Like the previous painting (Sunset, Buena Vista Park), I started this coastal painting by laying in the most intense colors first, and working out. I followed this approach in a previous coastal ice plant painting a few weeks ago. I think this is similar to how I’ve seen some painters–particularly figuaritve–start with the center of … Read more
I remember the day I took the reference photo for this shot, while walking Gracie through Buena Vista park. The light and shadow was just at the right spot on the path. To get these colors to “sing”, after my initial wash block-in (of Alizarin Crimson + Sap Green), I started by laying down the … Read more
I remember this day so well! Mike and I went to Napa Valley for last Valentine’s day holiday for a long weekend. After visiting Copia (where we learned how to make hot chocolate and home-made marshmallows in a cooking class), we played fetch with Gracie in a field behind Copia beside what I guess is … Read more
It was 90 degrees Fahrenheit Saturday in San Francisco! This is incredibly unusual…too hot, really. I put my backpack on full of supplies, and headed out for the 1 mile walk to Golden Gate Park. Then, as I was walking down, I saw this view. I’ve painted the house on the left once before (I’ve … Read more
One of my top few observations from being a painter is the importance of abstraction. Although I’m primarily a representational painter, a painting ultimately succeeds or fails based on abstract qualities, especially design. I painted this study in a loose abstract manner, without my eye glasses. This helps me accurately record color and value, as … Read more
I had the pleasure of painting with Brent Jensen today in Golden Gate Park. Brent and I met years ago at a plein air event, and have tried keeping in touch while he’s moved about the country. Check out his work, pretty great, right? I returned today to a couple icons of the park I’ve … Read more
This is a small painting of the north shore of Kauai, from my recent trip there (here’s a sunset painting from the same trip). I love the Hawaiian sky! Kauai – Oil on Linen – 8×10″ From a technique perspective, here are some things I can note: I’ve kept this simple, just a few (
Another study, based on my photos of Venice. I enjoyed painting this one a lot. I enjoy mixing the subtle earthy tones of old buildings or nature with man-made shocking colors, like the clothes hanging to dry here. The photos aren’t great (taken with my camera phone), so when this finishes drying (in the Wedgewood … Read more