"Above the Boardwalk with Palms"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

Here's another from Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, this time with palm trees.

"White on White" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord

This is my entry to the DPW "White on White" challenge. It was painted from a photo posted by Ann Feldman. The real challenge for me was painting the whole egg. I painted it no less than a dozen times! I love the look of white on white so I really enjoyed this challenge.

"Agave"

6x6" oil on Gessobord - $100

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I'm painting my way through a bunch of images that I've been avoiding. I've been avoiding them for various reasons but mostly because I haven't been sure how to handle them. Many haven't worked out, but I'm enjoying the process and feel I'm making some discoveries. "Agave" was a pleasant surprise.

"Owl's Head Light" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord

This was a cold, windy day in October. Owl's Head light is located near the lovely town of Rockland, Maine. I left beautiful, warm weather in California and arrived to what felt like winter. I'd been to Maine in the summer but never the fall, I loved it!

"Cross Wires" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord - $100

I shot this mainly for the bird but when I viewed it on the computer I was immediately drawn to the geometry of all the wires. This was a good opportunity to walk the line between representation and abstraction.

"Boys in Life Vests"

6x6" oil on Gessobord - $100

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These fellas are all suited up and waiting for sailing class to start.

"Aqua Bel Air" - SOLD

8x10" oil on canvas panel

This scene catches my eye every time I drop my car off at my mechanic's garage. I had to have a brake job last week and this time I brought a camera.

"Future Surfer"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

This little lad is my nephew Trevor. He's gazing out upon the aqua blue waters from Asilomar Beach wondering when he'll be able to paddle out with the big fellas. He'll need to save up for a wetsuit first! Even though this water looks tropical it's not, the temperature is usually in the fifties.

"Winter Tree"

24x18" oil on canvas

I painted this with a single brush, a big old filbert. After I finished I noticed that it still had an 89 cent price sticker on it. I guess that would explain why it was shedding bristles. It was given to me with a bunch of other mid seventies brushes, most of them worthless, but I had fun experimenting with this one.

I decided to add another to the "From Behind the Wheel" series.

"Winter Calla Lilies"

6x6" oil on Gessobord - $100

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I painted these lilies from a photo I took on a walk to the library last month. I admit to being a bit intimidated by the complicated background. I finally decided to embrace the complexity and have fun with it. 

"Pool Rider" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord

My brother and I found an old skateboard in my cousin's basement and took it to a nearby hill. It was a skinny old board with metal wheels. It was a rough ride but we were hooked. We begged my dad to buy us one on the way home that night and were shocked when he exited the Jersey Turnpike in search of a Toys R Us.

It was 1976 and skateboarding was just starting to catch on. We bought every issue of Skateboarder Magazine and soon learned the names of all the best riders. It seemed like all the action was on the West Coast. California was experiencing a drought and some daring skaters began skating in empty swimming pools. We were blown away by the photographs and desperately wanted to move to Orange County. I've lived in California for over thirty years now and I've yet to make it to the OC!

I recently came across some vintage images online and I just had to paint one. 

"Pink Barrette"

6x6" oil on Gessobord - $100

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This is my entry to the "Simplify Cute Challenge", it was painted from an image posted by Carol Marine. The challenge for me wasn't the background, it was the little girl. I find painting faces the ultimate challenge, especially when trying to keep the brushwork lively and spontaneous.

"Salt Shaker and Green Bottles" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord

I've been feeling the need to paint some glass. I especially love old blue-green glass bottles. I have one but it has writing on it so it would be too complicated to paint. I plan to go have a look around at the Salvation Army store and see what I can dig up.

"Dark Chocolate"

6x6" oil on Gessobord

I'm having fun catching up on the DPW challenges. This is my entry for the "Paint Your Breakfast Challenge". Dark chocolate seems to be the one constant in my breakfast diet. I do my best to keep it to one or two squares with coffee and a banana. Doing my best means eating three or four squares. The good news is dark chocolate is full of antioxidants (whatever those are) so it's practically health food!

"Coffee & News" - SOLD

6x6" oil on Gessobord

I decided to do another DPW Challenge, this one is for the "Seated Figure Challenge". I painted from the photo posted by Dana Cooper. I tried to keep it loose which I find difficult when painting figures. This was a fun challenge maybe I'll do another!

"Toaster & Apple" - SOLD

6x6"oil on Gessobord

It's been a while since I've done a DPW challenge so I figured I'd give one a try. I really love the challenge of painting reflective objects so I was immediately drawn to the toaster challenge. Unfortunately I have a toaster oven, and it's white! I decided to use the image posted by Shelley Ross.

"Stop Light Shadow"

24x18" oil on canvas

Here's another backlit street scene that caught my attention while driving. For a while I only painted scenes with side light but lately I've been experimenting with different lighting. I love how the shadows come toward the viewer when a subject is backlit. 

"Eucalyptus Shadows"

20x20" oil on canvas

Here's another view taken while driving. The second in a series maybe. I haven't painted many eucalyptus trees which sort of surprises me since there are so many around here. The California Impressionists certainly painted their share. These particular trees are along the El Camino Real in Burlingame.

"El Camino Stop Light"

16x12" oil on panel

Obviously this was painted from a photo I took from the driver's seat. It's been an unusually sunny winter here in Northern California and the light and shadows are beautiful. I carry a point and shoot camera in my glove box and I've been reaching for it a lot lately.

I'm following my instinct to paint anything that grabs my attention, even if I'm not sure what it is attracting me to a particular scene. I'm also attempting to paint more spontaneously and use thicker paint while working on larger canvases.

"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.