A Painting for Fall

This is the first time actually finishing a fall painting during the fall, so I'm pretty excited about that! This is larger than I had been working, 20" x24". So glad to be back in the studio this weekend, it's been too long!

I Have to Repost This

This is meant to be a good luck charm for my Redbirds. Hope all is well out there, I should be posting new work soon, so stay tuned.

What Inspires You?

Here is the first painting I ever sold in a gallery. It's a painting of some local kids playing ball on a field in Mexico. Baseball is something that inspires me, and I try to paint what inspires me rather than what I think people will buy. So what inspires you?

Happy Labor Day!

I'm very grateful for a "fruitful" Labor Day weekend spent with family and friends, with time leftover to paint.

Occasionally I'll paint a smaller plein air painting or quick studio study to test a subject matter, and if successful move to a larger canvas. This one was the exact opposite. I started large, and was not happy with the piece, and put it aside for about 2 years. Recently I started it up again on a smaller canvas and was pleased with the progress, and ultimately the finished piece. It just goes to show how important spontaneity and timing is in art. Although developing certain habits and practices are important, it's important for me to not become too formulaic or predictable in my approach.

Oldie but Goodie

I don't have anything new to show, but here's an older painting that still holds up to my new work. It's a painting of the Wenatchee river in Leavenworth, Washington. I hope to get back in the studio over the long weekend, hopefully I'll have some new work to show!

Good Day for a Hurricane

Being still relatively new to the region, I'm really unsure of what to expect when Irene hits us. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time, as I've always loved a good storm. Here's hoping that everyone makes it through this safely, and that we all have lots of inspiring skies to paint when it passes!

Reclamation Project

Here is a painting I decided to paint over. My wife curses me when I do this, but I'm tired of looking at it. Although I was happy with it when I completed it, my current work is so much better. Plus, it's a giant canvas and I have a great painting in mind for it!

Starving Artist

In an effort to minimize the starving part, I took on a new job. The flip-side of course is less time to paint. The balancing act became too difficult, and a great job opportunity was too hard to pass up. The job is actually more artful than many of my past design jobs, so hopefully it keeps me inspired.

I do look forward to painting outdoors more once it cools down, and still painting whenever possible. Above is a painting I did a few years ago, entitled "Willows on Water".

Yellowstone

Here is a painting that I had considered painting over until I was talked out of it. I had a great painting in mind for it, but I guess I need to start buying more canvases instead of painting over everything!

A Real Art Town

My wife and I had some great adventures on Maryland's eastern shore this weekend, and stayed in the town of Easton. Many towns claim to be "art towns", but Easton is the real deal. Not only do they host a plein air festival every year, but they celebrate art every day with many great art galleries, an art museum and live music pretty much every night. Not to mention fantastic scenery that is truly inspiring. We even stopped in and said hi to my friend, Nancy Tankersly at the South Street Gallery. She is the owner and a fantastic artist in her own right.

Inspiring scenery, a great art community and friendly locals make Easton my new favorite spot in Maryland!

Football!

I'm really happy that the players and owners worked their differences out, and am looking forward to the upcoming season. Although my team, the Denver Broncos are far from their glory days, I love football season because with it comes fall and its colors and cooler weather. Above is a mixed media piece I did a few years back of my childhood hero, John Elway.

Mad dogs and Englishmen

I actually planned to venture out of the studio today and paint en plein air, but then I remembered Noel Coward's quote, "Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun." Although he may not have been referring to plein air painting in the summertime, it seemed wise not to risk it! So I stayed in and painted in my air-conditioned studio.

Great Week for Art!

I am happy to report that people are buying art again! My new friend, "The Urban Kayaker" just bought this piece and one other. He was happy to point out after looking at my body of work that I need to paint more figures. Sounds familiar. I'm on it!

Prairie Drive-In

This painting has found a new home! I painted this one and about four others after a trip to my home state of Montana two summers ago. They are some of my best paintings to date.

Woodland Stables

Here is my newest piece, entitled "Woodland Shack". I painted outdoors in the snow a number of times this past winter, and although nothing ever came of those pieces, they were very helpful to me as I painted this. The colors Mother Nature presents in winter rival those of the fall and summer.

