8x6" oil on canvas, SOLD
Well, it's been about a week since the fires raged through my hometown of San Diego. It seems like life is returning to normal. But I'm sure the folks who lost their homes are not experiencing the same feelings. I think after you live through a tragic episode in your life the obvious desire is to get back to normal. Except now, you've been handed a new version of normal. Feeling pretty darn lucky this week...
8x6" oil on canvas, SOLD
Today I just feel lucky that I was able to paint. Life, here in San Diego is just surreal. Fires everywhere. I took a break from watching the disaster on TV and put a little paint on canvas. This one's devoted to my pups who definitely feel that something is at odds in their world.
8x6" oil on Belgian Linen panel, available in MY EBAY STORE
A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it
has a song.
--Maya Angelou
5x5" oil on canvas, SOLD
Growing up in the midwest, my family did not have air-conditioning. Instead we had a fan in each room. Those fans were pretty darn important on a summer night when the temperatures were in the nineties and the humidity about the same. For some odd reason, my family had names for these fans based on the sounds they made; purring, rattling, whining, etc. You get the picture. Anyway, my fan was named Whispering Smith, hence the name of this painting. I know the painting has nothing to do with a fan but there is some whispering going on here. And Smith seems like a respectable name for a bird.
8x6" oil on canvas, SOLD
September is the start of Birthday Season around here. We're ridin' the birthday train from now until mid-January--nineteen birthdays to be exact. All family and close friends. My son Zac is first. He turns 20 on the 23rd of September. An indisputable fact that makes me feel much older than I actually will be on my birthday--two weeks after his. Daughter, Cameron, celebrates her 16th year right after Christmas and husband, Christopher's birthday is two weeks after that in mid-January. Nineteen birthdays. So I'm going to make my birthday wish now...I wish the Birthday Fairy would drop by and shop for all those birthday gifts and wrap them up with lots of beautiful paper and ribbons. And while I'm at it, could I put in a request for the Christmas Fairy, too?
8x10" oil on canvas, SOLD
My studio has been miserably hot so I haven't been painting as much as usual. When I have tried to work, I aim three different fans in the direction of my easel so it's like painting in a wind tunnel. So here I am, too hot, a little grumpy and blowin' in the wind.
10x8" oil on canvas (in my private collection)
Nearly everyone I tell that I've just returned from Tucson after moving my son into his dorm in 109 degree temperatures says, "Yeah, but it's a dry heat." --everyone! Like that makes it a refreshing afternoon in the desert. Well, I'm a weenie about heat and I did my share of whining. My son, however, well...he's a trooper. Not much rocks his boat. A few days after returning home I got a call from my brother-in-law in Kuwait where he reports the temperature tops 130 degrees. But guess what? It's a dry heat.
6x8" oil on canvas, SOLD
Today, Child #2 started year #2 of high school. Child #1 is emerged in week #2 of year #2 of college. Dogs #1 and 2 followed me around all day wondering what to do with themselves. They've just dedicated their summer to keeping track of all the comings and goings of both Child 1 and 2...quite a responsibility. Believe me, I know. The three of us are just a bit dizzy from keeping tabs on everyone's schedules. So, more than once today, in the midst of the exquisite calm, we were scratching our heads and wondering, "What now?"
8x10" oil on canvas, SOLD
16x12" oil on canvas, SOLD
8x6" oil on canvas panel, SOLD
I just got back from taking my son (no, that's not a painting of him) back to college in Arizona and I guess I'm thinking about how fast the years have gone by. I'm feelin' a bit puny. Thinking about all the funny "kid" things that have been put away in boxes, like Panda, Legos, Goodnight Moon and, of course, the Mickey Mouse ears from Disneyland. Traded in for computers, iPods and cell phones. As it should be. Spread your wings, Zac!
10x8" oil on canvas, SOLD
Today, I've posted three paintings...whew! I'm going out of town for a few days. Taking my son back to college in Tucson tomorrow so I won't be posting or painting for a few days. Instead I'll be driving through the desert and feeling a little blue...(big sigh).
8x6" oil on canvas panel, available in MY EBAY STORE
8x6" oil on canvas, SOLD
8x6" oil on canvas, (in my private collection)
Some paintings just come together. I don't know what it is...but I love that thing that happens when everything just flows. The colors are right, you've captured the mood, the look, the composition works and you can hang it on the wall and not have that nagging feeling that surely you can make it better. So, on average, I paint around twenty of these small paintings in a month. They're taking over my studio. And right now there are exactly two paintings that I can absolutely say there is nothing else I can do to improve upon what I have already painted. Nothing. And this is one of them. I just really love this piece!
8x6" oil on canvas panel, SOLD
Lately I've been using some different techniques with paint application. This painting is one example of applying thick pigment with a palette knife in the background and then drawing into it. It adds another layer of interest to the surface. Then I "stain" the edges and some of the symbols and markings with a glaze. And, of course, I always strive for beautiful, vibrant colors!
6x8" oil on canvas, SOLD
Well, August here in San Diego means the beaches are jammed with sunburned visitors from all over the country. There are a few beaches that only the locals know about and they work hard to keep it that way. Folks here are very protective of their beaches. Litter on these beaches and you might get a swift kick in the Speedos. It's a good thing though, better to go swimmin' with the fishies than somebody's empty Fritos bag.
8x10" oil on canvas,
SOLD
8x10" oil on canvas, SOLD
Okay, so I spend a lot of time in my car driving my kids to their summer activities, camps, classes friends houses, etc. You get the picture. So I've gotten in the habit of carrying my trusty little Moleskin sketchbook with me at all times. So while I'm waiting in the car for said child (which I've calculated is approximately 6 hours per week, 24 hours a month....let's not go there!) I do my sketches and doodles that sometimes become my Daily Painting. I'm posting today's sketch along with the painting because it's a rare occurrence that the painting actually looks like the sketch. Enjoy!
8x6" oil on canvas, SOLD
As far back as I can remember I have drawn and painted faces. I've always felt that a person's face shows the story of their life. Recently, I've been more interested in "deconstructing" the architecture of the face to see how far I can abstract it and maintain the human elements. I 'm also experimenting with the paint application; drawing into the thickly applied pigment. These pieces are a bit of a shift in style for me and I would love to hear your comments!
