Lone

"Lone Mojave Home"    SOLD

watercolor on paper, 2009

9" x 12" (22.86cm x 30.48cm)

Here's a watercolor of a home out in the Mojave Desert. I always find dwellings like this rather strange because with the desert being so expansive, any lone building seems to be randomly dropped in place. There's no tree's to nestle in amongst, no rock formations, no stream, pond, lake... the house could just as easily be a few hundred yards in any direction and it would not matter.

And of course their one Christmas decoration, the string of lights tree, up year round (this from May) with it's lone star silhouetted against the desert sky further emphasizes it's singularity.39

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Corrugated 2-watercolor

"San Pedro Plant"                     SOLD

watercolor on paper, 2009

9" x 12" (22.86cm x 30.48cm)

Horizon Fine Art Gallery

"Cole's Battery (w/ Oil Barrels)"    SOLD

watercolor on paper, 2009

9" x 12" (22.86cm 30.48cm)

As I said in my previous post 'Corrugated' I had done these watercolors of both of those groupings of corrugated buildings from different views.

Here, "Cole's Battery (w/ Oil Barrels)" was the actual name of the business that was formerly there and moved to another location before the site was razed. "Champion" , the title of the oil painting was named for the Champion Spark Plug logo painted on the wall. This view is of another smaller building on that site, looking east toward the LA Harbor. At the time this was painted the business had already left and a sort of reclamation was taking place with the weeds and vegetation springing up thru fractures in the asphalt. It had also apparently been serving as a home base for someone as evidenced by the hole in the chain link fence, the shopping cart and water hose dragged to the back.

"San Pedro Plant" is the same view as in "Shed Stack", but pulled back. It very much reminded me of the view of the house on the hill from the movie Psycho, so with that, I decided to paint it from this worms eye view, tilting the perspective to enhance that impression then adding the string of crows.

This was one of those paintings that about half way through was going downhill really fast. And with watercolor, painted in this more traditional method, fixing bad areas is usually out of the question. At this point I figured it was a loss anyway so I let go, threw down some unifying washes and was quite surprised it pulled together. It's true sometimes being too careful makes for bad paintings. Some of my better images are born out complete failure.37,38

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Saturated Hues 2

"Gorman Spring"

oil on panel, 2007

5" x 7" (12.7cm x 17.78cm)

private collection

This was done after visiting Gorman California a few years back. Gorman is in the mountain pass north of Los Angeles and is known for it's spring wildflowers turning the hills into a patchwork of bright saturated hues.

You won't see this subject from me very often, as I'm not much of a floral artist. But in this case I really approached it from more of a landscape point of view.

My take on it includes the presence of man, a common motif in my work. The barbed wire fence in the foreground, road and power poles in the middle ground, and a favorite... contrails overhead. Contrails are fun because they allow me to carve up the sky, giving it some... substance, but without always having to rely on clouds.36

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Chilly Biting Air

*Updated image above

"Power Pole #10(w/ Rooftop)"    SOLD

oil on panel, 2009

5" x 3.5" (12.7cm x 8.89cm)

From my Power Pole series, done at the end of 2009. The color here is a bit off, the painting has deeper tones, especially the blue background. With the deeper tones the image has that feel of the chilly, biting air of a cold December day, with only the slightest of warm tone/color to it.

Like others in the series, the wires zinging about provide that controlled chaos that draws me to this subject, but in this case what caught my eye was the pyramid shaped roofline and the sliver of building at the left that stabilized the chaos. And again, I love the simple, fundamental arrangement of shapes making up the composition.35

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*Update- I found a better photo of this painting since it was originally posted, although curiously enough I photographed it before I signed it, which I rarely do.

It is however more faithful to the painting itself. Generally, the colors are not as raw. Like I said in the text, this shows the deeper and richer tones as well as the more textural application of paint, giving me the 'heavy' skies I favor.

In Tune

"Seascape (w/ Lone Pelican)"

oil on panel, 2007

6" x 8" ( 15.24cm x 20.32cm)

private collection

Although small, this is one of those paintings I needed to spend a fair amount of time on in order to get the semi choppy texture of the water right. The pelican itself was not all that difficult to paint. In fact, my original intent was a texture study of the sea itself with nothing else, but having reached that point I decided to include the bird.

