Vintner's House

Acrylic on Panel - 5 x 7 inches

Back at the vineyard, I decided to paint the owner's house. He was not impressed. Me neither, now that I think about it.

Orange Forklift

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

A painter I took a workshop with told the story of painting a cow looking at him over the fence at a farm. He was painting this for a plein air shootout contest. After a little while the cow wandered off and he wondered how he was ever gonna finish the piece. Just short of the closing bell, he was considering whipping the main figure out, when he looked up and saw that the same cow had returned to look at him. He quickly sketched in the rest of the figure and turned in his piece. Did he win? I can't remember.

In any case, this is pretty much what happened to me with this forklift. The sky was still purple in the early morning, and the building were starting to glow white/yellow and the bright little orange forklift was just sitting there. A voice in my head said "you'll never be so lucky", and sure enough after about half an hour someone came and drove it away.

And then just before I was going to pack up, it reappeared. 

Town Square

Acrylic on Panel - 5 x 7 inches - Click Here to Bid

The fountain and gazebo smack in the middle of town. 

Styled Vineyard Flat

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

... so I really simplified it for my second version.

Styled Vineyard

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

I chose to focus on a small piece of the landscape with a mind towards making it more abstract...

Vine Ridge

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

Another scene with grape-heavy vines, trees, straw fields and blue skies. The week was full of 'em.

Fruit Trees

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

These are my dad's fruit trees. Well, some of them. 

Sonoma Hills

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

I found a nice spot in the shade and saw this great view up and around the vineyard.  

Tasting Room Red

Acrylic on Panel - 6 x 6 inches - Sold

This is the planted garden at the entrance to a tasting room in Sonoma. I made this a lot more complicated before I simplified it. Should have started with that.

Cheese at the Market

Acrylic on Panel - 6 x 6 inches - SOLD

It was a grey cloudy morning at the farmer's market, but I liked the way this little bit of white peaked out from beneath the red tent of the cheese merchant. I meant to add in lots of people once I'd sorted out the scene, but I got so good at ignoring them as I worked on the truck that I forgot to add them back in, except for the few on the edges.

Eucalyptus

Acrylic on Panel - 8 x 10 inches - Sold

I've never painted these peeling trees before, though I have often wanted to. Finally found myself standing in a field, face-to-face with a whole bunch of 'em. So, this happened.