Backyard Cottonwoods

oil on panel, 12" x 12"

Here's another New Mexico painting dug out of storage, one that I'd forgotten about.  I painted this with a palette knife en plein air in my backyard one brilliant day.  I love the irregularity and organic look of latilla fences of the Southwest, and the view from my backyard of those golden cottonwood trees was just amazing.

Fall Colors at SSU

oil on panel, 10" x 8"

This piece was started en plein air and finished in the studio.  I get more satisfaction when painting on a hard, smooth surface such as this one, giving the paint itself a more prominent role in the picture.  The sheer variety of trees at Sonoma State University makes for a challenging and exciting painting experience.  I try.

Ridgecrest View on a Sunny Afternoon

oil on cradled panel, 9" x 12"

This plein air piece was painted the other day along Ridgecrest Road in Marin County.  It is a spectacular road that wends its way along a ridge of undulating hills, with incredible views in all directions.  This is quintessential California to me.  It was a warm, sunny, windless day, perfect for painting at this spot, made even more perfect by the companionship of my dear friend and fellow artist Joyce Creswell, who painted alongside me.  There is truly something special about the practice of outdoor painting with friends.  The act of being fully present in the moment while painting with friends infuses the moment with deep meaning.  A memorable day.

Sonoma Hills in Summer

oil on canvas board, 6" x 8"

This little palette knife sketch was done from my deck, which faces the western hills of Sonoma, as the sun was going down and lit up the hills in pink and orange tones.  The colors were changing lickety-split, so this scene reflects my impression of it at the onset of dusk.  

Taos Mountain from Wisdom Way

oil on panel, 8" x 10"

Another plein air study of Taos Mountain with a modern adobe home in the foreground, amid a field of sage brush.

Truchas

oil on panel, 8" x 8"

Had another plein air adventure yesterday with the Taos group of painters in the picturesque village of Truchas, about an hour's drive south of Taos.  Truchas is an artists' enclave set on a ridge with breathtaking views in every direction.  It was the setting for parts of the Robert Redford film "The Milagro Beanfield War." I love Truchas!

Summer House by Aspen Lake

oil on canvas panel, 12" x 9"

This is a palette knife plein air sketch I did the other day in my first outing with a Taos-based plein air group of painters.  They know all the cool places to paint!  Aspen Lake is a little hidden gem in the Taos Canyon area between Taos and Angel Fire, a popular local ski resort.   

Midday on the Mesa

oil on panel, 6" x 8"

This little study was started on site, at a pullout looking west on Blueberry Hill Road on the outskirts of Taos, and finished in the studio.  It was a hot day and I had started just as the sun was getting intense.  It seems my fascination with cows has followed me to New Mexico.  

Seco Colors

oil on canvas, 10" x 10"

This palette knife painting was done back in March, my first plein air effort in New Mexico.  A scene along Hondo Seco Road on the way to Arroyo Seco, the colors were shockingly vivid that day, set against the dark background of Taos Mountain.

Taos Mountain from Millicent Rogers Road

oil on panel, 9" x 12"

This is a plein air study from the day before yesterday, in the afternoon at a location just north of Taos.  No refinements, just a quick impression.  I bashed in the cows later, from a photo I had taken at the scene.  I had the pleasure of Diza's company for the session, who was working in watercolor -- not an easy medium in the best of conditions, but in hot and dry weather, super challenging!

Blumenschein Studio in Spring

oil on panel, 8" x 10"

This was a quick plein air study from last week outside the Blumenschein studio in Taos, done with a palette knife.  I tend to reach for the palette knife when I feel I have to work in a hurry.  I had intended to work inside the studio with a few other artists, but the host's dog and my dog did not seem to get along.  Hence, I set my easel up in the garden outside the studio and went to work while keeping one eye on my dog -- not the ideal circumstance!  Ernest Blumenschein, a New York artist, first arrived in Taos in 1898, fell in love with it, and ended up living there for 40 years.  He was a co-founder of the Taos Society of Artists and a founder of the Taos Art Colony.

