smoky haze

Thanks to everyone who dropped by my booth last weekend in Danville! The many fires in Northern California are making it impossible to paint outside right now. Our house is nowhere near the fires, but the smoky haze is turning the light an eerie orange. I'll be sharing new work soon. Image is courtesy of MODIS.

Red White and Blue

"Red, White and Blue" oil on panel, 5x7", $75

It's hard to paint inside when the weather is so nice, but I've also been wanting to do some still life painting. I almost never get to use these bright reds and blues when I'm painting the landscape, but I also forgot how hard it is to draw plates in perspective. Now it's time to do a lot of framing in preparation for Danville this weekend.

Kay's View

Cheri and I spent the weekend rafting the South Fork of the American river. When I wasn't paddling like mad or getting drenched by the rapids (sometimes both at the same time) I was admiring the local landscape - very interesting mix of pines and oaks. I did some sketching along the river in the evening, but no painting. Now I'm trying to get things framed and ready for the show at Danville this coming weekend.

But a week ago, Kay invited me to come paint at her property near Jenner on the coast, and these three paintings were the result.

"Kay's View", oil on panel, 8x10, $320

"Cow Path", oil on panel, 5x7", $75

"Little Oak", oil on panel, 5x7", $75

Mustard Stripe

"Mustard Stripe", oil on panel, 11x14", $425

This is a painting I did in February when all the mustard was in bloom, and the hills were still mostly green. My first art fair of the summer is coming up, June 21st and 22nd in Danville. Hope to see some of you there if you're in the Bay Area.

Rush Creek

"Rush Creek", oil on panel, 11x14", $425

Yesterday I mentioned the incredible views of the marsh at Rush Creek from the ridge above, and here's the painting to prove it.

Path Between

"Path Between", oil on panel, 8x10", $320


I painted this at Rush Creek Open Space reserve in Marin. I've walked there many times, but never around the side away from the marsh, and this time I climbed the hill and discovered a path running along the ridge with lovely oaks and tremendous views of the marsh. It was very windy, but I found a spot under an oak that provided both shade and some shelter from the wind, and painted this view of the trail back to the car.

Buckeye

"Buckeye", oil on panel, 5x7", $75

This little buckeye is one of three planted along the parking lot at Helen Putnam regional park, and I love the exuberant flower spikes they produce this time of year.

Putnam Park

"Putnam Park", oil on panel, 8x10, $320


I've painted this grove of eucalyptus trees at Helen Putnam park before, and I suspect I'll be back again. It's such an iconic California view. It's interesting to paint at the same location again and again and find new visions each time. It's great to be out painting again.

Winding Path

"Winding Path", oil on panel, 8x10", $320

Cows come home

Here's the final state of the cow print. I had a lot of difficulty with registration on this last color. In retrospect, I think this print would have been more successful if I'd used a separate block for the cows and tree branches. The mahogany plywood I used for the first couple colors to get the texture I wanted was difficult to print as a solid color without over-inking. I'm glad it's done, and I think it turned out OK.

I've been doing a fair amount of painting the last few days, and I'll be sharing those as soon as they're dry enough to photograph.