Thursday, March 31, 2011

'Of the Night' 3

















"Nocturne-Lucy (Cat)2"
oil on panel, 2010
5" x 7" (12.7cm x 17.78cm)
private collection

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, handheld, 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.

She finally had enough running around then just sat there watching me, with her curiosity, tilting her head and staring.106

Click for "Nocturne-Lucy (Cat)"
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Sunday, March 27, 2011

Snowscape



"Burnscape Color Study"   SOLD
watercolor/ink on paper, 2009
12" x 9" (30.48cm x 22.86cm)


This watercolor is from my Burnscape series. Living in southern California and seeing so many wildfires it would be easy to focus on the destruction. My attraction for the burned landscape isn't for it's destruction but instead how it modifies the landscape, turning it into a charcoal terrain... it is rebirth, the stripping away of old layers for a fresh start, the way Mother Nature intended.

The fascinating thing about some burned areas is the white ash from certain types of vegetation. It appears like snow. I sometimes refer to these as California fall or winterscapes. A bit eerie to walk through.

This was a color study done on a sheet of 12" x 9" paper, hence the color test splotches.
Experimenting here with finding that balance between the image looking like a snowscape initially then the realization that it is a burnscape.105

Click on image for larger view

Friday, March 25, 2011

Monoliths























"Oil Plant #8 (w/ Tree)"   SOLD
oil on panel, 2011
6" x 6" (15.24cm x 15.24cm)

This painting was just excepted into the 6" Exhibition and Sale (show) at the Randy Higbee Gallery.
The Gallery reports the show promises to be an even greater success than their December show with twice as many artists entering this one. I don't doubt that, there was some terrific art at the last 6" show.

From my Oil Plant series, it was an oil pumping station. I'm told it collected oil from local wells then pumped it, via underground pipes, to various oil refineries around the South Bay. It looked like it was built in the 1930's, although that's an educated guess. I wish I knew more about it.

Here it is seen from a distance, framed by a dead, leafless (read lifeless), tree. The tanks or towers, I'm not sure of their technical name, remind me of ancient stone monoliths from bygone civilizations, silently standing long after it's inhabitants have left, the structure slowly decaying around it.104

For others in this series click 'OIL PLANT' in labels below this post or in 'LABELS' column at right.
Click on image for larger view

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Burnscape


















"Burnscape w/ Staircase"   SOLD
watercolor on paper, 2009
9" x 12" (22.86cm x 30.48cm)


This watercolor is from my Burnscape series. Living in southern California and seeing so many wildfires it would be easy to focus on the destruction. My attraction for the burned landscape isn't for it's destruction but instead how it modifies the landscape, turning it into a charcoal terrain... it is rebirth, the stripping away of old layers for a fresh start, the way Mother Nature intended.

Here it exposes a long staircase previously hidden by years of growth, like a bony spine down the hillside. The only life is the green vegetation capping off the top of the hill, protecting the unseen home from being lost.103


Click on image for larger view

Friday, March 18, 2011

Puddles
























"Long Beach Cityscape #1"   SOLD
watercolor on paper, 2009
12" x 9" (30.48cm x 22.86cm)
private collection

A Long Beach cityscape looking west at sunset. Recently sold, an experimental watercolor, one not in my usual method. Here I laid down the paint in puddles of color to build the forms and shapes. This allows me to see in terms of color, value and chroma instead of being too concerned with rendering surfaces and textures.
Every so often it's good to practice other means of working. It reminds me to always remember the fundamentals and ends up strengthening my work.
I did do some scrubbing out in areas that were becoming muddy in order to keep the painting fresh and originally planned to bring some areas to a higher degree of finish but decided that unnecessary considering my original intent.102


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Monday, March 14, 2011

New Series Teaser























untitled work in progress
watercolor on illus. board
10.75" x 8" (27.305cm x 20.32cm)

Being out sick for  3 weeks has put me a bit behind. With a million things to do... well you know, it happens to us all.
For my 101st posted image, a new series for 2011... a teaser of what's to come (Thanks Bill).
Numbered posts include only images posted for the first time, so this does not count posts with repeated images due to an update or an all text post, photo post, gallery or show announcement.

This will be an extensive series with many images in various media... pencil, graphite, charcoal, watercolor, oil, mixed media. I'm anxious to really get into this one, especially since I've been 'sitting on' this since early November '10 but had other projects to finish up first.
It's one I have been looking forward to for some time.

This series of the Vincent Thomas Bridge will also include some views of the surrounding harbor as seen from the bridge itself even though you may not see the bridge in that image.

Shown uncropped since it is a work in progress. Not the first in this series but representative of the beginning of it (see another here). Starting from the ground up. Apropos I think.
Most of the time I have a pretty good idea of the finished image, but as sometimes happens, I reach a point in the process where I'm not sure what direction to take it... like here... I did at the start but as sometimes also happens that changes midstream, not a bad thing...

So here you go, a little more than half done. I'll post the final image when it's finished.101


*Update - The finished painting here.

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Monday, March 7, 2011

Studio Pics



















I spent most of February with the flu so I wasn't back in the studio much. I don't get sick but every 3-4 years so when I do get it, it knocks me out.

I'm now back in the studio working hard on commissioned projects, upcoming shows, and other misc work. Here's a couple of pics of my studio and works in progress.

Click on images for larger view