"Maine Backyards"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

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Well I dropped off my cocktail paintings and a few other food related pieces at the Studio Gallery for the "Delicious" show. The reception is this Sunday from 2-6pm, so come on by if you're in SF!

I had a request from Nancy Standlee in response to yesterday's post. She'd like me to mention some of the newer artists I've been enjoying. The truth is, lately I've been spending most of my time looking at DPW artists. I've been making my way down the list, checking out everyone's blog. I find I'm constantly surprised and inspired by the work I'm seeing.

As for non-DPW artists, one of my faves is Tollef Runquist. I saw some of his work at the Dowling Walsh Gallery in Maine last summer. I love that he takes risks, he seems to operate outside of any sort of comfort zone.

When I first started painting I admired artists with great control. I find my taste is changing. I'm no longer as inspired by finesse. I'm drawn to artists committed to growth and discovery, artists who are responding honestly to the world around them in their own unique way. According to David Hockney there's a Chinese proverb that states that art cannot be made without the hand, the eyes and heart. 

I've recently been impressed by the work of some artists new to painting. Most beginning painters haven't yet developed a comfort zone. They're reaching, experimenting, struggling and often creating inspiring work in the process. So I guess the short answer to Nancy's question is, I'm currently enjoying the work of beginning painters and experienced risk takers.

"Spooning Tea Cups"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

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I've painted cups in the past but not with much luck. I'm mostly inspired to paint landscapes, people and hard liquor, but it's nice to mix it up a bit. I'm aware that I'm in Carol Marine territory here! My recent still lifes actually inspired an email asking if I'd taken one of her workshops. I haven't had the pleasure, I hear she's a wonderful teacher, but the question got me thinking about the way I learned to paint.

I'm primarily a self-taught painter. I started eight years ago at the age of 38 with no previous art experience at all. I'm a "do it yerself" kinda guy, so when I started yearning for real paintings on the walls instead of prints I dug in and did some research. 

My art education started at the library. I checked out piles of books on oil painting. Books by Charles Sovek, Emile Gruppe and Kevin MacPherson. Once I got started I realized painting was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Two things kept me going. First, I remained optimistic. Second, I was completely delusional. Work I then proclaimed "PIVOTAL" or "GROUNDBREAKING", now leaves me scratching my head.

In the next phase I shelved the instructional books and began looking carefully at as much art as possible. There have been many painters, some living, some now gone, that I feel I've learned from and will continue to learn from. Carol is certainly on that list. With so much great art online the list continues to grow. My hope is to take what I learn and somehow make it my own.

"Central Valley Barn"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

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This barn was painted from a photograph taken on the road back from Yosemite. The bright orange roof really stood out against the deep blue sky. The Central Valley is full of inspiring scenes for landscape paintings, my kinda landscape paintings anyway. 

There's a rugged, rusted, barren type of beauty out there, with desolate little towns where you might stop for a cup of coffee and a slice of pie before heading over the mountains toward the Nevada desert. Why would you be heading to the Nevada desert? Hmm.... just lookin' for wide open space. Or maybe to go see the wild horses. 

Note: previous paragraph to be read with a gentle western drawl, in a voice not unlike Sam Elliott.

Big Messy Paintings

A friend and I went to the Oakland Museum this weekend to see the newly improved facility. I'd been there many years ago when I first started painting. I was excited about California Impressionism back then and I'd heard they had a large collection. It was a nice bit of luck to have Edgar Payne, E. Charlton Fortune and William Wendt paintings so close to home.

They've done a great job improving the place but there weren't as many paintings on display this time. They did however have a room dedicated to the Bay Area Figurative Movement. I was particularly impressed by the work of Richard Diebenkorn and Elmer Bischoff. Their paintings were large, messy and full of life. The paint was thick and chaotic, yet beautiful.

It occurred to me that I wouldn't have appreciated these paintings a few years ago. I may have seen them as rough, sloppy and amateur. I was more attracted to paintings of beautiful things, beautifully painted. I now see things differently. I connected with these paintings because they feel more honest in a way. Life is unpredictable, messy and chaotic at times, and yet there's beauty all around us. These are courageous and powerful paintings because they're not afraid to challenge us to find the beauty within the chaos.

"Tequila"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

It didn't occur to me until later that these peppers appear to have had a bit too much to drink. I just sorta tossed em' on the table, poured a shot of tequila and ran with it. I didn't drink the shot, though I enjoyed the aroma while painting. I think this is the final in my cocktail series.

"Radishes" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord

This is my submission to the "Color of the Year Challenge" on DPW. It's been a long time since I've eaten a radish. I was at the Mexicana Market this morning and these were too bright and beautiful to pass up!

"Blue Hawaiian"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

How'd you like to be sittin' under a palm tree in the South Pacific sippin' on one of these bad boys?! That's what I thought! Me too. This is the first in my cocktail series for "Delicious", an upcoming show at the Studio Gallery in SF. I'll post more details in a week or so. Happy Friday everybody!

"After a Swim"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

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Thanks for the thoughtful comments and emails yesterday. It seems a lot of us have similar feelings on the issue. For a different perspective check out Kathleen Dunphy's blog. She has a well written post on why she feels plein air painting is essential in achieving the results she's after. 

Composition

I gave some thought as to why my plein air paintings rarely worked out and concluded it was primarily due to poor composition. In my rush to get to work I usually made a quick decision about composition and then dove in. Why was I in a hurry? Well, chances are I'd already spent a lot of time driving around "in search of" so when I finally found something to paint I was in a panic to set up and capture the scene before the light changed.

