"Spring, Arlington Gardens" ©

 Spring has had a tough time this year due to the lack of rain.  Arlington Garden in South Pasadena has just a few signs of spring a few lupin, poppies and flowering trees.  Saturday and Sunday I will be at the Garden painting and showing a few pieces as part of the foundation annual fund raiser.  By then all the trees and plants should be covered in tiny new green leaves.  

Oil on Canvas, 14" X 11"
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"Sunlit Glow" @ Santa Clara Riverbed

In between the gentle rains I found this view of the Santa Clara Riverbed from the parking lot of the Midas auto repair shop.  The leaves were freshly washed, adding to the sunlit glow of the trees.  A couple of kids asked me what I was looking at for the painting and it took a minute for the idea to crystalize in their minds.  I think they will see the riverbed in a new way from now on.  

Oil on Canvas, 14" X 18"

"Whitney Canyon Path" ©

So many times I am emailed about blog postings with questions on how I have painted a piece and almost without fail I tell you what I am going to change. That image never seems to make it onto the blog because I have moved on and am so excited about the next painting. With this piece I took a painting that I started months ago and did what I so often talk about in those emails. By comparing the images you can see how I added value, brought in more color harmony and more interest in every area. I also knocked out the stripy path and broke up the middle field with little grasses. In the morning I'll see other issues, of course, are we ever truly done?

(above is the old version, that is gone forever)

Oil on Canvas, 20" X 24"

"Paramount Ranch" ©

Today was the last California Art Club paint out planned by George Malone for the 2011 year. We met at the Paramount Ranch near Malibu and had a beautiful winter day of painting.

Oil on Panel, 10" X 12"

"Streaks of Sun"

Walking along the path with my painting buddies, the views to paint were endless on this December day. What caught my eye was the streaks of sun across the brush and sandy path. The wind blew one easel over and thank goodness we recovered all the Rosemary Brushes that flew to the ground. All we left behind, lost in the bushes, is a favorite painting knife that we will go back and hunt for.

Oil on Panel, 10" X 12"

"Morning on the Kern River" ©

You would never know that we were painting in downtown Kernville. A short walk though the park, down the little bank and your on the sandy beach watching the lazy river drift by. It's a bit of an illusion, it's a very dangerous river to stick your toe in. There is a strong current running under the serene surface that will take you down river into the rapids very quickly. Marian Fortunati, Diane Nelson Gold and Sharon Weaver were my painting buddies on this trip. We all painted this morning scene from different vantage points. After we finished, looking at our morning efforts I was once again amazed how artists will approach the same subject so very differently.

Oil on Panel, 10" X 12'

"A Serene Moment II", Gamblin Artists Colors Co. Cheer!

I love Gamblin products. I tried to write that sentence many times (sounding business like) and decided to just go with my heart. Here is an example of one of the many benefits of using Gamblin's Gamar Picture Varnish.

The painting on the right has a "foreign" green in the large trees. After having to see it hang in an exhibit and wanting to snatch it off the wall. I brought it into the studio and removed the varnish, repainted the trees in a color that is harmonious with the rest of the painting and I think it's a better piece now.

Here is the beauty of Gamblin. To remove the Gamar Varnish, all you have to do is wipe it off with Gamsol and a clean white piece of sheet. Sheets are a cool oil painters tool because they don't leave lint, when your cleaning a painting. Another trick if you do have lint is the blue painters tape. Make a circle of tape, sticky side out and gently tap it over the lint. Back to Gamblin, after removing the varnish, repaint the area where you removed the varnish or the whole darn thing, let it dry and varnish again. Taa daa! Your happy and hopefully the painting will find a home with a collector.

"Ruffles of Leaves" ©

Anytime I see an arch of tree limbs over a path or road, it's a painting, even if it's just in my head. This is a spot I painted last summer and recently a lovely patron said she would like a small version of this scene for a gift.

Oil on canvas, 9" X 12"

"Newcomb Ranch" ©

About 20 plein air painters gathered at Newcomb Ranch today to paint. The Angeles Crest Highway from La Canada to Palmdale is open once again. The road is perfect with many turn outs that painters can use for unusual vistas of the San Gabriels from inside the range. We painted all morning, ate lunch in the cafe and shared our paintings with one another.

Helpful hint to artists: Taking a horrible cheap panel I primed it with Gamblin Ground to see if the panel would work better. Absolutely!

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"One Lane Home" ©

Painting along side this one lane dirt road, some folks drove slowly past giving us the one finger raised off the steering wheel greeting with a nod of their heads and some drove past at 50 miles an hour leaving us in a huge dust cloud.

Oil on panel, 12" X 12"