Work in progress

School is taking up most of my time these days. I miss the blissfully beautiful painting days of summer......sigh. Last weekend, it was very hot in our town. To beat the heat, my wife & I packed up our dog and headed to a secluded spot we know on the river near the coast. I brought both my pochade boxes, and I painted with my 9"x12" box while my wife painted with my 5"x7" box. Our dog napped alongside us. It felt like a perfect day. My painting needs a lot more work, but I think it's off to a good start.  

Mr. Connor Dingo

My friends Lori & Woody have a particularly handsome dog, Mr. Connor Dingo. Above you see a preliminary sketch for the painting, followed by his final portrait, done in oil.

Solo Show Opening at Studio Blomster

"Paying Attention: Contemplations en Plein Aire" opened on Friday, August 2, 2013 at Studio Blomster in Guerneville, California. It was a truly exceptional experience to see my paintings filling a gallery, and to have such a large group of people looking at them. The gallery looked absolutely gorgeous, thanks to the work of David Blomster, who not only hung my paintings beautifully but also provided elegant flowers, food and music. The charming Tobe Sheldon of Sheldon Winery poured delicious wine, and the food was catered by the fabulous Hi Five restaurant. Thirteen paintings were sold that night! It was an evening that I will undoubtedly always remember.

Hanging the Show at Studio Blomster

"I love to hang a show," David Blomster of Studio Blomster in Guerneville once said to me. I never understood the creativity that went into hanging a show until I watched him do the work. Over a three-hour period, I observed him carefully consider the placement of twenty nine of my paintings of all different shapes and sizes. Then he measured each painting individually before hanging since each framed piece was in a unique frame, and the pieces on stretched canvases were of different sizes and shapes. He was patient and persistent throughout. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to have a show at his gallery.

Ready to show at Studio Blomster

These are two of the paintings that will hang in my first solo show at Studio Blomster, in Guerneville, on August 2nd. I am excited about this opportunity!

Painting at Flowers Winery

My friend Dar works at Flowers Winery in Cazadero. Yesterday, I joined her for lunch (unbelievably delicious wild Alaskan salmon grilled on a cedar plank) and after lunch I painted. The landscape everywhere you look around this winery is breathtaking! While I painted, I got to watch a big hare hopping along through the vines.

Car painting on the coast

Earlier this week, I went to paint on the coast. I had thought I would be outside painting, but it turned out to be a quite windy day. I decided to paint in my car. I parked in a pullout across the road from one of my favorite barns (which I have painted a few times before). I kept looking from my left, at the scene I was painting, to my right, at the beautiful light and cloud formations on the horizon. I could enjoy the sea breeze through my open windows. I will try to remember to post a picture of the painting when it is finished. 

Out painting!

Several days ago, I drove up to the top of the very long road on which I live. I reached the fence which blocks off the road and declares: "End of county maintenance. Enter at your own risk." I considered this, but I could see that there was a clear, open path and that the only risk seemed to be running into a rattlesnake. I made sure to make noise as I followed the path. It was a very hot day, so it turned out that the real risk was burning myself to a crisp! After a couple hours (when I could no longer stand the heat), I moved my stuff to a shady spot to paint a bit more without a direct view of the scene. Back in my studio, I have changed the composition by removing much of the hill in the background. I think it will be successful in the end; will try to remember to post a picture of the finished painting when it's done.

Two views of the Russian River

Lately, I've been going down to the river to make quick studies. I like this practice as it helps me to avoid overworking the paintings. The first photo shows a study done on the riverbank close to my house. The second photo shows a study I did on Johnson's beach, looking west. The pillars are the first part of the summer dam to go in. 

Henry Hensche said...

"Art deals with the sensory development of man on a higher plane. Art can make life beautiful...it is worth the effort to achieve the highest level of seeing that you are capable of achieving."
---Henry Hensche

Hot Summer Day

Yesterday was a clear, hot day. I drove along a beautiful road in my town called Sweetwater Springs. I set up my pochade box and painted there for a couple hours, then finished the painting in my studio. I love the golden hills of Sonoma County against the bright blue summer sky!

