Botanical Stroll -a plein air oil painting from Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens SOLD

oil 9x2 inches magnify/purchase "Life is what happens while you are making other plans." Just got back from a family emergency in Idaho. Thankfully, everybody's doing fine now. Here's a painting I did a few weeks ago at the Botanical Gardens in Claremont. While starting I snapped a few shots of folks walking up the path. I added this couple last using my phone shot as reference. Most of these greens have thalo green in them. I've since removed that pigment from my palette. I decided it's a bit loud for me even when neutralized with some red. I prefer to mix my own greens from the primaries or pre-mix a green from Payne's Gray and Cad Lemon before I go out. Greens can be tricky. I like them natural, not loud. That being said, I am still pleased with the color harmony in this painting.

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.

Mediterranean Diet -a still life demonstration in oil -SOLD

oil 8x8 inches magnify/purchase Thursday night's demo for the Yucaipa Valley Art Association was a blast! What a welcoming and responsive group of artists. Among them were my friends Carol and Joan, pictured below. Thank you, Alan for inviting me. I'm very happy with the way this painting turned out. It's always a bit tricky finishing the next day at home where the lighting is not exactly the same. The Graber olive oil was like liquid gold in a bottle! Such beautiful color. Very exciting! I had my greens pre-mixed as I do for plein air, and they worked here as well. Cad Yellow Lemon and Payne's Gray. One pile with more yellow, and the other with more gray. For the very bright greens, thalo blue and cad yellow light. As usual, the painting looks better in person. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Top Shelf -a still life painting in oil -SOLD

oil 12x9 inches magnify/purchase Here's the top shelf of my still life paraphenalia rack. I didn't move a thing. A large window to the immediate right of the shelf provides some light and sparkle. Those are wide ribbons hanging on the corner in case you wonder. I had fun with this. I do love sparkle.

Berries & Roses -a still life painting in oil

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase I have a demonstration coming up this Thursday evening the 19th in Yucaipa. For more information, please see my blog's "Upcoming Events." I hope everyone had a good weekend!

Cara Cara -SOLD

oil 8x8 inches magnify/purchase What a surprise I had when I cut into this orange! I didn't know I'd picked up a Cara Cara. Beautiful color and so extremely juicy. And our local berries really are that red.

Fruit & Flower -a still life demonstration in oil -SOLD

oil 8x8 inches magnify/purchase Monday night's demo for the Orange Art Association. I painted much faster than I usually do because time was short, then finished it yesterday in my studio. I had used gray drapery which allows me to swing it warm or cool, and in this case violet. I painted the shadows first, then at home had to adjust them so they read right with the cloth in light. Someone asked me about how to determine the color of your shadows. Here's my usual reasoning, although not a hard and fast rule. Consider the local color of the object the shadow is falling on (the cloth, grayish lavender). If the light source is warm (spotlight bulb), the shadow will be cooler (temp.), darker (value), and a bit duller (intensity). So for the shadows I used hardly any white (darker), added more blue (cooler), and a bit more of the complement yellow (duller). I use the same principle with watercolor. With practice you can SEE what color your shadows are. Ask yourself how the shadow color compares to the part of the same object in light. Darker, cooler, duller?

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.

Desert Dragon

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase You'll find lots of these beautifully rusted sculptures in Galleta Meadows, not too far from Borrego Springs. You can drive or walk right up to them and all around them. The dragon's head was on one side of the road and his tail sections on the other. The tail looked just like a gigantic rattlesnake's rattle. I turned the RV to give me shade as I painted. The breeze was cool and my dog sat next to me in the passenger seat. It was a great last painting session. Then I headed into town for some really good tacos.

DEMONSTRATION IN ORANGE Next Monday night, March 9. See blog EVENTS for more info.

Palm Trio -a plein air painting of the desert

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase Number two of three paintings I did out at Anza Borrego. This one might be my favorite.

A Pair of Palms -a plein air painting of the desert

oil 9x12 magnify/purchase I'm back from a few days camping at Anza Borrego State Park. The desert was blooming and the air clean and cool. Paradise! I painted this near the visitor's center the first day. It was about 2:00 pm when I started. The light got better and better, back lighting those palms. The sun dropped behind the mountain just after I finished. Then I packed up quick to ride my bike back to camp while I could still see where I was going. IN OTHER NEWS: Today is the fifth anniversary of my blog. Every minute I hold a paintbrush in my hand I feel so blessed and thankful to God to be doing what I love. I sincerely thank all of you who follow, comment and purchase my work. Without you, it would just be paintings piling up in a corner! And a very special thanks to Carol Marine, the Queen of Daily Painting, who really helped me get this daily painting/blogging thing going.

Cut Lemon & Grapes -a still life painting in oil -SOLD

oil 6x8 inches magnify/purchase Another painting on that brushed oil ground surface. I love the rich warm yellow color of these home grown lemons. They're not at all like what you find in grocery stores. I'll be out of town for a few days with no internet service, so I'll post again in about a week. Have a great week, everyone!

Leaning Lemon -a still life painting in oil

oil 6x8 inches magnify/purchase I painted this piece on a "reclaimed" canvas to which I had applied a clean coat of white oil ground. What a nice surface to paint on once in a while, and I really like the texture showing under the oil paint when you take a closer look.

Tubes & Brushes -a painting of paint stuff in watercolor

watercolor and gouache 9x12 inches magnify/purchase Okay, here's some watercolor stuff. My camera doesn't know what to do with white paper. It looks better in person. Have I said that before?

Oil Tubes & Brushes -an oil painting of art supplies -SOLD

oil 6x8 inches magnify/purchase Nothing beats a good old cruciform design. My favorite.

Little Corona Beach

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase Last Friday SOCALPAPA met at Little Corona Beach. (If you've been there, you know that leaning tree!) Painting with your feet in the sand and a cool breeze in your face...well, plein air doesn't get much better than that! How about a whale not too far off shore? I'm not kidding! We could see it clearly from the shore, and she hung around for a good long time. IN OTHER NEWS: I've added an EVENTS list to my blog. Check it out when you have time. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

P-38 Lightning -a plein air oil painting of aircraft SOLD

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase A Special Event at the air museum on Saturday brought "Louise" the P-38 out of the hangar. As soon as I set up a very kind docent who now knows what I'm up to informed me that she would be moved to fly in about two hours. I decided to stay put and paint fast. It worked out. Just as I finished, some clouds came in and they moved her out to take off. She flew right over our heads several times, fast and really pretty quiet considering her power. I can't tell you how exciting that was for me right after I had finished painting! The crowd was interested in what I was doing and so kind and encouraging. A boy about 12 came close and said, "Just to help you out, I think you should put a little more green right there by those guns." So cute!!! These people know their war history and their planes! I hope I did her justice. Here are some more pics just for fun.

Lockheed Lodestar -a plein air oil painting of aircraft

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase Up close and personal because the planes are parked so close together in the "boneyard" that it's hard to get back any distance. I got permission though, to plant myself inside the ropes next time, as long as I don't get paint on the planes! (Don't tell anybody.) I really like this view though, and the various colors I saw in the shiny underbelly. A bit more of the cockpit shows in the painting. My photo is a bit lopped off at the top.

Pear & Grapes -a still life painting in oil

oil 6x6 inches magnify/purchase What would happen if I painted the next painting using mostly the leftover colors mixed from the painting I just finished? Here it is, painted right after "The Entryway" without cleaning my palette. Kinda different. It's loose and it was a fun experiment. Have a great weekend, everybody!

"The Entryway"