"California Street"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

This is the view looking west on California Street. I love taking photos from the middle of the street but it really seems to aggravate the taxi drivers.

I'll have an assortment of 6x6" paintings available on DailyPaintworks this month. The price for an unframed painting is $175 plus shipping. You can check em out here: My DPW Gallery

"Larkin and Broadway"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50"

I got back from Maine just in time to hang the "50/50" show. It was fun seeing what the other artists have come up with. I'm really impressed with the overall quality of the work I saw. There is so much great work and most of the prices are so low, I'm not surprised this show has become as popular as it is. If you're interested in coming I suggest going to the ticketed preview, which is ten dollars if you buy in advance. For more info click here.

I had a wonderful, relaxing time in Maine and even managed to take a few pictures to paint from. My only goal for the two weeks was to spend time with family and swim every day regardless of the weather. Spending time with family was easy, swimming every day had its challenging moments. Especially the time my daughter and I went swimming in the bone-chilling ocean in a freezing downpour.

I'm excited to work on paintings for "Waterfront" which opens at the Studio Gallery on September 4th. It will be nice to work on some larger pieces after spending the last month primarily painting 6x6s. I'll post paintings and more info soon.

"Ferry Building"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #20

"Clouds over Filbert"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #19

"West on Broadway"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #18

"Cafe at Dusk"

6x6" oil on Gessobord - sold

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #17

"Golden Hour"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #16

"Looking North on Polk"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #15

"Jones at Glover"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #13

"Last Light, Downtown"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #12

"Narrow Street, Telegraph Hill"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #11

"View of Alcatraz from Hyde"

6x6" oil on Gessobord - sold

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #10

"Hyde and Lombard"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" # 9

"Crossing Grant"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #8

Every painting is an act of faith. I'm finding that especially true with these little cityscapes. You have to have faith that if you keep going and trust your instincts the painting will probably work out. I think it was Richard Schmid who said you should be able to stop at any point during the painting and it would look good. Interesting idea, but that certainly isn't how it works for me.

"Electric Bus"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #7

"Mission Alley"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #6

The alleys in San Francisco are interesting in that they allow you to see the backs of the houses. Many houses have unusual additions which make for inspiring shapes to paint. This particular house had lavender colored garage doors, what more could you want?

"Last Light, Side Street"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #5

"Cranes over Polk Street"

6x6" oil on masonite

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #4

"Tree Lined Street"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #3

Some city scenes are easier than others to break down into simple shapes. I think there are less than ten in this one. The idea is to get the shapes in place and then add just a bit of detail.

"Alley Shadows"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Sanchez Art Center, "50/50" #2

One of the nice thing about doing small panels is that it encourages experimentation. There was something about this scene that appealed to me but I wasn't sure I wanted to try it on a larger canvas.

I bought some small brushes for this project (size 4 and 6 princeton 6300 brights) but I'm finding them frustrating to use. I'm mostly using a large brush, size 8. The smaller brushes don't hold enough paint! The 4 is good for windows though, so I guess it's good to have.