The Vision

"Anything under the sun is beautiful if you have the vision; it is the seeing of the thing that makes it so."
---Charles Hawthorne

Hanging out with Herons

Today, I began a painting at the Laguna of Santa Rosa. It is a beautiful place, full of tall grasses & plants of many different colors. While I painted, Great Blue Herons & bright, white Egrets flew around, and fish jumped in the laguna. I tried to look for every color I could find in each direction I looked.

Russian River Gallery Show!

This month, four of my paintings are hanging in the Russian River Art Gallery small works show on Main Street in Guerneville. One has already sold, which is exciting! This photo was taken by my friend Steve at the opening reception.

True Seeing

"After all, the true seeing is within."
---George Eliot

Painting on the Russian River

This spot is about a four-minute walk from my house. I have gone there twice so far with my small (5 x 7) pochade box to paint studies of the river. Two days ago I painted there for an hour while a large white egret fished on the opposite side of the river. Ducks flew by and the sounds of the gentle river current filled the air....

Gallery Time!

This little chapel is in Alexander Valley, near the Jimtown Store. One Saturday morning, I got up early in order to paint in the morning light. It was cold that morning, so I ended up painting inside my car. The chapel actually sits on an asphalt parking lot, but the vibrant spring grass was all around & I thought it worked better in the painting than asphalt would. This painting is one of four I have in the "Small Works" show at the Russian River Art Gallery in downtown Guerneville for the month of June.  

My painting on a wine label!

My wife and I, together with a group of friends, started making wine in our garage five years ago. Our winery is called "TKO." Yesterday, we bottled a rose of Pinot Noir. My painting was used for the label!

View of Armstrong Woods

This is one of the paintings I did at Armstrong Woods Park over my spring break. It is always a challenged to paint a place with lots of different greens. I don't use any tubes of green paint; I mix all my greens from a variety of combinations of blues, yellows and reds. The variations of green seen in nature is mind boggling! I have been painting a lot lately in preparation for a show at Studio Blomster in Guerneville. Tomorrow I'm meeting with David Blomster, owner of the gallery, to talk more about the show. It will be my first solo show...an exciting adventure!

Laguna of Santa Rosa

This was painted at the laguna of Santa Rosa. I love the colors there, which change from week to week.

Painting Excursion

Yesterday was a gorgeous, sunny, 80-degree day. I packed up my painting gear and my dog and headed to the hills of Cazadero to paint. There were many beautiful views to choose from; I finally set up across the road from a very sculptural dead tree. Wilson slept while I painted. As usual, the solitary time in nature was soul-soothing. While we were there, a photographer from Santa Rosa magazine drove up and asked if he could photograph me painting for an article he's doing on beautiful drives to the coast. I've never heard of Santa Rosa magazine, so I don't know if I'll ever see those photos. My painting still has a ways to go.

Looking at nature....

"About form and roundness, Hawthorne said, 'Let color make form; do not make form and color it in.' This is the main difference between looking at nature from a linear point of view as opposed to observing masses."

---Lois Griffel, writing of painter Charles Hawthorne in her book Painting the Impressionist Landscape: Lessons in Interpreting Light & Color

Fur Babies

Here you see the beginning & ending of a painting I just finished. These cute boys are Latte & Mocha. They are litter mates, but they don't look alike. Their faces are quite different, and Mocha is bigger than Latte. They are the babies of my friends Coop & Cindy. I've been wanting to paint them for awhile, but I wasn't sure I could pull off their furry coats, so I kept putting it off. Finally, I just decided to give it a go. I'm pleased with the result; it captures their faces nicely, and I think I did well at not overworking the painting. The photo somehow doesn't capture the white highlights in their fur.

Armstrong Woods vistas

These are two of the paintings from my spring break week, when I hung out a lot in Armstrong Woods Park. It is always a challenge to paint all the greens in nature, and I need a lot more practice!

The Russian River

One day during my spring break, it was very overcast. I painted in my car near the mouth of the Russian River. The very cool light seemed to make the red brush by the river extra vibrant.