"Oysters, After"

8x8" oil on masonite - sold

This is my final oyster painting. I was really surprised by all the subtle color in the empty shells.

"Oysters, Before"

8x8" oil on masonite - sold

It's almost time for the annual "Delicious"show at the Studio Gallery so I'm working on some food related paintings. This was painted from a photo taken at a roadside oyster shack on Tomales Bay.

"Clouds, Highway 5"

8x10" oil on canvas panel

I noticed something strange while traveling this stretch of highway 5 back in the early eighties. I was returning to college in a 67' VW bug with no radio. It was a ten hour trip. ANYWAY, I loved this drive. Miles and miles of open space. Nothing but rolling hills covered with dried grass.... and yellow umbrellas. Someone had randomly raised huge yellow umbrellas among the hills. It went on for miles. I later found out that it was Christo. It was very beautiful and I feel lucky to have accidentally experienced it.

"Desert Auto Repair"

8x10" oil on canvas panel

"Winter Light"

8x10" oil on canvas panel

"Into the Sun"

8x10" oil on canvas panel

"Taco Shop"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

"Houses on a Hill"

8x10" oil on canvas panel

"Parking Lot with Snow"

8x10" oil on canvas panel

This sort of scene really calls for a larger canvas. The cars are so small that it's hard to paint them in a spontaneous way and not have them look like blobs. I had to break out a few smaller brushes for touch ups. As usual I'm painting any subject or scene that catches my eye. I'm not sure what drew me to this scene but I like it.

"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.

"Signs and Lines"

8x10" oil on canvas panel

"Red Foundation"

8x8" oil on masonite

"Mansard"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

"Pescadero Bridge"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

I should probably be taking some sort of notes about my process. I was recently looking at a painting I did a while ago and couldn't remember how I painted it. I couldn't remember what brushes I used or if I used medium or not. I really enjoy varying my tools and methods, it keeps me from getting in a rut, but it would be nice to remember how I achieved certain effects.

This one was painted mostly with one large brush and a bit of medium after scrub in. 

"Cottages, Red Shutters"

8x8" oil on masonite

"Fish on Ice"

8x8" oil on masonite - sold

"Herring"

8x8" oil on masonite

"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.

"Side View Mirror"

8x10" oil on canvas panel

"Hauling Gravel"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

I really like painting on Utrecht canvas panels. A box of seventy-five 8x10s just arrived on my doorstep so I'm well stocked and ready to go. The thing I like about them is they're inexpensive (and archival) which frees me up to experiment painting anything and everything.

"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!

"Skateaway"

8x10" oil on canvas panel

After this was painted I noticed that the skater's legs and their shadow sort of look like the wings of a bird in flight. 

I've been reading a lot of art blogs lately. One of my favorites is The Art Room posted by Taryn Day. This month's theme is "artists who blog" and yesterday my work was featured. You can check it out here. Thanks Taryn!

"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.

"Outboard"

8x10" oil on canvas panel

I haven't posted in a while due to the holidays, but I'm back! This is one I did in December before things got crazy. 

"Running From Waves"

16x20" oil on stretched canvas

"Hoop"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

"Santa Calls Home"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

"Lookout"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

"Two Taco Plates"

8x10" oil on canvas panel

I love Mexican food. This is a scene from my favorite taqueria, Pancho Villa in San Mateo.

"Car at Crosswalk"

10x8" oil on canvas panel

I love the color aqua. I even have aqua shutters on my house.