A lone pelican in this case so as not to stray too far from that original intent. I even like the fact that it sort of blends into the water instead of standing out. A statement to how wildlife must be more in tune to nature in order to abide her uncompromising ways.34

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'Of the Night ' 2

"Nocturne-Night Owl"

oil on panel, 2009

3.5" x 5" (8.89cm x 12.7cm)

private collection

Another perfect subject for the nocturne, the owl. Like the cat, made for the darkness. Night vision, stealthy, a silent predator.

Sitting high atop it's perch, a quick swoop, barely a whisper, an apparition out of the corner of your eye. Like so much wildlife, forced to adapt to urban environments.

As I said in my previous post 'Concrete Facades', this image could just as easily be a nature scene. Instead it's urban. Here I've substituted the power pole for a tree, the street light... a stand in for the moon. The only bit of nature, the tree top at the bottom, it's shape mirror's the owl.33

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'Of the Night'

"Nocturne-Lucy(Cat)"    SOLD

oil on panel, 2009

5" x 7" (12.7cm x 17.78cm)

The nocturne... it's origin, mid 19th century French from Latin, nocturnus, meaning 'of the night'.

A perfect subject for the nocturne, the cat. Surreptitiously slipping through the hushed night without a sound. Low to the ground, quick light steps with a purpose. It's shadow the only thing to keep pace.

My sister's cat Lucy. I spent what seemed like forever trying to capture the night shot, no tripod, hand held, just clicking away... far more challenging than the daylight, especially a moving subject. I would get the shot but not the action, the action so familiar to us... fleeting, almost unseen.

I got it and put it to paint, a simple image in composition. The more simplistic an image the tougher it is to pull off. Without the shadow, without the hint of reflected light under her chin, and perhaps the three subtle flashes of light, the image would fall apart. I decided no real hard lines too, the softer edges of the long shadow, the dark mass above, the lost edges of tail and paws all add to the haunting effect.

The challenge with the simplistic is that the few elements that are included carry more weight. The graphic pattern of light and dark, texture, edges, whatever... it all has to work harder towards an end. This is true regardless of medium. Sculpture, design, photography, dance, music, etc., it's all the same.32

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Saturated Hues

"Spring Seascape"

oil on panel, 2010

6" x 8" (15.24cm x 20.32cm)

private collection

After the last entry I'm hoping this seascape will urge Mother Nature to finally deliver spring before it's time for summer. This painting is small but I have 5 or 6 medium sized ones in the works, I'll post them sometime soon, been working on these 'mini's' lately, recently sold 11 of them plus a slightly larger figure painting.

This is the So Cal spring I remember. As Mother Nature's temperament softens... the winter fades, the days lengthen and the sun arches higher... the colors in her palette get swept clean. The waters begin to calm and it warms up enough for water ballon fights. The horizon lays itself out once again... basking in the sun.

Although a horizon is not shown here, the pacific blue lightens as it moves towards it and as the sky reflects off it's surface. The deeper shades of winter replaced by the brighter, more saturated hues of spring.31

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Washed in Gray Green

"18th St.Rain"       SOLD

oil on board, 2009

8" x 10" (20.32cm x 25.4)

With our unusual lingering winter, cooler temperatures, and sporadic rain it seemed appropriate to post a rain painting. By this time of year it's typically in the 70's (at least in So Cal) but the cold air persists.

Despite the fact that we don't get rain like other parts of the country I've always liked rain and weather images. Painted late in the day, the sun struggling to shine and gleaming off the street, it's the kind of rainfall that alternates between drizzle and those huge scattered drops, never quite committing to a downpour. Just enough to keep things wet and wash over the landscape in grayish green tones.30

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Desert Nocturne

"Moonlit Desert Nocturne(Lone Palm)"

oil on panel, 2009

3.5" x 5" (8.89cm x 12.7 cm)

private collection

Another small quick study, a hot desert nocturne brightly lit by the moon, shining off the glossy leaves of the lone palm. The warmer tones of the desert floor conveying the trapped daytime heat escaping back into the atmosphere.29

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Man vs Nature-Homer

"Wave (w/Shipwreck)"

oil on panel, 2010

5" x 7" (12.7cm x 17.78cm)

private collection

This painting was done for a surfer. But instead of the usual wave seascape I wanted to add some other element as well as eliminate any seashore, rocks etc. that you would typically find.

Inspired by one of my favorite seascape artists, the incomparable Homer, I divided the picture plane into three horizontal bands. I gave the foreground to a swell, the middle ground to the action, and the background to the imposing ship.

