Fall on Fire

oil on canvas, 6" x 8"

I suppose this little ditty could be called an abstracted landscape.  I used up every scrap of leftover paint on my palette to cover the canvas, thinking at the start about a photo I had just viewed of Central Park in the fall.  Soon after I began, however, the color relationships took over, and I dropped that idea.  I see Wolf Kahn's influence yet again.  

Update, 1/8/2018:  Extensive additional information on Wolf Kahn and his work can also be found here at www.artsy.net.

Wilson Hill Road Scene II

oil on canvasboard, 6" x 8"

Another plein air study, this one done from the same pullout along Wilson Hill Road in the Chileno Valley area west of Petaluma, but of a slightly different section of the view.  I intend to revisit this spot again soon, to focus on those beautiful black and white Holstein cows that frequently pass through this valley.  

Supermoon

oil on gessoboard panel, 6" x 8" 

This is my first attempt at a nocturnal plein air painting, again using only a palette knife.  I really wanted to capture that big round ball of a moon from the vicinity of my art studio, so I tried to work fast and furious as it was rising in the east over the hills of Sonoma.  While my lighting setup enabled me to see the panel well enough (the light source was set on a chair), my palette was in shadow throughout, and so I had to later adjust the values in the studio.  What a challenge!  

Brown Barn

acrylic on canvas, 12" x 16"

This is a palette knife painting in progress for which I used a reference photo.   Just a few more tweaks here and there, mostly to the mid-ground areas, and I'll call it done.  I do like the overall color harmony in this one, which plays well off the color of the barn.  Updated on 11/21:  the tweaks are in, and I'm calling it done.

Tomales Bay Ridge

oil on gessoboard, 6" x 8"

A palette knife plein air study done from a pullout overlooking Tomales Bay.  

Wilson Hill Road Scene

oil on canvasboard, 6" x 8"

This quickie palette knife plein air study was a race to capture the golden light of dusk before being engulfed in darkness yesterday.  I really wanted to capture the Holstein cows grazing in the foreground but didn't have time.  I hope to return to this spot soon and allow more time to get it done.  Still, it was a good workout.

Gretchen's Near

oil on canvasboard, 12" x 9"

This is a palette knife study of still water and background values.  I'm quite drawn to distant hills and live in an area that is full of variety in that respect.  This scene, though, reminds me more of those rugged karsts of Guilin, China.

Eucalyptus Stumps

iPad painting, 14" x 10"

A ten-minute sketch done while walking the dogs.  I love the various subtle colors to be found in eucalyptus trunks.

Tree of Life

acrylic on canvas, 18" x 24"

I've been wanting to paint this tree for a long time, as it captures my attention every time I drive by this wondrous thing.  Cows frequently gather underneath its shelter, and I love the tunnel that forms from within the curve of its trunk.  

Key Creek and Beyond

oil on hardboard panel, 12" x 12"

Another plein air palette knife painting, done from a pullout on Shoreline Highway near the town of Tomales, and a very colorful spot.

La La Land

acrylic on canvas, 20" x 20"

I just felt like transporting myself to a fantasy land, and this is where I went with that.  I may have another go at it, but for now, it goes in the time-out room.  I've been reading Hockney's "A Bigger Message" and I can see his influence pretty clearly here.

Preston Point

oil on canvasboard, 8" x 10"

This plein air palette knife sketch was done on a somewhat overcast day, yesterday, on a pullout along a stretch of the Shoreline Highway between the town of Tomales and Marshall, with Key Creek in the foreground.

Giacomini Wetlands

oil on canvasboard, 8" x 10"

This is an unretouched palette knife sketch (rare for me!) of a scene I've been wanting to paint for a long time.  I'm hoping to return to the scene for another go at it, a constantly changing colorama.  Update, 10/23:  I have replaced the unretouched image I had posted originally with the current one, having tweaked it here and there.

Oleander, Olive, and Pine

iPad painting, 14" x 10"

Another quick digital sketch done while on a walk with my dog.  

Potted Plant

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

A digital still life created without a visual reference.  I started this as an abstract, but one thing led to another, and . . . voila!

Eastside Petaluma, Early Autumn

iPad painting, 14" x 10"

Another digital painting here, since I haven't had time to do any actual painting lately.  I'm itching to get back to it and hoping to carve out some time next week, but this time of year is always challenging for me, with various life demands taking precedence.  

Neon Cosmo

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

A single flower, beautiful in its utter simplicity.  I found I couldn't add anything more to it.

Self Observation

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

This is a strange little sketch that came from just below my conscious awareness, as I was creating it while listening to a spiritual talk.  I am wanting to push through to new territory in my art, and digital art is a low-risk way of exploring that.  The title came to me from that mindset as well.  A psychiatrist could have a field day interpreting what it all means.

Flaming Archway

iPad painting, 10" x 14"

Another digital sketch done at Covelo Ranch, where the leaves were already in various stages of yellow, orange and red at the end of September.  This scene looks northward from the house and edge of a side garden toward the razed hay field and hills beyond.

Dogtown Eucs

iPad painting, 14" x 10"

I was on my way to Bolinas the other day and got stuck in a road construction delay, so I whipped out my iPad and painted the scene to my left.  It made the time go by lickety-split!