Scholarship News!!

Been having some luck lately! In late March I was notified by Oil Painters Of America that I'm the recipient of their Shirl Smithson Scholarship for 2008. I believe they hand out four per year. The scholarship is good for up to $500. I'll be using the scholarship to attend a 3 day portrait workshop by Jeff Watts in late June in Encinitas, CA at Watts Atelier. It's been a while since I've had instruction from Jeff and I'm very excited to attend this workshop.
Also....
Last week I was awarded a scholarship from the Scottsdale Artists' School. The scholarship is good for one workshop. I'll be attending a studio landscape painting workshop with Matt Smith, one of my favorite landscape painters. This 3 day workshop is in late April, and of course will be in Scottsdale, AZ.
Wooohooo!

A Little Exposure..........

The April issue of Southwest Art magazine is featuring an article about James Lightner's book Land Of Sunlight - Contemporary Paintings Of San Diego County. This book was released last summer. Luckily, I was one of ten artists chosen to have a painting printed for this article. The painting chosen was Alcazar Gardens. I'm thrilled for my small contribution for this article. I hope you get a chance to check it out.

Ginger

10x12
Oil/linen panel
Life study

It's been a while since I have posted a portrait because it's been a while since I have painted one. This was a joy to paint and it felt good to see my friends at the Tuesday portrait group. Life and work have a way of interrupting these pleasures! But we all know this difficulty.

'60 Chevrolet Conversion

12x16
Oil/masonite
Studio painting

Sold

Thought I would have some fun with this one! This car is a 1960 Chevrolet Wagon which was converted into a ambulance. The lights were a later addition and the inside was revamped for emergency use. The original ambulances from this time were higher in the back to accommodate equipment and people. This painting will also be at a gallery I'll be showing at starting next week and I'll post those details soon. It was painted from picture reference taken in Denver when I was home for Thanksgiving. It was asking to be painted!

Point Loma Horizon

8x10
Oil/masonite

Plein air

Sold

Painted above I-5 at Presidio Park looking west.

Breaking Wave

8x10

Oil/masonite

Studio painting

This was painted from photo reference taken at Pt. Loma National Monument, just below the light house. Tide pools galore when the water is out and many cliffs to explore and get lost in. This particular area is a short distance past the tide pools and requires a short hike which starts above the cliffs and zig zags steeply to get to these beauties. A risky trek to take because one false step could spell danger. I've done some plein air studies there also which will eventually become studio paintings.

Panchoy Lane

6x8

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

Here's a little side street in east county, San Diego. Definitely an unexplored area waiting to painted. This area was a lemon grove mecca back in the day, hence the name of the town is Lemon Grove. Some areas still have that farm community vibe with old shops and the railroad running through. Been doing little 6x8's and 8x10's lately and plan to use them for some larger studio pieces. I love doing these small ones. 30 to 60 minutes and that's it, just enough time to work from the gut and not get so caught up in details. This was executed in front of my good friend Ed's house looking east. Been wanting to do it for a while now and finally got a chance.

Bridge Belly

6x8

Oil/cotton panel

Plein air

The belly of the bridge. It's amazing how orange it was. Marian Bear Park is the place, even for freeway bridges. I said it before, but every time I go there to paint I can't seem to get myself out of the parking lot and onto the many trails the park offers. So much beauty there. Tons of oak and sycamore trees. Gruppe would love it. Oh yeah, and the occasional rattle snake.

Tunnel Vision

9x12

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

Sold

My first plein air in a long time, but damn it felt good! Trying to shake off the rust. A grey day for sure. The top is interstate 5 heading north to Los Angeles with a frontage road running underneath it. I pass through this tunnel a lot and finally got around to painting it. This location is at Laurel and India. Would like to paint the other side of it sometime. I'm heading to Colorado for Thanksgiving and I'll be taking my paint gear. The last time I was there I saw my hometown with artists eyes. It's unbelievable how much there is to paint, things like old silos, abandoned gas stations, run down shops and dead cornfields with the Rocky Mountians in the background. Should be a fun time!

Artist Member In The CAC

Amidst all the chaos in my personal life and the recent passing of my father, there was a moment of good news. I was recently selected as an Artist Member in the California Art Club. Formerly a Painting Patron, being an Artist Member has the extra perk of eligibility to submit artwork to CAC exhibitions (Gold Medal, CAC Gallery, etc.) From what I understand about 300 applications were submitted and 20 artist were selected. This process happens every two years. I'm very excited and look forward to submitting work for future events. Congratulations also to Jeff Yeomans, Meadow Gist (both San Diegans) and also to William Wray (all under Links to the left).

