I set a new record for myself with this one: only 3 colors! And another record: it was done totally from memory. I can't even tell you the type of flowering bush this was. It was not a rose bush, that's all I know.
Another barn painting, this time on Davis Lane in Penngrove. The two sheep were hunkered down against this beautiful barn, perhaps awaiting a storm. The sheep, the gorgeous barn, the sunlight on the distant hills and that neon yellow mustard field in the mid-ground all begged to be painted!
This is painted from one of my "drive-by shootings," from the car as I was driving by this pink barn on Adobe Road in Petaluma. I did an iPad painting of it in a different format earlier, and left the brown railing out of this one, which I may add later.
This was a quick sketch using a photo of a painting I found online of this dog. I loved the perspective and, using the same limited palette I've been working with lately, bashed in the shapes over a dull orange ground, leaving bits of it poking through on the neck, mouth, and in the eyes. I used a cool, pale blue wash for the background, which gave it a pink glow. I quite like the effect.
Still working with a limited palette (5 colors, plus white), I'm learning what freedom is when the choices are few. I may tweak this one, but the exercise is essentially done. I love elephants in their natural environment, at peace with the world.
An iPad sketch that I hope to later turn into an oil painting. In this barn on the property where my art studio is, Robert creates lighting fixtures for restaurants and high-end residential interiors. The property also has vineyards and will be offering wine-tasting/aperitif-tasting soon.
I have rented a light-filled art studio where I can finally start producing some larger works. This was just for fun, an interpretation of a Roos Schuring painting to loosen me up for the bigger stuff, a Dutch tulip field.
A sketch from a photo I took of Rose and her adorable dog Bouncie at RCA Beach in Bolinas last December. Bouncie is a Hurricane Katrina rescue dog, and what a beautiful spirit she has, not to mention the beautiful spirit of her rescuer!
This little painting is based on an iPad painting I posted on December 30, 2013. Working in different media changes everything. The iPad painting is freer simply because I could work so much faster, not having to mix the colors and wipe the brushes in between applications. They are two very different paintings, but I like the sculptural quality of the tree mass in this one, as well as the rear half of the barn roof, which I left unpainted.
This is a plein air sketch I did last summer that I'm posting to remind myself there is life beyond the digital format. I've become addicted to painting on my iPad, simply because it is so fast and there is no cleanup involved or toxic fumes to inhale.
This started as a plein air sketch along Highway 1 north of Bodega Bay. I was unhappy with it, but before giving up, I gave it the "Rushton treatment," and with a palette knife, some cold wax medium, and a hot air gun, managed to transform it to my liking.
As promised, I have delivered . . . yet another metal painting. I just can't seem to stop! For some reason, it feels like a guilty pleasure, the paint sticks like glue to the surface, which I love, and the shiny metal ground pokes through to give it a certain glow. These metal paintings are luminous, if I do say so. So strong and yet so fragile, all at once, they need the kid glove treatment. They're divas! This one I painted from a poster of a cruise ship on the lake and left it incomplete because I got attached at that point. Always a good time to walk away, in my experience.
Inspired by David Hockney's iPad and iPhone art, I've started playing around with that medium and find it to be very addictive. I used the app ArtRage to create this little composition. I love you David Hockney. Although you're not a Cockney, You really really rock me. I LOVE you David Hockney!
These swans are residents of The Swan, a beautiful pub alongside the River Thames in Walton, where Harriet's friend Mark was celebrating his birthday in August. It rained all day, but that didn't stop us from partying outdoors. Love those Brits!