"Tunitas Creek Road"

11x14" oil on canvas panel - sold

This painting was done on location in June of 2010. While painting I kept hearing a strange bird call. It was really loud and unfortunately, not at all pleasant. I was putting on the finishing touches when a large peacock walked by and continued on down the middle of the road. I didn't even know we had peacocks in Northern California.

This is one of 25 paintings hanging in my first solo show, currently at the Mercy Center located at 2300 Adeline in Burlingame, California. The paintings will be up through the end of April.

"Fitzgerald Marine Reserve"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

This is one of my submissions to the Coastside Land Trust Gallery's midwinter show which opens on February 3rd, in Half Moon Bay, CA.

I actually painted this one a while ago but never posted it. I came upon it while looking for potential paintings for the show. I have boxes of older paintings which are fun to look through. Some I'm not so fond of, but others, like the one above, were indicators of the direction I was headed. 

I know some of my current paintings contain hints as to where I'm going, but often it's hard to tell at the time they're painted. Sometimes it takes awhile to fully appreciate that you've taken a step in the right direction.

"San Benito House" - SOLD

10x8" oil on canvas panel

The San Benito House is an old hotel on Main Street in Half Moon Bay, California. And yes, it really is that color! I painted this for an upcoming show at the Coastside Land Trust Gallery.

"Gulls"

8x10" oil on canvas panel

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This is my entry to last week's DPW challenge. I've been waiting for the appropriate time to paint these gulls, and here it is!

"Hilltop Grocery"

8x10" oil on canvas panel

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I remember a clear winter day not too long ago when I stopped off at this market for a beverage. Not just any beverage, it was a Monster. Now I don't usually drink energy drinks but on this occasion I had a long drive ahead of me and I was fighting the flu. Energy drinks usually make me feel jittery and give me heart palpitations, but to my surprise the Monster actually made me feel....normal. I guess a cup of coffee would have done the trick, but the Hilltop Market isn't known for its coffee.

"Old Pickup" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord

"Farm House" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord

"Beach House"

5x7" oil on masonite

This is an old beach cottage in Half Moon Bay. Half Moon Bay is a small coastal town about 40 minutes south of San Francisco. There's still a lot of farming going on in the area, mostly pumpkins, artichokes and brussels sprouts. The farms continue south for about fifty miles until you reach Santa Cruz. It's nice to have so much open, undeveloped space so close to a big city. I've done quite a bit of plein air painting on the coast, mostly during the winter, summer can be foggy. Fog is good for artichokes but I'm not too motivated to make foggy paintings.

When I first started painting, I remember being nervous about setting up in public. I thought Half Moon Bay would be a good place to break the ice and not be noticed. I parked on a small country road just outside of San Gregorio. I stood there for ten minutes admiring the scenery, not a single car came by. Perfect! 

I set up my easel and began the struggle to make something out of all that green! Within minutes my painting was completely out of control and I had no idea how to pull it together. That's when the first passerby appeared. It was a guy on a bike, no big deal. But then another, and another, and then HUNDREDS! The bikes passed me slowly as they climbed the hill. One guy heckled me, shouting something about "Hey look, it's van Gogh!" At least they didn't throw rocks or try to rob me.

Well the painting was a disaster, but I'd survived my first plein air experience. I'm happy to say I no longer seek solitude to set up. The city is now one of my favorite places to paint, right on a busy sidewalk.