Dabblerteer

WIP "A Psalm for the Cedars"

2012-01-12T17:23:00.000-08:00

"A Psalm for the Cedars"

Work-In-Progress

22"x30", Oil on Canvas

It's been a while since my last post. Although it doesn't show it, I've spent several months on this painting and I expect to spend several more. I thought it was about time to tackle placing people into one of my paintings.

Needless to say, this painting has taken an unexpectedly long time. Part of the challenge is painting several shades of blue-gray-green of which I cannot see, but can only imagine.

It ain't pretty, yet, but it'll get there.

Sunflowers in Vase (WIP)

2011-09-29T09:42:00.001-07:00

"Sunflowers in Vase"

11"x14", Oil on Canvas,Unfinished

I have been a long time admirer of Maria Bertran. I've recently had the opprtunity to take workshops with Maria. Her influence and her hand can be seen in my unfinished alla prima still life, "Sunflowers in Vase."

Happy at the Guggenheim

2011-08-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

My wife and I went to the OAA reception Saturday evening. There were about 187 works on display. There was a table filled with goodies and it was a very pleasant low key gathering.

28 oils were juried into the show. For the oils, there were 1st, 2nd and 3rd place cash prizes and 3 honorable mentions.“Mattie” won an Honorable Mention ribbon. I couldn’t be happier!

"Laguna Coast Wilderness Morning"

2011-06-17T21:13:00.000-07:00

"Laguna Coast Wilderness Morning"

8"x10", Oil on Canvas Board

UPDATE: "A Companion of Diana" won a Second Place ribbon at the Orange Art Association's June 2011 meeting in the Intemediate General Media category.

UPDATE: "Lago Santa Margarita, Reflections" won an Intermediate Oils/Acrylics Honorable Mention ribbon at the Orange Art Association's June 2011 meeting.

I Proudly Present "Mattie"

2011-04-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

"Mattie"

11"x14", Oil on Canvas

UPDATE: "Mattie" won a Second Place ribbon at the Orange Art Association's May meeting in the Intemediate General Media category.

UPDATE: "Penguin on Ice" won a First Place ribbon in the Intermediate Watercolor category at the Orange Art Association's May meeting.

Works-In-Progress

2011-04-22T13:28:00.000-07:00

WIP

Dana Point Harbor

WIP

Heritage Hill Historical Park

WIP

Heisler Park

"Sycamores"

2011-02-22T15:45:00.000-08:00

"Sycamores"

8"x10", Oil on Canvas Board

This is my submission to the Alice Thompson Calypso Moon Artist Movement "Landscape Challenge." "Sycamores" began as a plein air painting. I spent a couple of additional hours refining it in the studio.

By the way, "Mattie" (working title: "Matanuska") was completed and is visiting an art show through March 25. I'll be posting her photo sometime after that date.

My Left Paw

2011-01-22T21:57:00.000-08:00

My left paw needs more work.

I'm now focusing on completing the paws. They have been very challenging. The paws are very dusty in the photo from which I'm painting and that doesn't work with the color of the dog's face. So, I've had to change several times the color of the paws and some of the values (lights and darks) to make it all work together.

I'm also dealing with the implied bone structure of the paws themselves, the implied strength of the paws and nails gripping the railing, and the subordinate relationship of the paws to the puppy's face. I haven't studied dog anatomy; so, I'm on a steep learning curve.

I've allowed myself the luxury of generous patience and enjoyment in learning all the subtleties of puppy-dog painting.

"The Perils of Plein Air Painting"

2010-12-06T09:39:00.000-08:00

My plein air easel at Heisler Park. Buzzzzz.

"WIP Matanuska - Sessions 6 & 7"

2010-11-16T16:55:00.000-08:00

Still working on Matanuska. Because I find painting this subject so enjoyable, this is going to be a harder than usual project to finish up.

"WIP Sycamores"

2010-11-15T17:58:00.000-08:00

I spent the morning in my Plein Air class. It was held in Irvine Regional Park. In about three or four hours I went from sketch to an 80% painting while enjoying beautiful weather.

I expect I'll finish up with another 3-4 hours of studio time.

"WIP Matanuska - Fifth Session"

2010-10-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

Fifth Session
I spent about 4 hours (including set-up and clean-up) adding fur to Matanuska's right ear. Each fur strand has a gradation of subtle warm and cool neutrals. Capturing that gradation in a somewhat realistic manner is not an easy task.

