Sit A Spell

oil 8x8 inches For a closer look and purchase info click here. We visited artsy Cannon Beach, Oregon a few years ago. This great old house was a studio gallery. Once in a while I like to use a completely different type of brush just to keep things fresh. I normally use flats or filberts, but this was done with synthetic brights. I really enjoyed the resulting geometric marks. IN OTHER NEWS: NEWPORT BEACH ART IN THE PARK is this Saturday. Come for the perfect weather and great art! 10-4 On the Civic Center Green, 100 Civic Center Drive. Artists for this event are carefully juried in for the quality of their work. You'll see many different art forms. Definitely worth the visit! I'll have framed and loose paintings, over 100 in total to browse through. Come sit and visit with me a while. I hope to see you there!

Casita -a plein air painting from San Clemente. SOLD

oil 8x10 inches For a closer look and purchase info click here. I love this little house which is a Nature and History Museum at San Clemente State Beach. Emily and I got to paint in the shade and visit the Museum too. She painted beach rocks she had carried up the hill the day before.

Beach Houses

oil 9x12 For a closer look and purchase info click here. Last month we camped for a few days at San Clemente State Beach. It was a "paintcation" and our granddaughter, Emily joined us. First morning we had a heavy mist, so we painted under our awning. Emily painted her cat, Daisy in acrylic.

A Little Bit Dinghy -plein air paintings from Balboa Island -sold

Here are some shots of the last two paintings I did as part of Just Plein Fun on Balboa Island.

A Little Bit Dinghy 8x8 inches was my quick draw. About thirty artists participated along South Bay Front, having two hours to complete a painting. It was fun and festive, with an awards ceremony complete with Olympic music and gold medals. This painting sold off the easel which was a great ending to a great week. Is my head really that big, or is the painting really that tiny? Ha!

This 12x9 was my thank you gift to my hostess, Joanne. It was so kind of her to open her lovely home to me and let me come and go as I please. This is an island cottage that I thought would make a cheerful painting with its sunflowers. The quick draw was the grand finale of the week. There you have it, finally!!! Here's a shot of the participants on Gala Night. I really enjoyed getting to know a few of these fellow painters. I hope to be invited again next year.

Stop by this great little gallery when you're on the island. Some of the work from the event is still on display. 229 Marine Ave, Suite E, Balboa Island, CA. 949-723-6171

Pots, Pots, Pots! -a plein air painting from Balboa Island

oil 10x8 inches magnify On Tuesday afternoon, the second day of Just Plein Fun, I walked the island looking for shade and inspiration. Specifically, inspiration IN the shade! The multiple pots at this little cottage caught my eye. I have a thing for potted plants myself. I loved the reds against blues and that small pot directly in front of the open Dutch door. I thought about leaving out the giant pot in the foreground, but maybe the golden color might be a nice foil to the others, and maybe it would lead the eye in to the focal point. Sometimes you have to entertain some maybes. Your comments are always welcome. This painting is available at Huse Gallery, 229 Marine Ave. Suite E, Balboa Island, CA. 949-723-6171

Wearing my nametag backwards so it won't create it's own little painting on my shirt. Tomorrow I'll have sinus surgery. I might not be posting for a while.

226 -a plein air painting from Balboa Island -SOLD

oil 8x8 inches magnify The Just Plein Fun Invitational ended on Saturday with a quick draw in the afternoon. This is the piece I did in the cool overcast of that morning. This painting is available through the Debra Huse Gallery 949-723-6171.

While painting that morning I had a delightful visit from my friend Tammie and her husband from Bixby, Oklahoma. We met in Colorado last September at the Kim English workshop. They were in the area for a wedding and took time to hunt me down. Thanks so much, Tammie! It was so good to see you both.

Here's how it would look leaned up against your car's wheel.

Utilities -a plein air painting from Balboa Island, CA SOLD

oil 10x8 inches magnify By the afternoon of the third day I was feeling a bit overbaked and extra crispy from the sun. So I walked to this familiar spot I've painted in the past knowing I could sit in the shade. I hear the residents of the island are not fond of the utility lines and poles and there's talk of burying them. For me, they add to the island charm and are great verticals for paintings! I've always loved the sun and shadow between these two houses. This painting is framed and available at the Debra Huse Gallery, Balboa Island 949-723-6171 IN OTHER NEWS: We will be on vacation for the next two weeks. So there will be no posting and no shipping until after August 27th. See you then!

Commissioned Window and Door, plus ART UNCORKED!

Open Window, oil 14x11 and Hobbit Door, 8x10 SOLD These are the other two paintings commissioned by my brother for his friend. All three have the pink canvas tone I mentioned in my last post. I haven't gotten to visit this house yet, but I sure would like to go inside that little hobbit door! EVENT NEWS: Thursday night, November 13th there's an art event right here in Chino! The Chino Community Center Corporation, a non-profit organization is sponsoring "ART UNCORKED": Food, wine tasting, artisan beers, music and eight artists displaying their work for sale. The proceeds will be used to promote visual and performing arts in the Chino Valley. Location: Brinderson Hall, Chino Jr. Fairgrounds. Hours: 6:00-9:00pm. Tickets available online HERE at Eventbrite.com It's going to be a great evening! If you're local I hope you'll consider attending. Join the fun and support the arts in our community!

The Inbetween -sold

oil 12x9 inches click for purchase information and zoom feature Last Monday friends and I painted on Balboa Island. I have admired this space between houses for several years, and finally it was time to paint it. The bright yellow catches your eye first, but as you look, you notice the reflected color onto the blue house is quite dramatic. The telephone poles add a strong vertical element. My friend May and I painted together the whole day. We had a nice seat right on the sea wall. Thanks to my friend Mary Jo for the pictures. She stood behind us on a dock...a nice vantage point. By the way, all the verticals in the painting are straight, although some appear curved here, due to the "fish eye" effect from my camera.

Yellow Cottage -sold

oil 10x8 inches -sold- Yesterday I met up with about twenty members of SOCALPAPA at Crystal Cove State Beach. It was 80 degrees and chock full of stuff to paint: cottages, hillside cliffs, ocean and tide pools. I wiped out my first two attempts. I felt like I had forgotten how to paint. I was too warm, I needed my shorts and flip flops, coffee and breakfast. Some plein air days are like this. Okay, so I took all my excuses with me to the cafe and had a fabulous lunch. After that I found a perfect spot of deep shade, a new subject and had a great time. Can't wait to go back!

Tustin Autumn SOLD

oil 9x12 inches, framed. Click to Purchase My painting submitted to the Tustin Plein Air Competition. It received an Honorable Mention. To be very honest, sales yesterday were dismal. There were a lot of nice comments on my work, but almost everyone kept their cash and credit cards in their wallets. After a day like that I get discouraged. I ask myself if I'm devoting myself to making things that nobody wants. Seriously. Life is short. I apologize to those who say "don't put anything negative on your blog." I think it's important to be honest about the struggles of being a painter and a human being. Think I'll take a few days off from painting.