My Dad

8x10
Oil/cotton panel
Studio painting

This value study painting was done 5 or so years ago using only burnt umber and white. It is of my father who early this morning (9/28) passed away peacefully in his sleep. He was 72 years old.
I recently spent time in Colorado visiting my dad during his stay in the hospital. When I left for home to San Diego his condition was slowly improving. He had emphysema, even though he quit smoking nearly 20 years ago. A touch of pneumonia and a series of strokes also complicated matters. He put up a good fight for 21 plus days but in the end his body simply gave out.

All his life he was a hard working person, blue collar all the way. He took pride in being from Ohio. His professions ranged from working the oil fields, railroad, construction, roofing, concrete and he retired as a janitor for McDonalds. He was also a Korean War veteran serving three years in the Army. I remember spending a summer before my freshman year in college working with him as a roofer (the industrial kind of roofing). I had a newfound respect for him after that summer.
Although he's technically my stepfather, I consider him my only father as he met my mother and raised me since I was 6 months old. That was in 1966. He was always a good husband to my mother and provided plentifully for my younger brother and me.
Among his countless enjoyments fishing was at the top of the list. We took many camping and road trips as a family. Western movies was a life long passion and he enjoyed listening to country music, especially the old school variety. I would watch the Denver Broncos every Sunday with him and he loved watching his Colorado Rockies baseball team. His yard and garden were of particular joy to him. A character he was, giving the nurses and doctors a "hard time" up to the very end.
He loved this painting. As you can see he has one of those faces an artist loves to paint. Over the years I've taken many pictures of him with the idea of doing more paintings. I'm glad I did and I look forward to doing those paintings down the road. Of course there's a lot more to my dad than these few paragraphs. I just wanted to write about him a little today. I'll miss you dearly dad.

Elizabeth

9x12

Oil/linen panel

Life study

Here's a portrait from my Tuesday group. Thanks to a recent workshop I had with Carolyn Anderson my portrait paintings are becoming a bit stronger. If anybody is interested and has a chance to take her workshop she is a wonderful artist and kind person. The link to her site is on the left under links.

Santa Barbara Show

Backhoe

8x10

Oil/masonite

Plein air

Sold

There's a lot of construction going on in our neighborhood so this was bound to happen. I finally got around to it! I wanted to paint the shapes of the backhoe and not do much with the background. This was fun as it went together like a jigsaw puzzle, painting one shape/color/value next to each other. I recently took some pics of construction workers while on the job and hope to experiment with some of those.

Cul-De-Sac View

8x10

Oil/masonite

Plein air

It was one of those mornings when I didn't know what I was going to paint and was anticipating driving around aimlessly. I didn't drive around for long as I drove into a cul-de-sac and saw this scene. The great part was the 6 year old girl who lived in the house to my left. She drew a picture of me as I was painting. That made my morning.

A New Plein Air/Landscape Art Book For San Diego

Late last year I submitted some paintings for possible
publication for San Diego Flora. Nine of my paintings were accepted into this publication. The book, Land Of Sunlight - Contemporary Paintings of San Diego County was just mailed to contributing artists and is expected to be in many retail stores by the end of August. It’s such a beautiful book and author James Lightner obviously made this book a labor of love. One hundred fine artists are featured and the book is loaded with hundreds of full color paintings of the desert, mountains, hills/valleys and the coast. The artists and their styles in this book are just as diverse as San Diego County, some of them very well known. A great book for collectors no doubt. As a contributing artist I can get this book at the wholesale price. Please drop me an email if you are interested in owning this book. You can also visit http://www.sandiegoflora.com/.

Aero Club

9x12

Oil/masonite

Studio painting

Sold

This bar front has always intrigued me, even before I started to paint landscapes. The obvious curiosity with the sign is what grabbed me. I would like to paint this again in maybe late afternoon light or at night when the neon is ablaze. The reference pic was taken in the morning and I like the way the light slices through the painting. From my theater days as a scenic artist I always loved to paint signs/lettering, and I enjoy painting signs and lettering in small scale as well.

