This Little Piggy SOLD

oil 6x6 inches Purchase info here. I love this little painting. Am I allowed to say that? I think so. The Queen of Daily Painting, Carol Marine, gave us permission long, long ago.

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."

Weed Pickin'

oil 8x8 inches Not for sale. For a closer look, click here. Mr. Richard Bumann graciously allowed me to take pictures of him while he weeded. Painted from my photo reference taken on a spring visit to historic Bumann Ranch, Encinitas, CA. Thank you to artist Rita Pacheco for inviting me to join her on this unique plein air opportunity.

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.

The Tractor In Back

oil 9x12 inches For a closer look and purchase info, click here. I guess I'm drawn to tractors. One day I drove around the Wilder area taking pictures of tractors. There were plenty and they were loved. They were on display in the front yards. One even had Christmas lights. This tractor was just a few steps from where I was staying on the river. Of the four paintings I did in Idaho, this is my favorite.

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.

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.

Horse Farm Tunnel -a plein air oil painting from a horse farm

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase info I couldn't resist the light at the end of this tunnel, a barn on beautiful Baker Scudder Farm in Rancho Cucamonga. Thursday friends and I met up there to paint. Though overcast for most of the day, the dark inside the barn made for some nice contrast. I don't like to make changes once I get the painting home, but this time I risked it. Basically I added more interest in the focal area, and reduced interest in the foreground. Below is how it looked before the changes. I decided the red rake detracted from what I wanted to convey.

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.

Call It A Day -an oil painting of ranch life

oil 11x14 inches magnify/purchase Painted from a photo I took while camping in Cannon Beach, Oregon. The RV park offers horseback riding. I got some great sunset shots of horses nibbling grass by the creek and shots of this cowboy too. THANK YOU Orange Art Association for a fun experience demonstrating last night. What a lively group you are! I was too busy painting to snap photos, but I'll post the finished painting next chance I get.

Cider Mill -a plein air painting from Oak Glen

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase All the apples are in and the cider mill is cranking away. I could smell the juice as I painted this at Snowline Orchard yesterday. Then I bought some Pink Lady apples and hot mini donuts. Yum. after a break I headed down to The Pumpkin Patch on Live Oak Canyon road to paint pumpkins.

Here's my subject and my easel. You can see my subject is not directly beyond my easel. I'll share this very practical tip I learned from Kim English: To get your panel in the shade, hold your hand up in front of you vertically. Turn your hand until it is in shade. That's the way to place your easel. Why didn't I think of that? Duh. Sometimes it means your subject is way off to one side from you, which it was in this case. At first I thought that might feel awkward, turning my head so much, but really once I start painting I don't even notice. Easier on the eyes, and better for getting values 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.

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.

Wheelbarrow -sold

oil 6x4 inches private collection McDonough, Georgia I like old wheelbarrows. My dad used to push me around our backyard in one when I was little. This is not that one, but it conjured up the happy memories anyway.

Old Idaho Winter

watercolor 11x14 1/2 inches
click here to bid

Driving around in Meridian my daughter-in-law was kind enough to circle back and pull over so I could take some shots of this scene. While I was trudging along the side of the road, she worried that somebody would come out of the house with a rifle. I'm told Idaho has more guns per person than any other state. In fact, I shot a few of them while I was there. Oh yeah...back to the painting. Everything looked so cold, but the afternoon light gave the sky a glow that I thought would make a nice painting. Bare trees mean a lot of calligraphy, and they can end up looking spooky. I think the trick is to notice that in general the branches reach up and out, not down. I hope I captured the feel of winter.