Value Thumbnails 2

Top: pencil, 2012
page 11" x 8.5" (27.94cm x 21.59cm)

Bottom: Black ink, 2012
page 11" x 8.5" (27.94cm x 21.59cm)
NSF

Here are a couple pages of thumbnails.
The benefit of thumbnails is you can immediately see the stronger designs, throwing out or improving upon the weaker ones.

The idea is to use only 3 values and focus on the design or arrangement of lights and darks as a whole.
A dark, a mid tone and the white of the paper usually, although sometimes I will use a fourth value by indicating the next value from white.

A couple of the pencils have 4 values which is ok provided you don't lose sight of the original purpose of doing them. In this case it was to identify where the brightest lights would be, the sunlit sides of the white tanks in the third row down and bottom left last row. In this way I am refining the lights a bit more and can be sure the shapes within the lights work against the compositional whole.

The bottom nocturnes, painted with a brush in ink, force you to work very thoughtfully and direct since ink goes down dark and permanently. I like doing these for that reason, it exercises a different set of (mental) muscles. The challenge is to not over think them and lose the freshness.

Using a brush means I can lay down wide swaths of blacks quickly and not get too fussy. Perfect for doing nocturnes.181

Click on images for larger view.

Junk Yard Dog

"Truck at Rest"
watercolor on paper, 2012
8" x 11" (20.32cm x 27.94cm)
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE

Here is another recent watercolor, very different from the last.
When I saw this old rust-spotted, well used dump truck it begged to be painted and in a manner that gave it some reverence for years of service, although it is not yet done.

So I painted it almost matter of fact, almost.
Instead I represented it in its natural environment, gave it plenty of air or space around it and a nice big dramatic cloud overhead. It deserves this bow of appreciation.

It reminds me of a loyal junk yard dog, not pretty but always anxious and ready to go.180

Click on image for larger view

Update-Available Art

In case anyone has wondered why available art in the pages section top of right hand column is a little sparse I still have to update it

The idea is to show a pic of any framed art work along with those specs too.
I simply need to make the time to photograph and make a document in Apple Pages.
This will take some time. In the meantime that information is listed directly under each image.

July 27 2013
I am updating my update here:
All available art is now on DAILY PAINTWORKS.
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE

No House of Cards

"Catalina Pacific Concrete (Storm)"
watercolor on paper, 2012
8" x 11" (20.32cm x 27.94cm)
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE

Here again is the old shut down concrete plant, with its gangly proportions, facing an incoming storm.
I sometimes find that a subject can have different faces, a persona about them that can shift as I see it from different views and/or in various lighting or weather conditions.
I then have to decide how to present that perception through design of composition, value and other art elements.

As I said in my post of this similar view, the building seems precarious when seen from its narrow side.
The difference here is I've bracketed it between the railroad signal and power pole which support it and hold it upright, the verticals providing a stability to the shaky structure. And shown it in a 3/4 view so the side adds some solidity, giving it more of a sound brick feel. Shifting the perception from a house of cards to one that can withstand anything.179

Click on image for larger view

Ponto Storage

"Ponto Storage #1"
oil on panel, 2012
5" x 3.5" (12.7cm x 8.89cm)
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE

This building looks like it once was the original Ponto Storage office. Although the business moved next door into a newer building this one stands out because it sits on an otherwise empty lot.
I do a lot of these types of images shown late in the day, a metaphor for its end.
It appeared to have been shut down for some time yet curiously, its green light still glowed.178

Click on image for larger view

iPad Painting

"The Lookout" (in progress 1)

"The Lookout" (in progress 2)

"The Lookout" (in progress 3)

In addition to the oils, several watercolors and a commissioned piece, I have been working on a large watercolor recently. It's bigger than I typically work in watercolor so I am presented with a different set of challenges to overcome. Although it hasn't won every skirmish we are at a stand off right now, a stare down, the art version of OK Corral. When I am victorious and the dust settles I'll post it.
For now...