Ray At Night Opening

For those local San Diego folks who might be interested. There will be music, food and local artisans displaying their works. I'll be showing 23 paintings, mostly plein air and landscapes with a few portraits. Many galleries and a lot to see. This July 14th opening will be part of the festivities for this once a month neighborhood tradition. If you want to know more go here:
www.northparkmainstreet.com/promotion/ray.htm

North Park Alley View

8x10

Oil/masonite

Studio painting

The pic reference was taken standing in an alley looking towards the water tower with the sun almost directly above. I thought it was an interesting view. It's not the usual one point perspective alley painting but a glimpse into the backside of someones garage and home.

San Diego County Fair Art Show

I entered two paintings for the fair this year and managed to get both of them accepted. They are pieces from earlier posts. The first one is Hillcrest Dumpster which was posted on April 23rd. Profile Study, which was posted on April 19th, won an honorable mention. The art show ends on July 4th. There is also a photography exhibit upstairs of the art exhibit. And the mariachi festival was awesome!

Trees And Clouds

8x10

Oil/masonite

Studio painting

This is from a picture I took at San Luis Obispo, CA last year. I finally got around to painting it. Although on the small side for a studio piece, I thought it would be fun anyway, plus I wanted to finish it in one session and give it the feel of a plein air piece. The clouds were spectacular that day, they were literally in this formation when I took the pic. I love how clouds can help frame a painting.

Pt. Loma Morning

12x16

Oil/masonite

Studio painting

Here's a studio painting from a plein air study I painted from a couple of years back. I love to paint and render stones and rocks, especially cliffside settings like this. Mucho mucho fun. Must do more! When I did the plein air study a fog bank rolled in and I couldn't paint for about 30 minutes because of the thick fog. No kidding, I must of had 10 to 15 feet visibility. All I heard was crashing waves but couldn't see the water or rock formations in front of me while standing only a few feet from the edge of the cliff. It was a surreal and awesome feeling. This painting will be on display at the 12th Annual Masters Of The Moment group exhibit which will feature many artists living in San Diego County. The exhibit goes from June 2nd through June 30th, with a reception on Friday, June 8th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. The exhibit and reception is located at 280 East Main Street in El Cajon, which is the East County Performing Arts Center. Anyone is invited, hope to see some of you there.

Carmel Art Festival

I had the opportunity recently to participate in the 14th Annual Carmel Art Festival in Carmel, California. One part of the festival was a 1 and 3/4 day plein air competition. 60 plein air artists had that amount of time to complete 2 plein air pieces, frame the work and turn the works in for a silent auction. I had a really good time as I met some really nice and talented artists. And of course Carmel, Monterey and what I saw of Monterey County was simply stunning. Overload to tell you the truth, so much to paint with so little time. I spent an entire day before the competition scouting the area for potential sites. It was a great time overall and hope to participate again in the years to come. I was fortunate enough to sell my paintings! Here's what I came up with:

12x16

Oil/masonite

Plein Air

This one is titled Coastal House. It was painted on the Monterey peninsula on the first day. The weather was gorgeous, the tourists were friendly and the view was breathtaking. It's such a beautiful coastline.

11x14
Oil/masonite

Plein air

Pacific Grove Lumber Yard was painted the morning of the second day. Pacific Grove is a little town not far from Monterey. The view caught my eye right off the bat. The day before it was sunny but the day I painted it was cloudy and cool. I really liked the sunlit look the day before, but I also enjoy grey day paintings. A few guys behind the white building were taking their break when I started painting. They were puzzled why anyone would want to paint the building.

A few more pics from the area:

Ocean Beach Life Guard Tower

9x12
Oil/cotten panel
Plein Air

Wasn't too sure about this one when I finished it, but after a week or so it kind of grew on me. It was one of those bright hazy mornings. The distant dark on the horizon was a fog bank that eventually rolled in. What caught my eye was the sand bank in the foreground and the obvious division of foreground, middle and background with a hint of the ocean itself.

McCoy House At Old Town

11x14
Oil/linen panel
Plein air

This view caught my eye wandering through the Old Town area of San Diego. The house is called the McCoy House. Don't know anything about it, just liked the view, the vertical format and the zig zag of the fence.

