"Victorians"

20x20" oil on canvas

Spirit Gallery, Burlingame, CA

I just finished hanging the show at the Spirit Gallery in Burlingame, the reception is this Sunday. It's been a busy couple of weeks! There's also another show coming up in a few weeks at the Studio Gallery. It's an urban plein air event called "94109". All paintings must be done in one week and the subject matter must be within the 94109 zip code. I'll post more details closer to the event.

I've had some emails asking about my painting process when doing larger pieces so I figured I'd post a few photos below.

First I toned the canvas with a thin wash of burnt sienna and sketched out the buildings.

Next I scrubbed in some approximate colors.

Here I started applying thicker paint with more accurate colors. I continued making adjustments until I arrived at the finished painting seen at the top of this post.

"View from an Alley"

20x20" oil on canvas

"Red House"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

My mom's husband saw this painting hanging in my hallway and asked "what the hell happened with that one?" You may be asking yourself the same question.

I'm in the process of deconstructing my approach to painting. I have no idea where I'm going but it's probably going to be a bit bumpy.

"Houses on a Hill"

8x10" oil on canvas panel

"Key West Cottage"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

I've recently been exploring places on Google "street views" that I've visited before. We made a family trip to the Keys in the late seventies and stayed on Key Marathon. I was crazy about tropical fish as a kid and really wanted to go out on a glass bottom boat. We went to Key West and found a small aquarium but no glass bottom boats. I was happy anyway. We also walked by Hemingway's house. Funny thing happened after finishing this painting. I was talking to my dad and he mentioned that he was leaving in a few days for, no kidding, Key West.

"Red Foundation"

8x8" oil on masonite

"Mansard"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

"Cottages, Red Shutters"

8x8" oil on masonite

"End of the Road"

8x10" oil on canvas panel

I painted this using Google "street view". The location is somewhere in Saint John, New Brunswick. I love being able to explore different cities looking for interesting architecture. The only bummer is when you find a great location but no sun. Next up....Pittsburgh!

"Stonefish"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

I went to the San Jose Museum of Art today and checked out the Eric Fischl exhibit. I was reminded how important it is to actually see art in person. Like most people, I primarily view paintings online. Seeing his work was inspiring, especially because the exhibit was directed at showing his working practices. 

I also discovered an artist I'd never heard of before by the name of John Register. He paints lonely Hopperesque scenes in a very meticulous way. Great light and mood in his work.

"Daybreak"

8x10" oil on canvas panel

"Cottage, Marin Headlands"

8x10" oil on canvas panel - sold

I challenged myself to paint this with one with a single brush. I used a #10 Utrecht 209-B.

"Carlos Club"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

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"Looking Up At a Victorian"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

I'm going to do more of these. This was definitely a challenge due to the multiple vanishing points.

"Seaside Inn"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

Painting this made me want to paint more umbrellas.

"Red Shacks on Dock"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

I had to sneak past a "keep out" sign for this one.

"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.

"Point Reyes Boathouse"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

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click here for video

I painted this from an image taken in Point Reyes in Marin County. I'd seen this building before but wasn't sure if it was on private property or not. It probably is, but there was a nice little beach that was too inviting to pass up.

"Shack with Bouys"

10x8" oil on canvas panel - sold

This shack is on the docks in Port Clyde. 

"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.