"Sunlit Bank" ©

A friendly lifeguard at Hansen Dam drove a couple of us looking the just the right spot to paint to his favorite view of the lake. The brilliant bank sparkling in the morning sun grabbed my attention and held on tight.

Oil on Canvas, 16" X 20"

"Schoodic Point Morning" ©

Acadia National Park includes a bit of land across the water from Mount Desert Island. This is the quiet, less traveled part of the park, far away from Cadillac Mountain and Bar Harbor. I painted this scene on the park loop road looking towards Big Moose Island, while a Bald Eagle kept an eye on me. By the time I had finished high tide had hidden all of the rocky shore.

Oil on Panel, 11" X 14"

"Darthia" ©

One of the many discoveries while painting in Maine was the Darthia Organic Farm. Folks buy into the farm before the growing season, $10. per month in advance for the right to collect all the bounty their family needs that the farm produces during the summer season. My eyes immediately zoomed in on the sheep glowing in the afternoon Maine sun. I named this sheep Darthia, after the farm.

Oil on panel, 8" X 10"

sold

"Fall Brush"

Painting furiously for the November show........

"Dave" ©

It's been a long time since I had the opportunity to paint from a live model. Last evening during the first ever Old Town Newhall Artwalk a great guy named "Dave" agreed to sit for a couple of us. We had a super time painting and chatting with guests out for the evening to view art, drink a bit of wine and cheese.

Oil on Panel, 8" X 10"

"Fall" ©

Last evening I finished this painting in celebration of the opening of "Chasing Open Spaces IV" this evening. Joining me in this exhibit of plein air and studio paintings historically documenting the natural areas of the Santa Clarita Valley are Lorelle Miller, Ernie Dollman, Rod Edwards and Alan Garber.

Oil on Linen, 12" X 16"

"Private Drive" ©

Thru Facebook I was able to connect with a group of plein air painters centered in Acadia National Park. One day a couple of weeks ago I painted with the group at a private home on Mount Desert Island. After looking at dozens of little drives leading into the forest the chance to paint one with permission was a delight.

Oil on Panel, 9" X 12"

"Manana Island" ©

Painting on Monhegan Island has been a long time dream and my visit was coming to an end. The ferry back to Port Clyde was leaving in 15 minutes and I had to be on it. This image is of my painting looking at Manana Island from the south end of the Monhegan village just before packing up and dashing to the ferry. Artists thrive on the quiet Island, enjoying a very slow pace. I was told that in the past mail arriving via boat was the most excitement known to the locals. I had an deep sensation of peace and separation from the world wandering the Island trails. Returning soon was on my mind as the boat cut across the sea accompanied by Porpoise back to the mainland.

Painting In Maine

I just could not pull off finishing yesterdays painting for today and finish packing and getting troops ready for my absence. Tomorrow before the sun rises I'll be dragging my suitcase into LAX heading for Maine till mid September. Plein air painting will be magical, it has to be, with the pink granite cliffs, pine trees, lighthouses, small harbors and glorious sunsets. My gone painting sign is officially hung......

*photo credit to Marty Kranin (thank you Marty). And no I usually stand and paint, figures she would shoot me sitting.

"Marshlands" ©

Friday I am winging across the country to Maine. In preparation I have been reading about the area and intrigued by the marshlands fed by the tide I painted what I might see.

Oil on panel, 5" X 7"

"Serenity" ©

Simply calm and quiet serenity.

Oil on Canvas, 30" X 40"

"Copper Sunset" ©

In this painting I attempted to capture a copper sunset to use the copper surface to support the work. This piece was painted in layers over a long period of time. Because it is dry I was able to put the panel on the scanner, rather then photographing the painting for the blog, the result seems to be a much better image.

Oil on Copper

"Coastline" ©

Lately I have been experimenting the process of painting on copper, in between large canvases. A small piece of copper, sanded, cleaned with denatured alcohol and rubbed with garlic is the beginning. Once the garlic has dried the surface is ready to paint. The copper surface influences the color of the oil paint and sparkles just a bit here and there. The possibilities are limitless.

Oil on Copper

"Peaceful Pasture" ©

Within 30 minutes of home this classic California view still exists.

Oil on Canvas, 24" X 30"

"Sharing The Sheets II" ©

Last year I painted a small 6" X 8" canvas of "Sharing The Sheets", our beloved dog, Lucky in bed waiting for us. Missing him I revisited the image and painted a 18" X 24" canvas, using the larger surface to really explore the sheets and fur. I loved every stroke.

