DAVID BIENKOWSKI artist

side of a building

2011-11-24T07:23:00.000-08:00

Well it's been a few years...

No, I'm not referring to when I last posted on this blog, even if it may be close to being true...

Today, Thanksgiving actually, I will share a project from more than a dozen years ago. When I was living in San Francisco. I had the opportunity of painting a mural on the side of a building on the bottom of Potrero Hill. It had the unique placement of being at the corner of 8th street and 16th street.

At the time this building was the showroom of Alexander Baughn. Housing beautiful furniture designed by Peter Alexander and David Baughn.

I painted this over a holiday weekend, Memorial Day I think. It actually took me 4 days, a day longer than I had originally predicted, due to a little misfortune caused by the need of the sissor-lift to be recharged over night. I left half of a chicken sandwich in the refrigerator of David's studio overnight not knowing that he unplugged the fridge to charge the lift. After the consumption of the sandwich it was much more difficult to focus on painting, actually the movement of the lift was the worst part. It was fortunate that the top of the building was completed before the effects of food poisoning set in.

The architecture of the building as well as the preexisting signage influenced the layout of my painting. The division of space allowed me to juxtapose the springtime California landscape with it's hills of poppies and lupins a more dramatic close up of the flowers. I like a change of perspective in a painting and this building gave me the opportunity to zoom in on the foreground. The chaos if the adjacent lot where building supplies were stored also influenced the choice of the larger scale for the bottom.

This 9"x12" oil painting of the building after the mural was done is my keepsake of that time. I may have wanted to savor the memory of Peter's old Mercedes as much of as the painting on the side of the building.

The building has new tenants and the painting is no longer there.

small paintings

2011-03-20T21:47:00.000-07:00

Posting images of my paintings is never as much fun as painting them. I has been a while since I posted anything so I am offering up these paintings for your perusal. The persimmons must have been painted last fall, so maybe these are not as current as I thought. They are off my tree, my whole crop for the year. I like the look of the fruit on the tree after the leaves are gone, so I don't think about harvesting them. But the birds seem to like the fruit too.

8" x8" oil on board

The navel orange from a neighbors tree, where the hard to reach fruit still dots the trees I see from my window. I still have some oranges in the house but this is the only one that made it to be a subject of a painting. The interaction of the shapes; the pattern of the painted table top, along with the shadow and reflections set off the orange as they divide the space.

10" x8" oil on board

Again the same table top with it's bisecting spirals is the backdrop for a couple of mid-century candle holders. They are the ones that use those skinny candles, a little fatter than a birthday candle. I don't think I ever had candles in them, I just like the shapes. In painting one is perched on top of a stylized silver bell, enhancing the space-age feeling.

8" x8" oil on board

Here again the tabletop is in view. My favorite teapot, the one I would only use for company because I've seen how quickly I can get chip on the spout or crack the lid. It is glazed a deep cobalt blue with creamy white maple leaves, the handle, spout and rim are glazed in silver.

8" x8" oil on board

The last image in the post is of the mannequin on the mantel. Half of a child sized figure sits above the fireplace with a pair of wing paintings hanging behind it. One of the wings can be seen from this perspective. This vintage mannequin (I think of him more of a boy-a-quin) bring up some childhood memories that I have not totally identified. Maybe it goes back to my elementary primer; "Fun with Dick and Jane". I named him Randy.

10.25" x9.25" oil on board

three foot squares

2011-01-12T10:25:00.000-08:00

Two recent paintings that I completed in the past couple of weeks. The biggest thing they have in common is there size. Though both canvases are 36" squares and are both representational still lives, the execution and paint are different.

A kaleidoscope of color, these pincushions are painted with oils. Knowledge of my oil paint pallet allowed me to capture the color jewel tone satins of these kitschy little pincushions. Working with warm and cool hues of the primary colors; red - blue - yellow, I am able to represent the color relationships of the objects set up in front of me. The intensity of the colors in this painting catch me by surprise when I see it in daylight.

The painting above is not an oil painting. Painted with water based mediums, I integrated a combination of different materials and techniques to get the effects I was trying for. A still life with a toy car and the ceramic items in front of it seemed to be about the space around the objects as much as the objects them selves. Painted with a limited pallet of about 6 random colors, focused more on the value and color temperature than a particular hue.

reflections on the new year

2011-01-11T09:50:00.000-08:00

It seems that the calendar page has turned again, actually the calendar it self has changed. At this time of transition I try to reflect on where I have been and where I'm going. Looking for insight to guide me through the upcoming year. All this introspection doesn't come easy to me. Maybe I'm to literal, but when it came time to reflect – I looked into a mirror.