I recently got an iPad and picked up the Brushes app which is basic enough I won't be overwhelmed learning the digital medium. So here is one of the first few experimental digital paintings. Of course I need to keep it pretty simple in the beginning.

I will use it primarily to experiment, have fun, do quick location studies when I'm out and about and stuck waiting. Maybe I will use it for compositional studies too... who knows. First I have to learn how to use the thing, it is both fun and frustrating.
Working in other mediums is good though. It has a way of feeding and strengthening my work. Especially when struggles ensue. At times of struggle it is a way of stepping back from the fray and relaxing without losing any momentum.

One advantage of digital is not having to photograph it. In fact what is up on the screen is more faithful to the actual work. I am usually disappointed in some way in the photos of my non-digital art work.

There is always something that isn't right. Color, more often than not, is the culprit. Other times it is the texture of an oil painting catching those pesky little highlights which read like little white specks... drives me crazy since it is time consuming eliminating them all.

Another advantage is saving progress shots. I don't have to grab the camera and mess with lighting to take a progress shot, just save it.

I'll post a final shot of this digital when it is complete. Not much more to do. Just some little tweaks here and there.177

Click on images for larger view

Apparition-like Flash

"Amtrak Bridge Oceanside #3"
oil on panel, 2012
5" x 7" (12.7cm x 17.78cm)
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE

I painted this after a visit to Oceanside California in the late afternoon.
The bridge passes over the Loma Alta Marsh near the Pacific Ocean.

The late afternoon light makes for a dramatic image with the landscape dropping into shadow and the bridge catching full sun.
I added the train after watching several pass by and noticing that at this time of day they move so fast they appear as a quick, almost apparition-like flash, a nice contrast to the earthy landscape.176

Click on image for larger view

Studio Pics 2 - Built like a Bridge

I recently picked up this old vintage metal cabinet from a second hand store for my studio, from the 60's or 70's, probably out of an office or commercial space.

It is solid heavy gage steel, well built, double thickness doors and drawers, WELDED, and they fit like a glove.
The sheet metal doesn't 'oil can'.
Tap the open drawer and it closes all the way and doesn't bounce back.
You can hear the ball bearings in the drawer glides click like they should. Ball bearings should be heard and not seen.
Thick adjustable shelf that won't sag.
Hinges, handles, clasps, shelf clips... yep... all metal, but the good stuff. The only 'plastic' on it is the clasp rollers, and they are tough nylon plastic, still work like new, no signs of wear. They are not the modern cheap plastic that is soft like brie cheese!
The doors open and shut with a whisper... gentle like a baby, yet they don't rub, sag, flex, shimmy or shake, warp or wobble.
The top is a laminate veneer, but made back when it was thick and tough and durable.
It was outside in the back exposed to the weather buried under junk yet is unfazed. Try that with MDF.
It has been through spills, chills, and no doubt thrills.
It wears it's scratches with well earned pride and no apology.
It was probably built by the same guys who built skyscrapers and bridges and yet weren't afraid of color.
It is industrial construction and practicality with simple plain proportions and designer sensibilities.
As my Dad would say, It has an honesty to it.
It is glorious.

I knew it was mine the moment I saw it. It was made for me.
Now it is home again.
If you look you can see it is 'right up my alley' in color palette.
It's amazing how the right things, the most simple addition can make a space more inspiring...

I also found an old used chair for my desk,  solid wood and iron , remember that? It weighs a ton, it's the real deal.
... and some flat files in solid metal, used (NOT previously owned!) used, before 'used' was a bad word.

For the price I paid for each, I would not be able to find this kind of quality new.
I wonder what will still be around in 50 or 100 years from now for future vintage shoppers. Actually these here will, just not as much will survive from today, there still is quality being produced but it is not as commonplace and is expensive. Where did we go wrong? Cheap means more consumption, not good for the planet.

No plastic, no particle board. Thats it!

Oceanside Pier

"Oceanside Pier"
oil on panel, 2012
3.5" x 5" (8.89cm x 12.7cm)
.... private collection...

