"Mailbu Canyon" ©

When I started this blog 7 years ago and I saw paintings that I thought were finished on the computer screen I would see glaring portions that I had failed to address.  Usually I had things all lined up in a neat row or the values so close that shapes were not clearly defined or a very strong angle screaming for the viewer to "look here", all very wrong for my style of painting.  After posting on the blog I would then "fix" these issues and move on to start the next painting.  

For the first time I posted this painting on Facebook before the blog and again I saw many little things that needed tweaking.  I hope this helps other artists when critiquing your own paintings.  So often we paint in the vacuum of our own studios without another set of eyes to look at a painting and a viewer to offer helpful suggestions for improvement.  Try photographing the painting and looking at it on your computer monitor in a small size.  You might be surprised at the different perspective the computer screen provides.  

Oil on Canvas,  20" X 24"

"Sunrise on the Rio Grande" ©

The Rio Grande works it's way south though Alamosa Colorado heading for the gulf of Mexico.  If I lived in Alamosa I would be on the banks painting often.  Only in town for a few days it was a race to get a feel for the area.  One morning this was the view as the sun was rising over the LaVeta pass.

Oil on canvas,  14" X 18"

"Lazy River" ©

Last minute I jumped into this painting hoping to get it done by midnight to enter in the CAC Waterscapes exhibit.  Once a painting buddy, Rod Edwards, told me that "green" paintings were the hardest of all.  The difficulty was pulling off the different values and temperatures with only the greens. Years later, Scott Christensen explained to me that you can't have a green tree without "reds" within the greens.  Boy, did he nail that one.  So to begin this piece I started out with a Rembrandt Transparent Red Oxide wash, leaving bits here and there within the distant trees.  It's a great tool to give the viewer the illusion that they are seeing into the forest and provided that "red" bounce for the greens.  

Oil on Canvas,  16" X 20"

"Canyon River" ©

More practice on canyon lands painting, this little study allowed some experimentation with using Hematite Violet (DaVinci), a color I had never used before.  It's a great "mother" color, easily influenced by any additional color.  I used it in every mixture and fell in love with it.  I have no idea where the image came from or the place but it looks like Zion or somewhere in the canyon lands of Arizona or Utah.

Oil on Linen, 9" X 12"

"Peace and Quiet" ©

Last night was the artists reception for the Contemporary Masters Exhibit at the Pasadena Museum of History. The show is beautiful and if your in the Pasadena area would be worth a peek. Today I painted this little piece purely for the fun of it.

6" X 8", Oil on canvas

sold

All of these boxes contain framed paintings for my solo show in a couple of weeks. There are about 10 more now that aren't in the photo and you can see that I have been working hard even if my postings have been slow lately. I don't have a box for the large seascape and will sew up a custom "bag" to protect the frame, for delivery. The show is at the Segil Gallery in Monrovia, the reception is Saturday March 24, 5pm - 7pm. I am really excited to present all of these new paintings to my friends and collectors.

"Golden Moment" ©

Once in a while there is a moment at the end of the day when the earth seems dusted in gold, just before the sunlit finally dims into dusk.

Oil on Canvas, 38.5" X 17"

sold

On the easel: "Bathed In Light" ©

"Bathed In Light" is how I found this river view in France. It was early in the morning as the sun was just lighting up the day.

Oil on Canvas, 24" X 18"