Alamo Gold

Acrylic on Panel - 24 x 36 inches - Click Here to Bid

Coincident of my new series on Alamo Square Park, the Daily Paintworks Challenge for this week is the Four Tube Challenge, where one is supposed to only use 4 colors –  white, cadmium yellow medium, cadmium red medium, and phthalo blue. I substituted black for the blue.

Again, there is no blue in this painting, it just looks that way because of the other colors, and the mind wants to decipher the sky as blue. This illusion is further enhance because of what Photoshop, my camera and this web browser are doing to the image.

Having just posted this picture, I already want to change a few things, which is why it's not for sale, yet. I could say that about most of my posts, but this time I know I really am going to change this a bit, in the next few days.

A Kimbo

Acrylic on Panel - 6 x 6 inches - Click Here to Bid

Finally got a challenge painting done before the deadline. This week is the Splace of Color Challenge, where one is supposed to take a b/w photo and reimagine the colors, mixing different hues but aiming to keep the values the same. I chose a photo someone posted on Facebook from their childhood. I hope they don't mind. Ahem. 

Park Strut

Acrylic on Panel - 4 x 6 inches - Click Here to Bid

A week late with my submission to the Daily Paintworks "Quick Photo Challenge", but as they say better late than never.

The challenge is really a skill developing exercise. You are to look at a scene or photo for 60 seconds, and then try to paint just the figure from memory.

I mentally mapped out the background as a reference. Three strong horizontals, which coincidently crossed the figure at the neck, just below the waist and between the knee and ankle.  I had to laugh. I guess this is how I think of a scene now, using the landscape to situate the figure.

With that in mind I focuses on the shapes of the figure. Head, waist, elbow, shoes. The colors would be easy to remember, but the angles and masses were harder.

My first go was OK, but I had the relationships wrong off the bat. I could see the handbag was too big, and arm too long, so I quickly dabbed over them.

I cheated a little when I was done with the exercise, and peeked at the photo. I had forgotten the shadow on the legs, so I put those in and filled in the background with quick strokes, again, not looking at the photo any more.

This lesson was interesting and had me looking at things differently all day.

Alamo Hill

Acrylic on Panel - 9 x 12 inches - Click Here to Bid

Going through some uncharacteristic views of Alamo Square Park,  because it's right nearby and it was one of the first places in SF that made me really glad I moved here, all those many years ago. Again, sticking with the Zorn palette of black, white, red and yellow. Any blue you might see is an illusion.

I love how in SF you can do a vertical street scene and the sidewalk can go the height of the piece in just one block!

Sorry, not for sale at this time. I've got a show coming up and I think it's going to be focused around Alamo Square. Updates to follow.

Balboa Cafe

Acrylic on Panel - 6 x 6 inches - SOLD

This was the week of the Premix Color Challenge at Daily Paintworks. The basic concept is to mix puddles of all the colors you think you'll need for the finished painting and then just try to use those mixes. It was an interesting way to work. It really had me thinking more about what colors I might need and what I was really seeing. Very different from the way I usually work, but one that I liked.

Here's my puddles below.