"House with Palms"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

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This house is in the lovely town of Pacific Grove, California. It's on the Monterey Peninsula, between Monterey and Carmel. There are lots of beautiful old houses in this quiet little town but this one really caught my eye.

"Red Mini"

16x12" oil on panel

"Crowded Dock"

10x8" oil on canvas

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What is it with boats? Not everyone is inspired to paint them but I certainly am. In part they make good subjects because they reflect so many interesting shapes. I also associate them with a sense of adventure and an opportunity for solitude. While sailing the San Francisco Bay I've often appreciated all that unoccupied space. The bridges are packed with cars, the city is full of people but the bay and ocean are wide open.

"Deck of the Laura B. at Dusk" - SOLD

8x6" oil on hardboard

The Laura B. is an old cargo vessel that carries mail and passengers to Monhegan Island. I haven't been out to Monhegan in a few years, this painting was done from an image taken while on a "Puffin Cruise" this past August.

"Red Pickup at Dusk"

8x6" oil on hardboard

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I've never owned a pickup truck. My brother had an old forrest green Toyota Hilux when we were in high school. He bought it for carrying around his dirt bike. The front seat had a huge hole in it so it was a true "bucket seat". He was about 6'4" at the time but he could barely see over the dashboard.

I remember sitting in that old truck one winter afternoon waiting for him to finish a race. I was about seventeen. Youth, boredom and the creative spirit inspired me to completely cover his interior with duct tape. It looked like a spaceship when I was done. I thought it was a great improvement and I was sure he'd love the new look.

He did not. 

I'm a year older than he is so there wasn't any ass whoopin' in case you thought that's where this was heading. 

"Black Bug"

6x8" oil on hardboard

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I love bugs.... I mean VW bugs. My dad bought a brand new one back in 1967. It was black with red interior. My brother and I used to like to ride in the little space behind the back seat. I owned one myself in the late eighties. Mine was tan which wasn't my first color choice, but it was a great little car. The front passenger seat was worn out so I removed it. When friends rode with me they were forced to sit in the back. This certainly attracted some confused looks from other drivers. I guess they'd never seen a VW bug limo. It was stolen twice. The second time I found bullets, hand cuffs and latex gloves on the floorboards when I picked it up at CityTow. I have no idea what that was all about.

"Sea Swings" - SOLD

6x8" - oil on hardboard

Here's another one from the boardwalk. It's a sort of tilting swing thing. I noticed that it's covered with thousands of little light bulbs. It must be something to see at dusk. 

"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!

"Red Shack on Pier"

10x8" oil on canvas

"Blue Boats"

10x8" oil on canvas

Still more experimentation with keeping it loose. The last two paintings were done on canvas mounted on masonite panels. They're time consuming to make, but they're really durable. 

"Blue Windows" - SOLD

10x8" oil on canvas

I've been painting almost every day for the past two weeks. I plan to post the results once they're photographed. This painting was done from an image shot in Maine this summer.

"Bougainvillea "

20x20" oil on canvas

I'm feeling inspired to tackle some larger canvases. The challenge is to keep the feel of my smaller paintings while working on a larger scale. It's a tough balance; maintaining control yet not being too careful. I've been working quickly, trying not to hold back. Through recent experimentation I've discovered that if the drawing is out I won't be happy with the end result, so I'm trying to be spontaneous but keep it somewhat accurate.

"Lookout"

12x12" oil on canvas

My usual painting process is to sketch out the main shapes, scrub in color estimations and then, using thicker paint, finish with more accurate color. Very little of the underpainting usually shows. In this painting however, I did the underpainting with the thought of leaving areas uncovered. Yellow ochre on the road, burnt sienna in the trees and dioxozine purple for the shadows on the building. 

"Liquor"

14x11" oil on linen

I did this painting before leaving for Maine. It was an attempt to shake me out of my comfort zone. Since returning, I've been experimenting with being less careful and attempting to instill a feeling of energy and life into my paintings. Most of them haven't worked out, but I plan to post the results when I figure out where I'm going with this.

"24th & Guerrero"

14x11" oil on canvas

Things have been busy! I had a lot of framing to do for the "City Streets" show at the Studio Gallery. The reception is on Sunday August, 14th 2-6pm. I'll be in Maine so unfortunately I'll miss the party. I hope to get back to posting on a more regular basis when I return.

"Rockland Pier"

12x12" oil on masonite

"Lobster Dinghies" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord

"White House"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

"Lumber Yard"

12x12" oil on masonite

"F Market" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord

"Sandwich Shop"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

"Corner Store" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord

"Sierra Boat House" - SOLD

6x8" oil on hardboard

I did this painting last night from an image taken over the weekend. There was still a lot of snow on the ground and more was on the way. Very unusual for June. We had beautiful weather though, very sunny and warm.

"Chickens" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord

If you find yourself in San Francisco between July 13th - August 7th be sure to stop in at the Studio Gallery on Polk Street. The show is called "Mischief - Characters, critters and comics". The reception is on Sunday July 17th 2-6pm. My contribution this year will be feathered critters.

I'm off to the mountains! I should be posting again by Wednesday. Thanks so much for all the kind comments yesterday.

"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.

"Old BSA"

12x12" oil on masonite

Here we have an old BSA motorcycle parked in the Mission District of San Francisco.

"Streetcar"

12x12" oil on masonite

Well here's the streetcar I mentioned in an earlier post. My favorite way to travel down Market Street.

"Down Escalator"

12x12" oil on masonite

I had to work for this one. I painted this from an image taken at the Gap on Market Street. There were several times early on when I didn't think it was going to work. I just kept going though, and somewhere in the process it sort of worked out.

"Bus and Taxi"

12x12" oil on masonite

Merci and I went back to the MOMA on Sunday since we didn't have time to check out the art library last weekend. The library is a fun place to relax and rest your legs, the cafe is pretty nice for that too. We mostly looked at photography books. Diane Arbus, William Eggelston and Henry Wessel. I'd never heard of Wessel before, but really liked some of his work. We took the streetcar down Market street which was fun. SF has done a beautiful job restoring a bunch of vintage European and American streetcars. I may just have to paint one.

"Seaside Inn"

12x12" oil on masonite