Bryce Canyon

acrylic on canvas, 38" x 24"

This was an exercise in values.  I wanted to get those cool blues and light violets in the background to complement the warmth in the rock in the foreground on the right.  A work in progress.

In the Pink Boat

oil on canvas, 12" x 12"

This is a painting that I'd been wanting to do for about three years but never got around to . . . until now.  Ever since rafting down the Yulong River in China, I've been in love with the jagged karsts that rise up like monoliths in the distance.  This scene was painted from a photo of a woman boating along the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, and I just loved the pink interior of the boat set against the cool greens and blues around it, not to mention the repeating "cone" theme sparked by her hat.

In the Pink

acrylic on canvasboard, 6" x 6"

A little abstract painting I find rather uplifting for reasons I can't seem to articulate.

San Francisco Bay

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

This was a quick sketch I did the other day from the Sausalito Ferry after a power outage in San Francisco had caused me to abandon my desk at 9:00 a.m. and head back to Marin County.  It was a brilliant day, but a bit disorienting to find myself on a ferry boat when I was expecting to spend it tied to a computer in a high rise building in downtown SF.

Airborne

acrylic on canvasboard, 8" x 8"

Another abstract painting done with leftover paint on the palette.  I really enjoy doing these freeform pieces, with no agenda other than to respond in the moment.  

Springtime in the Foothills of Mt. Diablo

acrylic on canvasboard, 9" x 12"

I used a photo I had taken recently for this palette knife painting.  It was raining at the time, and I just loved the neon green of the distant hills framed by the gray skies and the violet ceanothus (mountain lilac).  Had to paint it.  

Moon Over the Sierras

acrylic on canvas, 12" x 16"

I had the urge to paint this scene for the juxtaposition of the dark violet sky against the pink glow of a snow-covered ridge at dusk.  I find it soothing to gaze at a full moon; it's such a magical orb, so round, so light, so seemingly still.

Inside of a Tulip

iPad painting, 10" x 10"

I love gazing at the insides of flowers, where they store their jewels.  Tulips are especially provocative in that way, with their petals curved in a protective manner around the center.

Wild Irises

iPad painting, 10" x 10"

This was painted from memory, an impressionist take on a large patch of bearded irises I spotted on a neighborhood walk.  The flowers are explosive this year due to the prodigious amounts of rain we have gotten, with more rain on the way.

Marilyn

acrylic on canvasboard, 12" x 9"

I saw a photo of Marilyn Monroe in a local curio shop downtown the other day and felt the urge to paint it.  I wanted to capture the bemused expression she had on her face, intrigued by what might be behind it.

Fragile

acrylic on canvas, 24" x 24"

In keeping with my yellow/gray exploration, I could go on and on adding branches, birds and butterflies to this painting.  Instead, I decided to quit before it loses its feeling of space, something I find rather appealing.  Those little yellow birds are warblers, and I love how their cool yellow color pops next the cool gray, in this case payne's gray.

A Nice Pair of Boobies

acrylic on canvas, 11" x 14"

I must confess, I came up with the title for this painting ahead of its creation.  I've been having a bird fixation lately, and when I came upon these Blue-footed Boobies, I was itching to paint those cute aqua blue webbed feet.

The Source

oil on canvas, 24" x 24"

This is a somewhat abstracted painting of a rose in closeup.  I loved the light emanating from its core, giving the outers petals an intense, multicolored glow.  I may abstract it further at some point, but I'm giving it a timeout for now, unless and until I know my way forward with it.

Backlit Nude

acrylic on canvas panel, 14" x 11"

This painting was fun to do, using only Indian yellow, terracotta (a muted orange color produced by LUKAS), ivory black, plus white.  The mix of black and white to get gray in semi-shadowed areas like her upper right arm look bluish next to the warm colors of her skin in direct light.

Study in Yellow and Gray

oil on wood panel, 8" x 8"

Another favorite color pairing of mine is yellow and gray.  I drove by a building recently done in those two colors and all of a sudden I felt uplifted.   I had to rush home and play with those two colors.  For this study, I used cad yellow light and payne's gray, plus white.  Both the yellow and gray are on the cool side, and mixing the two renders beautiful shades of green.