Just an update, I am still painting large canvases furiously for my show at Segil's gallery in November, exploring painting on copper and preparing for a plein air painting trip to Maine in 12 days. My blogging has been on hold, selfishly I have been sticking to the easel and not the computer. I have missed blogging and yet felt relief from the commitment. I'll be back in full gear blogging when I arrive home in mid-September. Thanks and appreciation to everyone that checked up on my absence.

Oil on canvas, 18" X 24"

"Walker Ranch, Midday" ©

I have finished the last in the series of Walker Ranch, painted at different times of day. This was such an interesting idea, I plan to continue the concept of "time of day" exploration.

Oil on canvas, 20" X 30"

"Walker Ranch, Evening"

This painting is the same view as "Walker Ranch, Morning". Painting the same view at different times of day was an idea from Robert Walker (no relation to the Ranch). Really pushing the concept of time of day and having it on my mind the entire time painting the piece was very helpful.

A little blog update, the last blog was painting 600, a small cheer peeped out of me when I saw that number. I am still painting large pieces for my November show so my postings aren't so "daily", once I am back from painting in Maine and all of the show pieces are done, I'll be back with the small paintings.

Oil on canvas, 24" X 30"

"Malibu Lagoon"

As long as I kept painting the families of ducks would pass under the bridge that I was standing on. Eye contact, duck to human, and the little feathered buoys would swim off warily. This painting is from yesterday mornings SCAA paint out in the Malibu Lagoon.

9" X 12", oil on panel

"Walker Ranch, Morning"

7am, the eastern end of Walker Ranch is just waking up.

Oil on Canvas, 24" X 30"

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"A Long Way Home"

We saw this homestead in "Big Sky" country and thought, boy are we a long way from home. It's truly all about the sky.

Oil on Canvas, 20" X 24"

"Desert Sky" ©

The "Friends Of Hart Park" asked me to paint a little painting for an upcoming auction to raise funds for the park. I am happily donating a "Desert Sky".

Oil on Panel, 9" X 12"

"San Juan Capistrano" ©

Yep, everyone paints the Mission, except me. I have to go out and find a lovely spot along the San Juan River, completely alone, just bunnies and little black flying bugs that love my eyes. Actually I painted this view during the San Clemente Competition and loved it so much I wanted to visit it again large.

Oil on Canvas, 24" X 36"

p.s. the darks look really dark in this photo, trust me there are bushes, twigs and rocks in there.

"Sweetie" ©

At Rancho Oso several barn yard animals are living the good life. "Sweetie" was hanging out with a lamb, looking adorable.

Oil on panel, 8" X 10"

"Desert Evening" ©

It's amazing how different a mountain looks throughout the day. In the morning they are pale and distant, midday flushed in sunlight all of the ribs and gulley's are washed out and finally in the evening they glow with the last of the sunlight.

Oil on Canvas, 18" X 24"

"Sunlit Oaks" ©

This location is half way between Sand Canyon and Sierra Highway on Placerita Canyon. The light playing in the Oaks was what captured me and lead to the painting.

Oil on Canvas, 16" X 20"

"Rancho Oso" ©

Not much time to paint at the ranch this past weekend, just this little study of this wild tree. No one knew exactly the type, maybe a Cottonwood that had a rough life. Other then the Santa Ynez River, the creeks and streams had dried up for the summer. It's a lovely valley especially in the evening.

Oil on panel, 8" X 10"

"Trestles Trail" ©

The trail to Trestles surfing beach runs along side the San Mateo Riverbed, so thick with trees and brush the river is buried. I was tempted to find a way down into the riverbed when a local explained that it might not be safe for a lone painter. Being on my own, I opted to wimp out and stick to the trail.

Tonight I am packing my paints for a long 4th of July weekend at Rancho Oso, in Santa Barbara on the Santa Ynez River. Yes, the kids are packing horses and tack, they'll ride, I'll paint. What could be better?

Oil on Panel, 12" X 16"

"Cottons, North" ©

I am standing on the beach at Trestles, looking at Cotton's and in the furthest distance, Dana Point. It was a very gray day, without many people wandering the beach. Standing at my easel I watched a pod of dolphins cruising the coast, while thinking about why I live inland. This painting was entered in the San Clemente Plein Air Competition last weekend. It's hanging right next to the first place painting, nice company.