You can see a photo of the adult Matanuska and read her story on The Greenacre Gang blog.

"Fright Light"

2010-10-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

"Fright Light"

5"x7", Mixed Media on Canvas Board

Alice Thompson's "Spooktacular Challenge" for Halloween inspired both the poem "The Sorceress on Crow's Nest Street" and the the painting "Fright Light."

In June, in the dead of night, I took several pictures of a night light near which I had sticky tacked a couple of rubber spiders. I was preparing to submit to a "painting the night" challenge. I couldn't quite get motivated at that time, but I kept the photos.

Earlier this past week I did a couple of preliminary sketches while visiting a local coffeehouse. I followed up with a couple of quick drying acrylic underpainting sessions on Friday.

On Saturday I did most of the overpainting using oils and Galkyd Lite medium. I do not know how Gamblin's Galkyd Lite got named. It is hardly "lite" for it has the consistency and color of warmed honey. Undiluted it causes the paint to drag and can be used in for creating a "dry brush" texture - just what I wanted. It also speeds up drying time. On the palette, paint mixed with Galkyd Lite tacked-up and dried within a half hour.

Because the painting was mostly dry from using the Galkyd Lite, I was able to finish and photographed the painting today, Sunday.

"Fourth Session for Matanuska"

2010-10-20T17:53:00.000-07:00

Fourth Session
Today I spent about 1-1/2 hours on the background. I, also spent about 2 hours on Matanuska's left ear. First time I recollect painting fur. I mainly used a No. 4 Winsor & Newton sable watercolor brush and a 1/2 Gamsol and 1/2 Walnut Oil medium.

I did paint most of the hair with the painting turned upside down so that I could pull the strokes downward affording me greater control. The left ear is about 90% complete and the right ear is about 50% complete.

"WIP Matanuska - Third Session"

2010-10-13T20:11:00.000-07:00

Third Session

I worked some more on the eyes. Matanuska's right eye is filled with a universe of beautiful reflections.

I painted the ears a solid black. In future sessions I'll be adding delicate white and gray fur to convey the insides of the ears. Right now I'm a bit unsure as to how that will go.

Getting the shape and size to convey a warm wet nose is, yet, another challenge. And, I'm sure I'll be spending an entire session on the happy tongue.

Lots more to do - at least 3 or 4 more sessions of 4 hours each!

"WIP Matanuska - The Beginnings"

2010-10-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

First Session

Matanuska is the working title for this painting. When I consider the painting finished, I may rename it.

The dog belongs to a former co-worker. When I first received the emailed photo I knew it was portrait material; it was really cute.

I've had the photo for about 3 years. It has taken me a while to gather up courage to attempt painting a furry animal. Along with other art classes, I attend a studio workshop and decided to plunge into the fall semester with Matanuska.

The reference photo stands on its own. It gets ooohhs! and aaahhs! in class. The dog's owner tooked the photo and it is definitely "print, frame, and smile" quality. I don't want to compete with it, so, for now, I won't be posting it.

To get a quick start I blew up the photo and outline traced it onto the 11"x14" canvas. I started with a Burnt Sienna value study underpainting and then quickly went into an alla prima overpainting. On the first day from a blank canvas to what you see above took about 4-5 hours. I was moving so fast, I forgot to take progress photos.

I used every imaginable mixture of Burnt Umber, Ivory Black, Gray (Gamblin), White, and Ultramarine Blue to block-in the background. To the "gray" combinations, I added some green for the foreground block-in.

Second Session
I concentrated on Matanuska's eyes for the 4 hour second session. I adjusted size and configuration of the eyes to convey more of the animal's personality. I painted the pupils primarily with Ivory Black mixtures. The irises were created from Gray, Ultramarine Blue, Cerulean Blue, and White.

"Ice Tea Prelude"

2010-09-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

"Ice Tea Prelude"

8"x10", Oil on Canvas Board

There's a bit of work in this painting for Rookiepainter's Challenge 11.

Work-In-Progress

2010-09-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

I've been somewhat frustrated by how long some of my paintings have taken to complete. I attribute part of the problem to rework created by attacking the canvas without building a stronger foundation. So, I figured I'd draw a detailed sketch of the subject before painting and see how far that took me.

