1967

oil 16x12 click for purchase info and magnifier Here's a piece I did back in November but never posted. We visited the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco more than a year ago. The sixties/seventies vibe was still visible, but the sidewalks were bare of hippies. Too bad. I loved all the graffiti in this shot, especially the 1967.

Cold Perch

oil 10x8 inches, framed. With my booth at the fair partially hung, I sat back a while to look it over. Though finished and framed months ago, this painting stood out to me. It seemed dark and dismal. As I sat, I knew exactly the small changes I wanted to make. I carefully re-hung it wet the next day. The painting is from a photo I took in Sausalito after we had ridden our bikes across the Golden Gate Bridge. It was very cold, but the sun was trying to break through. I still love how the yellow ties the scene together. The first version is below for comparison, if you like. It's always a temptation for me when working from photos to be a slave to the photo. Perhaps going back much later without the photo reference in mind is a way to take necessary liberties.

High Bay View -sold

oil 11x14 inches, gallery wrap canvas (sold) With this painting I have done some experimenting. My photo reference for this piece had a nice abstract quality. I turned my photo upside down for the entire painting process. I thought doing so would be a fun exercise and would help maintain the abstract quality. I also painted without any initial draw-in. Instead, I focused on laying in the shapes on canvas. Also, I painted on an oil ground for the first time and without any toning of the canvas. The painting dried quickly and opaquely. Needs a good coat of varnish. I submitted this to Carol Marine's "Try Something New" challenge.

Storm Passing- San Francisco

oil 8x10 inches Click to Purchase This is the last of the recent San Francisco paintings. Even painting from photographs I get the feeling I'm right back there in that beautiful city. We stopped very near the Golden Gate Bridge and looked back toward Fisherman's Wharf. What a sight! Though this might be better as a larger painting, I'm very happy with the expanse conveyed by the sky.

Liftoff

oil 9x12 inches Click to PurchaseAnother view from biking near the Golden Gate Bridge. There are just six days left of the Fair. Dawn, who oversees the demonstrators and Gallery Store started bringing me pomegranates from her yard and I have done a series of paintings with them. They might be my favorites. Will post them soon.

Light & Shadow San Francisco

oil 12x9 inches Click to Purchase Bicycling is a great way to get good photos. You don't have to figure out where to pull over and park the car. We found these beautiful buildings just off the bike path on the way to Golden Gate Bridge. The shadows caught my eye and painting the large shapes really appealed to me.

Rainy Evening At Lori's

oil 8x8 inches click here to bid Lori's on Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco. Light was fading fast, but the sign seemed to glow. I liked the neon signs in contrast to the overall darkness. I chose to paint this one partly because I wondered if I could pull it off.

Waiting

oil on canvas panel 12x9 inches
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A cold morning at Fisherman's Wharf. Waiting is hard for little ones. This mother had such as sense of peace, you'd never know she had a preschooler running all over. Her little toddler had the most forlorn expression on her face. (HARD to capture in paint!) I love how she's all snuggled in. This painting took a while. I enjoyed the slightly larger canvas, the cool tones and clear division of light and shadow. I painted the little girl's face several times, then decided I'd done the best I could, time to move on.

Modern Thought-sold

oil on canvas panel 8x8 inches
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Another from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, this guy's orange sweatshirt tied in nicely. Again, the blah colored floor and reflected color proved challenging, but I'm happy with how it ended up.

Viva Los Colores-sold

oil on canvas panel 8x6 inches
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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!

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.

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

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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.

Frisco Streets -sold

oil on canvas panel 8x6 inches

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The sun was trying to burn through the clouds, but it was still dark enough for the glow of tail lights and street lights. I tried to capture this in-between state of light. I love those San Francisco streets that scoop upward in the distance. The buses and cars move the eye from side to side, so I tried to use line to direct the eye into the distance and up the hill.