Spring on the Clackamas

I've been hearing a lot lately from artists I respect, amongst them James Whistler, how value and line are of the utmost importance in a painting. Even more so than color, which is obvious in his most famous painting, "Whistler's Mother". Although I don't use black as liberally as he does, I took the wisdom to heart, and have been paying close attention to the values in my paintings. I think it paid off in the one above.

Willow tree

I love the accessibility of watercolors. Few other wet mediums allow for such quick setup and clean-up. That said, few other wet mediums are as confounding as watercolors! I enjoyed working on this one, but it is not at all what I had intended. I added the inking about halfway through, at a point where I was ready to throw it in the trash. Perhaps I should take a class from my friend, Bruce Hanford -- a brilliant watercolorist, and member of the Washington Society of Landscape Painters. Please check out his work if you get a chance.

Peaceful Thursday

Here is a painting I finished today. I'm enjoying painting rundown houses and shacks these days. I had this day to myself, with the wife and kids heading to the coast. Just a quiet house and my easel. Although I think it would drive me crazy if I had it this way all the time, today it was just what I needed.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

I've been neglecting my blog lately, sorry. Here is a painting I finished recently, entitled "The Red Bench". It's a great spot that I used to jog past when I worked in north Portland. This one hangs in the Ryan Gallery in Lincoln City. I was back in the studio today as a nice Father's day present, as I've been really busy with work and kid's sports lately. Looks like Monday and Tuesday I'll get some time in there as well.

Gallery Story

Here's a story about a quick gallery sale I made a few years back. My work had been accepted by the Ryan Gallery in Lincoln City, so I decided to take the family to the coast and drop my paintings off in person. Since the gallery is right on Highway 101, the first thing I did upon arriving in town was unload my work, then we had the rest of the weekend to play in the surf. On the second day, I realized I had forgotten to get a signature on a document. Upon arriving back at the gallery, I was informed that the above piece, the "Red Door" had sold. It hadn't even graced the gallery walls yet! Needless to say, this made our trip that much better.

Next time you're in Lincoln City, stop in and say "hi" to Victoria and Emily over there, they're truly great people to know!

Back in Town

I recently returned from a business trip to the west coast, and am hoping to get back in the studio on Thursday and Friday. These business trips are really what allow me to spend so many days in the studio, but the travel and the hours are taking their toll. It nearly takes me a week to recover from them and get my head back in the game.

Hopefully I'll have some great things to show here at week's end, but in the meantime here is a painting I did of my favorite mountain, entitled "Day's End".

Hey there.

You actually made it! Thank you so much, isn't it shameful that I had to sink to that level to get you here? Since you are here, this is a preview of a painting I've been working on for a couple of months now. It's a complete leap outside my comfort zone to paint even a single figure in a painting, let alone 7! I'm pretty happy with it, and yes I do have to give credit once again to my hero, Edward Hopper. This was a delightful scene witnessed in Baltimore's Little Italy, which is fantastic if you ever get a chance to go. If you do, you absolutely must get a cannoli at Vacarro's, it will forever change you.

Finally!

This is the painting that I was beginning when I first started this blog. My intention was to photograph it and blog about it as I was working diligently away at it. Well, I lost interest in it (surprise!) and nearly painted over/threw it out the window a number of times. The thing that kept me going was how much time I had invested in it. Needless to say, I am happy that I persevered, if for nothing else than the tree in the foreground that I'm very happy with.

If you're interested, you can dig back through my previous posts to see some of the in-progress photos and the original concept sketch.

Finished!

I finished one of the larger pieces I've been laboring over today, a spot just north of the Maryland/Delaware border on the Atlantic Ocean. This one ended up going in a very Impressionistic direction for a couple of reasons. First, the path really lent itself to being painted that way, due to the all of the footprints in the sand. Also, my surface became a major challenge as I was finishing, it must have gotten water on it somehow. I was actually ready to wipe it down at one point, but had spent too much time on it to throw in the towel. Glad I didn't give up!

Happy Friday

I'm thrilled that I've been able to get in the studio the last three days. There are some great things happening that I'm not quite ready to show here yet. Instead, here's a funny drawing I did of our dog Chloe for our move out here. Have a great day, I hope it's as beautiful where you are is it is here!