Eye Candy

acrylic on canvas, 10" x 10"

A colorful little ditty, again using springtime as the theme.  When I think of spring, I mostly see pink and green, one of my favorite color pairings.

Anza Borrego in Spring

oil on canvas, 10" x 10"

Anza Borrego is a stretch of desert in Southern California that has a profusion of colorful wildflowers in the spring, and this year, with all the rain it got, is slated to be a superbloom year.  I wish I could go there and paint my immediate response to it all, but alas, I cannot get away.  So, I comforted myself by painting it from a photo I found online.  Not the same as being there, but still fun to do and another useful learning experience.

Red Bud

oil on canvas, 10" x 10"

I worked from a photo I had taken to create this painting of a scene I passed along Highway 162 last spring, a road full of breathtaking beauty at this time of year.  The magenta blossoms of the red bud bushes springing out of the bright green grass and set against the dark greens and blues of the many trees make for an eye-popping natural bouquet.  

Spring Scene, Eastside Petaluma

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

With this loose digital sketch, I tried to capture the pillowy lushness of spring growth in a field of weeds and mustard flowers on the Eastside of Petaluma. 

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. 

Pond Algae

oil on canvas, 10" x 10"

I've been wanting to introduce more warm colors into my paintings, so here's an imaginary landscape done with that in mind, again using leftover paint on the palette.  I seem to gravitate toward cool colors, particularly blues and greens, perhaps because I am surrounded by them in the local landscape, but those neglected warm colors need to have their say!

Lakeville Lineup

oil on canvasboard, 6" x 12"

Another palette knife painting, this piece was started en plein air the other day under a brilliant blue sky.  I got only about two-thirds done before I had to pack my gear and leave the scene.  It was finished later in the studio with the help of a reference photo I had taken, using a limited palette of cad yellow light, cad yellow medium, napthol red, and ultramarine blue, plus white.

Pond Study at the Cheese Factory

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

This digital sketch was done the other day on a stopover with my dog at the Cheese Factory in rural Marin County, a favorite spot for us both.

Cheery Cherry

oil on canvas, 24" x 12"

I find the color pink to be a difficult color to mix to my satisfaction.  Alizarin crimson was just not cutting it for this cherry tree, so I reached for a tube of crimson lake to get a livelier pink.  I was going for a color that would complement the cool trees in the background that were shrouded in mist.

Sunset at Secret Beach

oil on canvasboard, 8" x 8"

This is essentially a cloud study done from a photo of Secret Beach on Kauai, my favorite Hawaiian island.  Update:  I have uploaded a more accurate image of this painting, as the one I posted earlier today was too light.

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.  

Spring Fever

oil on canvas panel, 8" x 8"

This started out as an abstract, but then I had to quit before I'd covered even a quarter of the surface.  When I returned to it the next day, I had cherry blossom trees on my mind and so, of course, they made their way into the painting.  

Bodega Bay on a Sunny Day

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

This was a quick little 10-minute sketch done the other day while on a walk with the pups, looking south from Cheney Creek Trail at Bodega Bay.  I was lucky to get even 10 minutes before they started bugging me to get off the bench.  The upside is that it forces me to work really fast, which makes for good practice.

Sous la Mer

oil on wood panel, 6" x 6"

Another colorful abstract made from leftover paint on the palette, done with a palette knife, the implement of my choice lately.

Point Reyes-Petaluma Road at Dusk

oil on hardboard panel, 6" x 6"

This was an interesting exercise.  I started this painting on an unprimed panel and when I paused and stepped back, I realized the color of the panel itself was well suited to the composition and so I left parts of it unpainted, particularly on the left side.

Millerton Point Grazer

acrylic on canvas, 10" x 20"

This painting was done from a photo I had taken at a pullout along Shoreline Highway, just north of Point Reyes.  It was either at or near Millerton Point, but I can't be sure.  I loved the halo of light violet behind the black cow provided by the distant hills.