The tight cropping gave the subject the power it deserved, a pulled back or panoramic view just wouldn't do in this case. The ship was originally lighter in value, enveloped in the stormy mist, but that too watered down the might and strength of composition, so darker it went.

It's good to recognize when something is not working and learn to problem solve on your own, remembering your original intent and letting go of what is defeating that intent, no matter how much you may have 'fallen in love' with that element. Art is very much a solitary business most of the time so these skills are essential.

The darker ship now dominates the painting, sitting on the wave at the top of, and occupying a little over half of the composition. Strong in it's presence but weak against the forces of nature tearing away at it's broken hull. Man vs nature, a theme of both Homer and Hopper, among others, and one intuitively understood by surfers.28

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3 Birds

"Crow in Burnscape"

oil on panel, 2010

6" x 8" ( 15.24cm x 20.32cm)

private collection

"Male Chaffinch"

oil on panel, 2009

3.5" x 5" (8.89cm x 12.7cm)

private collection

"Caspian Tern"

Acrylic on illus. board, 2004

private collection

Here's 3 very different bird paintings done at different times. In this case they were not done as part of any series.

"Caspian Tern" was a commissioned painting from 2004. The tern, and if I'm not mistaken the recipient of the painting too, is frequently seen around the wetlands in Huntington Beach California. The wetlands have been going thru habitat restoration the last few years so as they expand so will the numbers of visiting wildlife, creating great opportunities for artists and photographers.

"Male Chaffinch" The owner of this painting is known for her referrals and networking skills, so from the expression "A little bird told me... " came this image. I did choose a male chaffinch over a female for the simple reason that in most cases in nature, it's the male who has the colorful markings and colorful is what her personality is all about.

"Crow in Burnscape" was a response to having walked thru a nature preserve following a wildfire. The birds and small wildlife I saw scurried about behaving rather nervously, while the crows seemed to be surprisingly at home. Crows, which are known for their intelligence must have realized that they were the only ones who now blended into their modified charcoal landscape.25,26,27

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Retired and Resting

"Resting Tractor (w/ Retired Power Plant)"   SOLD

oil on panel, 2009

3.5" x 5" (8.89cm x 12.7cm)

Although this painting focuses on the tractor I wanted to post it immediately following my last post, 'Retired Power Plant', since the power plant in the background is the same one, different view.

In this case the plant was really used as a foil for the angles of the tractor and the buildings roof lines instead of as the primary subject. It's more grid-like structure from this view simplified, but still having some presence. I should point out that the yellow of the tractor is not as bright as the actual painting which has a bit more of a glow to it (yellow is a tough color to accurately photograph). As soon as I can get a better pic or make the right adjustment to it I'll change it out.

The only reason I bring this up is, in this painting I wanted to depict those overcast but bright days we have when the marine layer is thin and the sun is reflecting off the moisture in the atmosphere creating conditions similar to snow blindness. This usually makes high chroma colors like yellow glow even more. I did however 'cheat' a little by not lightening the darks as much in order to achieve a better glow from the yellow.

What drew me to this scene was the way the tractor was parked with it's scoop extended, instead of retracted, as though it's resting... similar in theme to the retired power plant.24

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Retired

"Retired Power Plant"    SOLD

oil on panel, 2010

10" x 8" (25.4cm x 20.32cm)

Here's another industrial painting of a subject that may not be inherently beautiful to many. A 1950's era power plant. One of the many reasons I love industrial subjects is the palette of colors usually found. The blues, greens, grays, earthy & rusty browns, ochres, creams and whites.

I (and my two photography buffs)walked around the block eyeing the plant, searching for an angle that had some kind of drama, exciting composition, anything that might jump out, when I caught this view. I loved the way the stacks of scaffolding planks, steel, and railroad ties walked their way back towards the power plant, repeated by the driveway and concrete berm. The hiccup in the curvilinear shadow from the guard rail playing off the straight lines was one of those happy accidents you almost can't dream up. And of course those tiny bright accents of yellow and red almost always found at sites like this.

Since it was actually a crystal clear day I made some changes to better suit my concept of a retired but still maintained plant. Using cooler tones in the plant itself and dropping it back into an approaching airy mist separated it from the still utilized neatly stacked planks, steel and ties. Warming the middle ground tone a bit helped to ease the stark rectangular stacks, and reshaping the tree mass to echo the forms protruding from the smoke stacks.

