Roses 2

Acrylic on Postcard

A quicker looser version of the roses card. Just building up a vocabulary of paint, color and application.

Cowgirl

Acrylic on Canvas Paper   SOLD
I don't do a lot of figures, but thought I should probably start trying it. This is from a photo I took of my chauffeur on a drive to Santa Barbara. This is really small, but I might use it as a study for something bigger and more finished. Hmmm....

Roses

Acrylic on Postcard

When I'm done with a painting and still have a palette full of paint, and a little time on the clock, I've started painting on top of postcards doing quick sketches. Sometimes I represent what was originally on the card, and sometimes I just use that as a jumping off point.

Last Spring I met an painter in SF at an open studio who uses a similar approach for her paintings. She mostly did industrial landscapes, so I asked if she painted outdoors or from photos. She said she took photos, had them blown up and transfered to big canvases and then she painted on top, to varying degrees. Some looked like they had very little paint on them at all!

Golden Fields 2

Acrylic on Canvas Paper - 11.5 x 6 inches SOLD

Thought I'd give that landscape another go, trying to be looser and getting some more cool colors into the shadows.

Night at the DeYoung

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

Painted from a photo (too cold to sit out here at night), but I really like the super bright lighting on the trees there against the smoky sky, just as the sun was disappearing.  Again, I picked something I thought would be easy which turned out to be a real struggle. I should really have done a second, because once I've worked out a lot of the issues it's usually easier to do a better version right away. I just struggled on this so much I didn't have the energy to attempt a second one. 

Alamo Trees

Acrylic on Canvas Paper SOLD

A quick study of the trees in Alamo Square, towards sunset. Trying to keep the palette very narrow, since there tends to be less colors as the sun starts to fade.

Golden Fields

Acrylic on Canvas Paper SOLD

I love the mixed up Sonoma summer, where the trees are green and the ground is gold. Makes for amazing views at the end of the day. I have taken tons of photos of scenes like this and have been saving them to paint from, so you'll probably be seeing more like this in the future.

Yellow Garage 2

Acrylic on Canvas Paper - 8 x 10 inches SOLD

I was fairly unhappy with my first stab at this, so I thought I'd try again. I considered different styles and picked a more shape-oriented approach, starting with a solid dark orange background, and then just putting in the major shapes without blending the edges. I think it's a bit more visually exciting and emphasizes the geometry in a way that I wanted. I'm just not sure it's "me".

Yellow Garage

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

Trying to stay loose while painting a simple bit of architecture. I should really be painting fruit or trees or something a little more organic. I've just had this photo kicking around and had always meant to paint it. Again, what I thought would be really simple was deceptive.

Orange Trio

Acrylic on Canvas Paper - sold
Trying another Carol Marine type study. She makes it look so easy, and I thought 3 round orange balls would be easy too, but I really struggled with these. Hard shadows and brightest highlights are simple enough, but getting the rest to look round and have the right tone was tricky. 

Pink Brush

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

I had some more time on the clock and paint on the palette, so I whipped out another sketch of something that was nearby. For some reason, the ones I'm trying less on work out better. Hmmmm. Maybe I was just warmed up. Maybe picking something less daunting makes a better subject for a beginner. Hmmmmm.

Crumpled Turquoise

Acrylic on Postcard

Another PCAG postcard.

Oranger

Acrylic on Postcard

Another exercise for my patriots at the Art League Now group for the Post Card Arts Gang. Be sure to look them up and the great San Rafael artist, Foo Dan Waela. 

Blueside

Acrylic on Postcard

Another abstract, based on a postcard. I think one of the things I enjoyed in doing these, is that even though I gessoed the cards first, they were still quite slick and smooth, so I had to slap the paint on kind of thick and wet, and work fast. I'm usually so stingy with the paint, but this forced me to glop it on. I might have to find a way to do the same at larger sizes.

Redside

Acrylic on Postcard

2009 is here, and I'm back. 

I'm starting the year off with a few abstracts I worked up for the Post Card Arts Gang. I like how the loaded colors on the brush bring more lively color combinations together and the quick brush strokes allow some of the under colors to show through, without getting muddy.

Wish I could keep it this loose when trying to capture a scene on location. Not a resolution, just something to aim for this year.