Running Late

oil on panel, 8" x 8"

Here's an improvisational piece in progress.  

In Transition

 

oil on panel, 8" x 8"

A mysterious little narrative piece I did recently.

Night Moves

 

oil on panel, 12" x 16"

A narrative painting about intersecting lives.  

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.

Go!

oil on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

A somewhat abstracted cityscape.  

Streetwise

oil on panel, 8" x 8"

This was a little freeform experimental piece just for fun.  

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.  

Letting Off Steam

 

oil on panel, 12" x 12"

This industrial urban scene intrigued me for its colors and overall composition.

Hola

oil on panel, 24" x 24"

This was a work in progress that stayed that way because it really was finished; it just took me a while to see it.  It sat in the time-out room for months because soon after starting it, I got pulled away for 4-5 days, during which time the paint had dried and I'd lost some momentum.  When I finally gave it a second look, it felt finished.  

Hastings at Dusk

 

oil on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

I painted this scene of a sunset in Hastings, U.K. from a photo I cribbed from my Facebook feed just because I I loved the colors in it.  I distilled it down to the basics to simplify the composition.  Needs a couple tweaks, but otherwise I'm happy with it.  

I've been relegated to doing only small works since last November, ever since my pet sitter went out of commission.  I cannot work in the studio with my dog there, where she paces incessantly, which drives me nuts.  And I cannot work on larger pieces when I cannot work back-to-back 6-hour days minimum.  So for the time being, I must work at home instead where I only have a tabletop easel.  Looking forward to the day when I can sink my teeth into larger works again.

To and Fro

 

oil on canvas paper, 9" x 12"
SOLD

This was an experiment (aren't they all?) with a palette knife, trying to keep it loose.  I wanted to create an after-the-rain atmosphere that I had liked in the reference photo.  

Smoky Sky

oil on canvas panel, 14" x 11"

This is what I'd call a simplified landscape painting, not quite in the abstracted landscape ballpark, done mostly with a palette knife.  Nonetheless, I like the copper tones in this one.  I think they offset the buildings in the background nicely.  The scene is inspired by the smoke from the recent Canadian fires that drifted down into the U.S., especially along the East Coast.

Convergence

 

oil on panel, 12" x 12"
SOLD

Here's another attempt at a cityscape, this one of downtown San Francisco at night.  This type of urban one-point perspective scene is new to me and quite challenging, so it's a useful learning experience.

Urban Study - Chicago

oil on panel, 16" x 20"

This painting is the result of a workshop I took recently in urban landscapes with Jacob Dhein.  I may tweak it here and there, but this is pretty much as far as I can go with it.  I found the workshop challenging, but that's because this kind of painting is new to me.  I can recall only having done one other urban landscape before.  I've got another one in mind to do, which hopefully won't take nearly as long as this one did.  

Baring Witness

 

oil on panel, 12" x 24"

It's back to Naked Athena and the Portland protests with this piece.  I struggled with this one and because there were such long time gaps between sessions, I lost my way a bit, so it is going to the time-out room for now.  Maybe in the new year, I'll be able to see my way forward and finish it.  That would be nice.

Boxed In

acrylic on panel, 12" x 12"

Well, this little ditty took way longer than I thought it would, even as I simplified the scene quite a bit.  The orange sky was from the fires in August that the lightning strikes sparked, lending a surreal quality to atmosphere.

To Grow Where We Are Planted

oil on canvas, 30" x 30"

This is an as yet unfinished painting that's been put in the time-out room for now.  My second attempt at a constructed painting, the idea for it was one of hope.  A downcast little girl brushing past a depiction of a life of ease sees a flower breaking through the pavement in its lust for life.  That was the message I was trying to convey, anyway.  This type of painting is entirely new to me.

Urban Wetlands

iPad painting, 14" x 10"

This is an abstract digital painting I did while half asleep.  I like it and can't explain why.  I suppose it has to do with what's been on my mind lately:  New York City and a local wetlands nature reserve here in Petaluma.

Sunrise in the City

oil on canvas, 8" x 6"

Just using the leftover paint from the architectural painting of my last post.  I hate to waste paint, and this gives me an excuse to play with color and form.

Yellow Van

oil on canvas, 18" x 24"

I've been working on this abstracted architectural landscape for the past few days, as an exercise and a warmup to another abstracted urban landscape I've had in mind to do for months but wasn't sure how to approach.  I've hardly done any urban landscapes to date, so just playing around with geometric shapes and perspective has been quite helpful.