"White Collar"

6 x 8"

oil on panel
sold

I want to paint a larger, more-realized version of this young woman 1) because the painting behind her is one of my very favorites in the Legion of Honor Museum 2) I love her floppy hat and 3) I love the combination of browns and blacks and creams with that touch of olive.  What I wasn't sure of was how the coffee colored wall would do with the skin tones and I wasn't sure I could pull off that cool shirt and whether or not to make it more solid.  So I did this study today.

From the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, a young woman stands in front of the Flemish painting by Frans Pourbus the Younger 'Portrait of a Lady'.

"Lincoln Highway, Lincoln Park, San Francisco"

5 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

Carrying on with my new series The Lincoln Highway - a stunning view of the Golden Gate Bridge from Lincoln Park in San Francisco - the westernmost point of the Lincoln Highway.

"Outer Sunset"

5 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

When I was in San Francisco this past spring, to teach a workshop, our home base was a rental in the Outer Sunset district - about 15 blocks from the Pacific Ocean.  I loved staying in that neighborhood.  This view was a drive down Judah Street, heading straight to the sea at dusk.  It is that squinty light that caused my photo to turn out somewhat monochromatic - which I loved, so I gave it a shot with paint, which I love.

I also wanted to remind folks that the opening reception for my show Here Comes The Sun is next Friday night, from 5-8 at the 16 Patton Gallery in Asheville.  I'll be there and would greatly appreciate you stopping by to say hello and look at my new work.  A fellow artist, Mark Henry, will have his new paintings showing the same night.

"Pro Tractor"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

What I was dazzled with out west was the expansive views - seeing forever - noticing how color and tones define distance.  It's a whole other learning curve for me.   I tell you, if I lived in California, I'd be taking long drives all the time - out to nowheresville and back with my camera.  It's inspiring.  

This new painting is from southern California where the berry farms make the landscape look like patterned fabric.  I felt a little Van Gogh-ish with the brush, lots of pleasure doing this piece.

"Pigeon Point"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold 

I might have sworn never to paint a lighthouse, but it's silly to vow I'll never paint any subject because I'll eventually come around to it.  It does make for a sweet, little painting.

This is the Pigeon Point Lighthouse along Highway 1, the Pacific Coast Highway, between Carmel and San Francisco, California.

"Wine Drive"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

I'd say, with all the miles we drove across the country and back, tooling through the wine country was the most Zen driving we experienced.  It was mid-April, early in the growing season, still spectacular.  This was along California 29, between St. Helena and Napa.

San Francisco - the Perfect Gift Idea

I have a Black Friday promotion - picture yourself in San Francisco in the spring, painting with a group of artists in the early part of the day then roaming the city with your camera and capturing images that will inspire you to paint for months after you return home.




Join me at my upcoming workshop at the San Francisco Friends School, April 9-13, 2012 - there is 1 opening remaining and you can put yourself on a waiting list if you still need time to think about it. You'll find more information here - the workshop is arranged by the Sedona Arts Center - the director, Vince Fazio, can assist you with any questions and registration - his contact info can be found on the right hand column of this blog or register online.

San Francisco is an incredible city for an artist - filled with streetscapes and people watching spots - I am so excited about this location and the workshop, please consider joining me and others next spring.

"Pacific Heights"

3-5/8 x 12
oil on masonite
sold

The current challenge for my Different Strokes From Different Folks blog - a Victorian home in Pacific Heights, San Francisco. Architecture, buildings are not an easy subject to paint - frankly, it's much easier to draw. With a drawing, you tend to pay attention to lines and perspective - with a paintbrush you tend to feel the weight of a structure and it becomes more 3-dimensional. My experience, with painting this piece, started with a loose sketch, then I stared at the photo for a few minutes and put it away and painted. It was more enjoyable that way for me. The forms are slightly exaggerated and the colors were more intuitive in the end.

"Superman"

12 x 12"

oil on masonite

sold

My day's work - you know I had fun with this one.

A little larger of a view can be seen here.

"In the Wings"

5 x 7"

oil on masonite

sold

Back to my observations in San Francisco - I had dinner with a good friend in a very cool little French restaurant on Grant Avenue called Cafe de la Presse.

