2 from the Archive

One of my earlier acrylics when I thought I didn't really know what I was doing, but it ain't so bad is it? Painted on stretched canvas 12"X 48".
#2 is a h2o (watercolor) painting on Fabriano Artistico 140lb. cold press of a college art student of mine that had a very paintable face indeed. The circles I painted in, because he always added circles into his paintings. Actually, this is mixed media with sketch lines added in conte crayon.

H2o Abstract

Here's a water color abstract I did about 2 years ago. I don't exactly know how I did it. Maybe I used an atomizer. Anyway, a few months ago I was given a brand spanking new $800 air brush kit and am planing some abstracts combining air brush with traditional brush painting and combining acrylic with water color. I'm hoping to accomplish this during the summer season.
Hey...check out Nicholas Simmons... he does mixed media work combining water color and acrylic...real loose stuff and real nice. He's in my links section.

Vic Fazio Bird Sanctuary

The two smaller acrylics were painted on MDF board about 2 months ago. One is under the freeway or Yolo Causeway that goes over the bird sanctuary.Tthe sanctuary also functions as a rice growing area and in the winter, a flood run off zone. Each painting measures 8"X10"." Under The Causeway" was an exercise in perspective and value. The second painting gives you a view of the freeway. No birds!...when I set up my easel, they fly away...not very trusting of plein air painters! The larger painting is on stretched canvas (12"X16") and was painted spring of '07. A few hours ago I "improved" it by working the sky, reeds, and water just a tad.

View from The River Levee

I was on the west side of the Sacramento River levee in West Sacramento to get this farm and barn scene. It was all painted with different sizes of flat brushes. I'm in a flat brush mode. I thought the challenge would be the magnificent oak tree towering over the barn but noooo!... I spent several hours trying to make the foreground work. I finally ended up painting the foreground on the right side of the road darker than it really was. It looks kinda like a cast shadow of dark value greens, blues, and violets. Then I painted in some oranges to compliment the green oak and another small cast shadow coming in from the left and matching the cast shadow coming off the barn and farm equipment. Shadows going right and left?! Oh well, it seems to work. I softened the field behind the barn so as to place more emphasis on the tree, barn, and foreground. I'm going to let this painting rest, but meanwhile, I'd love to get some feedback from some of you.

On The Delta

Early in the morning this Wednesday, I went to the River City rowing Club facility at the Port of Sacramento to do an outdoor painting. The bastards locked the gate! There is a special place in hell for them, and they won't be rowing boats! I headed back to the studio and worked on this acrylic of a boat dock on the Sacramento River in the San Joaquin Delta. It's on 8"X16" wood panel. I don't know what type of wood!...just wood! Sorry, it's the end of day, I didn't eat lunch, and I'm grumpy. It's easy to get grumpy when you are 61 (unless you're teenager...they can put themselves on super duper grumpy autopilot!).

Laughs Unlimited

Last week, May 7 under the post heading "Times They Are Changin", I had a pity party and wrote about my wife's possibility of being laid off from her teaching job and the lousy health care system in the good ole U S of A. This morning I received a comment from one of the "On Painting" blogsters... pretty funny. If you have not visited these artists' (a he and a she) blog, you owe it to yourself to click on their link in my links section. They both craft incredibly funny posts! I discovered these two upon a recommendation from one of Silvina's recent posts (see my link section and go visit her as well).

Scuffy #2

Last Friday, I set up my easel on the dock and got this view.