The subject matter for the current Rookiepainter Challenge Eleven is a still life of a sliced lemon. I began this art challenge by first downloading and printing the reference photo. I then worked on a 6"x 8" detailed graphite drawing to understand the scale,the relationships of the objects, and the location of the lights and darks.

It surprised me that I spent only 4 or 5 hours on the drawing. I've always enjoyed pencil drawing and began when I was very young tracing pictures of horses in a "Book of Knowledge" encyclopedia set. The tracing paper was some old "onion skin" typewriter paper that was kept around the house. (Long ago I used a No. 2 pencil for tracing the pictures of horses, but for the lemon drawing I used HB through 8B pencils and woodless pencils and nothing was traced.)

Using the reference photo and my grayscale graphite drawing, I proceeded to do an underpainting wash with Burnt Sienna and Gamsol on an 8"x10" canvas board. Because I had done the pencil study and gained understanding of the values, the underpainting went quickly. It was really easy to wipe off to lighten over-saturated areas and darken other areas. I'm unaware of passing time when I'm painting, but I think the underpainting took less than 3 hours - which was much faster than I expected. This was my first Burnt Sienna underpainting for a still life.

Burnt Sienna is a fast drying earth color, especially when thinly applied. So, the following day I was able to begin the final painting. One or two more sessions should wrap it up.

"Cherries"

2010-07-19T15:37:00.000-07:00

"Cherries"

5"x7", Oil on Canvas Board

This was my submission for Challenge Eight on the Rookiepainter's blog.

"Hot Fudge Sundae"

2010-07-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

"Hot Fudge Sundae"

8" x 10", Oil on Canvas Board
© 2010

My wife and I ate the painting's inspiration...it was so goood! Thankfully, I took pictures first from which to finish the piece.

Whipped cream, ice cream, hot fudge have all been replaced on my menu with organic yogurt...so, this was a rare treat, indeed. (I have been known to have the occasional shake...shhhh, don't tell anyone.)

I should note that this painting was originally inspired by a March challenge on the Calypso Moon Artist Movement blog. I didn't make the deadline. I put the finishing touches on the painting yesterday. (The sundae was purchased at a nearby Red Robin Restaurant.)

"Clothes Pins"

2010-06-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

"Clothes Pins"

6"x8", Graphite on Paper

My submission for Rookiepainter's Challenge Seven.

"Twitters"

2010-06-03T17:29:00.000-07:00

"Twitters"

7"x10", Watercolor on Paper
© 2010

My Rookiepainter blog submission for Challenge Six.

'47 Chevy Truck

2010-05-15T17:52:00.001-07:00

'47 Chevy Truck

5" x 7", Oil on Gessoboard

COMMISSION - SOLD

Over a year ago Frans Carlson requested a painting. Since one of his life-long hobbies was photography, I asked that he email me personally meaningful snapshots.

One of the scanned photos he sent showed a beloved, but dusty, Chevrolet and a contented family cat, both catching the warming rays of the morning sun. The photo was a bit faded and color-shifted. Dark shadows cast by the barn-like garage obscured some of the Chevy's details. Nonetheless, the nostalgic quality of the photo spoke to me of a time far more gentler and far less complex.

I wanted to know more about the Chevy's form to fill in the missing details. I sent the image to my life-long friend and car aficionado, Don Colucci. He quickly wrote back that the vehicle was a Chevy Truck, vintage 1947 to 1954. I did an internet search and found a few pics.

I started and stopped and started again to draw and paint the image, but a year ago I was just beginning to rediscover and reconnect to the fundamentals of oil painting. Should I include the cat, the garage, the ladders hanging on the garage wall? I re-reviewed the internet pics and found the composition that had been so evasive; a restored model had been closely cropped to emphasize the nose, grill, and headlights!

Although I focused on the truck's front end, I found that there is a greater degree of precision required in capturing the man-made attributes of a solitary mechanical device than those of a nature-made vista.

I don't really know if the Chevy was a 1947 model, but the painting's title reminds me as to why I was attracted to this particular bit of nostalgia.

"Mary's Trail at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park"

2010-05-14T17:26:00.000-07:00

"Mary's Trail at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park"

8" x 10", Oil on Canvas Board

I could not resist contributing to Alice Thompson's latest art challenge, "The Secret Garden." Alice asked, "Do you have a secret garden? Do you retreat to a pond, park, tree or nursery? Do you have a small patch of earth to cultivate? If so I’d like for you to paint that and tell us about it."

