"Eucalyptus, Heritage Park"

20x16" oil on canvas

Well I've got the saws out and I'm in frame production mode. I'm making frames for the upcoming "Tiny" show at the Studio Gallery. All work has to be less than 7x7 inches in size and less than $400. I'm building my usual natural wood floaters frames. So, this week I'm going back and forth from the easel to the saws.

As for painting, I'm working on 20x20 inch versions of some of the cityscapes from the 50/50 show. I've done about 8 of them so far and I feel pretty happy with the results. I'll post some photos soon.

The above painting is from the Burlingame Paint Out last week. 

"Eucalyptus"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

I've doing quite a bit of plein air painting lately, with mixed results. Most plein air painters mention needing to paint from life in order to see subtle colors that don't show up in photos, but I'm finding it much harder to judge colors while outdoors. I think this painting of eucalyptus trees is a step in the right direction. I painted this while standing in the shade next to a dry creek bed. It was really hot today so it felt good to find a cool secluded spot to paint.

"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.

"Mori Point Cypress"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

Mori Point is a beautiful spot about 15 minutes from home. Oddly enough, I only just discovered it.

"El Camino Real at Dawn"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

This is a study I did for the Burlingame paint out. I figured most painters would focus on the train station area so I went for something a bit different. I used this study to help me paint on the day of the event since the dawn effect doesn't last very long.

"Winter Birches"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

This is my painting for this week's DPW Challenge. We're having a bit of a heat wave here in the Bay Area so it was nice to paint a cool snowy scene.