I love days like these along the coast. Warm drifting fog, deep shadows, silvery spot lights spilling randomly across the ocean and landscape. They are vaguely haunting. That was enough for this painting.

I should point out this is not the best picture of this painting. In order to get enough light in the foreground shadow I lost some of the subtlety of the lights.175

Click on image for larger view.

Shrinking Violet

"Top Gun House (Dirt Pile) Study"
oil on panel, 2012
3.5" x 5" (8.89cm x 12.7cm)
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE


Here is a second study for my Top Gun House series, the first here.
I'm still kicking it around in my head so I'll probably do several before deciding on one for a larger version, searching for the right image that best tells the story.

The house, from the movie Top Gun is shown behind a fresh dirt pile on the otherwise empty block being redeveloped.
Since it is being moved to another location and will be refurbished itself the challenge for me was to present it not as a house to be razed but instead against its current surroundings, the site in a state of flux.
The house seemed to be a shrinking violet and appeared smaller when seen on the huge lot all by itself.

Juxtaposing it against the foreground pile gives more importance to the redevelopment of the site. The landmark slowly disappearing from its original location and being pushed out by redevelopment.174

Click on image for larger view

Boulder in Burnscape

"Burnscape #3"
watercolor, graphite on paper, 2007
9" x 12" (22.86cm x 30.84cm)

Here is an early watercolor from my Burnscape series.
I liked this view for the boulder and rock ledge in the foreground.
The white ash was put in more opaquely since there was no way to retrieve the white of the paper or effectively spare it out and build the forms of the hillside properly.
I do not mind this however. The ash sits on top and really pops out or forward, giving the scene greater depth, helps define the topography of the hill and gives it a cool blueish color against the warms of the hillside.

I could have tried a masking fluid but had none at the time and wanted to dive right into painting. In fact I never really use masking fluid anyway.
As other artists know, sometimes you need to strike while the iron is hot, jump right in when you have a sudden inspiration, no planning, just throw down paint and see what results from it.
Not all work out this way but when they do it can be satisfying.

I was happy with this one because I managed to achieve a certain richness of tone and color relatively effortlessly.
I did not have to fight the usual watercolor battles ending up with an overworked painting.173


Click on image for larger view

Former Glory

"Top Gun House (Fence) Study"
oil on panel, 2012
4" x 5" (10.16cm x 12.7cm)
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE

A study for my Top Gun House series.

The house, from the movie Top Gun, has fallen into a state of disrepair the last few years but is planned to be moved and refurbished.

On that note I carefully chose this view showing the unpainted backside. It speaks of the house and its formal glory days as well as the redevelopment of the site.

I like it for the small amount of the blue paint, the relative lack of ornamentation that the front boasts, the cleanly scraped lot and the rail of the fence visually cutting through the house. But not enough to dissect or cross out the landmark completely. Just enough to indicate the new is replacing the old and that the house will survive.172

Click on image for larger view

PHL - Weeds

"Pacific Harbor Line - Weeds"    SOLD
oil on panel, 2011
6" x 8" (15.24cm x 20.32cm)


Pacific Harbor Line Series:
The Pacific Harbor Line, the workhorse of the LA Harbor. These black/white one's are part of the low emission line of locomotives for the move towards a greener port. Black and Shiny as tar with striking graphics, they don’t blend in, they stand out. Not graceful looking, they look like they mean business. The back end diagonals point down, the front point up to distinguish front from rear when seen head on. Its side panel graphics angling forward. So a nod of beautiful work to the designers of these burly beasts of burden.

This locomotive is pulling a string of empty intermodal rail cars.171

Click on image for larger view

Update

There has been some work being done here at home the last few weeks, ceilings and flooring, so I haven't been able to get in the studio much or post anything to my blog. A lot of moving everything back and forth from room to room. And it will take some time to put it all back together.
We are nearing the end so I will start posting again soon.
I am really anxious to get back into painting again.
Stay tuned.