The challenge appealed to all my interests, gardening, landscape architecture, flowers, browsing nurseries, Spring, parks, and botanical gardens. A recent spring visit to Descanso Garden, past visits to Filoli, our community greenbelts, flowers in our garden, and even parks I've had a hand in designing yielded a multitude of images from which to choose. However, I finally decided I needed to capture a vignette of the magnificent abundance of wild flowers and lush native growth we are currently experiencing in southern California.

The heavy winter rains brought forth an incredible array of colors and textures in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. The trail and scenery that inspired my painting is near the Nix Center at Little Sycamore Canyon.

This past spectacularly clear Monday I completed most of the painting "en plein aire." I further refined it, Thursday, in Victoria Templeton's Painters' Connection class. Today, Friday, my wife and I had a very pleasant and easy hike down the trail.

Thanks Alice!

"The Bell and The Bug"

2010-03-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

"The Bell and The Bug"

7" x 5", Acrylic on Gessoboard

The Challenge

Alice Thompson has begun an art challenge blog. I wasn't able to participate in her first challenge. However, I was not about to let her down for her second challenge entitled "Collectors." For the "Collectors" challenge she wrote, "I’d like for you to take only two things that you collect and make an interesting painting that reflects your personality and or history."

I was stumped at first, but then I started thinking about significant items that had been with me during my moves from the West Coast to the Midwest to the Mid-Atlantic and back to the West Coast. There, sitting on the shelf with my books on art and landscape architecture, was a Volkswagen Beetle-like wood toy, and quietly resting nearby was a cowbell.

The Bug
I never had a desire to own a VW Beetle, a.k.a. bug, and I'm not a toy collector, but the beautifully fluid lines, the subtle graining of the wood, the chubby little tires securely doweled to deftly hewn axles, and the wonderfully smooth surface elevated this "toy" to a visually-rich and tactile-friendly sculpture. All these attributes were immediately identifiable when I purchased it at a Renaissance Faire in the early '70's. Branded into the wood on the bottom of this bug is the craftsman's name, Hugh Gundry, and the name of his shop, Whimsical Woodcrafts.

Mr. Gundry told me the little toy was so well engineered that it could hold several hundred pounds if anyone wanted to sit on it and ride it; why anyone would was beyond my comprehension. I have no idea where Mr. Gundry is today, but my thanks go out to him for creating such an amazing bit of craftsmanship.

The Bell
Paul Thornburgh was a college counselor and a life-long friend. Paul embraced the "New Age" from Tai Chi to Mu Tea. In the last quarter of our senior college year a group of us met once a week to talk about life, love, annoying classes and incoherent professors, and to chant, sing, play intruments, and quietly meditate to the pulsing light of a strobbing candle.

During these meditations we drank Mu Tea. (No kidding, we did not imbibe or smoke anything else.) And, as I mentioned, we all played our favorite meditative instruments from Paul's' basket. I played the clapperless cowbell. It would make a beautiful reverberating "ding" everytime I hit the bell with a small drumstick. Somehow, I could make the candle pulse in rhythm with the ringing bell.

The only college graduation present I remember receiving and keeping was a shiny new clapperless cowbell. It came from Paul, because he said I played the bell so well.

The bell now has a forty-year old patina but still produces a wonderful sound. At a gathering of family, friends, and the old meditation group members, I last played my bell at Paul's memorial service.

"Dirty Dishes"

2010-03-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

"Dirty Dishes"

5" x 7", Oil on Gessoboard

This is my intepretation of a photo posted on the Rookiepainter art challenge blog. Because of a three week deadline, I painted as fast as I could. I took the photo while the paint was still wet. Despite all the rushing to get the painting in on time, I'm proud to say I got less paint on myself than usual!

I had a heck of a time rotating and cropping the original photo to come up with a composition I could live with. Given the colors that I could see in my recomposed source image, I decided to use a limited palette. I used only Burnt Sienna (M. Graham), Ivory Black (Gamblin), and Alkyd Titanium White (M. Graham) to render the image.

