Michele's sister's barn

Michele was the secretary at the middle school where I teach. She retired, and now she looks 10 years younger! Anyway, her sister Susan lives near Olivet Road, a beautiful area. Susan said that Lola and I could paint there this summer, so one day last month we went and painted this barn in her backyard. That day the colors of summer were perfect! This picture makes the colors look extra saturated; they are not so bright in the painting.

Painting in My New Studio

It is such a pleasure to have a spacious, light-filled studio in which to paint! I often dreamed of this, but did not think I would ever have it. I am working on several paintings--3 small ones, and one 24" x 36" painting of a vineyard which you see in the photo. This is a commission, and it has been such a fun painting to work on! The women who commissioned it live in town, so they often pass by the studio and say hello. Their enthusiasm for the painting is a wonderful motivation. It should be done soon!

New Gallery!

In a wonderful and amazing turn of events, there is a new gallery in Guerneville, CA.....mine! My friend Suzy Kuhr, a phenomenal photographer who specializes in hand-developed, black & white photography, is sharing the space with me. We opened on July 4th, and will now be able to participate in all of the festive 1st Friday Art Walks! Our location is 16216 Main Street, Suite B (above the Lifvendahl Gallery). Although we each run our space individually, in town people know us as the "Kuhr-Norris Studio & Gallery."

Showing at Lifvendahl Gallery!

I am very excited to be showing my paintings at Lifvendahl Gallery next month (opening reception is Friday, May 2nd, as part of Guerneville's 1st Friday Art Walk). All the paintings I will hang there have never been shown before. This painting is of a view from Duncan's Landing.

Spring Colors

This is a barn I pass on my way home from school each day. One afternoon as I was driving home, I noticed that the colors of spring were particularly bright around this barn, so I stopped and took a photo.

Spring Morning in Armstrong Woods

I love this spot in Armstrong Woods Park. It is breathtaking. I went there to paint one morning over my spring break. It is one of the most challenging vistas I try to capture because there must be 95 different shades of green. I think I will keep trying to paint it for the rest of my life....

Dry Creek Barn

This was painted over my Spring Break. It's a barn in Dry Creek. The colors in the spring are truly amazing!

River Aflame

This was painted in the fall. I sat on the beach in Monte Rio. Painting has made me appreciate the colors of all the seasons more fully, as I pay attention more.

My studio

This is my painting area. It is tiny, and the lighting is not ideal since it is a basement space. However, I feel so fortunate to have a space dedicated to painting!

Spring Break painting

Over my Spring Break vacation, I painted most every day. My goal was to create lots of new paintings to show at Lifvendahl Gallery (Guerneville, CA) in May. One day I painted at the Regional Park on Eastside Road in Healdsburg. There is a lake there that always has great reflections. I'm finishing this painting in my studio.

Spring Morning at Duncan's Landing

The springtime means beautiful color everywhere, including along the Sonoma Coast. This was painted at Duncan's Landing on a spectacularly bright spring morning.

Light and Dark

"In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present."
---Sir Francis Bacon

Winter Red along Steelhead Beach

I started this painting on Steelhead Beach in Forestville, then finished it in my studio. I can't get the photograph to represent well the red, which has much more burnt sienna tones rather than the bright red as it appears. 

Chapel of Love

This painting is based on a small chapel in Guerneville which is now a private residence. The big tree behind the chapel is really there, and so is the red tree. The grass is not really there, but I liked it better than painting the street and cars which are really in front of the chapel. I am going to enter this painting in a juried show at The Russian River Art Gallery for the month of February. The theme of the show is: "Love is in the Air."

Junior

This is Junior, who belongs to my friends Angie & Nancy. He always has a droll expression on his face. This was painted from a photo; Angie is a knitter.

Motown

My friends, Larry & Erica, adopted Motown awhile ago. He isn't an easy dog to have because he has a lot of anxiety. He is, however, very handsome and extremely sweet!

Watercolor sketch

I've been trying to do a small watercolor sketch on days when I don't have time or energy to work on larger paintings. This is a watercolor based on a photo my wife took of the moon rising over Alexander Valley. I am using some new paints that I love---Schminke Horadam Aquarells, made in Germany. My small Moleskin watercolor sketchbook, started around Thanksgiving, is almost full!

Neighbor Bob's house

I was commissioned to paint my neighbor Bob's house. Bob has a big heart and has welcomed lots of cats into his home. The cat in the picture is Maggie; she was discovered as a kitten in a flower pot on Bob's deck. She LOVES Bob!

Monte Rio Beach

On the morning of Lola's last day here, we went to Monte Rio's beach for one last painting excursion. It was beautiful, as always. She headed back to Spain later that day.

Tomales Bay

My wife and I have a lovely Black Friday tradition: instead of spending the day in the soul-killing atmosphere of a shopping mall, we head to Tomales Bay to enjoy the amazing oysters at Marshall General Store. This year was extra special since Lola was with us and our good friends Kathleen and Minema met us there. Lola and I painted the sparkling bay while we waited for our oysters to arrive. After eating, we all headed to Millerton Point for a stroll. A beautiful day!

Painting with Lola 2

Lola was here for just a week, from November 23 - 30, so we felt very blessed that we had beautiful weather the whole week! We went out painting every day except Thanksgiving Day. We painted at the mouth of the Russian River in Jenner, at the Laguna of Santa Rosa, along the river in Guerneville, and at the Regional Park on Eastside Road in Healdsburg. We relished the peacefulness of the autumn colors and soft light. The bottom photo shows the very beginning of our paintings (in oil) at the Regional Park.

Painting with Lola 1

My dear friend and fellow artist Lola arrived from Madrid on Saturday, November 23rd, in the evening. The next day we got up early and headed to Monte Rio to paint by the river. It was a gorgeous morning; there was a mist on the river, and ducks flew by and landed in the water as we painted.

Work in Progress #2

Yesterday was a spectacularly gorgeous fall day here in Sonoma County. I decided to go out and paint. I was headed to the Laguna of Santa Rosa, a favorite painting spot, when I saw this view off Highway 116. I pulled over into an apple orchard and painted for a peaceful hour and a half. I need to adjust colors and finish the vines, but this painting already makes me happy to look at. 

Work in Progress #1

A couple weeks ago, I got home earlier than usual from work, so I threw my paints into the car and headed to Armstrong Woods, to one of my favorite spots to paint. I've painted this view before, but it was in the spring so the colors were completely different. I haven't touched the painting since the day I started it, so it has a long way to go.....I hope to paint the same scene again in the winter.

Lifvendahl Gallery Show

Here is the finished version of the painting in my last post. It is currently hanging in the Lifvendahl Fine Art Gallery, in Guerneville, for their small works show. This is not a great photo, but it's the only one I took of the painting after finishing it. Although I feel insanely busy at school at this time of year, I do have three other paintings in progress. Will try to finish at least one of them this weekend and post a picture of it.