Recently someone asked me what I really yearn to paint and I think the answer would be the life inside of restaurants. Everything from the diners to the waitstaff to the cooks. There's something about the warmth of the interiors I particularly love as well as the handsome vision of a waiter.

"Broadside"

9 x 12"

oil on masonite

sold

Happy Thursday everyone. I've had the pleasure of a quiet day with no plans or obligations other than to paint and make supper. This new piece is now added to my personal favorites - mostly because of the placement of the painting and the woman but there are those little, special strokes of color that please me. Hardly visible unless you see it in person, but a little larger of a view can be seen here.

"Help Is That Way"

5 x 7"

oil on masonite

sold

I'm back on track folks - and I woke up this morning happy that I'd be able to paint all day. Aside from working at the shop a little bit, I took a day trip to Asheville, to deliver five new pieces to the 16 Patton Gallery - really enjoyed the drive and time to myself. Long drives are a pleasure to me. I listen to music and think of new things to paint and I always am happy to come home. Aside from all that, spring has sprung here in Atlanta and that means working in the garden. But today I'm back at work, in the studio, with the windows wide open and it feels good.

Also back on track with the San Francisco sights - this is one of my favorite subjects - the window shopper.

A quick note about the artbooks - I've got one more to paint to make up a new Volume Four and I'm expecting new copies of the others any day now. All four books should be available for purchase by April 1st.

"Guidance"

6 x 6"

oil on masonite

sold

I have this tendency to zero in on people - I can't get enough of painting someone's clothing or the light on their hair. Even when I'm taking photographs, I forget to back up and get a broader view. So this new painting is different that way. And getting a large area inside of a 6 inch square is challenging, even more so. The guide and her patrons were inside the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco.

"Muffin"

5 x 7"

oil on masonite

sold

This painting started out as a warm up of the day - I was enjoying a loose, free-hand study of this little girl - and it turned out to be, what I think, is a nice, painterly piece worthy of putting on auction. It was a nice, candid moment when I spotted the youngster sitting in the sun, working on a breakfast muffin before going into the Legion of Honor Museum.

"A Snooze"

6 x 6"

oil on masonite

sold

After a short walk around Union Square, I grabbed a taxi to a museum I missed on my last visit to San Francisco - the Legion of Honor. It was a bit cloudy, so it was a good time to duck inside and see some art. This gentleman had already settled down on a bench for a nap - assumably given the task of watching his wife's coat.

"Unions"

5 x 7"

oil on masonite

sold

This is another one of those challenges in painting, a lot of activity and depth - but I certainly wanted to focus on the two women. Outdoor scenes provide atmosphere and light, a plus because things pop out with color. These women were enjoying a morning coffee and conversation out on the plaza of Union Square, in the heart of San Francisco.

"Life in Layers"

6 x 6"

oil on masonite

sold

At times, when I start a painting like this, I think of how I can avoid the visual confusion of all the layers of activity. Paintings can be too busy especially compressed into a 6" square. Generally I start from the back, like the buildings across the street, and work my way in. I am very pleased with this piece, a little depiction of life in the big city.

Thus began the morning of my first day in San Francisco, fueling up with a Starbucks Mocha Cappacino and muffin to go.

"Side Barred"

6 x 6"

oil on masonite

sold

The only way I know how to wait out Jack's surgery is to stay busy. So naturally I felt compelled to paint a dog. One of the many little sweeties that I spotted on my walk around San Francisco. This little guy was temporarily docked while his owner shared a cup of coffee with another friend. You might have read this before - when I go out of town, I miss my dogs terribly - but an occasional stop to kneel down and pet some fur and get my face licked really does the trick. I just love dogs.

"Paperwork"

9 x 12"

oil on masonite

I did have a full day of painting today, with my dogs sleeping beside me. A most perfect day. This new painting is a scene taken from the Legion of Honor, in San Francisco - a schoolgirl spread out on the floor, working on a paper about the painting above, by Simon Vouet, titled "The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist" done in 1626.

Click here if you'd like a larger view.

"Three's a Crowd"

6 x 6"

oil on masonite

sold

This could be any city - what makes it San Francisco are those streetlights, which line the major pedestrian streets. They're very pretty. On my first night, arriving late, I popped out onto Market Street, just long enough to see the night life, listen to a band playing on the corner and grab a good cup of coffee. This guy was enjoying the band as well.