"Wilderness Park Boulders"

2010-03-15T21:40:00.000-07:00

"Wilderness Park Boulders"

8" x 10", Oil on Canvas Board

While painting these large boulders in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, Lyndelle Stonick explained that the dried grasses and ground vegetation was warmer in color than I had painted. When I next had the opportunity, I added Burnt Sienna to my foreground palette.

"Robert Curtis Park, A Palm"

2010-03-15T21:27:00.000-07:00

"Robert Curtis Park, A Palm"

8" x 10", Oil on Canvas Board

SOLD

I took some photos and completed an underpainting of this palm and distant view on-site during a plein air class in November of 2009. After letting it sit for a couple of months, I returned to it and completed the detail work.

"James Dilley Park, A View"

2010-03-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

"James Dilley Park, A View"

8" X 10", Oil on Canvas Board

I was determined to realize a long time dream, to complete a painting in a single "en plein air" session. Our class met one pleasant Thursday morning at Laguna Coast Wilderness Park. As the morning became afternoon, I was deserted by my classmates as they went slinking off to the warmth and comfort of a nearby museum. Left alone to fend for myself, staving off hunger, thirst, and little bitey insects, and with an afternoon chilling breeze blowing at my back and the bright sun sliding down to rest in the west, I took palette knife in hand and bravely slashed color onto canvas.

If it had not been for my Boy Scout training, no doubt I would have not survived the 4-hour ordeal. However, I made it through and went onto apply a few minor adjustments suggested by my wayward classmates at the following week's critique.

Yes, I faced my deepest fears and I'm a better man for it!

Lavender Fields

2010-03-13T16:07:00.000-08:00

"Lavender Fields"

30" x 40", Oil on Canvas

I worked on this painting, on and off, for over a year. Throughout that entire time my instructor, Victoria Templeton, provided the coaching I needed to help me realize the completion of this self-imposed challenge. It now hangs on what was a (long-time) bare dining room wall.

Thanks Victoria for offering the encouragement and imparting the knowledge as I "push paint" on my artistic journey.

2010-02-04T19:35:00.000-08:00

"Sunrise I"
Digital Art
© 2009

Frances O’Farrell and the Dream Painter

2009-12-18T16:58:00.000-08:00

Frances helped me create the luminescent flowers, the iridescent head feathers, and the wonderfully out-of-focus background foliage of the "Sunbird."

Grisaille

In a time long forgotten, in a land called Sherman Oaks, a radiant, exuberant, beautiful, wise, and always upbeat actress and portrait artist gave oil painting lessons. Frances O'Farrell held weekly evening classes in her studio on Ventura Boulevard. In that studio a novice could produce, after a mere four or five sessions, a painting that could be proudly hung in their home.

Frances kept things simple. She provided new students with a one page handout listing all the required art supplies and paints. Included in the handout was a small graphic labeled with the palette location for each paint color. With supplies in tow, and breathing air perfumed with linseed oil, students set out on their creative explorations.

Because her classes were small, Frances provided ample instruction. She stealthily watched over each student and if your painting went amiss in a flash she was there, at your side, redirecting you and encouraging you to add a “nitnoy” of red or blue or purple. Frances never critiqued, she never criticized, she never compared, she never demeaned, she simply suggested, she simply guided.

With this straightforward supportive approach, I tried my hand at depicting a person's visage through the traditional techniques of grisaille and glaze. I learned to begin a portrait by troweling a tinted ground on canvas and smoothing the fabric’s texture. I learned to underpaint a portrait in values of gray, and then slowly build upon that underpainting with glazes of delicately tinted Copal medium. Layer atop dried layer, the glazes fused into glowing flesh tones. I learned that one should, when creating a portrait of a woman, flatter her by painting her eyes just a little larger than life.

Painting a realistic portrait did challenge my color deficiencies. I was unable to readily discern the delicate pastel pinks and greens that created my subject’s subtle flesh tones. To help me, Frances formulated a series of color dabs. It is true I have not attempted traditional portrait painting in a very long time, but I still keep those formula notes and dabs of color within easy reach.

Yellowstone Falls

I attended Frances’ class once a week for about year. During that time close friends asked me to paint a picture of Yellowstone Falls from a photo in their souvenir booklet. Frances, of course, provided guidance as I launched into capturing the dynamics of cascading and crashing water. My friends, Don and Ingrid, promptly framed and prominently hung the finished painting. The painting still hangs in their dining room, but that’s not the story’s end.