Made a Sale

Back in the studio today, lots to catch up on. Looks like I made a sale. The above painting will be shipped out here from the Ryan Gallery. Thanks Carrie for setting me up with this buyer. I haven't been great about marketing my work as balancing the painting and commercial art worlds leaves very little time for marketing. That and I really don't enjoy that side of it. Does that make me a hobbyist? Discuss amongst yourselves.

Quick Painting for Wednesday

I was fortunate enough to get nearly three whole hours in the studio today. Hey, I'll take it! Rather than work on one of my larger in-progress pieces, I set my mind on starting something I could finish -- a 6" x 12" of one of my favorite spots in Astoria, OR.

Well, hello there!

I have been out of commission for a bit, as the graphic art world has been very demanding of my time as of late. I had a free day today, and rushed outside to paint this morning with spring in full bloom. The bridge I painted is very reminiscent of the one that Monet often painted in his garden in Giverny.

Little Painting for Sunday

Sometimes I force myself to paint in odd sizes or shapes, sometimes even on imperfect canvases to get myself out of the selling mindset and just focus on painting and enjoying the process. Here is a plein air piece done in Middleburg, VA with that in mind.

Painting for Monday

It was 80 degrees here today, and I made the choice to paint indoors. I'm planning on venturing out on Thursday when it's going to be a more seasonal 68. I know, poor me right? This is what I painted today, a night scene from a photograph taken in Estacada, Oregon.

Man in Black

Ever wonder why artists dress in black? Me neither. I have some great things cooking in the studio right now, but nothing that I'm ready to show here yet. So I'm posting a pencil drawing of Johnny Cash that was colored and rendered using Photoshop. Check back soon!

Sculpture

If there's a medium that seems interesting yet so far away, it would be sculpture. Not that I've never tried it, but I am really interested in learning how to weld. There's something very primal about the need to fuse things together that nature never intended. While sitting in a seemingly endless day of meetings, the bagless lawnmower chair idea hit me. It wouldn't be very comfortable, but the beauty of art is it doesn't need to be functional. Now, I just need to learn how to make it...

What inspires you?

Did I say I love baseball? Here is a painting I did for my son, who's as big of a fan as I am, if not bigger. Baseball and my children, among the many things in this world that inspire me!

Art for Monday

I've been spending all my normal painting time freelancing for an ad agency outside of Baltimore these days, so I'm posting an art project from a few years back. One of my favorite drawing techniques is white colored pencil on black illustration board. Here is one I did of an alleyway in Italy. And no, I've never been there. I wish!

Just a Painting of a Bird?

Those well acquainted with me know better. Although I love to see cardinals flying around my house here in Maryland (I never saw a single one on the west coast), my painting has more to do with the approaching baseball season and my other passion, the St. Louis Cardinals. Art and baseball, what a combination. While I usually listen to music while I paint (see my playlist at left), once the season is underway I have the Cardinals broadcasts on whenever possible.

Fresh off the Easel

I'm really thinking that I should get rid of all my large canvases. Painting smaller has been so rewarding. I'm really satisfied with this 12"x12", and it only took me two sessions to complete. Plus, this is one of my favorite places in the whole world -- the Beartooth Highway near the Montana/Wyoming border.

"Beartooth Highway Memories" 12"x12", oil on canvas.

Painting with Figures

Here are some previous paintings I've done with figures in them. My first (first in a long time, I should say) life drawing/painting session is tomorrow, so I wanted to post these before they started. I've always enjoyed drawing the human form, but painting it has long been something I conveniently tend to avoid. This is something I'm committed to work through.

Saturday's Painting

I was pretty sure the sun would come out for my plein air session today, but no such luck. Painting without direct sunlight does force one to pay closer attention to values and color temperature, so I made the most of it.

Smaller Paintings

I'm loving the freedom of working smaller. It's so easy to get lost in the details of a larger painting, whereas in a smaller painting you can focus on shapes and color. This one is called "Tide Pools" and is 6" x 8".

Landscapes

I have spent most of the last few years painting landscapes like the one above, entitled "River Wide". However, in the interest of not becoming stagnant, I'm planning on spending some time working from live models again down at the Howard County Art Center. I have a painting in the works now that features figures in it, and it is clear that I need to brush up on my anatomy and skin color schemes.

