Viva Los Colores-sold

oil on canvas panel 8x6 inches
click here to bid

At the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art I observed this contemplative couple and their attire in stark contrast to Frida Kahlo's colorful painting. What would Frida say? Maybe "Viva los colores!"
This may be my last post for 2011, as I'm running Camp Gramma this weekend. Happy New Year, everyone!

Warhol Watches-sold

oil on canvas panel 8x6 inches
click here to bid

I hadn't painted in over a week when I took this on. Museum goers are a popular subject with us daily painters, and so I thought I'd have a go at it. I wiped the floor :-) three times. Finally decided enough is enough, and on to the next painting. There are aspects of this that I'm happy with, so it was spared from the wipe-out. This is a busy time of year with family and good times, but not much time for painting. Hope to get some time later next week.

King Cracker SOLD

oil on canvas panel 8x6 inches
private collection Chattanooga, TN

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, Everyone! Thank you for your interest in my work, for your comments and encouragement. Love and joy to all!

Red Bridge SOLD

watercolor and gouache on Arches 7.5 X 10.5 inches
private collection Granite Bay, California

On Sunday I attended a great watercolor demonstration by Keiko Tanabe. I got inspired by her approach and materials largely because they were so different than what I normally do in watercolor. So on Monday I had fun here with rough paper, squirrel mops, dark washes and gouache.
Keiko's work is amazing. I was not surprised to find out that as a young girl she studied calligraphy for several years. She seems to "draw" with paint, the brush an extension of her arm. On one wall of Watercolor West's exhibit I read, "Watercolor is like golf. Every stroke counts." Keiko's marks are sure.

Cold Perch

oil on Gessobord 10x8 inches FRAMED

Click to Purchase

In November our bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge ended in Sausalito where this huge seagull posed for me. The ferry passed by and "ooh, ooh--the yellow and the yellow!" I thought all the grays and blues with yellow accents might make a good painting. My first piece in a long time painted on a black ground and a smoother surface than usual, I had a lot of fun. It's so energizing to try something different.

Two Little Islands SOLD

oil on canvas panel 8x8 inches
private collection Chattanooga, TN

From Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco you can see this tiny island, "Forbes Island", and the notorious Alcatraz in the distance. I don't know if Forbes is a real island, or if the little lighthouse is a real lighthouse, as both are so small. Anyway, the reflections on the very glassy bay water caught my eye. I painted this piece on a black gesso ground. As I experiement with this I really enjoy the texture that can be achieved and the bits of black peeking through as well. I submitted this to the current DPW challenge; reflections on water. To see the other entries click here.

Did You Say "Walk?"

oil on canvas panel 8x6 inches

not for sale

The current Daily Paintworks Challenge is to paint man's best friend and his/her favorite thing. This is my own little studio dog, Sandy. She's a lovable bundle of love, fur and dog kisses. She waits patiently while I paint and knows exactly the moment I'm finished. Here she is on my studio rug at just that moment hoping for her favorite thing: a walk. When I talk to her about anything she cocks her head like this. Yep, she's adorable. Oh, but back to the painting!

She's white, which I knew would be a challenge, and that maltese (silky) and poodle (curly) hair was a challenge too. Luckily for me, my studio lights both cool and warm showed up in her fur. The color seemed to tie in with the rug, so I used consistent paint application throughout to further unify the painting. A limited palette helped too: burnt umber, yellow ochre, alizarin, ultramarine, cad yellow medium and T white. I really enjoyed painting my own little sweetheart.

To see the other entries to this challenge, click here.

Bike The Bridge SOLD

oil on canvas panel 8x6 inches
private collection Brighton, Colorado

The day we biked the bridge I got a great photo reference for this painting by hanging over the railing a bit. The photo had a great design to it, so all I had to do was edit out a few cars and more bikes leaning on the rail. This might be my favorite of the San Francisco pieces so far.

I just realized Christmas is a little more than two weeks away. Yowza! Got to get ready, so I'll post when I can.

Bridge View SOLD

oil on canvas panel 6x8 inches

private collection Alexandria, Virginia

One day in San Francisco we rode bicycles across the bridge. This is one view I caught with my camera as we approached the bridge. Middle and foreground were in cloud shadow, the bridge, buildings and Sausalito were hit with morning sun.

Evening Ride -sold

oil on canvas panel 8x6 inches

click here to bid

San Francisco's famous cable cars run on miles of underground cables and are the only ones in the world still running on a daily schedule. Stepping aboard is a trip back in time. The glow of lights on the cable car, the streets and in the trees added charm to a wet, cold night. This is my first nocturne--a lot of fun to paint.