Wharf at Dusk
This was the first of the Santa Cruz Wharf paintings. The peekaboo of light through the wooden pylons gives it depth. The bright colors and repetition of form capture the excitement. This painting sings a happy carnival tune.
Wave Walker
On a summer evening, there are always a few figures strolling along the shore. My goal was to capture the feeling of solitude; walking head down alone in the cool of the evening. In my reference photo is was hard to tell the humans from the reflections.
Devdut’s Wave
This painting started out as a quiet piece; a figure and their dog watching the sunset. Then out of nowhere a giant wave came rolling in. Try as I might, the two were swept out to sea and the waves not only swallowed the figures but the beach as well.
Wharf Sunset
The sun was setting on the Santa Cruz Wharf after a Boardwalk beach concert. I walked along beach street in a musical trance.The wharf lights were starting to glow. I snapped a few photos with my iphone. Final Painting
Plein Air Studies
During Ying Li‘s The Figure in Landscape workshop we spent one day doing quick studies of the trees around the Ah Haa School for the Arts. Below are two plein air pieces done that day. The painting below was the third and final for that day. Ying gave us more time so the final painting is more complete. […]
Master Bath
Of all the places in the world I could be, if there’s a bathtub, you’ll find me in it. Here I was able to enjoy my two loves as once; applying lushes thick paint and lying in an enormous bathtub. The only really safe way to combine the two. I was stoked when the hugely different surfaces: skin, tile, towel and […]
Village Bridge Stop
On my first day in Telluride we rode the tram up to the Village. From the tram we had a glorious view of the aspen. Vibrate orange and deep yellows; they were at their peak. We walked through the town in a yellow wonderland. Village Bridge Stop is my first attempt to capture the magical feeling I had that day.
Among the Aspen
On our hike to Bear Creek Falls, we came across this little pine tree. It seemed be dancing up the hill, illuminated by white aspen trunks.
Placing Figures in Space
One thing I’m guilty of doing is cropping in tight on the models. During the Figure in Landscape workshop, Ying Li stressed the importance of placing the figure into the space. Here is an exercise where I’ve attempted to pay as much attention to the space and background as I did to the figure.
Telluride Hiker
On Sunday they rested. Not really, since we took a two hour hike instead. At least we took a break from painting. I didn’t do this painting in Telluride but rather from a photo I took while hiking back along the Bear Creek Falls Trail. When I started to draw this out in charcoal on my canvas, I […]
Judy’s Apples
On our second week painting the figure, the weather cleared and Ying brought the model outside on the back deck. After everyone had cleaned their brushes and left for the day, I started this still life. The chair and apples were left in place for the second day of painting. As I was paining, Judy walked […]
Scottish Reflections
I was so inspired with the photos I took in Scotland that I created a series of these mirror image photos. To get one of these photos for your wall, just comment on the one you’re interested in. Would you like to see large versions of these in a gallery show? Watch my Scottish Reflections iMovie View higher resolution […]
Putting ‘Soft’ Back in Software
When I’m not snapping pictures of foreign landscapes or in the studio scooping up pigments and spreading on canvas with a knife, I’m hard at work helping software companies make their products easier to use. If you or your company need an experienced user experience consultant to work with your development team here’s where you can […]
Bona Lighthouse
Ever since I saw this tiny lighthouse from the window of the Jacobite cruise ship, I wanted to paint it. Once the smallest manned lighthouse in the UK, the Bona Lighthouse on the Caledonian Canal kept ships safe with a single paraffin lamp in a bedroom window. Today the building has been restored and converted into a holiday house, room here […]
Red Robe
Reclining female in red robe. I used this sketch as a reference for a painting but wasn’t able to capture the energy of the original. I did this sketch in Life Drawing class at the Mountain Art Center in Ben Lomond. The Art Center offers weekly classes. No need to plan ahead, just drop-in and join in […]
Copper Kettle
I have this piece hanging in my living room, a daily reminder of my love affair with copper. It started with a penny. As I grew, so did my collection of pocket sized art pieces. Of course they are all similar, but no two are exactly the same, and the best-of-the-best were tucked away. We […]