Bridge At Canyon Junction -a plein air painting from Zion National Park -SOLD

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase info My second day in Zion I got out early. I hopped on the tram (or dragged myself and gear into the tram) by 8 am. Hey, that's early for me! At Canyon Junction a trail runs right along the river, giving easy river access for painting. I found the perfect spot, shown below. It was quite secluded except for the perfectly tanned "buff" guy. Is that still a word for muscular??? He hung around a bit, walking here and there nearby. A small backpack, no shoes, wearing nothing but a Speedo. Yep! Well that was a little weird. EXCITING DAYS AHEAD! Tomorrow I teach a small one day workshop in Anaheim Hills. Sunday I'll be at the BALBOA ART WALK with 100 fellow artists. If you're in SO CAL don't miss it! You can find me right along the sea wall on the island at Pearl Street. Park in the big parking lot on the Peninsula, and walk onto the ferry. Turn left off the ferry and I'm close by. It'll be a great day! Here's a pic of the guy in the Speedo.

(Just kidding!) But there really was a guy in a Speedo.

Formations -a plein air painting from Zion National Park

oil 10x8 inches magnify/purchase info I painted this the first afternoon directly from my campsite. Those rock formations are an art in themselves! The pattern of structures was a bit daunting, but I'm happy with the result. Like usual, the color is better in person. I've been doing some framing today in preparation for the Balboa Island Art Walk this coming Sunday. If you're in Southern California, I hope you'll come! One hundred artists along the sea wall. You can find me at Pearl, a left turn when stepping off the ferry onto the island.

Zion's Throne -a plein air oil painting from Zion National Park

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase Over the weekend I camped near one of my favorite spots on earth, Zion National Park. This was my fifth visit and my first time to paint there. For a painter, it's heaven. Hop on and off the free tram anywhere and choose your subject from spectacular views all around you. The changing light and weather conditions will certainly challenge you. Here you see "The Great White Throne" from River Walk Trail. It appeared violet in the distance. I had two days to paint. This is the first morning's effort. Five minutes after I finished clouds came overhead and very strong winds rushed through the canyon. The river sand flew everywhere...into my teeth and into my painting. You can see it here if you look closely. I hope I can brush it off when the paint dries.

IN OTHER NEWS: Spring Pickings is for sale at auction on Daily Paintworks. To view the auction, click HERE.

Up Canyon -a plein air painting of Moro Canyon, Laguna Beach.

oil 8x10 inches magnify/not for sale My favorite of the two painted at Moro Beach. And below, my favorite little dog, just waiting and keeping me safe. What a pleasant time I had, the nice stone bench and all. Ahhhh...can't wait to go back. This piece will be framed and available at the Balboa Art Walk, May 17th. IN OTHER NEWS: If you're near to Redlands, visit Stonewheel Olive Oil Company. Ten of my paintings are on display thanks to the owner, Alisa Chatman. Artist reception Thursday, May 7 6:30-8:30. 7 N. 5th St, Redlands. Come on out, enjoy the art and let Alisa fix you up with some specialty oils and vinegars. It's Redlands Market Night too!

Pacific Coast Highway at Moro Beach -a plein air oil painting of Crystal Cove SOLD

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase info Last week we camped a bit at the beach. As far as painting goes, I was disappointed in the cloudy weather. I decided I could sit around disgruntled and not paint, or just paint the existing conditions. So here you have a cloudy day overlooking PCH. This piece will be framed and for sale at the Balboa Art Walk on May 17.

Los Rios Cottage -a plein air oil painting from San Juan Capistrano -SOLD

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase info First of the paintings I did while in San Juan Capistrano, I was going for the dappled light on the front of the little cottage. Dappled light makes a painting both interesting and difficult. There was a lot going on in this scene. Once home, I subdued a few things (believe it or not!) to keep the focus on the door and flag. I enjoy talking to people when I paint, especially children. The teacher in me sneaks out! Thank you to my friend, Mary Jo for the pics below.

Spring Fountain -a plein air oil painting from Mission San Juan Capistrano -SOLD

oil 9x12 inches magnify/purchase info Friends and I drove south to paint at Mission San Juan Capistrano last week. The fountains were overgrown with foliage in a beautiful way. What a peaceful place to paint. The image is cropped a bit close. In the painting there's more space above the cross and below the fountain.

Car Show -an oil painting of a classic car -SOLD

oil 12x12 x2 1/2 inches magnify/purchase info A couple of Saturdays back my camera and I went to a local car show. Hundreds of cars and trucks! I've got lots of reference material for paintings like this. This one is on gallery wrapped canvas, painted very dark blue on the sides, ready to hang. See the sides below, though they are not this bright blue...more of a blue/black. The shade threw all the color off.

Island Charm -a plein air oil painting from Balboa Island

oil 12x9 inches magnify/purchase info I hear the residents of Balboa Island want to have their utility lines buried to eliminate the poles. I think they add to the charm of the island. Of all my Balboa paintings, this one's my favorite so far. To see the others, go down to labels and click on Balboa Island.

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.