It's reasons like this that I'm more of a studio painter than a plein air painter. I need time to contemplate a subject, create an image that would take far too long on site. It just suits my personality better.23

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Clarity

"Rails, Bridge, Refinery"    SOLD

oil on panel, 2009

8" x 10" (15.24cm x 20.32cm)

For a small painting I managed to squeeze a lot of info into it. Some call it detail, I prefer to call it clarity. It may be, but I'm not loading up the image with detail just for detail sake. It is a matter of articulating really. Clarity speaks differently than mere detail. Clarity is an Ansel Adams print, detail is, for me at least, description without much to say.

In this image all the crispness, clarity (or if you must... detail) is jammed into the upper left corner, the foreground is left, in relative terms, with much less. The edge treatment in the foreground slightly softer too.

The bridge is on a downward slope to meet the visible tracks around the corner, which break sharply to the right. All the 'first reading' lines converge and compress in the upper left corner taking your eye's first to the densely packed refinery then around the corner to the unseen merging of tracks which is supported by the 'secondary reading' lines of elongated shadows angling towards this merge.

The slightly tilted horizon also contributes to the rush toward the upper left corner as well as giving the image an edge of tension. 22

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Concrete Facades

*Update- below is the painting framed. Here it was done by an interior designer who has an exceptional eye for framing art. She understands how important it is that the frame should compliment and not overwhelm the art, as is often the case. The designer very carefully selected the frame and matte's based on the art first, instead of the frame itself or where it will hang.  

"Water and Power"

oil on panel, 2008

6" x 8" (15.24cm x 20.32cm)

private collection

"Rio Tinto Minerals" SOLD

oil on panel, 2008

5" x 7" (12.7cm x 17.78cm)

They could just as easily be the stone walls of some canyon. This is how we see differently sometimes, by disassociating ourselves from the actual object and seeing from a compositional point of view for instance. The power poles in "Water and Power" could be tree's, the street, a small lake... the point is, seeing is not always visceral, or at least ONLY visceral, sometimes it's intellectual.

In both of these views I was initially drawn to the concrete facades, stretched out horizontally across the landscape. Then how the vertical elements, the poles, windows, and architectural details, counteracted the horizontal format, shifting the emphasis, giving the composition a more vertical stress. The tree's and steam softening the hard lines. You can find the same thing in nature.20,21

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Beautiful?

"Refinery at Dusk"

oil on panel, 2008

6" x 8" (15.24cm x 20.32cm)

For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE

Another industrial subject I like... refineries... very complicated to paint, but fascinating to study. Although made from simple forms they are incredibly complex in their construction, a seemingly endless configuration of pipes, tanks, towers, catwalks, poles, lights... miles of steel, aluminum, asphalt and concrete.

So... are they beautiful? Is the beauty in the subject or the way an artist handles the subject?

I think it's both. Beauty is a lot of things that go far beyond the usual... nature subjects... which I also love... but how boring if we all did the same thing all the time. It really all depends on how wide your definition of beauty is.The subject is not always inherently beautiful itself, sometimes it is the way it's handled by the painter, photographer, draughtsman, cinematographer, printmaker etc. That could mean the way it's lit, colored, cropped, composed, the idea it is representing... the list goes on and on. The next time you pass one try looking at it from a new point of view.19

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3 Different Qualities

"Power Pole #3(Twin Transformers)"

oil on panel, 2008

8" x 6" (20.32cm x 15.24cm)

"Power Pole #6(w/ 3 Contrails)"

oil on panel, 2008

8" x 10" (20.32cm x 25.4cm)

For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE

"Power Pole #5 (2 Buttons)"   SOLD

oil on panel, 2008

6" x 8" (15.24cm x 20.32cm)

Horizon Fine Art Gallery : horizonfineartgallery.com, email: HORIZONFINEART@WYOMING.COM

3 more from Power Pole series. A slightly wider color palette than my previous Power Pole post, 'Fingerprints'. One of the nice things about where I live is that with the hills I'm able to get views from various angles instead of always the worms eye view. After that I try to instill in the image some sort of quality about them that caught my attention, usually my first impressions.

#3 has the most vertical emphasis. It's wires leading to and from the pair of transformers are graceful and rather lyrical.

#6 has a prominent, almost portrait-like appearance, the late day shadow from an unseen tree behind the viewer moving up the pole and out of the top of the composition.

