Acrylic on Panel - 6 x 6 inches
Trying to capture the motion and rhythm in the jazz tracks I was listening to.
November 19, 2016
November 18, 2016
Limonada
Acrylic on Panel - 8 x 8 inches
Spotted at the table by the window, I was fascinated by the light and they way her nose distorted with each long draw.
November 8, 2016
Strategy
Acrylic on Panel - 9 x 12 inches
I'm working on more abstracts in tandem with more traditional subjects.
November 7, 2016
Breezy
Acrylic on Panel - 9 x 12 inches
At the beach on a warm fall day. Often it's hard to tell what time of year it is here.
October 26, 2016
October 24, 2016
Taxi in the Red
Acrylic on Panel - 5 x 7 inches
Some of our taxis are red, and some special transit lanes are also now painted red, so on a rainy day, this makes for a rather interesting combination.
September 14, 2016
Tree Study
Acrylic on Panel - 7 x 5 inches
Usually when I paint outdoors, I become overwhelmed with the range of greens in a scene. I'm always amazed at the amount of orange one can add to green colors and still have them read as green. Timothy Horn is a master of this.
Most often, I finish a landscape piece, clean my brushes, and then step back and see I've got it completely wrong. I see all the darks as being equal, but they can't be. Ditto for the green shades lit by the sun and those in shadow. I just can't get it right.
So this time I thought I'd work on just that, and not worry about composition or making a good painting.
The tree in the foreground really stood out in real life. I tried so hard to make it work, by making the background trees lighter, cooler, looser etc. I can't tell you how much white went into those background tones, but I think it is still, ultimately, a failure. There's still not enough separation.
There are good, happy moments, better than usual, but still a long way to go.
September 12, 2016
Entrance
I've painted this side of the building many, many times, but I see and learn something new each time. We all know that shadows are cool and lean toward blue and purple shades, but I finally saw why the main entrance shadows are warmer. They are including the reflected light from the terracotta path in front of them.
I still didn't get the colors right, but I'm moving in a more informed direction.
Entrance
I've painted this side of the building many, many times, but I see and learn something new each time. We all know that shadows are cool and lean toward blue and purple shades, but I finally saw why the main entrance shadows are warmer. They are including the reflected light from the terracotta path in front of them.
I still didn't get the colors right, but I'm moving in a more informed direction.
August 9, 2016
Yuzu
Acrylic on Panel - 8 x 8 inches (not available) §
Someone brought this homemade yuzu jam. Tangy!
August 8, 2016
Peaches
Acrylic on Panel - 8 x 8 inches
I remember this time of year bearing an abundance of corn and tomatoes, but I didn't expect so many peaches at the market.
July 21, 2016
Parade Watch
Acrylic on Panel - 9 x 12 inches
I tried a bigger version of this, but I found the reference photo didn't have enough reference details for me to be working at this size/detail ratio.
July 19, 2016
July 17, 2016
Rusty Three
Acrylic on Panel - 8 x 10 inches
I tried a very simplified version of this scene, starting with a very dark purple underpainting and then carving the trees out from the background with the bright greens.
July 5, 2016
Garden Path
Acrylic on Panel - 8 x 10 inches
Those red tries are like a bullfighters cape, taunting me to paint them. Promising me it will be easy. Never letting me get more than "almost" there.
July 3, 2016
Egg Hunt
Acrylic on Panel - 5 x 7 inches
A quick sketch from a pic I snapped during the annual egg hunt this Spring.
June 12, 2016
Even Supergirl Likes a Cold One as Much as the Next Guy
Acrylic on Panel - 9 x 12 inches
I spotted Supergirl enjoying a frosty pint while watching the Bay to Breakers.
June 10, 2016
Weather Check
Acrylic on Panel - 9 x 12 inches
You never know what the weather is going to be in SF, from moment to moment, from neighborhood to neighborhood.
I wonder if future generations will wonder why so many paintings from the teens are of solitary figures looking at small rectangular objects in their hands.
