Sunday Painting: Golden Greenbelt

While some watch football, others paint. I think I have completed this piece.

Resolving Issues

Painting today began with my gull painting. I could tell I was not in harmony with that so I switched to the canvas above. I made some good progress though I think something is still not quite grabbing me. The storm rages on. I will sleep on this and come back to it again.

Painting Sketch

Today I was back in the studio painting working on my Coastal Vallemar piece. Do you ever get to that point where you wish you could press the undo button and get back to where you were before? That is how I felt today when I was struggling to get just the right intensity on the foreground weeds. The more I worked, the less sure I was. That was when it was time to loosen up with the above sketch. I grabbed a 8" x 10" canvas and decided to do the piece above as quickly as possible.

Untitled Coastal Vallemar Painting

I've been working on this 20" x 10" oil on canvas for the last week or so. I'm feeling it is almost finished. Alternately, I have been working on my gull painting I started in November. It's interesting to work on a nearly monochromatic painting along with this color rich piece. I keep gravitating to the sun filled colorful pieces rather than the more somber coastal gray day paintings.

Meanwhile, I studied the gull paintings by renowned Swedish Artist, Lars Jonsson last night in his new book that displays fabulous paintings in oils and watercolors expertly executed in beautiful simplicity in the field. It also shows drawings from his sketch books which are his field notes.

New Year's Inspiration

Today I hiked from Vallemar out around the water treatment plant across the hills of Mori Point looking for new inspiration. It was a lovely day and there were quite a few hikers out, but still peaceful enough for me to find my own quiet connection with my surroundings.



It almost seemed like spring with the willows beginning to form buds.

Above Mori Point I found new horizons for new art.
It was a revitalizing walk.

Old concrete highway dividers, an enviornmental eyesore on beautiful Mori Point, became a canvas of textural painted sculpture against the natural backdrop. As beautiful as they are, they still look foreign against the eroding hillside above it. They seem to have been planted by aliens.

Speaking of aliens... well actually native frogs... I was completely baffled by invisible singing frogs. When I got to the spot where they seemed to be, suddenly the frogs became silent. I looked and looked and they were absolutely nowhere to be seen. Is it possible they were burrowed underground?

Finishing Beaded Gourd Stitch Necklaces

I added a little bling from some recycled jewelry to the tiny #11 seed beads on one of my gourd stitch necklaces for a new twist. With Christmas on the way, this will make a nice gift for some lucky lady.

Below, some of my pets get into the act.

Small Works Show

My work is up ready for appreciation and sales.

Small Works Show and Sale

At home, I am visualizing what my 8' space is going to be like, and how I can arrange my work for the show.

My actual hanging turned out nothing like the my original layout. My space held far more than I imagined, so I added more work. The photo above indicates the need for more work in my generous space, so I brought in another group of paintings. I decided to keep all my paintings $200 or less thinking that it is better to make a little money than no money in these difficult economic times. Normally I would sell my larger canvases for twice this amount or more. Take advantage of this great offer!

I am also promoting my Gourd Stitch Snake Necklaces. These are fun to wear and make great gifts!

Good Gulls

In between computer hassles, internet modem/router connection issues, troubleshooting, tech support calls and those day to day issues, I have taken some refuge in painting between the struggles.

I'm working on gulls for a change of pace. Here is my work in progress. This oil painting is on a 20" x 16" canvasboard panel.

Chino Valley #3

Today I finished Chino Valley #3. I'm pleased with how I resolved the open areas that were too dark and abstract yesterday.

Continuing Chino Valley Series

Here is the completed Chino Valley #2 that I began yesterday. It is a 14" X 11' canvas.


Below is today's start of Chino Valley #3 that is a 20" x 16" canvas. I have to think about this one overnight and paint more tomorrow.

Chino Valley Paintings

These two paintings were inspired from my road trip from Las Vegas to Prescott. Chino Valley, Arizona was a beautiful sight as the sun sank into the horizon.


The painting above has one area I need to re-work on and re-photograph. I was finishing up just as it was twilight and the color isn't as good as it could be.