Looking back at my early work it's clear that I should have spent less time driving around and more time developing my compositional skills. My time would have been better spent shooting a ton of digital images, downloading them and then experimenting with the cropping tool in iPhoto. That's mostly what I do now.

My sense of composition is constantly evolving. I look at both paintings and photographs for ideas and inspiration. One thing I've discovered is, if an image is strong as a thumbnail it'll usually make a good painting. That's just an observation, not a rule. There are no rules!!

"Houses on a Hill"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

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These houses are a few blocks from my house. I painted this with a single large brush. I was thinking of painting something Valentine's Day related but I just couldn't make it happen. Happy Valentine's Day anyway! On another note....

The Plein Air Question

When I first started painting I was told that you shouldn't paint from photographs. I read this in books mostly. I've continued to hear this over the years and I'm wondering how painters and collectors feel about it. 

I've painted countless paintings en plein air and I don't think they're any better than the ones I've done from digital images. In fact, they're usually not as good. Some plein air painters talk about capturing the smell of the salt air or the sound of the wind through the pines in their paintings. That hasn't happened for me.

Others will talk about there not being enough information in photographs. "The shadows are too dark" or the "lights are blown out". That may be true for prints but not on a computer. You can boost or reduce the exposure in seconds.

Another argument is that plein air painting forces you to paint looser and more spontaneously. I'm not so sure about that one either. I think looser paint handling comes with confidence and experience (and a desire to paint in that style of course). I think how one handles the paint has more to do with personal choice than the environment in which one paints.

The way I see it, plein air painting is a lovely way to spend some time outdoors (as long as there aren't any bugs and it's not too hot, cold or windy). It's especially nice to do with others. I don't think it makes a painting more valid. Digital photography is just another tool.  It allows us to capture and paint moments that we wouldn't otherwise have a chance to paint. I suppose some folks will disapprove just as some disapproved of paint in tubes. "You must grind your own pigments and mix your own colors or it isn't art!!" 

Ok, I'm thinking too much. I need to get out of the studio, maybe I'll go do a painting outdoors. But I'm not expecting it to be a keeper.  Oh yeah... and I'm bringing my camera!!

"Monhegan Lobsterman"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

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This is my 200th post. I posted almost every day for five or six months and then I slowed down a bit. All the things in my life that I'd been neglecting started to demand attention. Taking a break from daily painting was actually a healthy thing creatively as well. It was nice to slow down, re-energize, look around and contemplate where I wanted to go in the future.

I'm back to painting every day but with a different approach. One thing I'm focusing on is content. I think it's a natural progression to want to make your paintings more personal once you've achieved a certain level of comfort with the painting process. I'm now committed to painting anything that inspires me so my subject matter may be all over the map.

This painting was done from a photograph by Merci Gilbert. It was taken on trap day out on Monhegan Island. Trap day is when all the lobster boats are loaded with traps for the start of the new season.

"Tricycle" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord

My daughter is ten and into texting not trikes so... I took a picture of her old red tricycle so I could post it on Craigslist. Then I noticed the shadow. I had to paint it.

"White on White" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord

This is my entry to the DPW "White on White" challenge. It was painted from a photo posted by Ann Feldman. The real challenge for me was painting the whole egg. I painted it no less than a dozen times! I love the look of white on white so I really enjoyed this challenge.

"Agave"

6x6" oil on Gessobord - $100

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I'm painting my way through a bunch of images that I've been avoiding. I've been avoiding them for various reasons but mostly because I haven't been sure how to handle them. Many haven't worked out, but I'm enjoying the process and feel I'm making some discoveries. "Agave" was a pleasant surprise.

"Boys in Life Vests"

6x6" oil on Gessobord - $100

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These fellas are all suited up and waiting for sailing class to start.

"Future Surfer"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

This little lad is my nephew Trevor. He's gazing out upon the aqua blue waters from Asilomar Beach wondering when he'll be able to paddle out with the big fellas. He'll need to save up for a wetsuit first! Even though this water looks tropical it's not, the temperature is usually in the fifties.

"Pink Barrette"

6x6" oil on Gessobord - $100

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This is my entry to the "Simplify Cute Challenge", it was painted from an image posted by Carol Marine. The challenge for me wasn't the background, it was the little girl. I find painting faces the ultimate challenge, especially when trying to keep the brushwork lively and spontaneous.

"Dark Chocolate"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

I'm having fun catching up on the DPW challenges. This is my entry for the "Paint Your Breakfast Challenge". Dark chocolate seems to be the one constant in my breakfast diet. I do my best to keep it to one or two squares with coffee and a banana. Doing my best means eating three or four squares. The good news is dark chocolate is full of antioxidants (whatever those are) so it's practically health food!

"Coffee & News" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord

I decided to do another DPW Challenge, this one is for the "Seated Figure Challenge". I painted from the photo posted by Dana Cooper. I tried to keep it loose which I find difficult when painting figures. This was a fun challenge maybe I'll do another!

"Above the Boardwalk" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord - $195 framed - Studio Gallery

This was painted from an image taken at the Santa Cruz beach boardwalk. There are so many colors and shapes at the boardwalk but it's a challenge to find a good composition since the place is so crowded with people. I tend to like strong, simple shapes so these gondolas were an obvious choice. I plan to go back and take some more photos. 

This and eleven other of my paintings will be included in the "Tiny" show at the Studio Gallery in San Francisco. The opening reception is Sunday, November 6th from 2-6pm. Drop on by if you're in SF!

"Lobster Dinghies" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord

"White House"

6x6" oil on Gessobord