Welcome Home

I had to get away to a 'Trump free zone' this weekend. My daughter and wife could not refrain from talking politics. I went to my muse, the Davis Train Station. It was brisk but sunny. I painted for 3 hours and it really felt good. Davis has been so cold with lots of rain. I had to paint in the studio, which isn't my style. I love the outdoors and plain air painting. I sleep much better at night. The Davis Train Station is a restored Southern Pacific building. It is a busy train stop with all of the students that are here. I have always been attracted to it and painted it from just about all angles. I did not put any bicycles into my composition but there are lots of them parked there. Davis is a city of bicycles. It is perfect for riding since there are no hills and plenty of wide roads with designated bike lanes. It is the most popular form of travel for all ages. Kids peddle their bikes to kindergarten.

Mendocino Home

Did this painting this morning in watercolor group while a winter storm raged outside. It is from a very old photo taken in Mendocino, CA. What a wonderful location for painters. I took lots of liberties painting and completing it in an hr. My plan was to use paint on a wet surface by mixing colors when applying the paint There is some success if you look at the front of the building where you see yellow and cobalt blue. There are lots of surprises when you rush through a painting at high speed. I generated new ideas not planned with watercolors. I intended a picket fence and then saw the whites that were left and worked out the fence, steps and rocks that you see. You should try it.

Heartless

Off to Greener Pastures

Painted these sheep form a sketch I did this spring. I tried a more realistic appearance of the sheep but used color on very wet paper. This allowed mixing color on the paper. It stayed wet a long time allowing me to go back over areas that needed it. It is best to use transparent paints. It was a fun session on a cold morning in the studio.

The Summer Fog

This image of the Golden Gate that I have been playing with is haunting me. I tried several sketches and decided to put some fog under the bridge. It is simplified and has verticles large and small. The curves of the fog add conflict. I like the composition and hopefully it tells a story. I used to live on the Bay and watched the fog come in under the bridge. It was always a spectacle.

Migrant Haven

This is a whimsical painting of flying carpets headed into San Francisco. I love painting the Golden Gate and have used fog, sailboats and even the light house under the bridge. I felt like something different and had a dream last night of being on a flying carpet. I was in line with many others migrating somewhere. We were following like ducks in a line. Maybe the inspiration came from going on painting outings with birders.

Winter Plein Air Painting

We kent to the creek in the morning of a cold damp day with no sun. Anyone who has tried painting in the cold is familiar with the problem. Watercolor stays wet and fingers get very cold. I am standing by my easel dancing around trying to keep warm. The only thing that seems enhanced with these conditions is the painting of small branches. Your hands are cold and tremulous and this is good. The painting looks cold to me but that may be something I carried back to our show and tell in a nice warm restaurant. I am tempted to work on it but then, I would lose the spontaneity of cold painting.