Snapper Study

oil on canvas board, 8" x 8"

Continuing with the fish theme, here's a study of a red snapper.

Trigger Happy

 

oil on panel, 6" x 6"

This quick little study of a colorful triggerfish was quite satisfying because it was something I could do within an hour.  I think he's happy, too.  Let's leave it at that.

Coastal Village

acrylic on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

Although you'd never know it from the colors, this abstract ditty was made from paint left over from the previous painting, Winter Garden.  When I finish a painting, if there is enough paint left over, I like to play with it and use it up because I customize my palette for the color needs of each painting and hate to waste the paint.  

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.  

Seahorse Study

 

oil on panel, 7" x 5"

With this quick little study of a seahorse, I'm just playing around a bit with composition, color, and techniques, using various tools for mark making, etc.  I find the seahorse to be such a magical little creature.  

Sunrise Over Pt. Reyes-Petaluma Road

 

oil on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

Here's another landscape study of a local scene.  I travel this road frequently, and it never fails to enchant me with its ever-changing scenery and light conditions.  Thinking of new beginnings in 2022 here.

Denman Silo with Grapevines

 

acrylic on panel, 9" x 12"

Last year at Christmastime, I painted the one remaining old vine at Denman Ranch and donated it to the owner, Ulysses Torassa.  This year, I've painted the silo for her from a photo I had taken in 2014, before these vines were removed.  It was a charming visage, and while I'm sad the vines are no longer there, the white fence with the silo and the roof of the barn visible behind it remain intact.

Tucker

 

acrylic on panel, 10" x 10"

This is a portrait of my former housemate Christine's beautiful little Westie, Tucker, who passed away earlier this year.  He was a real looker, and a great partner in crime to my little dog Lola.  They were so much fun to watch together, and became the closest of friends and thick as thieves as they plotted their shenanigans in tandem.  He is sorely missed.  RIP, sweetheart!

Abstracted Landscape Study 12-8-2021

acrylic on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

Here's another landscape ditty from my imagination, done with a palette knife.

Lorna

 

oil on canvas panel, 12" x 9"

This is a portrait of Lorna Simpson, an accomplished Black American multimedia artist who is known for her groundbreaking work in conceptual photography, which I'm including in a series of paintings of Black American artists, musicians, singers, poets, dancers and other creatives, many of whom I've only recently become aware of.

Black-necked Stork

oil on panel, 16" x 16"

This is a study of a black-necked stork I had started months ago, then got interrupted and lost my momentum on.  So, I gave it a time-out, then revisited the other day and decided to wrap it up.  I was intrigued by the name because this stork's neck actually has a beautiful blue-green irridescence, which plays beautifully off those vermillion legs.

Mare with Mustard

 

acrylic on canvas, 20" x 20"

This painting was meant as a companion piece to another horse painting I did a while back, a portrait entitled "Just Horsing Around."  

Gold Fish

 

acrylic on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

This was a quick study of a koi fish, and a great subject for limited time, which is all I seem to have lately.

Red and White Roses

acrylic on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

Sometimes I just need to paint without the least concern for details or the viability of the end result, and such was the case with this palette knife painting.  The inspiration for it came from a photo I had taken of a vase of roses on my outdoor table, and I wanted to see if I could push it toward abstraction.  As far as that goes, I think I achieved what I was after, which was a very satisfying experience.  Update, 11.22.2021:  I revisited this painting and felt the urge to add a few leaves, which I did with a brush.  Now it's done!

Hot Lava

 

acrylic on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

I've learned of yet another great under-appreciated Black American artist, Stanley Whitney, an abstract colorist painter.  Pouring over images of his beautiful paintings drove me to my easel to create my own colorful abstract piece.

Desert Flowers

 

oil on panel, 10" x 10"

This is a quick warmup painting for returning to oils after a long stretch of painting almost exclusively in acrylics.  Also a warmup for returning to landscapes, which I prefer to do in oil.

Beauford

 

acrylic on canvas panel, 12" x 9"

I was completely unaware of the great Black American painter Beauford Delaney (1901 - 1979) until I recently read an article on him in the New York Times.  He was a modernist painter and a colorist, and so I felt compelled to paint a colorful portrait of him as a way of paying homage to someone who should have been recognized and admired for his singular contribution to art long ago. 

A Warm Sunny Day

acrylic on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

Here's a little abstract composition I doodled the other day while bemoaning the end of summer.

Ringed Kingfisher

 

acrylic on canvas paper, 9" x 12"

Yet another bird study, this one is of a ringed kingfisher.  These little guys with their long beaks are found in habitats ranging from the southern U.S. to Mexico.  I think they're really cute.

A Perfect World

 

acrylic on canvas paper, 18" x 12"

This is a study of a flamingo resting on one leg, something flamingoes love to do.  I wanted to get the colors just right, but seeing as this is just a study, I stopped short of my objective.  I have enough to go on, though, if I want to try this again on panel.