Futility

"303 S. Pacific #1"
watercolor on illus. board, 2012
12" x 16" (30.48cmx 40.64cm)
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE


Here is another watercolor in the same style or technique as this Vincent Thomas Bridge painting, a landmark that will remain.

This painting is named for the address in San Pedro California. I felt it was important to show a local scene, the little story, one of our constantly changing urban landscape.

An unassuming tire and automotive repair shop, but on the other side of the facing wall... proudly marking our city of San Pedro is (was) a painted sign on the brick wall, one that seemed to be a fixture of sorts and stamped its place in a time when signs were painted on brick walls more often.
I've often wondered who painted it, was it the first owner of the business? Proud of his business' location, his own civic pride?

I was both sad to see it go and fascinated watching the CAT so effortlessly but indiscriminately chewing away, without prejudice, at the carcass of someones formal livelihood, taking with it all it's stories. Wiping the slate clean.

Perhaps being an artist helps me reconcile this sort of emotional conflict by recording it in paint.

I like the arm of the excavator against the stark sky, which I painted with a certain amount of upheaval.
The worker washing down the excavator and wetting the debris to keep dust down really emphasizes the scale and power of our machinery as well as our own self-imposed futility of preserving everything for posterity.170

See other paintings with similar themes here (Villa Riviera) , here (Acres of books)

Cat excavator model 320B

Click on image for larger view

OMA #6

"OMA #6"
oil on panel, 2011
6" x 10" (15.24cm x 25.4cm)
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE

A simple frontal view of the Oceanside Museum of Art. To compliment the straight lines of the architecture I set the museum against the organic shape of shifting clouds sweeping overhead dropping soft shadows across it’s facade.169


Click on image for larger view

Urban River 4

"Santa Ana River #4"
watercolor on paper, 2012
8" x 11" (20.32cm x 27.94cm)

Number 4 in this series. This view looking north shows more of the power corridor that runs along the river and the straight vertical concrete walls instead of the sloping walls of previous versions.

This is the time of day, late afternoon, when the light is blue looking east and that certain pale green and yellow looking west, just before the golds, oranges, reds, pinks and purples take over at sunset.
Much more peaceful and introspective than the fiery finish of sunset I think.168

#3 here
#2 here
#1 here

Click on image for larger view

A Gasp of Air

"Vincent Thomas Bridge #9 (Channel)"

oil on panel, 2011
9” x 6” (22.86cm x 15.24cm)
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE


Bridge Series:
Bridges carry a certain civic pride much like state and country pride. Their primary function may be utilitarian but for locals are a source of identity.

This view of the bridge from below and outside the roadway is breathtaking. With nothing to visually hold you up its like a huge gasp of air. Showing very little of the bridge itself, with the focus on the channel it emphasizes the drama, height and span of the bridge.

I should point out this is one of those paintings I had great difficulty photographing. Even doing some editing/color correcting I could not get it right, specifically the dock. The original looks far better.167

Click on image for larger view

How Do I Pronounce That?

Here is one of those sites that must be passed along. In our online global community we all encounter words we don't know how to pronounce, words foreign to us.

I discovered this site from a post on Ingres over at Charley Parker's blog 'Lines and Colors'.

If you are like me then you sometimes have trouble deciphering other languages and the correct pronunciation of words, specifically artists names.

FORVO provides pronunciations in the native tongue, (click blue triangle), as well as a map showing the region of that diction in male and female voices.

Urban River 3

"Santa Ana River #3 Footbridge"
watercolor on paper, 2012
7" x 10" (17.78cm x 25.4cm)
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE


Here is the third painting of this river. The other two, here and here.

Each explores the man/nature theme.
This one showing the man made structures of pedestrian bridge in the middle ground, two traffic bridges and the power poles and towers in the distant background. So more of this composition is of the man made vaguely looming over nature.

