City Hall Nocturne

Acrylic on Canvas Board 11 x 14 SOLD

Done from a photograph (viewed on my computer screen, not printed out) this shows City Hall in SF when they were displaying a simulcast of the opera on a big screen on City Hall. They had lots of orange lanterns hung up throughout the park.

Mission Angle 2

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

I used the previous painting as a guide and tried to get it to more simple abstract shapes.

Mission Angle

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

I thought I might try just a close cropped section of one of the buildings, trying to make the composition a little more abstract, while still including detail.

Mission Cross

Acrylic on Canvas Board 11 x 14 - SOLD
Another view of one of the missions. I've forced the perspective a bit (because I can) to try and get a better combination of reality and abstract composition.

Tomales Bay (study)

Acrylic on Canvas Board

This quick study was to try and capture the magical quality of light at the end of the day that I knew would not appear in the quick snapshots I took of the scene. Later I went back and painted this from photos, but it actually got worse!

Mission Tower

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

Not sure why I raked this at an angle, but that's how I photographed it, so I must have had a good reason. Right? I think the broken color and looseness of this one turned out better than most of the rest of the Mission series.

Mission View

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

Parts of the architecture look crooked, but that's how this mission looks. Really. Honest. It has been lovingly restored by a caretaker who lived there for years, and they were having a service when I was there.

Mission Palms

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

Only a hint of the Mission.

Mission Arch

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

The disadvantage to working from photographs is compounded when working from bad photographs! I liked the arch, but shot it with terrible exposure on a very overcast day. White arch, white sky. Not a great idea.

Andrea's Tractor

Acrylic on Canvas Board

Painted from a photograph of a miniature tractor I took at Jim's in New Mexico. I had painted this a while ago, but came back to it with some of the chop's I've developed over the past year or so. The composition is still horrible, but the quality of the painting is improved. Sorry I don't have the original to show the contrast. Just as well, really.

Pool Tree

Acrylic on Canvas Board

I painted this quick study later in the evening, and the air was getting cooler, so again, the paint behaved more like oil and wouldn't dry like it usually does.

Sacred Heart (study)

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

I had  a little left over paint on my palette and some time to kill, so I did a quick sketch of the church tower I can see from my apt. It's usually lit up quite dramatically, but it was pretty overcast so it was flat, and equally lit on the East and North sides. Just a fun exercise really.

Orange Flower

Acrylic on Cord Board

Thought I'd try a quick simple study of one of these flowers that came from the Divisadero Farmer's Market. Trying to resist painting petals, and just painting shapes, planes shadows etc.

Under the Umbrellas

Acrylic on Canvas Board  SOLD
Reading up a bit of Kevin McPhearson's book last night, so I'm trying to remember to paint the planes, which should be easy with an umbrella, while still incorporating his concept of "broken color", but it just seems more dappled here.

Yellow Porch

Acrylic on Canvas Board

On location in Sonoma with my dad again. Trying to stay loose is challenging with so many architectural shapes. So, I tried to speed things up and finish this in an hour. No such luck. I think it was closer to two hours, and not really what I'd call finished, though I doubt I'll go back to it. I just don't think the composition really works.

Two Barns

Acrylic on Canvas Board

On location in Sonoma again. The light here was great, but as usual, constantly shifting.

Blue Umbrellas

Acrylic on Canvas Board - (Destroyed)
On location at C. Donatiello, a local winery with my dad. We got there early, and started painting before the staff arrived. When they did arrive, the first thing they did was park right in front of where my dad was set up, blocking the view he was painting. Then they looked at his painting, with no thought to moving the car, looked at my painting, and then opened all the umbrellas. Ha!

Driveway Trees 2

Acrylic on Canvas Board

That big tree from the other angle. Trying to stay very loose and just capture the light and shadow areas.

Driveway Trees

Acrylic on Canvas Board

So much looser than last year. Maybe too loose for some, but I'm liking the tones and shadows in the trees.

Three Umbrellas

Acrylic on Canvas Board Ω
Back up North and by the pool. Definitely a little looser than last year's attempts. That tree still looks kinda flat though.

Fiery Hills

Acrylic on Canvas Board

Out in the fields, trying to capture that sunset glow. The sky is too blue for this time of day, and it contains none of the orangey light. The hills are too cheese doodle orange. One of the major problems is that I think I finished the sky early and as the light shifted, and I was working on the hills, I didn't go back and check the sky. 

I may rework this one to make it more congruous. Maybe.