Of their two daughters, Teri became a culinary artist and Traci became an artist of murals. Traci became “the dream painter.” After graduating the Art Center College of Design, Traci went on to establish a successful business painting happy murals on a wide range of interior walls. Her wall art has included magical fairy tales painted fancifully in children's bedrooms.

Through the years, Traci repeatedly related to me, that as a young girl, she would sit enthralled in front of the waterfall painting, exploring the scenery and looking for the little people walking up the distant path - somewhat like a fairy tale. She recently emailed me these kind words, “I know you find it hard to believe, but seriously…you were the only artist that I knew growing up and you were much of the reason that I decided to follow my passion for art. It is cool to see what you do with your talents!”

The waterfall painting would not have happened without Frances and, albeit indirectly, Frances helped guide the vision, passion, and career of a young girl she had never met.

Still Painting

During the period of time I took lessons from Frances, she was commissioned to paint a portrait of President Gerald Ford’s wife, Betty. The portrait of Betty Ford, leaning against a White House railing, appeared in the Walter Foster publication, “How Frances O’Farrell Paints Portraits.”

I had the pleasure of recently speaking with Frances. She still paints and shares her skills with others. And Traci, well she can be contacted at her website, “the dream painter.”

2009-11-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

"Rudebeckia I"

9" x 12", Oil on Canvas

"Cleome"

2009-09-23T10:32:00.000-07:00

"Cleome"

Digital Art

I use photos of our garden flowers, manipulated with Photoshop Elements, as another form of creative expression. The Cleome flower, from a season passed, is the subject of this digital art.

Our Garden

2009-08-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

Sunflowers from our garden.

"Cactus"

2009-08-06T16:56:00.001-07:00

"Cactus"

3.5" x 5", Graphite on Paper

First Juried Art Show(s)

2009-06-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday, May 16, my wife and I attended an artists' reception at Chemers Gallery in Tustin. It was the first time we attended a reception for a juried show in which I had a painting hung. The painting was "Tustin Morning." (I'm thinking there's nothing better than sipping Champagne at an artists' reception!)

Sunday, May 17, we visited the Mission Viejo Library. Two other paintings, "Fancy 'Tude" and "Penguin on Ice," had been juried into and hung for the Saddleback Art League's "Spring Reflections" show.

It was a very exciting weekend and the first time I submitted to, and was juried into, an art show, let alone two shows. -Bernard

"Fancy 'Tude"

2009-05-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

Fancy 'Tude

12" x 12", Oil on Canvas

My source material was "The Fairest Fowl." Photography by Tamara Staples. Essay by Ira Glass.

"Penguin on Ice"

2009-05-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

I took several successive watercolor classes at the nearby Irvine Fine Arts Center. I had a terrific instructor, Marlene Gerloff, who gave us the freedom to try a wide range of techniques with a variety of subjects.

I worked on many paintings. However, there were only two I considered successful enough to frame. "Penguin on Ice" was one of the two.

"Paint animals and use a wet-into-wet technique" was the assignment on the day this picture was painted. Marlene supplied several magazine clippings of animal photos. I chose one with three penguins. To simplify my composition, I focused on one of the penguins. It sketched out quickly.

To further simplify matters, I decided to use only three colors from my palette of 26 watercolors. I chose only the secondary colors of orange (Cadmium Orange), purple (Ultramarine Violet), and green (Viridian Green). The entire painting was composed of just these three colors. Even the black feathers were made from several glazes of two or three of the colors. I was amazed at the versatility of this limited palette.

I'm told that the underside of the left wing is purple; I was shooting for gray. I would have been reticent to purposefully paint the underside purple. However, this fortunate misstep added accidental interest.

Besides wet-into-wet, I used washes, dry brush, and the aforementioned glazes.

I have yet to master the medium, but that does not diminish my enjoyment of watching wet colors spread, swirl, and blend with expected and unexpected results.

(I use a Quiller Palette and a Quiller Wheel. I tried a rectangular Robert Edwards palette, but found it difficult when trying to locate the complement of a selected color.

The round Quiller Palette is designed as a color wheel. Working from a color wheel and using watercolors was a manageable way to further understand color relationships. It helped me mix colors in my head - to imagine the resulting mixtures.