I experimented by placing the more saturated color across the middle with the top and bottom nearly monochromatic and more loosely painted.
This one was done on hot pressed paper which takes the watercolor differently. Besides being untextured (like cold pressed) watercolor washes heavy with pigment tend to go down slightly softer around the edges, as though the surface has the slightest bleed. It also seems to dry to a more velvety finish. I like the difference but it will take some time to get used to it.166

Click on image for larger view

Vincent Thomas Bridge #12

"Vincent Thomas Bridge #12"
oil on panel, 2011
8" x 6" (20.32cm x 15.24cm)

Bridge Series:
Bridges carry a certain civic pride much like state and country pride. Their primary function may be utilitarian but for locals they are a source of identity.

Views looking up like this are described as a worms eye view. Not immediately recognizable as the bridge tower but still a dramatic composition. Visible are the two 'X' braces at top left.

The point of view here is just below and outside the roadway, essentially like hanging off the side of the bridge. On the other side of the chain link fence at left is where the traffic is whizzing by.
This is the bridge tower being wrapped in scaffolding, which will reach to the top, in preparation for painting. The scaffolding will then be wrapped in plastic to contain the work.165

Here is another view that shows the tower completely wrapped.
Click 'Vincent Thomas Bridge' Label below or at right to see more from this series.

Click on image for larger view

Urban River 2

"Santa Ana River #2"
watercolor on paper, 2012
8" x 11" (20.32cm x 27.94cm)
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE

Looking forward to a new year as I have set many goals for 2012. Of course that now means signing the date '12. Darn, the two ones of '11 were so much easier. Oh well.

Here is my first finished piece of 2012, literally done on January 1st. This is the second of this urban river.
Much like the first, done in oil, it's the juxtaposition of the natural and man-made world that I find fascinating to study.
The lazy meandering river takes its time moving through the frame from right to left. The razor sharp line of the highlighted bike path slicing across the picture, the verticals of power poles and towers and the flat plane of the river bank contrast nicely with the organic flow of water and vegetation. 164

Click to see "Santa Ana River #1"
Click on image for larger view

2 Watercolor Landscapes from Series

"Burnscape #9"
watercolor on paper, 2011
8" x 11" (20.32cm x 27.94cm)
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE

"Oil Plant #10"
watercolor on paper, 2011
7" x 10" (17.78cm x 25.4cm)
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE

Here are two recent watercolors done near the end of 2011.
I'm still searching for my own 'visual voice' in watercolor. Up until the last six months, I had not painted with it much the last couple of years, at least in a more traditional direct approach.

I have a love/hate relationship with (this kind of) watercolor. I do enjoy it's direct, fast dry properties over oils but often I'll lay down a color wash and later realize it's wrong and I'm stuck with it. Or an area that got too dark and I can't lighten it enough. That is tough to take since I've invested the time and may otherwise like the painting, but it is essentially ruined by that.
It takes a different kind of planning I know, but it generally goes against the way I prefer to work.

I also dislike the early stages, the first few steps or washes. Mine always look so ugly and I have to remind myself to push through these initial steps and not give up. I don't have that issue with oils.

In both of these my initial intent was to work looser. They ended up tighter but that's okay for now. It is going to take a conscious effort to get to that goal without loosing the substance and solidity I want. That said, I'm still happy with the way they turned out.162,163


*Update:
I found this quote from Jamie Wyeth that best sums up the last paragraph above. I'm happy that even the greats face(d) the same predicaments.


"Painting to me is constant searching.  I can see what I want, but I can’t get there, and yet you have to be open enough that if it goes another way, then let it go that way."         Jamie Wyeth.

Click 'LABELS" below to see more from each series
Click on images for larger view

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HAPPY NEW YEAR from AVID ART!

Thank you to every one who helped in all the successes in the past year.
And Thank you to all of my followers and visitors to my blog. Thanks for all your support.

Without help, hard work and interest from others we would just sit in our studios and go nowhere.

