Tractor Sun & Shadow

oil 8x8 inches For a closer look and purchase info click here. Painted from my photo reference taken at Amy's Farm. I really enjoy painting tractors, especially with patterns of light and shadow. To see other tractor paintings, go to "labels" below, and click on "tractors."

Cat Nap

oil 8x8 inches For a closer look and purchase info click here. This Amy's Farm cat had found a cool shady spot for her nap. Dappled light challenges me every time, but it's worth the effort for the interesting patterns of light and shadow.

Toy Tractor

oil 8x8 inches For a closer look and purchase info click here. The day I painted Shady Spot at Amy's Farm, I took some shots of this faded toy tractor. I toned my canvas with Thalo Red Rose and Indian Yellow, which I think helps to unify the scene.

A Shady Spot

oil 9x12 inches For a closer look and purchase info click here. This is a plein air piece from Amy's Farm in Ontario, CA. A little water fountain under an arbor.

A Cow Named Mocha -a plein air painting from Amy's Farm

oil 9x12 magnify/purchase info Afternoon at Amy's Farm, Mocha was intent on her lunch and staying there a while it seemed. I set up quickly, snapped a lot of pictures and painted her first. She changed positions several times, so I relied on memory and the photos. Mocha is the new bovine star to groups of children on field trips at Amy's Farm. I painted her predecessor, the late "Grandma Tina", back in 2014. (below, sold.)

Farm Cat -a plein air painting in oil -SOLD

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase info This could be a long post. So much happening, I'm going to try to catch up a bit here. On Labor Day (seems like months ago!) I had the pleasure of taking Katie, a very talented 8th grader, out painting for her first experience in oils and plein air. We had a great time at Amy's Farm as did the farm cat and this chicken that was overly interested in us, especially for a chicken.

My demo in Rancho was Sept. 12th, and I haven't painted since, but yes, I've been just a tad busy. We moved on the 25th after 25 years in the same house. About 175 boxes later, we are now down to maybe 30 left to unpack.

Part of the reason we moved was for a nice big studio where I could do my thing. So... in our backyard there's this "RV Garage". At first sight I thought "ART BARN!!!!" It already had a tiny restroom, industrial sink, overhead lighting, heater, epoxy floor and a north window (that might get bigger). Woo-hooooo!!! I just needed to clean, move cabinets, put in new counter tops and paint. Here are some progress shots. We are still working on it, but I might actually be painting in there very soon!

The top two indoor shots show the size (28x30 feet) and condition. Lots of potential! Then I had it painted taupe before move in day. More pictures coming in the next post.

Spring Pickings -a still life painting in oil -SOLD

oil 12x16 magnify This half-head of cabbage was talking to me from inside my fridge. I might hold on to this painting for a while. It might be for sale at a later date. UPDATE: This piece is now available. magnify/bid to purchase

Spring Farm Work -a plein air oil painting at Amy's Farm

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase info I took advantage of a cloudy day and headed over to Amy's Farm. It was a nice cool day to paint. The volunteers working in the field kept moving of course, but I managed to paint them very quickly and then paint the scene around them after they moved on.

Heirloom Tomatoes -a still life painting in oil -sold

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase This one is from August when Amy's Farm harvested their amazing tomatoes. I have a small backlog of paintings to post from August and September, plus some commissions to share, so I've got some catching up to do. Art In The Park Newport Beach last Saturday was a great day! A perfect venue and friendly crowd. Thank you to all who visited my booth and also to those who purchased my work.

AMY'S HEIRLOOMS - a still life oil painting of tomatoes from Amy's Farm

oil 12x12 inches magnify/not for sale I guess I'd never really seen heirloom tomatoes. The colors were so amaaazing! To me they were as beautiful as flowers, but in a tomatoey way. I painted larger than usual (12x12) to have room for all those color shifts. A few days later their vine ripe juiciness became the most luscious tomato soup. They practically peeled themselves and when I cut into them the color on the outside was inside too. I used a bit of diced onion sauteed in butter. Cooked the 'maters with not too much water, and some fresh basil and oregano. Then a roux to thicken and sugar to taste. Who says you can't talk cooking on an art blog. Soup is an art! Right?

The Grain Bin, Amy's Farm (sold) - And A Painting Frenzy!

oil 9x12 inches magnify One day back in August I took advantage of an overcast morning and headed down the road to Amy's Farm, one of my favorite painting spots. I try to stick with how the scene looked when I started, but the sun came out and added interest to that grain bin. I know it's risky to "chase the light", but I couldn't resist. I'm pleased with the result. At Amy's farm they sell all kinds of organically grown veggies. They had just harvested the most gorgeous heirloom tomatoes. I bought a big bag full and was home by noon. They looked so beautiful on my kitchen counter, their rich color just sucked me in and pulled me into my studio to paint. Finished around dinner time, I ate something quick and headed off to my paint/talk/laugh group. We had a model that night. It was a crazy wonderful day of painting. Plein air, still life and portrait all in one day. Not planned at all! Here they are lined up against my backyard fence.

I'll post the tomatoes and portrait in the next two posts.

Tina, Backlit -sold

oil 12x12x1 1/2 magnify/purchase Meet Grandma Tina from Amy's Farm in Chino. She's a gentle old cow who doesn't mind being led past a line of school children so they can get a sense of how big a cow really is. She always wears her halter and bell. I had a hard time getting a good shot of this piece due to it being wet on five sides. There is glare on the bottom third obscuring some nice warm darks. Painted on 1 1/2 inch deep gallery wrap canvas, ready to hang.

The Morning Strut

oil 8x8 inches click for purchase information and zoom feature Painted from a photo reference taken at Amy's Farm, Chino. Gallery wrapped canvas 1 1/2 inch deep, ready to hang.

Dappled- sold

oil 8x10 sold A lot of little girls love drawing horses. I wasn't one of them. My first attempt at painting a horse, it took me a while to get the drawing right, but I'm really happy with this one. This is a friend of ours going about his daily chores at Amy's Farm.

Nursery Lane At Amy's Farm

oil on canvas panel 6x8 inches

click here to bid

This morning I got out early to Amy's Farm, just down the road from our house. I took pictures for about an hour, then settled on this scene. Nursery Lane is where they line up calves for schoolkids on field trips to bottle feed. Today there were just a couple of horses (rear ends) visible on the right side. I liked the tree and tiny bits of white from a herd of Holsteins in the far distance, the two horses and especially that puddle in the foreground. Amy and her crew welcome artists anytime. So if you're in Southern California, come on out and paint.

Obnoxious Pig SOLD

oil on canvas panel 6x6 inches

Last Spring I visited Amy's Farm, just a mile from our house where this very swiney pig was standing on the bottom rail of the fence squealing for it's breakfast. Very dramatic! We stood and watched a while. In my painting I tried to capture the feeling I got that day of a "real life pig": the smell, the mud and the obnoxious behavior.

Plein Air At Amy's Farm SOLD

oil on canvas panel 12x9 inches

Just around the corner from us some long time friends own and run "Amy's Farm". They offer field trip farm experiences for young children and grow organic vegetables. This morning it was just too beautiful to paint inside, so I headed over to the farm. In the garden, the light was hitting the tops of fence boards, planted rows, and that lone discarded pumpkin...so I turned it into a painting. (The painting is better than the photo!) Turns out I had painted the compost pile! Farmer Randy liked it and bought it as a birthday gift for someone who lives and works on the farm, and rightfully so. She adds goat manure to the compost pile all the time. Thank you to Amy's Farm for welcoming kids, teachers, families and artists.