Oh, to See the Light!

oil on hardboard panel, 12" x 9"

This is a plein air painting of the south end of a rustic barn on the property where my art studio is located, which is now called Denman Ranch.  Robert, a wonderfully upbeat and creative man, makes high-end lighting fixtures inside that barn.  Ironically, the narrow opening in the lower left illuminates nothing of the interior space, rendering it all the more mysterious.  The barn is graced by irises, grapevines, and a privet tree, and the lawn in front is one of my dog Lola's favorite hangouts.  Denman Ranch is a special place for sure.

Labor Day at Bodega Bay

oil on wood panel, 8" x 10"

I came upon this enchanting but rapidly changing scene at Bodega Bay, and was glad I snapped a few photos before I had to pack up and leave so that I could add those fleeting elements in the studio later.  I was frustrated with the gessoed surface, which had vertical grooves left by the brush, but decided to use those grooves to help me create some interesting textural effects.  I loved watching this photographer pursue her labor of love in an area of low tide to try and capture in closeup a very large white bird, probably a great egret.  The fishing boats were returning from their day's outing and various smaller white birds were dotting the shallow end of the bay, an altogether charming scene.

Tomales Bay Triangles

oil on linen-mounted gatorboard, 8" x 10"

This is a plein air palette knife painting of a scene that I simplified in order to emphasize the triangular patterns I saw in the cliff, the trees, and the two sailboats floating on a quiet Tomales Bay.  I have to say, it's quite a challenge to paint boats with a palette knife.

Point Arena Plateau with Red and White Pagoda

oil on wood panel, 8" x 16"

This plein air painting from yesterday was worked on a bit more in the studio this morning.  It was a strikingly brilliant day at Point Arena, around 82 degrees, with a slight, soft sea breeze.  It was a challenging scene to paint, but I couldn't ask for better painting weather, or better company in the form of my good friend and fellow painter Joyce Creswell.  This plateau is part of Stornetta Public Lands and sits just to the north of the famed Point Arena Lighthouse. 

Chileno Valley Oak

oil on canvasboard, 6" x 8"

This was a quick little plein air sketch done from a pullout on lower Wilson Hill Road, looking north to the hills that surround Chileno Valley.

Curiosity Called A Cow

oil on canvasboard, 8" x 6"

I was hoping to paint some cows in a landscape yesterday from a pullout on lower Wilson Hill Road, and was delighted to spy a bunch of them off in the distance.  When they saw me setting up my gear, though, the entire herd came running up to the fence.  I switched my focus to portraiture instead, and God bless her, this Holstein cow held perfectly still with this gaze for the 20 minutes it took me to bash in her portrait.  That's a first!  I finished it off in the studio later, and will definitely return to that same spot again to paint more cows, one of my favorite subjects (aside from birds, that is).

Russian River at Jenner

oil on gessoed textured hardboard panel, 6" x 12"

This started as a plein air painting on a mostly overcast day, but I was none too happy with my effort, so I reworked it in the studio.  It didn't help that the panel I had chosen was damaged in the upper left corner and was one of those textured surface panels made to emulate canvas that I don't care for, but it was the only 6" x 12" format I had brought with me.  It seemed that no matter how much paint I applied, the texture still showed through.  I prefer to work on actual canvas or a smooth hard surface, the simple reason being that I want the paint application to form the texture, not the prepared surface.  Lesson learned, in the future I will either sand down the textured surface or gesso a layer or two over it so as to smooth out those ridges.

Giacomini Wetlands, Summer 2017

oil on canvasboard, 6" x 8"

This little plein air palette knife study was done the other day in late afternoon at a pullout near the little town of Inverness, my second attempt at this scene, albeit a different time of year.

Estero Americano

oil on wood panel, 6" x 12"

This was a plein air painting I did recently at one of my favorite new spots in west Sonoma County that got reworked a bit in the studio.  It was done on a pre-gessoed wood panel with a primed canvas texture that had quite a bit of tooth to it.  I have a few more of these panels that I will gesso again before using to see if I can smooth out some of that tooth.  This spot is a treasure trove for an outdoor painter, and I will return to it again.