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.

Cheeky!

 

oil on canvas, 36" x 42"

This is a narrative painting that I actually started late last year and never quite finished.  It's been languishing in the time-out room for months now.  I did it for a laugh, especially for the guy in the mid-distance.  He cracks me up.  I was also going though a phase then, living vicariously through her, lol!  I hope to finish it before too long.

Before the Fall

oil on canvas, 10" x 10"

Finally getting around to this study of two little girls I spotted doing gymnastics on the beach at St. Ives in England.  I've wanted to paint them for quite a while as an expression of the exuberance and carefree joie de vivre of childhood, before puberty arrives and changes everything.

Sunset with Palm Tree

acrylic on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

Here's another palm tree study.

Algae-covered Rocks, Waimanalo Beach

oil on canvas, 6" x 8"

Waimanalo Beach is maybe my favorite beach in the world.  It is a gorgeous, pristine expanse of white sand beach on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.  I've been feeling a bit nostalgic for it, so here's a small memento.

Heart's Desire Beach

oil on gesso board panel, 8" x 10"

This rough plein air painting nearly lost its life at the beach when a gust of wind flipped it over face down onto my palette, but I managed to salvage it in the end.  There were a couple of other distractions for me at this location, what with my pizza box (which doubles as a wet painting carrier) flying away and getting slapped against a picnicking family down the beach, and somebody wanting to photograph me painting.  Oy, the joys of outdoor painting!  Still, I considered it a fun experience, as I had my friend and fellow painter Joyce Creswell with me to laugh about and share it with.

Sunset at Secret Beach

oil on canvasboard, 8" x 8"

This is essentially a cloud study done from a photo of Secret Beach on Kauai, my favorite Hawaiian island.  Update:  I have uploaded a more accurate image of this painting, as the one I posted earlier today was too light.

Sand Dunes and Pampas

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

Bouncie and Rose at RCA Beach

acrylic on canvas, 10" x 10"

A portrait of Rose and her extraordinary Katrina rescue dog Bouncie, who passed away in 2014.  I took the photo of this in too-dim light, so the image is not very good.  Will try to get a better one and update it soon.

Goleta Beach

acrylic on canvas, 12" x 24"

Another plein air painting from my trip south a few weeks ago, this one also finished in the studio.

Goleta Slough

acrylic on linen mounted on gatorboard, 12" x 16"

I recently spent a few days painting at Goleta Beach, just north of Santa Barbara, with Marcia Burtt, hoping to glean a few pearls of wisdom from an absolute master.  In the two plus days I had with her, I started five paintings and finished none.  This was my last effort, the result of a two-hour session on the morning of my return home.  I worked on it for another two hours in the studio, until I was done with it and the next unfinished painting called out to me.  More to come.