Hillcrest Dumpster

12x16

Oil/masonite

Studio painting

Here is a alley scene which happens to be located at the backside of the building we live in. In fact, the green dumpster butts right up against our building. The reference picture was taken in the morning hours. I recently rode my bike around the neighborhood snapping pictures for possible future reference. I intended for the dumpster to be the center of interest for this painting. This was fun as it was a break from plein air and because I haven't done many paintings in the studio or from photos in quite a while. I would like to couple both studio and plein air paintings from now on. We'll see how that goes.........

Profile Study

11x14

Oil/masonite

Life study

From my Tuesday group. This one was fun to paint. Upon seeing the shape of her nose I knew a profile was a good choice.

Florida Canyon Trail

6x8

Oil/linen panel

Plein Air

The nickname of the painting is The Green Monster. I've been forcing myself to set up in front of green, a lot of green. Trees, shrubs any green foliage. The purpose is to try and make sense of the overly green scene in front of me, trying to make a good design and especially trying to make good color choices regarding this tricky color (to me anyway). Only one tone of green, both color and value, actually existed in this scene. Trying to separate greens is the challenge. And fun of course. This is one I liked from the last two weeks of painting green scenes.

Carmel Ranch

9x12

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

Painted at an old ranch off Carmel Valley Road, east of the I-5. This location holds many more paintings, especially the barn and stable. A lot of discarded farm machinery and other curiosities will hopefully bring me back to this site. Tried to simplify and abstract the area on the left, which was a pile of farm equipment and part of a tractor. I found out after I left the owner trotted by on his horse and told a few other painters that we were trespassing. Hopefully I can convince him we're a group of harmless artists who will respect his property. I guess a few kids got hurt on his property (they were trespassing) and actually took him to court over their injuries. One can understand his concern.

Village Gallery Reception

Here's a pic from the day of the reception (March 18th). The shutter bug he is, my friend Richard Carter took this picture. Interesting view looking at the gallery from the outside and the reflections of the scene across the street. Of course myself and others are in the reflection chatting up a good time. Can't miss my dome! It was a lot of good fun. Thanks to those who were able to attend.

North Park Water Tower Revisited

10x12

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

I painted this tower last fall and I finally got around to painting it again. It was painted from the same area, not too far away from the original location. This one was a great time, more views to be painted in the future. Of the three I entered, I was recently notified this one placed third in the oil category for Under The Sky, a local plein air exhibit. The reception is this Sunday the 18th from 2pm to 5pm. More info on a earlier post.

Looking Uphill At Upas

8x10

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

Uphill views are fascinating to me. I'm drawn to horizon lines above the viewer, a sense of mystery up there and back there. What a beautiful San Diego morning this particular day was. Just gorgeous. I tried to separate the various greens in this one, not the same monotonous shade of green that actually existed. To me, greens can be tricky to paint. It has the potential to overpower the painting and scream GREEN! It's just a matter of subtly subduing, finding that delicate balance keeping in mind that green can either be a warm color or cool color. All this while cars are zooming down this hill, straight at me at one point and turning at what appears to be the last possible moment. The adventures continue..............

Plein Air Show

Come one, come all to the La Jolla Art Association sponsored Under The Sky plein air show. This exhibit will feature many talented San Diego plein air artists who painted, on site, many different areas of San Diego county. I submitted 3 paintings and all 3 were accepted. This is my first group show and I am looking forward to showing my work and meeting art-minded people. It should be a fun time. Hope to see you there!

Georgia Street Bridge

6x8

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

Here's a scene I painted a while back without much success. Thought I would give it another shot. I'm definitely happier with this outcome, for the most part anyway. I'll probably end up painting the other side of it someday. There's also a great view on top of the bridge looking straight up the street on both sides. That would be a challenge! This bridge was built in 1914.

Serra Museum

6x8

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

Here's a mission style building built in 1929 that sits atop Presidio Park in San Diego. It's the site of the first mission and fortified settlement in present-day California. Been trying to push myself to simplify, abstract and not get so caught up in details. I particularly like the railing on top. I was looking up at the building from below. It was an interesting but awkward angle. Ahhh, the challenges...........

India & Vine

8x10

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

Taking a break from my miniature portrait spree, I painted this one to get outside and loosen up. It's not as loose as I had envisioned. I think maybe doing so many small portraits lately has caused me to tighten up outdoors. The one I painted after this is also a bit tight. You would think it would be the other way around. Oh well, it was still fun none the less.