What is Art?

I think this is!

BTW: never eat sushi at a buffet in Las Vegas. I learned the hard way.

Birds after Storm

Our palm tree in front of the house has been the home for nesting Barn Owls. Apparently there is a youngster who is unable or refusing to leave the nest. Every night for weeks there has been a terrible screeching all night long as this bird begs for food. 2 birds were visible this morning after the storm of yesterday that removed more dead palm fronds.

My Coffeeberry shrub is fruiting in my mostly native front yard, and the berries just became ripe. Today the shrub was hopping. Robins and this Black-headed Grosbeak gorged on berries until the neighbor outdoor "bad cat" bird hunter showed up. I also glimpsed a bird that appeared to be an Eastern Warbling Vireo with the usual Pygmy Nuthatches and Chickadees. There was also a tremendous outbreak of termites that were thickly covering the pickets on the fence. Yikes!

Stormy Days . . .

Today our huge storm has hit so I am unable to photograph yesterday's work in natural light. For now, I will put these temporary photos in before a probable power outage!

This newest piece (above) is called "Joli's Apples". It is an 8" x 8" piece in progress. Below is the completed "From Mori to Marin". This canvas measures 14" x 11".

Completing Mori Point Paintings

Above: Sunday, October 12th I finished this panoramic painting of Mori Point looking south.
On Saturday I continued working on the above painting. I finished this smaller piece below, as well as working on another in my Mori Point Series.

Meanwhile, I am beading up a storm in the evenings. I am now working on my 5th tubular peyote stitch snake necklace but this one is in "my colors" rather than snake colors.

More Mori

The above painting is called Mori Point Tsunami completed yesterday. I worked on the painting below at the same time. It is called Mori Point Breaking and was conpleted today. These are both 10" x 8" oil on canvasboard and will be shown to sell at the Open Walls/ Small Works exhibit in December.

Everybody Loves Mori Point – New Work in Progress

I've been wanting to paint Mori Point for a long time but couldn't quite manage to haul my supplies there to do plein air work. I have taken lots of wonderful photos at Mori Point, and decided to reference those. Here is a 20" x 10" painting on canvasboard in progress.

These two oil paintings are details of Mori Point with surf. I've just started these and I plan to do them fast, keeping them fairly loose and a bit abstract. I'm working on these simultaneously. They are 10" x 8" on canvasboard.

Just to do something different, I've begun a portrait. I call this "The Wrong Dress". I was charmed by this rather serious little girl with porcelain skin who explained to me that her mom didn't want her to wear this dress to my niece's birthday party, but she has another one and she wanted to wear this. It's the first portrait I've done in oils in recent years. This has aspects that are wrong here, and I may just restart this one or move on! I find fast drying acrylic paint, that I used exclusively up until a couple years ago, much easier to handle for this type of work. I painted with oils at the SF Art Institute in the 70's when I worked much more slowly and was not as prolific.

California Oak Woodlands

Here are two more studies of oak trees in the golden California grass. Both paintings are 8" x 8" oil on canvasboard.

Snakes!

In addition to painting, I have been "beading" snakes. Shown above "in the wild" and shown below "close-up". They are stunning to wear and really make an impression. They make nature-oriented people look and wonder, "Red on Black . . . Red on Yellow?"

California Gold

I have been wanting to do some California Oaks with golden grasses. This was inspired from s trip to Yosemite over the weekend. This is an 8" x 8" painting on canvasboard.
I decided to do a whimsical interpretation of a sunflower in my garden. This is a 10" x 8" oil on canvasboard painting.

FInishing Studio Work

I finished this studio piece that is 16" x 18" on canvas. I began this last week.

September Trek

Today I finished the 18" x 24" version of Along Roberts Road that I am calling September Trek.

Finishing Work

Today I finished this painting that I will enter in the 2009 Bay Area Annual. I have to decide on its name. Tomorrow I plan to finish the other painting I have in progress - the large version of Along Roberts Road.