#5 with it's two odd bolt cover buttons, shows the organized chaos so often seen in power poles. The zoomed in view emphasizes this chaos, allowing the wires to dart in and out of the composition from all sides. The two buttons really amused me. Are they there to protect the serviceman with all the other obvious hazards present? I would love to know the answer.16,17,18

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Corrugated

"Shed Stack"

oil on panel, 2008

5" x 7" (12.7cm x 17.78cm)

"Champion"    SOLD

oil on panel, 2008

5" x 7' (12.7cm x 17.78cm)

I'm not exactly sure why, but I've always loved corrugated buildings, so here's two. "Champion" is now gone, an empty lot now and "Shed Stack" is still there, although I have no idea what kind of business runs out of it. There is a tall smoke stack, the base of which is barely visible at the top left, but I don't recall ever seeing any smoke coming out of it. I have different views of these two groupings of buildings done in watercolor which I plan to post sometime soon.14,15

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Foamy

"White Seascape (w/ rock)"   SOLD

oil on panel, 2009

16" x 20" (40.64cm x 50.8cm)
private collection

One of my foamy seascapes.

Most people probably think of a solid surface when they think of texture. But water too has various textures... smooth and glassy, foamy and frothy, lightly rippled or choppy.

The sea itself has it's own personality; sometimes quiet and nearly still, sometimes playful, sometimes dark and angry... a sort of creature or being.

I love a churning sea, surging and retreating, frothy and white. It seems to be alive. Here I was looking to capture that playful energetic spirit. The foam sliding across the surface, dancing around the rock in undulating rhythms.13

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Inky Black

*Update- I was able to get a photo of the art framed. Although I prefer to have the framing done by a professional framer, occasionally I have to do it myself. A simple black frame, handwritten caption underneath.

"Study for 'Villa Riviera Wrapped for Restoration' "

oil on panel, 2009

5" x 3.5" (12.7cm x 7.62cm)

private collection

This study I did after the previously posted painting, which for better or worse, I excitedly dove into head first, no preliminary work. As I said in previous post this subject will be addressed in a series of images and different mediums. I'll post them over time. Here, a small oil where I experimented with a slightly more tonal approach, inkier blacks, and a warmer backround.12

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Gothic and Ominous

"Villa Riviera Wrapped for Restoration"

oil on panel, 2009

24" x 18" (60.96cm x 45.72cm)

As the title reveals, this building won't be retired any time soon. It sits near the seashore and overlooks the southern end of the Long Beach Grand Prix Circuit. If what I've heard is true, it was formally a Hotel frequented by movie stars like John Wayne and is currently an apartment building.

So, while some of our physical history gets scraped clean to make room for the new, and some of it is left to be slowly digested by time, by our own doing or lack of I should add, some of it is allowed to remain and in fact, be pushed forward.

My view is looking south toward the Pacific Ocean just before high noon with the morning marine layer reluctantly retreating. The building uncovered stands like a monarch with it's crown-like copper top roof. But wrapped in scaffolding and it's cape-like black tarp it took on a completely different persona, gothic and ominous. This is what really caught my attention after having driven past it for years. I knew I would finally have to address it in a series of images, covered and perhaps now, uncovered.11

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Absorbed by History?

"Linden and Broadway"  SOLD

oil on panel, 2009

3.5" x 5" (7.62cm x 12.7cm)

Another cityscape of Long Beach looking west down Broadway. The tall building buried in the backround is the same one depicted in my previous post 'State of Limbo' ( "Acres of Books"). The sun is setting just north of this brick monolith, the exact location of the now defunct bookstore, Acres of Books. Will the bricks remain or will they too be absorbed by history?10

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State of Limbo

"Acre's of Books(backside)"

watercolor, 2009

6" x 9" (15.24 cm x 22.86cm)

private collection

A watercolor of downtown Long Beach. Acre's of Books, which had been there for as long as I can remember, is one of only 2 or 3 buildings remaining on a city block being cleared for urban renewal. The store itself, one that I would so joyously get lost in, sold used books but is now closed. Even the interior was old and dusty like a vintage library, not some modern super store. It currently sits solitary on it's foundation-fragmented city block in a state of limbo. Will it stay and be built around because of it's Art Deco heritage or lie there tormented until it's final demise?