David-

Vincent Thomas Bridge #11-Containment 2

"Vincent Thomas Bridge #11 (Containment 2)"

oil on panel, 2011
8” x 6” (20.32cm x 15.24cm)

This painting overlaps two series
Bridge Series:
Bridges carry a certain civic pride much like state and country pride. Their primary function may be utilitarian but for locals they are a source of identity.
Containment Series:
A series on modern construction techniques. Today everything gets wrapped in heavy plastic or tarps to contain the work, a sort of cocoon, keeping dust from contaminating the surrounding environment.
Twenty or thirty years ago it was not done and open construction was more prevalent. Modern green thinking has changed our approach to not only recycling but how we do everything.

This view is of the outer perimeter of the containment area standing against the plastic sheet wall, looking at the bottom of the roadway.

My other painting,  "Vincent Thomas Bridge #8 (Containment 1)", is nearer the center so it shows the darker core of the containment area, with the light filtering in from both sides. This one, at the outer confines, is higher key in value , so it's brighter, and has more pops of color in the purple rope, touches of yellow and the warm toned concrete.

The red in both is the primer used before the iridescent green finish.
It is obvious from the red floor how much over spray would be lost into the environment if the work was not contained. I'm sure it serves the dual purpose of making the work easier and the work area more comfortable by defecting winds.161

See another similar view without containment here.

*Update
Thanks to a comment from a follower it occurred to me that this view mat not be obvious or understood. Having been there I did not even think about it. I can see the point. Here is a better explanation from my response comment: This painting shows the area inside the containment, think of it as a butterfly cocoon hanging off a tree branch, and is literally hanging off the bottom of the bridge, underneath the road way. Set up to paint the bridge as part of its maintenance.

Click on image for larger view

Maniacal Snow Drift

"Snow Drift" sculpture
foam, plaster, wire, acrylic paint on mat board

"Jobin Study" painting
oil on panel,
2011, private collection

Sometimes you just have to break away and try something for the simple pleasure of creating. Something outside of the normal scope of work.
Here's a fun little project I did as a Christmas decoration.

My inspiration came after seeing the Tim Burton show at LACMA. I just had to do something grim and maniacal for a change. I love doing projects like these. It takes me away from the usual art I do and has a way of feeding my creativity when I go back to it. So I find it artistically healthy.

The recipient is a fan of this kind of art. I sent her two emails, prior to giving it her, as a teaser of what was to come and to arouse her curiosity. They were hints based on my ideas. The first an old (modified) philosophical question that was the basis for the piece. The second a short poem I wrote for it.

The first email:
If a tree screams in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a noise?

The second email:
Beware of Serene Scenes


Snow can be evil,


Snow can be grim,


It can rise up against you,


At its own whim.


The small cat portrait is of her (mad) cat,which isn't friendly to other cats, the mad catter you might say. Originally that was what I was going to give her. Upon finishing it I thought, how lame that would be to hand her that! But I still wanted to incorporate it into the sculpture though so I hung it as an ornament. It did not have to make perfect sense, this was all about the fun. No rules.160

Click on images for larger view

Marsh, Tanks, Power Plant

"Marsh, Tanks, Power Plant"    SOLD
oil on panel, 2011
6" x 6" (15.24cm x 15.24cm)

Part of our modern urban landscapes, the mix of industry and adjacent natural areas. Not always good but hard to ignore. This view poses the dense, choked out man made structures against open natural areas. Encroaching sometimes, but always a fascinating juxtaposition.

This is similar in theme to my previous "HB Power Plant - Dusk". If we want to live in the scenic areas, like along the coast, we can't always choose what comes along with that, including the oil storage tanks since this is where the oil is found. At least until we figure out how to build lower profile supporting industry.

We can design and build homes to blend into the surrounding environment, we can restore natural habitats. So someday we'll build industry that is green(er), contained and less visible against these natural areas. It's all about a proper balance.159

Click on image for larger view

'S' Curve and 'I' beam

"Vincent Thomas Bridge #15"    SOLD
watercolor on paper, 2011
8" x 11" (20.32cm x 27.94cm)

When deciding on a painting I hardly ever settle on something randomly. Instead I thoughtfully consider each one beyond doing a mere depiction of the subject. Sometimes that is OK but I prefer to be challenged in some way. I would rather have to tackle some sort of problem, figure out what and how to say something, or choose a view that is unique to the subject. Now all the elements of image making can be used as tools to that end.

