Tibetan Prayer Flags

The colors I put together remind me of Tibet, so I added some Kanji.

The Aegeon

My friend who lives in Greece part of the year tells me the Aegeon is not this color. Whatever. This painting is on a wood panel and has lots of texture, and the water sparkles because it is coated with Williamsburg Interference paint. 

A Mind of Her Own

My cat, Sassy, in her winter regalia.

Thunder Clouds

This painting is 30" x 48", and is one of several views of this scene that I have painted over the years. 

Cyber Vineyard

Last month I visited my sister in San Luis Obispo county. Whenever I go down there, I always take my painting gear, searching for a plein air scene to paint. The attraction of this scene was the chalk white soil, the terra rosa leaves on the vines, and, of course, the Cypress trees on the hill. When I started painting in the morning, the temperature was 27 degrees F, and never did warm up, so I only painted for an hour and finished the painting from a photo when I returned home.

Seasonal Changes

Colorful vineyards at the beginning of fall, with background of Sonoma County hills

Plein Air Painters of Sonoma County

Pat, Deborah, Aaron, Ellen, Joyce, Marjorie and Marcy after hanging our show at Steele Lane Community Center in Santa Rosa.

Valley Barnstead Revised/Sea Cliff and Golden Gate Bridge

Another painting on wood panel, recently revised by adding more paint here and there. This is from a photo I took along Highway 5, near Willows.

Painted on wood panel from a photo I took of San Francisco icons.

Vacant Doors

Another abstract that may or may not be finished. 

Corner Gallery Art Reception

I am a Featured Artist at the Corner Gallery in Ukiah for the month of September.

Hampton Beach Surfers

Here is my rendition of  surfers at Hampton Beach, NH. I took this photo last month while visiting my relatives who vacation there every summer. These kids look so vulnerable, yet so trendy with their cell phones and wet suits and buff bodies.. 

Old Hopland Poplars and Off Highway One

Using artistic license, I modified the sky to reflect sunsets I've seen.

This paintings is very loose and abstract, and painted from a photo I took.

From My Point of View

Imagine sitting here as the morning fog lifts.

The Garden Gate

Having painted in this beautiful Healdsburg garden before, I have been attracted to this scene but never painted it because the shadows have moved too fast. Since I am now able to apply the paint much faster, I finally attempted this view with some success. 

Finding the Still Place

Roses have spectacular blooms this year, at least in Sonoma County. The Russian River Rose Company, in Healdsburg, invited a few plein air artists to capture their gardens on canvas.

A Garden Path

 

Painted in a Healdsburg Garden.

Annie's Clematis

This painting was accepted into Mendocino Center's juried Garden-Themed Exhibit. 

Show runs from May 2 - May29.

Matanzas Numero Diez

My tenth painting of Matanzas, each image slightly different from the last. Using several photos of my past paintings, I developed this currant painting.. 

Lemony Mustard in Geyserville and A Place in Tomales

I took many Artisric Liberties with this painting by changing the color of the house, abstracting the background, and adding lots more mustard in the vineyard..

 

 

This is the third time I've painted this scene in Tomales, and I think this is, by far, the most successful 

Winter Mustard

 

A scene from Highway 101 frontage road in Geyserville. 

Walnut Orchard Mustard

This impossibly beautiful scene was also painted last year from the same location. But this year was different. After I set up and started painting, the property owner's son arrived with his tractor mower, warning me that the mower threw rocks, and proceeding to mow down the mustard because his mother, who owns the property, doesn't want anybody looking at the magnetic scene. Fortunately I was able to finish the painting from photos. A word of note: English Walnuts are grafted onto Black Walnut roots, because the roots are stronger, making the base of the tree look like it is sitting in a bucket., 

A Meadow of Pennyroyal

 

 

As a result of painting abstracts, my plein air paintings are becoming looser.

Nude Descending an Umbrella

 

It's not easy changing gears from painting plein air landscapes to abstracts. I'm finding abstract paintings take a dreadfully long time to finish in comparison with plein air paintings which take 2 or 3 hours in the field before the light begins to change. On the other hand, abstracts can take weeks or months before the composition and colors are right because the finished image results from internal influences in comparison to landscapes which result from exterior influences.

 

In this painting, I have experimented with Williamsburg Interference paints which contain Titanium Dioxide coated Mica particles, giving the painted surface reflective qualities, much like Dichroic glass.