Today's Painting

Here is a painting I finished in the studio today, but was started a couple of months ago onsite at Lake Fairfax. The composition on this one interested me enough to keep going on it. I'm glad I did!

"Remaining leaves", 11" x 14" oils on canvas.

More Paint!

I have a habit of relying too much on my medium (in most cases, linseed oil) and not using enough paint. I'm not sure if it's because I'm cheap or what, but I'm finding that I need to apply more layers of paint later and end up using about the same amount as I would have had I just been more liberal in the first place. My good friend Mark David Larsen always says to apply paint as if you're a millionaire. I can't say that I've fully adopted that mantra, but I'm certainly trying.

Today's painting is one I did of our family dog for my daughter, entitled "Chloe".

On the Menu Today: Introspection

Doing graphic art professionally and having just returned from a week long business trip, I'm reflecting today on the difference between the two types of art I create. The names alone would give great differentiation between fine and graphic art, but even beyond that there is the distinction between creating art for one's own needs and for someone or something else's bottom line. I must admit that I enjoy both, but still find the fine art side much more intimidating. Maybe I can attribute that to the fact that when I paint it's coming from a place that's real inside of me, a place of vulnerability. Graphic art, although still created by me, more often than not is stripped away of the vulnerability as a result of it's very nature. I am not creating it for me, my own worst critic.

Today's painting is "Peninsula Park", watercolor on paper.

Still Life Painting

Elio Camacho, a friend and artist I highly regard often stresses the importance of doing still life paintings when not afforded the opportunity to paint en plein air. So many times I find myself painting from photographs or sketches when in the studio instead of forcing myself to paint from life. It's so much easier to see the subtle differences in value, form and color temperature when painting from life. Learning to actually "see" what life is presenting to us and successfully rendering it is something that I often miss when working from a photograph or sketch. Above is one of my best still life paintings.

Leavin' Town.

The paints are packed away, the canvases put aside to dry, in fact the studio is closed up so the dog won't lick my paintings again. Yes, reluctantly I'll be flying to Texas on business soon. This means I did some digging to find some art to post. I came across this piece, which was one of my finer attempts during a transitional period in my art life. I was realizing that just being a designer wasn't enough, and was hoping to bridge the gap with just pencil drawings and Photoshop. Digital fine-art they call it. Although I put nearly 2 years of my life into it, none of these ever saw the light of day. The reason? Digital work was too technical, with no room for spontaneity. Although I like this piece for sentimental reasons, most of them I see as merely stepping stones to what I'm chasing now.

Late Night Conversation

Night scenes have always inspired and frustrated me. I subscribe to Van Gogh's assertion that darkness can be as colorful, if not more so, than daylight. This doesn't mean that I've been able to effectively capture it, hence my frustration. I feel pretty good about this one though, a little 5"x7" painted with colors leftover on my palette plus a color I rarely use: cobalt blue.

Different Styles

Along the same lines of my previous post, here is a sketch I did years ago of an old friend. The necessity to create art often strikes when I'm ill-prepared, and this was done on a piece of cardboard which was all that was handy at the time. I'm currently fascinated with street artists such as Bansky and Shepard Fairey, which is why I revisited this one. Although my current work is nothing like theirs, or even this sketch, it's certainly something that continues to intrigue me.

Splatter Painting à la Jackson Pollock

Sometimes it's fun to do art in a style completely different from my own. It's even better when I get my 8 and 11 year olds involved for a Valentine's day present for the wife. When I taught art (K-8) in Oregon, this was a project reserved only for the 8th graders, which is easily understood given the mess. A lot of fun, and I really like the results, hopefully she will too!

The Beach House

Shortly before my family and I left Oregon, we paid one last visit to the Oregon coast with two of our closest friends and their kids. We stayed in Seaside, wandering around the town one particular sunny and seasonably warm afternoon, and ended up stumbling upon this house. We had the opportunity to go in and look around, as it was for sale, of course talking about how nice it would be to have a house on the beach that would force us to come visit frequently.

Seems like paintings always turn out better when there is a sentimental significance to the subject. Sometimes I borrow inspiration from friends or photographers, but rarely are the results this nice.