All this rumination and this is what I came up with:

It seems that I can no longer paint a self portrait with out wearing glasses.

each 8"x8" oil on board

Christmas Paintings

2010-12-04T10:25:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year, again. I tend to use Christmas decorations as subjects for my paintings when the days are shorter and the holiday season begins. Alas, I don't see myself dragging out the abundance of holiday ornamentation that I have stuffed away. I don't venture into that storage area unless I have to. So the subjects this year are items that surfaced since I last ventured into the black hole that holds the artifacts of Christmases past. Pickings are slim this year, In September, I thoughtlessly tucked away the seasonal embellishments that accumulated though the first part of the year.

I will be showing a collection of these holiday paintings later this month at Crow Trading Company in Modesto, CA during the Third Thursday Art Walk.

Bowl Full of Jolly

8"x8" oil on board

A small ceramic santa placed in a bowl of glass marbles with a few colorful ornaments

Plastic Poinsettias

8"x8" oil on board

Shiny Bright

8"x8" oil on board

A box of Christmas Balls, I almost called this one; "Hiny Bright"

current show, II

2010-09-21T22:47:00.000-07:00

On display currently at Pursley's in Turlock are many of my smaller paintings. I paint a lot on 8"x8" and 8"x10" boards. A wide variety of subjects are found among these paintings. Many of these paintings were hung in grouping on the walls of this showroom, and many more lined up on shelves and this showcase. This may not be the best way of viewing each image. But it was a fun and easy way to 'showcase' the pieces as well as a few of the objects that found there way into my work. I enjoy the juxtaposition of the subjects and images. Maybe arranged in a certain way they tell a story, I'm sure it must be a mystery.

I like the way the painted images interact with one another. Often there is a common thread between paintings, a subject, the perspective, color pallet... The list could be endless. It was nice having the abundance of similar sized paintings on hand. I was able to edit a grouping to meet a perspective customer's particular needs.

The painting of goldfish in the photo above was used as the study for a larger painting . This 8"x5" oil on board became the subject on a 4'x9' sheet of glass. I had to paint on the reverse side of the glass with transparent color. The glass was supported on heavy duty saw horses so I could climb beneath it to see the progress of the work. The photo below shows my goldfish in an early stage. Kristi Hughes was painting a similar sheet of glass along side of me that evening. It took all of our strength for us to flip the glass to see the paint from it's front side. I am grateful I never had to move this piece of art or worse yet have to store it.

Kristi and I always have fun being creative together.

current show

2010-09-21T07:32:00.000-07:00

I currently have paintings on display in Turlock CA at Pursley's Interiors, 206 N. First Street. It is a show I share with Kristi Hughes who's paintings are also seen here. Our is work distinctly different but we work well together, I feel they show well together. Most of my work is painted in oils but I have included a few mixed medium pieces in this show. The two panel painting of pods in the photo below is one of example of the departure from oil paint. The four bug paintings on the floor and the painting on the left with the calligraphy are Kristi's work.

The photo below shows the corner of the room, better for seeing the placement of the work than the quality. The paintings under the window are mine, a pair of mixed medium wings. I incorporated some of Kristi's techniques in this work, as well as returning some of the materials I used prior to my near exclusive use of oil paint for the last 15+ years.

The view of across the room shows more of the art. Much of my recent work has been 8"x8" squares, oil on board. In this show many of the small paintings were grouped together and hung as a column. It was refreshing for me to see them hung this way, I am more used to seeing them arranged horizontally, lined up on a shelf in my studio. Kristi's work shown in this photo include the two large pieces on the far wall, the bugs below them and the tall narrow piece seen to the right of the cabinet.

I will post more of this shown soon.

Platers and Pomegranates

2010-08-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

Red pomegranates and white platters upon a white table cloth. The limited color pallet of these paintings allowed me to focus on the space around the subject. Representing the environmental space within a painting does not need to include vast vistas. The relationship between objects needs to be seen within the space around it.

both 8" x 10" oil on board

Shadows from window mullions create the background for this painting. Dried pods from a flowering tree join the pomegranates on the platter.

Valley Sun Catcher Show

2010-08-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

I have three paintings in a show at the Mislin Gallery in Modesto, CA. This show is showing work from members of the Valley Sun Catchers, a group of plein air painters that strive to capture the essence of the world around us by painting out of doors. Also in this show is three dimensional work from members of the San Joaquin Pottery Guild.

10" x 8" oil on board

This painting of a friends front yard captured my interest because of the red crape myrtle that grew along her driveway. It was such a deep blood red, darker than any I've seen before, I wanted to try to capture it's likeness in paint. The other two paintings I have in the show are of Half Dome in Yosemite.