June 9, 2016
Hill Rise II
June 8, 2016
Hill Rise
Acrylic on Panel - 6 x 5 inches
Trying to stay focused on color and not detail, I think I've managed to get the most accurate golden straw color yet. The trees, not so much.
Here's one I did on the iPhone later in the day that has more of the feel I was trying to get.
June 7, 2016
June 6, 2016
East Wing
Acrylic on Panel - 6 x 6 inches
I tried to simplify wherever possible, but still got mired in the details, so I scraped it off.
A bit looser on the second go, but still not what I was aiming for.
June 2, 2016
Garden Pathway
Acrylic on Panel - 5 x 7 inches
This was a quick sketch, trying to ignore small details, and staying focused on areas of color. Not as easy as it sounds. I did a few other versions, some before, and some after. Some in ink and some in ArtRage on the iPad.
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May 31, 2016
May 4, 2016
Up Alamo
Acrylic on Canvas - 18 x 18 inches
Another view of the edge of Alamo Square Park. I've just discovered that the park is going to be closed for improvements for 9 months (and these things always go long). Could make this whole series more valuable in the interim. Ahem.
April 28, 2016
Tacos
Acrylic on Panel - 4 x 6 inches
The neon sign was so cool that they kept it even after the taco place changed to an asian fusion place. They still have one taco on the menu out of respect. I really loved the way it flooded the building with red hot light.
April 27, 2016
Parade Watch
Acrylic on Cardstock - 4 x 6 inches
This woman was watching the cherry blossom parade from her balcony, but she didn't seem very interested.
April 26, 2016
April 25, 2016
April 15, 2016
Coffe and Spoon
Acrylic on Panel - 6 x 6 inches
The title says it all. It was very challenging to get a wooden spoon on a wood coast to read as a separate object.
April 14, 2016
April 4, 2016
Fruit Trees (update)
Acrylic on Panel - 6 x 6 inches
Original sketch.
Time to Reflect
I haven't been painting a lot this year yet, because I've been drawing a lot and working on other design projects. And I've been observing and thinking, and a few things that I've learned in past workshops and books I've read have started to resonate and the concepts I'm learning in photography and design are having me look at my paintings (the ones that are still in my studio) with a new eye.
For example, I've always liked this little scene, because it reminds me of a happy place. But I think that since my mind memory fills in for where the painting fails, I was able to look at it objectively.
Color and Value
So I put it against my checklist of what makes a painting work and how does one communicate what was intended and then made the necessary adjustments. No real changes to composition, but to color and value. Who was it that told me ages ago, that if you want something to look warmer, put some cooler colors nearby. Yeah, those kind of concepts are now resurfacing as I look at other painter's work and my own.
March 10, 2016
Concourse Trees (update)
Acrylic on Panel - 30 x 30 inches
Another update to a painting that never seemed quite finished. I added a tree in the foreground/right and lighted the cast shadows. I need to go paint this one on location sometime. My photo reference only hints at the great play of light that was really going on.
March 8, 2016
Panhandle Promenade (update)
Acrylic on Panel - 9 x 12 inches
I found this one lying around and thought I'd try and improve it a bit. For once it actually worked and I didn't ruin it. Just wanted to get some more color in the brightly lit areas.
January 28, 2016
Through the Trees
Acrylic on Canvas - 8 x 16 inches
One of my favorite things to do outside of painting is walking through the park. I see something different every day. This is my entry to the Daily Paintworks' "Escape the Snow" challenge.
January 8, 2016
Pantone Girl
Acrylic on Panel - 5 x 7 inches
My submission for this weeks Daily Paintworks 2016 Pantone Challenge. Pantone has named Rose Quartz and Serenity as the official colors for the year. In theory combining them can result in harmony and, well, serenity. I think I managed to come up with something almost disturbing.
January 7, 2016
The Page and the Light
Acrylic on Panel - 11 x 14 inches
Another view of a local watering hole, during the day this time.
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