UPDATE [4/11/09]: I scheduled this on a day that I will be out of town! I know other Verde members will there, so please enjoy the day without me. I’ve organized a paint-out through the Verde Artist Guild. The group has about 130 local Bay Area plein air painters. Everyone is welcome to join us. … Read more
The weather was great Saturday, so spent the day painting plein air, in The Presidio of San Francisco. Since 1776, the Presidio has been home to 3 armies, starting with Spanish, Mexican and of course the US (starting in 1846). It’s a great place to explore, really caught in time and in a period of … Read more
I painted this snowscape in the studio last weekend, and captured the progression of the painting from start to finish, which I later used to create a movie (see below). I’m still really enjoying this subject matter. I think I need to work on the reddish brush a bit more, to make it more atmospheric. … Read more
I’m back home, but still in the mindset to paint snow. Looking through my reference photos, I found one new one to tackle, and a second to try again. This first painting is the new one. I like it. It was really a study in warm/cool composition, and it was also fun to play with … Read more
I had a great time painting snow in The Seirras last week. I love the shadows, and white in light and shadow are so fun to paint. Have you ever seen a John Singer Sargent painting with white bed sheets? The colors he finds there are amazing. This scene is behind the Miller’s place on … Read more
Now that I’m back from Scottsdale, I’ve been looking through my reference photos. After class one day, I was at Papago Park around sunset. The setting sun striking the red rocks made quite an impression, as well as the beautiful violet shadows created. This is from reference, but also from memory, thinking about that striking … Read more
I spent last week in sunny Scottsdale, Arizona inside a classroom with 4 other enthusiastic students studying with Kevin Weckbach. Kevin is a generous teacher who both paints well and can explain his thought process thoroughly. As you may know, this is a rare combination! I believe I first saw Kevin’s work in the annual … Read more
I put together a video of my painting “Near Garrapata State Park” from start to finish, by stitching together photos of the work in progress. I used YouTube’s new annotations feature to add notes on my process. It’s short (exactly 1 minute), but I think it demonstrates my approach well. Click here for a list … Read more
I had fun with this one! Got to paint with transparent darks (in the shadowed rocks and dark water) and calligraphic brushstrokes; rocks, ice plant, water–all favorite subjects! And, there is a video! However, I’m out of town this week, and don’t have my regular MacBook, so the video will have to wait until this … Read more
Today’s a big day! Stephen Doherty’s 8-page article about me in American Artist arrived in the mail to subscribers today. My painting, “Secluded Cove” is featured on the cover, along with several other works inside. The focus of article is my experience in social media (eg, Facebook, YouTube, etc) and this blog. After 390 posts and … Read more