I started this painting in 2020 during the COVID lockdown period. I kept imagining a little piece of paradise floating in tropical waters. It was all but finished except that it needed a figure, and I remained undecided forever about it . . . that is, until recently. Even though isolation can foster a feeling of NOT belonging, I wanted the figure in this scene to have a sense of place, of belonging there, as if isolation is a chosen thing.
This nude study is based on a painting by Guillaume Seignac, entitled "The Awakening of Psyche." I'm planning to attend a figure painting workshop this summer and feel the need to paint nudes to kind of get in shape for the workshop.
Just a doodle based on a Peter Wileman painting, playing around with color and shape here. I like the color combos and the overall composition.
This is my third portrait of Amy Winehouse, who never ceases to fascinate me. With this portrait, I wanted to capture her edgier side. She came off much more innocent in my first try, then the second I left unfinished, as I wasn't happy with it. I like this one, though. I feel I got what I was after with it. There was often an undercurrent of anger in her, but that was also part of her appeal, her fire. A highly emotional singer, she didn't hold back.
This is a quick study that I rendered for a larger painting I envision that may not look much like this one when I'm done. This was just to get familiar with the figure's contours. I wanted an elongated torso a la Modigliani, so I exaggerated it on this figure based on the Matisse sculpture "Reclining Nude."
Here's another painting from New Mexico. I used to drive by this scene in Arroyo Seco on my way to Taos Ski Valley, and as the sun was setting, it would light up Taos Mountain with shades of pink, crimson, and maroon as the sun slowly sank out of sight, giving credence to the monicker Sangre de Cristo.
This is the view I had from my kitchen window in Arroyo Seco, NM. This scene frequently mesmerized me with the ever-changing moods of that mountain. It seemed like a living, breathing thing.
This portrait was done from a photo of my deceased partner's daughter, Rose, when she was around 20 years old and still living in the U.K. I thought it would make a fun portrait. She is a fantastic person, funny and cheeky, and feels like a sister to me.
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.
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.
This painting started life as an abstract exploration of yellow, black and grey, inspired by the colors of a MiniCooper I had seen on the road that was mostly grey with black accents, a yellow grill and yellow ears. I like this particular color combo with the various mixes it produces, especially the green/greys. The yellow warbler just seemed like a natural fit.
Here's another painting on the theme of feminine mystique, which is turning into a series, it seems. I get a kick out of paintings that tell a story, and this one is up for grabs -- my favorite kind!
This was just an exercise to loosen up with some figures and experiment with composition. A loose interpretation of Bouguereau's The Birth of Venus, I simplified and went more abstract in places just to see how far I could push it.
Just playing with color here, and abstract shapes. Somehow, a dog insisted on making an appearance. There you go!
This painting was inspired by the work of Flora Yukhnovich, a British painter who pushes disrupted realism to a new level. After reading about her and pouring over her pieces, I felt like playing with paint and pushing the boundaries of realism myself. It was fun and freeing, and I plan to do more of it!
Ellis Creek in Petaluma has long been a favorite source of landscape painting inspiration for me, with its great variety of terrain, including marshes, ponds, grasses and distant hills, not to mention avian wildlife in the form of herons, egrets, swans, stilts, and many other winged species. It's an ever changing ecosystem there and I never get tired of it.
The white ibis is said to be a symbol of optimism and good luck, which I could use a bit of right now. With this painting, here's hoping the new year uplifts the spirit and brings good luck to all.
This portrait of the great jazz saxophonist John Coltrane is the latest in a portrait series I'm doing on extraordinary Black American musicians, artists, and other creative types. In addition to being a trail blazer in contemporary jazz, Coltrane was a spiritual seeker and wanted to bless people through his music. Years after his death, he was canonized by the African Orthodox Church.
I'm on a palm tree kick right now, as I gear up for a narrative painting that includes palm trees. This one is of palm trees near Hanalei, Hawaii on the island of Kauai.
It's been a while since I last painted a butterfly or moth, so here's a little painting of a beautiful moth.
The capped heron is, to me, one of the most beautiful birds in the world. The colors, I mean, c'mon, that turquoise beak against the warm yellow of the breast is inspired!
This is an alla prima portrait of Waris Dirie, a Somali model and activist who was the subject of the film "Desert Flower." I saw that film some years ago and had nightmares over it. The subject matter was, essentially, female genital mutilation (FGM), a horror that was visited on Waris at the age of 5. As a teenager, she fled her homeland, scraped by in England for a while, and was eventually saved by her beauty, forging a very successful modeling career. Later, she opened up about her early childhood trauma, helping to bring the issue of FGM out into the open. Her bravery is simply staggering.
I've had it in mind to do this painting for a long time, so it shouldn't have surprised me how quickly it came about. I had done a loose digital version of this figure a long while back that I quite liked, but I'm happy with this version, too. My aim was to evoke a sense of deep relaxation, and I achieved that, at least to my satisfaction.
Don't know what got into me, but here it is, a narrative painting of a love triangle. I used a still from the French film, "La Baie des Anges," for the two figures on the left, then added a third figure to complete the story. I decided to leave her hair sketchy and barely painted because when I stepped back to look with fresh eyes, it seemed to shimmer and glow, so what you see is mostly bare canvas. Overall, I'm happy that I pretty much was able to execute my vision for this painting.
A study in greens was the purpose of this exercise. I like pairing cool and warm greens side by side.
It's back to the birds with this painting of an Australian magpie, an accomplished songbird, apparently, with quite an array of vocalizations. Having never heard its song, at least I tried to make the painting sing.
I took the opportunity to work through some issues in paint here. It was cathartic.
This is the result of my desire to make a painting with the complementary pairing of reds and greens exclusively. I chose these two red hollyhocks because they are among my favorites.
I started this study months ago, then got distracted and so it went into the timeout zone. When that happens, sometimes the painting becomes a guinea pig for experimentation. Such was the case with this one.
Just a quick little palette knife study of a cloud system over a flat landscape. I like the role the gray plays in this one.
Here's a quick little fish study, just trying to loosen up here and push some paint around. This was painted in my new (old) art studio on the property where I live. I'm excited to be in that bright space once again, having toughed it out the last 3+ years working under artificial light. Updated 9.28.2022: Made a few tweaks here and there.
Another bird study, this one of a wompoo fruit dove which is native to New Guinea and Australia. Such a beautiful red breast, I had to paint it!
Just having some fun here with a semi-abstract rendition of a short round green vase with pink and white flowers of an indeterminate genus.
Been wanting to paint these two compadres for a while, and just decided to jump in and get it done. The aptly named cattle egret consumes the ticks and flies it finds on its bovine buddy, which makes them perfect for each other!
Just felt like painting a cow, this time a young Holstein (my favorite!). I love the sweetness that comes through their eyes.
With so much of the country sweltering this summer, I thought I'd put a cool drink out there to meditate on.