Storage Shed

6x8

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

Here's a quick little study I painted at Balboa Park, nearby where I live. There's a horseshoe club at the park and that's what I originally intended to paint: some old guy throwing some horseshoes around. Nobody was out that morning so I painted this little shed right next to the horseshoe grounds. It's not terribly exciting, but I do like the simplicity of it. Been cooped up painting some miniatures for a show my Tuesday group is having in late March. I have been painting mostly portraits and some landscapes in 5x7 and 6x8 sizes. Maybe I will paint some larger. Painting in these sizes is challenging, for me it's much easier to paint larger. Not as large though as those HUGE drops (60 feet by 30 feet) I used to paint in the theater world!

House On The Hill

8x10
Oil/linen panel

Plein air

This one can also be titled Sick Painting because I was quite ill that day. Started the new year off with a terrible cold. It's been over four years since I've had a cold, but everyone around me had it. I was cooped up for days and wanted to get out of the apartment for a while. It's a little more colorful than usual and I believe the drugs in this case might be the reason. Maybe I should take Claritin before I paint! Another Marian Bear Park painting. Can't get enough of that area. The house on the hill caught my eye. The light was coming from behind, creating the purple-ish shadowed hill in the foreground. I was surprised how purple it was and how vivid the other colors were that morning.

Rob

10x14
Oil/masonite

Life study

This plein air portrait was painted right before the end of '06. The last painting of the year, actually. The usual Tuesday portrait group wasn't meeting because of the holidays so I painted this one on my own. My friend Rob was kind enough to sit for this one, right on his front porch. I was going to use the Zorn palette but upon seeing all those fantastic colors in Rob's face I turned to my expanded palette. The colors that appear in the skin en plein air is awesome. It excites me to see a fleck of color that wouldn't otherwise exist with controlled indoor lighting or from a photograph. Rob has sat for me a two times already, making this the third time. He'll be the recipient of one of the portraits I painted of him when we get up to five. Can't ask for a better model as he did very well. What are friends for, huh?

Park & Robinson Revisited

10x12

Oil/Linen panel

Plein Air

Took another stab at this one, this time in a horizontal format. I think the tarps on the building add a bit more interest, something to break up the yellow a little bit. Of course the painting wouldn't be much without the crane (which of course moved a few times). Again, another fun time. Hope to paint more construction zones in my neighborhood.

Van

10x14

Oil/masonite

Life study

Another painting from my Tuesday group. This guy is always fun to paint.

Regents Road Freeway Bridge (East View)

11x14
Oil/linen panel
Plein air

This was a classic fall day in San Diego. Brisk air, cool breeze and fall colors. Oh yeah, and a loafer out of no where who made me pick up my palette knife in case I had to defend myself. Hope I get that taser gun I wanted for Christmas! I'll have to hang that gizmo on my paint box whilst I paint. Sometimes...........

Rail Road Crossing

8x10

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

This location is at the bottom of Washington and Pacific Highway. Kind of got into detailing the sign. That was the really fun part! There are several other paintings I would like to do in this area. Soon I hope.

Park & Robinson

8x10

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

I was on my way to a certain paint location when I passed by this construction zone. It's in my neighborhood, not too far from my place. I was instantly struck by the composition: the towering builiding, the crane above and the the office trailer. I'm really glad I painted it. There are so many condos and apartment buildings currently under construction in Hillcrest, at least four I can think of. In the last year and a half about 4 have been completed. The architectual landscape is rapidly changing in my neighborhood. This would be an interesting way to docment growth in the neighborhood. I plan to paint more of these. That crane was fun to paint!

Freeway Bridge

11x14

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

I am fascinated by bridges in general. They are a subject I routinely paint. The way a bridge fits into the landscape with the surrounding foliage makes for an interesting painting to me, especially where it intersects into the land. When I painted this I was standing underneath a trolley bridge for shade. Earthquake-like conditions when the trolley passed over! More bridges to come...........

Palm Study With Hut

8x10

Oil/linen panel

Plein air

This was painted at Marian Bear Park, just off highway 52. It was early morning and the sun was intensely bright, I mean really bright. The light was bathed over the scene from behind, the sun directly in front of me, thus creating a back light effect. I really enjoy painting palm trees, especially the ones that have dead fronds hanging from them. So many interesting colors in those dead fronds. The little hut on the hill adds a bit more interest.

Alley Off Vermont Street

6x8
Oil/linen panel
Plein air

This painting was done in my neighborhood. So many cool little alleyways around San Diego. So many alleys, so little time!