"The Day's News"

5 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

There is a place I like to go to fuel up before I hit the Art Institute of Chicago, just a few blocks from the front steps.  And it's always a great people-watching spot.

"Lamp Post"

6 x 12"
oil on masonite

A gentleman I spotted in a hotel lobby in Charleston. And despite a lot of bustle going on all around him, he find a nice, lit spot to ignore it all and quietly read his newspaper.

detail

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"Embedded"

5 x 7"
oil on masonite
sold

From the lobby of the Hotel Monaco in Washington, DC - a guest embedded in the morning news.

"The News in Black & White"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

Reporting in, from an unintended absence - I did take about a week off from painting, went on a road trip to visit family and oddly enough, I didn't go off with my camera. I just enjoyed the time with my favorite people. Haven't done that in a l-o-n-g time.

When I got home, I jumped right back into the studio ready to work. I painted a new piece, which has been set aside for the Charleston Art Auction in November, then proceeded to paint two failures. I worked them over and over, liked them, hated them again and put my brushes away and sulked. Yes, it happens to me too.

So...... I did paperwork, worked on the details for my November workshop, cleaned my house, did my laundry and all those other mundane chores until I was ready to paint again. And I failed. Again. Yes, it happens to me too. I could blame it on the heat index for frying my brain - although it's just plain normal to go through these times.

What I do know is, when you hit a plateau, change it up. So I worked with a more desaturated, value study if you will - using thick paint, palette knives and brushes and just went at it. Tomorrow I'll face it again.

On a more positive note, I was interviewed by Southwest Art Magazine, for a featured article coming up in their October issue. I'm so excited. I am clearly not a southwest-themed painter, they do include events and artists east of the Mississippi. How cool is that?

This new painting is a scene from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, an elegant woman relaxing with the daily newspaper in the sculpture gallery.

"News Anchor"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

I've done several new paintings that will be sent to the Howard/Mandville Gallery in the next few weeks, this one included - a painterly piece of a woman relaxing with the newspaper in the sculpture garden of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Please click here for a larger view.

and....... please know I am so grateful for your comments on the paintings. It really drives me and I appreciate it.

"Peaceful Read"

9 x 12"
oil on masonite

A quiet, peaceful read in my local public library.

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"Breaking News"

6-3/4 x 12"
oil on masonite
sold

As I was updating my website, I realized I had not posted several new paintings on this blog. Including the above piece done for the May show at Howard/Mandville. It is a personal favorite of mine - perhaps for its handsomeness, the warm greys and browns, the rare image of someone reading a real newspaper.... I am very fond of this painting.

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"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.

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Unwrapped

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
nfs

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
nfs

Now that they're unwrapped, here are a couple of personal gifts given to my extended family.

"Sun Times"

5 x 7"
oil on masonite
sold

Walk through Millennium Park in Chicago - and I'll bet you'll not be bored. On a bright, sunny day - people are everywhere - and in my eyes, I see many possibilities for paintings. Simple settings, with light and color giving me what I desire.


also....... Week 2's challenge is wrapping up tonight for my Different Strokes From Different Folks blog with 68 different versions of a photograph I post for reference. I am thrilled with the response and all of the unique, personal interpretations. Thanks to all the artists who took on this week's project - let's do it again with this photo for Week 3.

"Corner Bakery"

11 x 7"
oil on masonite
sold

A cup of hot coffee and the morning paper being enjoyed at the Corner Bakery, around State Street & Adams, in Chicago.

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"Lounge Act"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

Today's my dad's birthday. I lost him years ago - truly the greatest man I had the pleasure of knowing, especially as his daughter. He died before I got my first Mac, he never knew the internet nor a digital camera - and he was an electronic wizard. A trained engineer. He'd absolutely flip out. So would my mom. She sold her paintings the old way - setting up a display in a show, sitting for hours and days. Wow. They would both just freak out. Happy Birthday Johnny.

This simple moment was taken from the lounge area of a Chicago hotel - as I passed by this gentleman, reading his newspaper while waiting on his ride - I instantly saw a painting in my head. Strong light, strong, rich colors - a composition so naturally ready for me to do that very thing.

"Mellow Yellow"

10 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

I was walking up to the door at a Starbucks, in Seattle, when I spotted this gentleman. I could best describe my surroundings as grey - the sky, the sidewalk, the wall - and bam - this yellow coat. That does good things to your brain, seeing color when there isn't much.

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"Newspaper"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

Moving on with the alphabet series....... only fitting for N to be Newspaper, because I'm a junkie. I can't start a day without coffee and pouring over several newspapers - not counting more online. And I've always favored painting people engrossed in their paper.

This woman was inside the Seattle Central Library, a fabulous building outside and inside. The window grids made for an almost-abstract surrounding to the figure. I got halfway through this painting and wondered what I was thinking. It was a hard one. The newspaper too. And keeping it just loose enough is always the toughest.

"New York Times"

9 x 12"
oil on masonite
sold

I did finally see the article in American Art Collector magazine - thanks for sending it to me. This painting is one of several featured - I wish you could see it in person. I had painted this woman before - this time changing the format, adding a bit more detail - I love this image.

I normally stay away from the blue/red/yellow dominating a scene, all I think of is primary colors. Yet, when those three are warmed up, toned down - tweaked - it pleases me.

This moment was taken from the lobby of a Manhattan hotel. For a larger view, please click here.

"What Happens Next"

12 x 12"
oil on masonite
sold

You may recognize this man reading the paper - I had painted a small, daily piece of this scene. Going larger, I included more of the surroundings, which makes us wonder what happens next? Either it's turning the page or perhaps the two strike up a conversation.

This new painting will be included in the February show at the Howard/Mandville Gallery.

For a larger view, please click here.

"Daily News"

6 x 6"

oil on masonite

sold

Continuing on with the alphabet, D is for Daily News - a young man taking a coffee/reading break in a local bookstore.

"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.