 

oil on panel, 12" x 12"

A painting of downtown Sacramento.  I did it primarily for the warm color palette.

Go!

oil on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

A somewhat abstracted cityscape.  

Torn

 

acrylic on panel, 12" x 12"

A narrative painting about conflicts of interest.

Streetwise

oil on panel, 8" x 8"

This was a little freeform experimental piece just for fun.  

Emily

oil on canvasboard, 11" x 14"

One of my favorite shows to watch is the BBC's Portrait Artist of the Year.  I decided to paint one of the sitters as an exercise.  The competition for each portrait is what can be accomplished in four hours.  I spent 3.5 hours on this one.  It could be good practice to do more of these, since many of the sitters are unfamiliar to me.  Emily is an award-winning singer/songwriter based in the U.K.  I thought she had a regal bearing and I liked the three-quarter angle.  Updated 5/29/2025:  I changed the background a wee bit with an overlay of lavender.  

Facade

 

acrylic on canvas, 20" x 20"

This is the finished painting of an abstract that I started way back when, then consigned it to the time-out room forever.  Patience.

Fierce

 

oil on canvasboard, 14" x 11"

A portrait of a young Choctaw Indian woman.  I found her stare compelling.

A Heart of Gold

 

oil on panel, 24" x 18"

This painting has been in the making for a while.  It was a slow process as I sat with it and pondered how I wanted to paint it and what I wanted to say through it.  I'm happy with the result.

The Unfolding Universe

 

oil on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

From flower to universe, an abstract study.

b-girling

oil on panel, 14" x 11"

Another painting of a break dancer to add to one I did a short while ago.

Le Quartier

oil on panel, 16" x 16"

Another in a series of urban night scenes, this is a neighborhood in Paris.

Yellow Frock

oil on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

This was an exercise in relinquishing control.  Sometimes you just need a reminder . . .

After an Afternoon Rain

oil on panel, 9" x 12"

sold

Another urban study here.  Updated 5/7/2025:  added some finishing touches.

The Unfolding Flower

oil on panel, 12" x 12"

A painting of a rose in closeup as it unfolds its petals.  I've done this before but thought I'd try it again because of its abstract quality.  Plus, I was jonesing to paint in reds, a color I find challenging to get right.  

Hip Hop Hooray!

oil on panel, 14" x 11"

This was a fun painting to do of a hip hop dancer.  I'm building quite a collection of dancer paintings, it seems.  I must like painting dancers!   Update 4/10/2025:  I had Jacob Dhein do a critique of this painting and I subsequently worked on it a bit more.  Now it's done.

Flippers

oil on panel, 12" x 9"

 This painting presented an interesting conundrum.  I originally painted it in landscape format, which would have rotated this image 90 degrees counterclockwise.  However, I found it a bit disconcerting to paint it in that format, so I flipped it to portrait format, which is the way you are seeing it.  I had painted another pair of swimmers in 2023, called "Floaters," and this one is the next incarnation visiting this theme.  I find these narrative two paintings quite amusing.  Updated 4/9/2025:  I decided I like it better in landscape format, which is how I originally meant it to be.  Works just fine this way.

Polina

oil on panel, 18" x 14"

This is a painting of the Russian ballerina Polina Seminova, who was used as the subject of a painting workshop conducted by Jacob Dhein on the figure in motion.  I may do more to it after the last layer of paint dries.  Lots of paint on this one.  Updated 4/14/2025:  Made some changes, adding a few more color notes here and there.

Fun 'n Games

oil on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

This started as an experiment (don't they all?) in abstraction that took on a life of its own.  So, there you go.  

Inner City Blues

oil on panel, 18" x 18"

This urban night scene might be done; I'm not sure yet.  I tried to keep it simple and focus on the depth of field in it.  These urban scenes are fun to do, so I'll be doing more of them.

Black Beauties

 

oil on panel, 12" x 9"

I get the urge to paint flowers every year at this time.  Ah, springtime!

Little House on the Prairie

oil on panel, 12" x 12"

An abstracted landscape that ended up more abstract than landscape.  Fine with me.

Le Cadeau

acrylic on panel, 24" x 12"

A story of intrigue centered around the entrance to a fictional bar on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.