Backlit Lola by the Barn

oil on canvas, 10" x 10"

Here's my little dog Lola sitting by the big barn on the property where my art studio resides.  She loves it there!

Lily Pads

acrylic on canvas, 16" x 16"

Here's another palette knife painting, a color study using lily pads as the subject.  

Hills of Nicasio

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

This plein air sketch was done the day before yesterday after the latest storm broke, leaving some neon green hillsides in its wake.

LA Skyline

oil on hardboard panel, 16" x 20"

This is a palette knife painting done from a photo I found online.  I've been wanting to do city scenes and high-rises in particular, and I really love palm trees.  So, it was very satisfying to combine the two in one image.

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.  

Origami

oil on hardboard panel, 6" x 6"

An abstract palette knife painting that started and ended as a color study.  Sometimes these adventures lead me to something else, but this one stayed true to its origins.

Past Abstraction

oil on canvas, 8" x 24"

This was an abstract painting attempt that I eventually wiped off but thought to photograph before doing so.  I find it very informative whenever I do this, as often it turns out that I regret wiping off my work.  I do it out of frustration, usually, when I realize that my idea wasn't fleshed out enough or when technical setbacks and delays interrupt the flow of response in the act of painting, causing a loss of momentum.

Tomales Bay Ridge in January

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

A quickie digital sketch done yesterday late afternoon.  Just as I finished, the sky turned all sorts of colors -- pink, orange, violet, yellow -- and I managed to capture the gist of that scene with my iPhone before leaving, with the hope of turning that into a painting.  

Eye of Zebra

acrylic on canvas, 20" x 20"

A minimalist painting of the sort that I often resist -- namely, high contrast.  Not sure why, since I love high contrast in a painting.  Maybe I'll do some more.

Toucan Tango

oil on canvas, 8" x 16"

More big-billed birds.

Rainbow Sherbet

oil on canvas panel, 6" x 6"

Here's a little abstract using leftover paint from the palette I chose for another bird painting I've been struggling with.  I like the abstract, though.  In fact, I think it looks good enough to eat.

Toucan

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

Here is another in what is fast becoming an obsession with big-billed birds.  They are so exotic!

Marshall Petaluma Road in January

oil on canvasboard, 6" x 8"

The sun came out the other day and so I worked on this palette knife plein air sketch until the cold air forced me back into my car.  The grassy hills are intensely green now, after all the recent storms.

Flamingo Portrait in Profile

oil on canvas, 11" x 14"

Not my usual subject matter, but I've been thinking a lot about birds lately.  There are so many exotic species in the world, and this one, an American flamingo, is among my favorites.  

Pond Swan at Ellis Creek

acrylic on canvas, 18" x 24"

This painting was done from a photo I had taken at Ellis Creek not too long ago.  I painted it with a palette knife, except for the swan and the slim tree trunks in the mid-ground, for which I used a brush.  The black area surrounding the swan was left unpainted, having been primed with black gesso.

Monica

oil on canvasboard, 14" x 11"

This tonal study was an exercise in black and white, for which I used ivory black, payne's grey, and titanium white.

Ellis Creek Reeds and Trees in Winter

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

From a recent foray to one of my favorite spots in Petaluma.  The subtle color variations are so beautiful to me, especially when set against a gray sky.

Ballerina in Dark Blue Tutu

iPad painting, 14" x 10"

Was in the mood for a tutu, what can I say?  They're fun to paint.

Eclectic Love

iPad painting, 10" x 10"

I upgraded my iPad recently and noticed my go-to art app, ArtRage, had been upgraded as well.  This is my first digital painting in a square format, an unexpected perk of the upgrade.  I've only been able to produce digital art in a 10" x 14" format, for which I could choose either portrait or landscape perspective and nothing more.  Now that they've added the square format and a few other nice features (along with a few frustrating setbacks, imho), I'll be doing a lot more square digital paintings.  Now, if they would only upgrade again and actually give the artist complete control over format . . .