"A Paper Trail"

5 x 7"

oil on panel
sold

In times of sorrow and grief, I paint.

A young lady enthusiastically sketches on the floor in the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco.

"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'.

"The Old Guard"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

What prompted this painting was the Hitchcock movie 'Vertigo', which we watched for the 107th time.  Jimmy Stewart follows Kim Novak thru the Presidio and down to the base of the Golden Gate Bridge where she jumps into the bay and he heroically rescues her.   Brett and I and the pups were at Crissy Field beach when I snapped the photo.  It used to be the National Guard headquarters years back.

"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.

"Bay Watch"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

A splendid day for a bird looking towards the Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco.

"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.

"Little Buddha"

5 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

Meet 'Little Buddha' - a pug we met on our visit to San Francisco.

"Looking Great For 75"

5 x 7"

oil on masonite
sold

My new painting you see below, "Fifty Shades of Green", took me five days to complete.  I've had the flu.  Today I feel a bit more human and felt like enjoying a quick one - no sketching out, no planned out composition - all I knew is I wanted to paint the Golden Gate Bridge.  I was just there.  It does take your breath away - it's magnificent.  After watching a cool program on TV, about the 75th Anniversary, I simply was inspired.

"Mr. NoBody"

9 x 12"

oil on masonite

When I visited the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco, there were a dozen or so students sketching various paintings and sculptures - including this marble bust 'Maffeo Barbarini, Prince of Palestrina' by Lorenzo Ottoni.  It made me want to join them - couldn't wait to get home and paint the Prince.  To the right is a portion of 'Samson and the Honeycomb', by Giovanni Francesco Barbier.

Please click here for a larger view and purchase information.

"No. 1811"

4 x 12"

oil on masonite

I have this love affair with San Francisco's vintage cable cars - especially the No. 1811, an Italian-made car built in 1928.  As we were crossing the Embarcadero to the Ferry Building, here came the No. 1811, clang, clang, clang.  

Please click here for a larger view and purchase information.

My New Book 'San Francisco'

For my workshops, I create a book for my students that includes paintings I've done from the location we find ourselves in - hopefully it inspires when they're sent out with their cameras, seeing the surroundings through an artist's eyes.

With my workshop in April fast approaching, I've got a new book 'San Francisco' now available on Blurb - it is 7 x 7" and includes 41 color reproductions of paintings I've done from previous trips to the city. If you'd like a partial preview of this new book, click here.

To explain my pause in working on new pieces, we've decided this is a great opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime road trip to the west coast - so I've been mapping it out, making solid plans and that has taken chunks of time but it should be incredible. Zac & Joey are coming too, they'll be blogging about it along the way and so will I.

For now, I'll get back to painting tomorrow. Thank ya'll.

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.

A couple of things to mention......

This Thursday, the 23rd, I'll be a guest on the Artists Helping Artists internet radio show - you can listen to Live Streaming starting at 12 noon EST.
Some other helpful information:
To listen live and ask a question - call 646-915-9243 and when you want to be heard, press #1 to be in the hosts queue.
To listen to the recorded show later or download via iTunes, click here.

The Sedona Arts Center has arranged a workshop for me and 19 students next spring in San Francisco - the dates are April 9-13, 2012, held at the Friends School of San Francisco. Please contact Vince Fazio to reserve your spot, there are 9 openings remaining. You can call the Sedona Arts Center at 888-954-4442. Thank you.

"Just Passing Thru"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

A couple enjoying the water view behind San Francisco's Ferry Market, while a passerby excuses the interruption. This painting is included in a group show opening tomorrow at the Howard/Mandville Gallery.

Please click here for a larger view.

added note........ Q & A Friday will resume next week. I'm working overtime at the moment.

"Roofscape"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

I try to offer a variety of subjects on my Different Strokes From Different Folks challenges - the most current being the multi-level, multi-colored rooftops of downtown San Francisco. It is truly a subject that I'm in love with - mostly from witnessing how other artists transform 'just a bunch of buildings' into beautiful works of art. As I said on my blog, when I see city rooftops I understand Richard Diebenkorn. It's also an image that can swing from totally abstract to super realism - and I'd love them all. When you have a minute, take a look at what other artists have contributed.

"Hill Country"

6 x 12"
oil on masonite
sold

These days, I'm able to spend more time experimenting with my paints - which doesn't always mean I have something to show you. In fact, I've been juggling a couple of paintings for days and they're still in limbo. If I begin a piece with the finished painting in my head, most likely, I won't stop until it's done. Lately, I'm sorta leaving it up to fate, or luck, to see if my right hand will lead the way to something unexpected. It's like abandoning the recipe and grabbing what you have in the pantry - sometimes it works, sometimes it's awful. I encourage that every now and then. You never know what you'll learn.

I did start with a plan this morning - the current challenge I assigned on my Different Strokes From Different Folks blog - and I honestly thought I wouldn't be able to get what was in my head. But I did. Today flowed. Yay.

From the hilly city of San Francisco, a view of Lombard Street.

Please click here for a larger view.

"Eavesdropping"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

A nice place to hang out, if you find yourself in San Francisco, is the Ferry Market - weekends include a green market, lots to eat, lots of people watching. The backside of the market has a nice view of the bay, fresh air and fresh coffee. If I lived in the city, it would be a weekly habit.

As you may have read, I've been painting for a dual show also featuring Fred Calleri, opening on Saturday, May 9th, at the Howard/Mandville Gallery in Kirkland - just outside of Seattle. You will see 11 new paintings of mine - the entire collection will be posted on my website on May 4th. The gallery did give the OK to reveal three of the paintings which you can view here, including the one you see above.

Please click here for a larger view.

"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.

"Bay Breeze"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

I suspect the Ferry Building and the weekend market is a ritual for a lot of people who live in San Francisco. You couldn't pick a nicer spot to read the paper, sip a cup of coffee and take in the breeze from the bay. In the distance is the Oakland Bay Bridge, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Please click here for a larger view.

"de Old"

8 x 10"

oil on masonite

sold

I worked on a painting yesterday in which, in about the 5th hour into it, I picked up a rag and wiped it off my board. It was as if I had no say in it - my hand just did what it did. It would be like spending 5ish hours on making the best lasagna recipe, taking it out of the oven and pitching it in the garbage. Not a good day of painting.

Today was better, it always is. I remember watching this older gentleman in the de Young Museum - he scooted up to every single label of every painting and read them all. Funny thing is he hardly looked at the art. Perhaps he did that the last time he was at the museum.

Please click here for a larger view.