Tree Sketch

Digital Finger Paint on iPhone

I added the nifty application Brushes to my iPhone. This is a quick sketch I did while traveling to test it out. It pales in comparison to some of the provided samples. If you're interested, check out the examples on their website.

One artist actually did a cover for the New Yorker using this app.

The Wiggle

Marker on Paper

Back in town and ramping up for painting...

Well, at least I'm sketching again. Paintings will be coming soon. Very busy doing that thing that pays the bills at the moment.

This is a sketch of a local street scene that I really want to paint. Hopefully soon. I live on "the Wiggle" which is a series of dedicated bicycle lanes/paths that worms its way through the neighborhood, on its way to Golden Gate Park.

Bolinas Yard

Acrylic on Cardstock

A quick sketch from a photo from this Summer. (ah, remember Summer?)

I was trying to work in some things I've been learning about depth, distance and perspective. Tryin' I tell ya.

Naturally, there's gonna be a bit of a lag in posting again, due to the season, holidays etc. And if Santa brings me an xBox, then all bets are off.

All the best, Gringo.

Three Palms

Acrylic on Cardstock sold

From a photo of a view I really like in my neighborhood. I hope to do a bigger version of this, and even some on site plein aire sketches. This one is just a quick sketch from a terrible photo from my iPhone.

Mt. Fuji

Acrylic on Canvas Paper

Finally. Playing with paint again! Believe it or not, I really did miss it.

Here's a fairly boring painting of what is the highest mountain in Japan, an active volcano, and a truly magnificent sight. My apologies, Fuji-san.

Freeway to Kyoto

Marker on Paper

Another sketch from the trip. New paintings coming tomorrow.

Distant Mountain

Marker on paper

I have been absent for a while, but this should give a clue as to my whereabouts. Didn't bring paint, 'cause I knew there'd be no time, but I did manage a few sketches. It was driving me a little nuts not to have my paints with me. Not only was there no end of wonderful things to see, but I went to a lot of great museums too.

Now that I'm back, painting will resume tonight.

Refraction

Acrylic on Cardstock

This started as another abstraction of the dairy barn, but along the way it took enough turns that it has lost all connection to the reference.

Dairy Abstract

Acrylic on Cardstock

Ah, yes. Plenty of paint already mixed out into little puddles on the palette, so I thought I'd distill the last composition into some basic shapes, keeping relative placement – the distance is less rich in color, the barn face the brightest and warmest. I could do these all day, though I'm not sure I'd gain anything by it.

Dairy Barn

Acrylic on Cardstock

I have a lot of reference photos from this ranch, so I thought I'd see if I could work on the values and color temperatures for this one. The light was changing rapidly while I was there, but this shot captured a lot of those different values. The sky in the back was grey and cloudy, but the sun had suddenly poked through warmly flooding the foreground. It's probably one of those kind of scenes that an instructor might steer you away from, but it really does remind me of the weather that day.