Winter Garden

 

acrylic on canvas, 12" x 16"

This is a winter scene from the property in Arroyo Seco, New Mexico where I lived in 2018.  It was a magical 4-acre property, a sculpture garden with both natural and man-made sculptures dotted throughout, one of which (a wood totem) is visible beyond the stream on the right.  

The Wise Look Within

oil on panel, 10" x 10"

I thought this subject apropos of wintertime this year, a year without precedent in so many ways.  If 2020 has been an eye-opening year, 2021 must surely be the year we look within ourselves for answers to the questions posed by 2020.  The wise owl is a fitting symbol for such an endeavor.

A Russian Winter

oil on canvasboard, 8" x 6"

I was recently given some old Yarka oil paints, a Russian brand I've never used before.  This was an experiment to test their viscosity and see how the colors interact.  The splash of pink and yellow are courtesy of Gamblin, just to warm it up a bit.  

Winter Pond

oil on canvasboard, 6" x 8"

I was lying in bed the other night thinking of a color combination, of pairing a yellow ochre with a mauve or slate blue.  It got hold of me, for some reason, and when I awoke the next morning, it was the first thing on my mind.  So, I went to my studio and started laying down the colors I envisioned.  It turned into a landscape painting, and although not one based on an actual reference, I can see the influence of my many visits to Ellis Creek here in Petaluma.  The whole thing is an invention, really, and I am most pleased by what I see on the right side, where the blue/gray water of the pond meets the yellow ochre reeds, which are set against the dark red trees.