"Kiwis"

8x8" oil on masonite - sold

Studio Gallery, San Francisco

Here's another from the "Delicious" show. I liked the idea of doing a simple arrangement of fruit with a light colored creamy background. This is a larger version of an earlier painting.

"Orange Wedges"

8x8" oil on masonite - sold

Here's another from the the "Delicious" show. I did a smaller version of this a while ago and thought I'd see if it would work a bit larger.

I did several more experimental messy paintings this morning but I probably won't be posting them. They served their purpose by helping me come to the conclusion that the changes I'm looking for aren't in the way I paint so much as in how I think. 

I'm beginning work on paintings for "City Streets" which starts in April at the Studio Gallery. I plan to paint smaller panels, 12x12" and under. I'm looking forward to this show, it's a fun challenge finding new approaches to painting SF. 

"Green & White"

6x6" oil on gessobord

This is a painting from a series I just completed focusing on paint tubes. It was a fun experience to really explore this one subject. There are four others currently in my DPW gallery.

I just picked up "Paintings in The Musee d'Orsay" at the library and I'm really enjoying it. I've been told the d'Orsay is a beautiful museum, it's set in an old train station. Unfortunately the one time I was in Paris it was closed "due to the tempest". Apparently it had flooded, thankfully none of the work was damaged. 

I went to the recent show at the De Young Museum in San Francisco featuring work from the d'Orsay so I recognize a lot of what I'm seeing in the book. It dawned on me that it sometimes takes a while for me to fully appreciate a painting. Seeing these paintings again in the book has me wishing I could visit them again.

I don't believe you can really experience a painting from a small photo in a book or an image on the web. I keep reminding myself to get out and stand in front of as many great paintings as I can. Whenever I do, I can't wait to get back to the studio and pick up a brush.

"Spooning Tea Cups"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

buy now with PayPal - $100

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.

"Wedges and Blue Bowl" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord

More orange wedges! Another bowl!

I received an email yesterday requesting some info on the brushes I use. Deb asked: "Could you share with us what type of brush you use for a 6x6 or 8x8 to get these nice fresh looking strokes?" 

As for brushes, lately I've been using a Princeton 6300B size 8 for my 6x6" paintings. I've been attempting to use this size brush for the whole painting. It's pretty big for such small work but it holds a lot of paint and its inability to handle detail forces me to simplify. 

Another key to the fresh stroke look is to use medium to thin your paint.  I use a mixture of 1 part stand oil, 1 part linseed oil, 2 parts mineral spirits. The medium allows you to get good coverage in a single stroke. It's also helpful to paint on Gessobord or gessoed masonite, with the mentioned medium and the smooth surface of the Gessobord you can really lay down some creamy spontaneous looking brushwork.

When I paint on canvas my approach is a bit different. I don't use any medium at all and I tend to use inexpensive Utrecht brights and flats.

"Strawberries and Jadeite Bowl" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Thanks so much for all the comments and suggestions yesterday! Nice to know I'm not the only one struggling with the photography issue.

Well I had a few lovely days in the studio and now I'm back out pullin' wire. I work part-time as an electrician. It's dirty and difficult but I like the guys I work with. Sometimes when I'm crawling under a house, or making my way through blizzard of insulation in a hot attic, I can't help daydreaming of how nice it would be to just paint for a living. 

I suppose the reality is never as simple as we imagine though. Painting everyday certainly presents its own challenges. I'm not sure I'd want to depend on it as my sole means of support. I do my best to keep a good balance. I feel fortunate to have a flexible job that allows me a bit of time to pursue the things I love. Even if I have to stare down a black widow every once in a while.

I should be back to posting in a day or two.

"Gang of Wedges" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord

I've been driving myself a bit crazy lately in my attempts to post the most faithful digital representation of my work possible. I photograph my paintings on overcast days, or in the shade when it's sunny. I try not to do any post production at all, just leave them as they come out of the camera. The problem is, the paintings look slightly different depending on where they're viewed. If they're in the kitchen they look one way, from a distance they look another, in the dining room different still.... I think you see where I'm going here. Yes, going nuts. I often spend a half an hour making adjustments in iPhoto and then move the painting to a different room and find my adjustments look all wrong! My conclusion? I've decided to save my sanity, trust Canon technology and post them just as they come out of the camera. Any of you painters out there having similar fun? 

"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!

"Three Little Figs" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Figs are hard to paint! That's all I'm gonna say about this one. I may be taking some time off from posting any new work. I've got some framing to do and I've got to get my life back in order. I've been posting for almost six months straight and it's taking its toll. My backyard looks like a field of wheat. I'm contemplating mowing some crop circles. My house is totally disorganized and desperately needs some exterior paint. The list is long, believe me. I need a break. Merci and I are heading to the mountains for a few days and I'm leaving my paints at home.

"On Edge"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

My first still life in months. I ate them with breakfast and they were GOOD! I managed to pick up a new computer today. I was in and out of the Apple store in about twenty minutes, it took about ten minutes of set up at home and then I was back in business. 

"Shakers on Stripes" - SOLD

It took me a few days to work up the courage for this week's DPW Challenge. Complicated fabric scares me!

"Light Bulbs"

6x6" oil on masonite

buy now with PayPal - $100

I did this painting a while ago but it never got posted. I work part time as an electrician so I guess this is appropriate subject matter. Maybe I'll do some fuses next. Actually that's not a bad idea!

"Dish of Olives" - SOLD

6x6" oil on masonite

I found the glass dish at Target and I had no idea it would cast such an unusual shadow. I love olives. I especially love them in martinis. I could use a martini, it's been a long week!!

"Cinnamon Apples" - SOLD

My goal with this painting, other than meeting the DPW Challenge requirements, was to capture the light dusting of cinnamon on the top of the shaker. I wanted to keep the painting as simple as possible but I decided to add a few holes on top because it just wasn't lookin' right without them. 

"Red Onions"

Yet another DPW Challenge entry. I really struggled to get the bright red/purple color I was seeing. I finally just accepted that maybe there are limits to what oil paint can do. Or maybe limits to what I can do! Either way I still had fun.

"Jar of Pickles" - SOLD

Here's another attempt at the DPW Challenge. I figured I'd try something a bit more difficult. More difficult for me anyway! Anyone else out there struggle with getting the tops of round objects (jar lids, mug openings, bowls, etc.) to look right?! Wow.. the digital image of this painting looks so RED.

"Leaning Pear"

I decided to do the DPW Challenge again. I've had a bad cold the last few days and to be honest it's been tough finding the energy to paint. This was a fun and inspiring challenge and a great learning experience. Sometimes it's helpful to experiment with this sort of exercise when you're struggling to get motivated. I kept the colors a bit closer to each other in this effort. 

"Two Grannys"

6x6" oil on masonite

This is my submission to the DPW Challenge for this week. In retrospect it would have been easier had I chosen objects that were different colors! Maybe I'll try it again. Anyway, this was such a fun challenge, I loved it. 

"French Press" - SOLD

6x6" - oil on masonite

I was thinking today about the concept of "favorite artists". I remember when I first started painting I kept reading the same two names over and over again cited as favorites. I probably don't need to tell you who they are. So I checked out one of the many books on Sargent at the library and yes, I was impressed. Sorolla's work on the other hand, is a lot harder to find. After much searching I've still only seen a few of his paintings so I'm a bit mystified as to how he's become so popular. Although I appreciate them both, there are so many wonderful artists doing such a variety of inspiring work that I couldn't possibly pick favorites. I feel every artist has something valuable and unique to offer, famous or not. What do you think?