My depiction of it shows it's older counterpart still standing across the street, at least for now. A solid red brick building, it towers over both the book store and the modern structure visually sandwiched between the two, perhaps acting as a wedge pushing out the old. By clipping off the right side of Acres of Books, thus having it partially leaving the composition, I'm raising the question, Is it on the way out or will it survive?9

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*Update - I recently ran across an old article from 2010 on the demise of the old Acres of Books art deco building.
As reported in the article it looks like it will survive and in fact be turned into an art center. How perfect!
Maybe my 2009 watercolor had some kind of 'sorcery' effect on their decision... I would like to think so!
Link here; http://blog.seattlepi.com/bookpatrol/2010/03/03/art-center-to-fill-acres-of-books-site/

Fingerprints

"Power Pole #8(with Contrail)"    SOLD

oil on panel, 2009

5" x 7" (12.7cm x 17.78cm)

"Power Pole #2(Deep Blue)"

oil on panel, 2007

6" x 8" (15.24cm x 20.32cm)

"Power Pole #7(Rain)"    SOLD

oil on panel, 2008

6" x 8" (15.24cm x 20.32cm)

Here is part of my Power Pole series. Although everywhere, they are very much like an industrial subject. Most people don't pay much attention to them, if at all. Their fascination for me begins with the fact that, like fingerprints, no two are alike. As a subject for painting there is a lot going on here. All the fundamental shapes of art and design crammed into one object; cylinders, square & rectangular forms, cones, round and spherical forms, triangle and angular forms, elliptical forms, long linear forms, the fluid lines of the wires... but not designed as we think of design... it's really all sort of functionally haphazard... an organized chaos.

#8  A worms eye view. I spotted this pole just as the sun was leaving it to shadow. I love the three transformers, each different... the lean, the taut wires pulling unevenly on the one crossbar. And yet as a painting it still needed something more, something to re-enforce the late time of day, give it some drama.

I love contrails, temporary manmade clouds... ephemeral. They carve up the sky unlike clouds then disappear. Here, it was exactly what was needed. Still catching full sun, cutting at an angle, soft edges against hard, both manmade.

#2  What I liked about this one was, although rather small and simple with it's single cross bar, it was still loaded up with a lot of wires, cables, metal connectors and that black gizmo hanging off the side.

#7  I caught this as the sun temporarily broke through the wind driven rain clouds. One of those days where the elements seem to be competing for attention like some kind of dramatic stage play.6,7,8

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Urban Seascape

"Seal Beach"

oil on panel, 2008

6" x 8" (15.24cm x 20.32cm)

private collection

Thought I'd throw in a seascape to mix it up. Although it still shows the harbor cranes(industrial) and downtown Long Beach in the backround.5

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Urban Seascape 2 "Seal Beach 2" here.

Lemon Yellow Beacon

"Railroad Signal(Sulfur Piles)"

oil on panel, 2008

8" x 6" (20.32cm x 15.24cm)

Industrial subjects can be fascinating if you see them with the "right eye". While so many find them ugly, I don't. More on my that in later posts.

These sulfur piles were too hard to resist, bright lemon yellow in the middle of all these blues, silvers and rusty earth tones. I'm sure they are at least 30 feet high, so they reflected the bright sunlight like a beacon. Here's one subject I'll revisit later, showing more of the surrounding colors, and in a larger format.4

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The Dying Day

"Catalina Pacific Concrete"

oil on panel,2008

8" x 10" (15.24cm x 20.32cm)

For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE

Here's an industrial subject. An old dilapidated concrete plant long shut down with it's roof gone. Although not visible in this view, there are train tracks leading into the small shed attached in the foreground where the train cars could be loaded. Set against the dying day following a storm, the plant's productive day's too, long since passed.3

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Mojave Loco's

"BNSF Mojave"

oil on panel,2008

16 x 20 (40.64cm x 50.8cm)

For Sale at Daily Paintworks,  CLICK HERE

Here's a painting I did after visiting the Mojave Desert a while back. Showing three locomotives linked together to pull the long trains up through the mountain pass to the high desert. The heat rising from the desert floor into the clear blue.2

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Workhorse

"Union Pacific 8518"

oil on panel, 2009

5 x 7 (12.7cm x 17.78cm)

private collection

This first painting is one subject you will be seeing more of. A great subject, trains are still the workhorse of commerce even in this modern age of information. And of course trains can still be seen against virtually every landscape imaginable. Most of mine will be seen with industrial and the desert backdrops of southern California.1

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