One of the best and most unique features of the Vincent Thomas Bridge is its signature 'S' curve (actually a reverse 'S') formed by the two approaches of the San Pedro and Long Beach sides.
This view from the Long Beach side of the channel looking west really exploits that 'S' curve from an unusual perspective.
The covered near tower, referred to by the bridge workers as the Long Beach tower, is seen through the supporting columns of its approach.

The sun behind one of the columns casts a dramatic shadow and adds a visual support to the top heavy composition.
I certainly could have chosen a different time of day and still had a good image, still shown off the 'S' but by selecting this late afternoon view I got a little bit more out of it. A composition that echos the construction of a bridge by creating an 'I' beam shape similar to its supporting beams without being too literal.
The shadows and light patterns also echo both the arch design of the bridge and sweeping curve of the approach above. I ended up with the image loosely constructed of the same elements that make a bridge.
That for me is the fun of creating.158

The overlay is a bit clumsy but still gets the point across.

Click on image for larger view
Click 'Vincent Thomas Bridge' Label below to see more from this series.

BNSF Slogging

"BNSF Flooded Road"    SOLD
oil on panel, 2011
6” x 8” (15.24cm x 20.32cm)

Two of my favorite subjects, trains and rain.

A BNSF locomotive slogging through the rain near the top of the Cajon pass headed to the high desert in Southern California. Rounding the bend in a heavy rainstorm as shown by the flooded road in the foreground. An autumn scene with just a hint of orange trees showing through the fog.

The train, somewhat inconsequential within the composition and placed high in the picture plane, gives it a feeling of isolation and puts more emphasis on the landscape. But while that is true the lines of the landscape still all lead to the train.
With two thirds of the composition being foreground/middle ground this demanded the road have a strong design. The foreground and middle ground get divided by the rain water washing over the road. Each share similar angular shapes but vary enough in shape and size to keep them from becoming boring. It's really about avoiding design 'twins' and breaking up the larger mass into smaller supporting ones. That also allows for the recession of space, leading the eye through the weather to the locomotive.

For the engineer, this must be the most solitary part of their job, which is what this painting is about.
The design and the weather itself both serve as vehicles to that idea, instead of the primary subject. The smallness of the train against the larger landscape and the isolating nature of stormy weather.157


Click on images for larger view

Winter Tree & Alien Landscape

"Winter Tree"

"Burnscape"

"Winter Tree"

Pelikan brilliant brown ink on paper, 2011
6" x 8" (15.24cm x 20.32cm)
private collection


"Burnscape #7 (Hills, Path)"
Pelikan brilliant brown ink, Pelikan blk india ink on paper
Monte Blanc blk ink (looks green), 2011
6" x 8" (15.24cm x 20.32cm)
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE


A single tree in winter. Sometimes a simple object can be seen for its design and that is enough. I love the branches of the tree reaching up for the sky, the purest form of the tree seen only when leafless.

Setting the trunk against a dark background emphasized its graceful, delicate spiral.

This ink drawing/painting 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 its 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.

It is how She manages her jurisdiction, by controlling dense undergrowth. We usually get in the way.
Man has traditionally prevented fires, the growth becoming so thick that when fire does occur it is devastating. Another topic on the Man vs Nature theme.

This was a result of walking thru a burned area. When areas that are dense with dry brush and chaparral finally burn, the landscape is stripped bare. Its former identity completely lost. Taking on the quality of an alien landscape.
The formally vegetation softened hills become a jagged harsh environment.155,156


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Industrial Drapery

"CHOC Drapery #1"
oil on panel, 2011
7” x 5” (17.78cm x 12.7cm)

My Containment series on modern construction techniques. These days everything gets wrapped in heavy plastic or tarps to contain the work, a sort of cocoon, keeping dust and materials from contaminating the surrounding environment.
Twenty or thirty years ago it was not done and open construction was more prevalent. Modern green thinking has changed our approach to not only recycling but how we do everything.