Oil on panel, 9" X 12"

"San Juan Creek" ©

Looking at this image, painting the piece feels like a year ago, yet it was only one week. Untethered to the computer, painting all day everyday for a week as a participant in the San Clemente Plein Air Competition, I enjoyed every second. We were allowed one painting from any place within Orange/San Diego County. Looking for sunshine I found the Caspers Wilderness Park in San Juan Capistrano. This park is laced with equestrian trails, Sycamores, Oaks and dry riverbeds surrounded by mountain ranges. A stunning location for artists. Standing on the deck of the nature center I had a birds eye view of the "San Juan Creek".

Oil on panel, 11" X 14"

"Trestles Trail" ©

I am heading for San Clemente for the "Paint San Clemente" plein air competition. One of my goals is to become proficient enough to do well and attend many of these events that occur around the country. Last year I painted "Trestles Trail" and I still remember the day as if it were yesterday. I have posted it because my brushes are officially packed, along with my paint and panels. I will take my laptop and see if I can't post from the hotel, you never know. This year I am taking my bike, hoping to be able to travel further on the trails with my gear then I could on foot. It's pretty exciting!

Oil on Panel, 8" X 10"

"Sierra Morning" ©

The last 2 days I have been painting this piece and it's getting close to the finish. I photographed it on the easel, any closer and the shine from the lights washed out areas, because of the size of the canvas and wet paint. I miss painting the tiny 5" X 7" daily's regularly but have to be disciplined and paint larger till I have all of the inventory for my November show. A note to artists, this image is from the http://www.wetcanvas.com/ reference library. A great resource for artists that is created by artists, without worries of copyright issues.

Oil on Linen, 24" X 20"

"A Quiet Place" ©

It's not often that we quiet our minds. Cell phones, iPods, TV's, computers, life banging away at our brains. I needed a break and decided to get "quiet", painting a very "quiet place".

Oil on panel, 5" X 7"

"Pacific Sunset" ©

The San Clemente plein air competition and art show is coming up soon and it seems my mind is focused on the ocean. I can't wait to paint the rolling waves, wet sand and clouds glowing with the last of the sunlight.

Oil on Linen, 11" X 14"

"Spring Storm" ©

Sunday during the studio tour I attempted to paint this painting. I wanted people to see what it is like to actually paint in oil, since the tour was all about a peek into our world. Now that I am looking at it online, I think that it would be improved by breaking up the strong dark diagonal shape of the foreground and working a bit more in the clouds. We have had clouds for the past couple of weeks and I have just sat and watched them graze in the sky.

Oil on panel, 8" X 10"

June 15th - The image on the easel is "Spring Storm" after tweaking the painting. Once posted it's easy to see a paintings faults.

"Sycamore Shade" ©

This is the larger painting created from the small blog a few days ago. My main inspiration was the play of the sunlight within the leaves, branches and trunk. Even with the weekend art events breaking up painting time I worked very hard to stay on track and not loose the light.

Oil on Linen, 24" X 18"

"Rancho Camulos" ©

Raymar panels are high quality and I just received a shipment of the double primed linen panels. In order to really compare the support I painted this little view again of Rancho Camulos in the morning light. Since I had just painted the same view plein air on a Fredrix Linen panel (my current favorite) it was a good test to see the differences. I knew how the paint moved and worked into the Fredrix and the Raymar was quite different. I did appreciate the smooth finish of the Raymar and how the paint seemed to stay fresh and lively.

Oil on Raymar panel, 8" X 10"

"Sycamore Shade" ©

Quickly I painted this little sketch to take to painting group this evening so that I could paint a larger piece of the same view. I have most of the idea worked out, as I wanted the viewer to feel as though standing in the shade of the Sycamore looking out over the valley and hills beyond. I am hoping in the larger piece to really develop the tree trunk beautifully. We'll see....

Oil on panel, 5" X 7"

* it's taped to a piece of cardboard for easy transport and viewing.

"Another Sunset" II ©

Painting from the small (5" X 7") panel, I worked out this larger version. Working on stretched linen after several paintings on different surfaces, was such a pleasure.

Oil on Linen, 20" X 24"

"Morning Walk" ©

The way the light dances around in the trees carries my feet forward on my "Morning Walk".

Oil on panel, 5" X 7"

"Another Sunset" ©

Just to be sure the new panels were as great as I first thought, I pulled out another one and had a go at it today. Yes, they truly are super! *For artists: They are "Primed Art Panel" from Mister Art online. I had previously purchased the Houston Art Panels but they are no longer available from the company to artists directly since Speedball purchased company.

Oil on Panel, 5" X 7"