Moon Over Rivertown

acrylic on canvas paper, 12" x 9"

This is a study done from a photo taken at dusk of the Rivertown section of Petaluma along the river. 

Red River Blues

oil on canvasboard, 6" x 6"

I got the Red River Blues,
Headin' to a city
Where the sun is big and pretty.
Gonna change my life,
End the strife,
And paint in warmer hues!

Red Rock by a Pink River under an Orange Sky

oil on canvas, 6" x 9"

This was just for fun, exploring warm-to-hot color combinations in a landscape. 

Gretchen's Near

oil on canvasboard, 12" x 9"

This is a palette knife study of still water and background values.  I'm quite drawn to distant hills and live in an area that is full of variety in that respect.  This scene, though, reminds me more of those rugged karsts of Guilin, China.

Reflections on a River

oil on gessoed panel, 6" x 12"

This is now what I would call an abstracted landscape, having messed with an actual landscape painting to the point where it is now almost unrecognizable but seems to have a life of its own.  You just never know.

Black Butte River at Dusk

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

This is a quick sketch done as a loose study for an oil painting which I'm working on now from a photo I took the other day at this beautiful spot at the confluence of the Eel and Black Butte Rivers.  A gorgeous, unpopulated, swimmable place.

Blue Umbrella

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

Another umbrella sketch from a walk with my dog along the Petaluma River.

River Rocks

oil on gessoboard panel, 6" x 6" 

These are just a few of the many colorful rocks to be found in the Eel River and its tributaries.  The big yellow rock looked like a gold nugget under the water, so, of course, I had to paint it!  This is a fun exercise in loosening up and going with the flow, as it were.

The Crevice

acrylic on canvas paper, 9" x 12"

Working from a photograph for this one, an exercise in creating distant atmosphere.  Not much painting this month, as I came to the sad conclusion I could no longer afford the art studio I've enjoyed for the last 22 months.  However, I may have found a happy solution to my dilemma by moving to a smaller space on the same property, with a great view and lots of light, that is sharable and will still allow me the peace and privacy I need for creative inspiration.

Red Umbrella by the Petaluma River

iPad painting, 14" x 10"

A little digital plein air sketch I did while on a downtown walk with Lola.