Furthermore, the palette and the laminated Quiller Wheel graphic allowed me to arrange my watercolors with confidence. I checked the names of the colors on my paint tubes against the names called out on the graphic. I depended a lot on the tube labels. With an Ultra Fine Point Sharpie, I carefully wrote the names on the ridge of each paint well.)

"Tustin Morning"

2009-05-09T18:09:00.000-07:00

The Tustin Art League is putting on their second annual art show at Chemers Gallery. Today I excitedly submitted my painting. This is the very first juried art show to which I have made a submission.

A tree had to be included in all art work submitted. The subject matter had to be located in the City of Tustin. From all the locations I reviewed in and from the many photos I took of Tustin, I kept on coming back to this mobile home in Parque Santiago. I tried to capture some of its charm. And, yes, the heart actually does hang in the window.

San Fernando Valley Rural

2009-05-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

"Bantam Cockerel"

12" x 12", Acrylic on Canvas

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley. My fondest childhood memories are of those few innocent summers spent eating over-ripe apricots freshly fallen from our two enormous trees, playing with caterpillars, chasing our bantam hen, watching our tumbler pigeon somersault erratically through the sky, and just laying around through the midday heat.

The "New Hampshire Bantam Cockerel" photograph in Tamara Staples' "The Fairest Fowl" inspired this painting and brought back to mind those pleasant memories.

Silverado Canyon

2009-05-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

"Silverado Canyon"

9" x 12", Acrylic on Canvas Board

I took a photo of this scene a few years earlier. It was one of those rare winters when it snowed in the nearby hills. My wife and I took a short drive into this remarkable landscape. I pulled off the road and hurriedly took some pictures; I'm so glad I did.

"A Companion of Diana" Posted

2009-05-02T17:54:00.000-07:00

"A Companion of Diana"

Graphite on Paper

Karin Jurick has posted my drawing of "A Companion of Diana" on her "Different Strokes From Different Folks" (DSFDF) blog. There were over 100 interpretations posted.

My drawing measured 8-1/2" from the bottom of the statue's base to the top of the statue's head. I used an HB pencil for most of the drawing. I used 6B and 8B for the darkest shadows. The paper was 9" x 12". Given the amount of detail, the multiple light sources, and the subtle changes in values - next time I'm using a much bigger sheet of paper.

With each teeny, tiny stroke of the pencil, I marveled at the complexity of the statue. I was continually amazed by the sculptor's ability to create an entire story of the adoration of a dog for its mistress, the fondness of the mistress for her dog - all delicately portrayed with strength and beauty.

Lavender Fields in Red - At Least I Think It's Red

2009-04-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty much lavender, purple, and violet color challenged. So, I changed and saturated the colors of the reference photo in Photoshop Elements to where I was comfortable with what I saw. Using the PSE image, I gave myself permission to paint this radically tweaked landscape.

I'm looking forward to painting a 30" x 40" version of this study. The interpretation of the lavender in the larger version will be a bit more blue.

"What Is He Doing Now?"

2009-04-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

“Lago Santa Margarita, Reflections”

4” x 6”, Acrylic on Canvas Board

A friend of mine, Larry Carlson, recently self-published a book of insightful and touching prose entitled,"What Is He Doing Now?".

Pages from the book can be read at http://www.blurb.com/books/412596. (Click on the book cover to open the book. Click on each large page to turn the pages. Right click to zoom in.)

I was honored that Larry included a detail of one of my paintings to illustrate his Introduction on Page 4.

"Different Strokes From Different Folks" Challenge

2009-04-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

My goal is to paint and draw everyday, to improve with each new subject, to increase my comfort level with, and knowledge of, my instruments of art.

To move toward that goal, I have set myself the task of submitting a drawing to the "Different Strokes From Different Folks" (DSFDF) blog.

Karin Jurick periodically posts a challenge on the DSFDF blog. The resulting high quality submissions are numerous and the diverse artistic interpretations are fascinating. This is not a competition, there are no awarded prizes; this is simply a vehicle for personal artistic growth. The only external reward may be a "good job!" comment.

The drawing will be of the marble sculpture "A Companion of Diana." The photo of the sculpture was downloaded from the DSFDF blog. I anticipate that it will take me about 40 hours to complete the drawing. It will take me another 4 to 6 hours to photo, Photoshop, and upload.

A few artists have already submitted their work and the number of ways a subject can be interpreted remains profound.

I'll post an update with my submittal.