This painting of the new Children's Hospital Orange County also gave me an excuse to tie together my industrial subject paintings and the long tradition of classic drapery in art history.154

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Followers Gadget

For some reason Google's followers gadget is still broken, at least from my view.
Apparently they are fixing it but it has been on the fritz for a while.

At first followers would fall off or not always show, now (the last 3 followers) almost never appear any more. It's annoying. It supposedly has something to do with when they combined the Followers gadget with Google Friend Connect. Maybe one day they will figure it out, if not there's always WordPress.

*Update: Here's a link that may help...  http://starsunflowerstudio.blogspot.com/2011/10/help-for-missing-gfc-followers-gadget.html#

Portrait of an Oil Plant

“Oil Plant # 9 (Broken Pipe)"
oil on panel, 2011
6” x 6” (15.24cm x 15.24cm)

This is the third of my paintings in the  6" Squared Exhibition and Sale at the Randy Higbee Gallery , Saturday December 3rd through Thursday December 22nd.
The opening was packed as usual with lots of little painted gems. The real joy of a show like this is the wide variety styles and artistic approaches among the 500 or so artworks, including some fabulous watercolors and pastels. Impossible to pick a favorite. In addition to the art, meeting the collectors and other artists is always a highlight of the evening.

When I have a visceral reaction to something I sometimes have to pause, really look and figure out what it is I’m seeing. It is not always obvious. I initially responded to this view of the storage tanks for its clean, neat and tidy nature. Not too cluttered, no scattered remnants of the broken plant other than the broken pipe, which was my own invention.
What I eventually saw in this view was an industrial version of an old face, wrinkles and all... a portrait of the oil plant ... solemn, dignified. It reminded me of a man with most of his years behind him, who had a well lived life, worked hard, but is still vital, still fastidious and loaded with silent stories.153


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Industrial Purgatory

“Old Dredge”
oil on panel, 2011
6” x 6” (15.24cm x 15.24cm)

Here is second of my 3 paintings in the  6" Squared Exhibition and Sale at the Randy Higbee Gallery tonight, Saturday December 3rd, and hangs through December 22nd.

An old relic, left in the cold shallow waters, listing to the right, about to face another winter storm, half heartedly covered by the yellow tarp.

Hung up by the dock and unable to sail it’s stuck between two worlds in a state of purgatory. It’s no longer needed but not pulled ashore. It can’t sink anymore but is contained by jetties in the protected harbor so no storm will be able to put it out of its misery by dragging it to the bottom where at least marine life would have it as a home, an artificial reef.

Too outdated for work but neither is it salvaged to be put back into service in some new form. It is forgotten in plain sight.152


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Herculean Muscle

“47 Bridge (Three Tanks)”    SOLD
oil on panel, 2011
6” x 6” (15.24cm x 15.24cm)

Here is one of my 3 paintings that is in the  6" Squared Exhibition and Sale at the Randy Higbee Gallery this Saturday December 3rd.

The 47 Bridge, its design born more out of its practical need than aesthetics. The middle spans raise up to allow boats and ships to pass in the channel underneath, the reason for its boxy towers. The two near towers for auto and truck traffic, the two far ones for the railroad.

But its very utilitarian design gives it a herculean look, one of muscle. It is not a design to be admired for its grace or beauty. There are no sweeping curves of suspension cables or steel arches, no ornamentation. It belongs to no school of design other than its industrial purpose. So it stands disproportionately tall for the channel it crosses.

An obvious approach to support it’s brawniness would be a worms eye view but that would say nothing of its relative place in the bigger picture of the harbor mechanisms.
The high vantage point I’ve done here doesn’t minimize its stature but instead allows it to dwarf the surrounding area, both the background and the foreground tanks sitting low in the composition.151

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