10" x 8" oil on board

8" x 8" oil on board

Pink Roses

2010-08-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before painting among friends is a particular pleasure of mine. Here again is pair of paintings I did during a "Paint Day" a few months back. The floral arrangement that included clusters of an old fashion pink rose with ball shaped blossoms. I planted this rose bush almost nine years ago, this year is the first time I've noticed the shape of the flowers. The wet spring with cooler than usual temperatures metamorphosed this shaggy shrub into one covered with cascades of bubbly pink blooms.

both 8" x 10" oil on board

If there is anything blooming in my yard when a Paint Day comes around I try bring an arrangement to the gathering. Not only for the possible subject matter, but flowers do enhance the festive atmosphere of the day and it is a nice way to say thank you to our host of the day. It seems I have less blooming in the heat of summer than in any other time of year.

Table top

2010-07-31T12:27:00.000-07:00

Two more recent still lives. Objects on a table top. I paint things that are in front of me – I place things in front of me to paint. This table top is in easy reach to where my easel usually sits. Sometimes I select a object to paint because I wonder what it would look like painted, would I be able to capture the essence of the subject. When I paint I think about the relationship of objects, shapes, colors... How does the space around an object effect how we it.

10" x 8" oil on board

8" x 8" oil on board

Hydrangea the color of wine

2010-07-30T08:01:00.000-07:00

Flowers have been a subject for my paintings for quite a while. I recall receiving a book on how to draw flowers back in 1970. That book focused my awareness of the unique beauty of nature. Trying to capture the essence of this complex and varied subject has been a long time pursuit.

both 10" x 8" oil on board

A floral arrangement bursting with hydrangea, rose of sharon, oregano and a whole lot more, is the focus of these two paintings.

Painting is often a very solo pursuit. The application of color and the expression is something that comes from within. I find that the environment (where I paint and who I paint with) can be a big influence the outcome of my work.

Painted among friends at a monthly "Paint Day" these paintings capture more for me than a representation of the flowers, the camaraderie of my fellow artists are also represented in these images. Our group lost a beloved member just days before this gathering. Jan Rapp will forever be missed.

Yosemite

2010-07-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

Last week I had the joy of painting in the Yosemite. Only a few hour drive from my home I realize it is something I should do more often. Hoping to escape the heat of CA's Central Valley, I was surprised to find it 94 degrees on the valley's floor. Painting in a shady spot with a view of Halfdome with rafters and swimmers frolicking in the river in front of me I was able to capture these two images.

10" x 8" oil on board

8" x 8" oil on board

Summer workshop

2010-07-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

This summer I have been teaching a six week painting class. With one remaining class I thought it was time to show some of the work I did during the class. Focusing on painting from still lives during the weekly 3 hour class, gave us an opportunity to focus our attention on interpreting the subject in front of us.

While trying to communicate painting concepts and techniques I find it is easier for me to demonstrate with a brush in hand. While working around the room assisting my fellow artists, it is good to return to my own easel to work on capturing my own impressions of the subject. Having very little time for my own painting, I try to demonstrate how quickly the elements of a painting can come together to express a likeness of a subject.

Featuring plums from my tree, pairing colorful California pottery with the blue violet fruit allowed me to juxtapose intense colors with the subtle variations within the skin.

Week 2 the fruit includes apricots and a donut shaped peach. Actually this peach was the shape of a heart, just not the viewpoint I was painting from. The odd shape of these peaches are not a good choice for a subject, I only included it in the still life because from the right angle the heart shape could make an interesting statement. Although this new variety fruit is very tasty its shape is not easily recognizable and thus more difficult to express convincingly.

Week three, and not wanting the class to be thought of a fruit painting class the only fruit I brought to the still life are some blue glass grapes. I expanded the still life to include many combinations of subjects. I was the only one to work from these elements. Someone brought eggplant and green onions, and they were the unanimous favorite this time. I don't know why no one wanted to paint an agapanthus blossom.

.Fourth week I included the glass grapes again. This time on a tin tray with a metal sphere perched upon a silver candle stick. The red of the tin toy bring some warmth to a mostly cool subject. This time I was not alone in trying to render the glass grapes, they showed up in two other paintings that afternoon. The red car stood alone in another painting, and wine bottles were the main focus of the remaining studies done that day.

Week five while an old electric mixer dating back to the 1940's seamed to grab the interest of most of the people painting that day, I could not resist the simplicity of these tomatoes in a vaseline glass dish. The one odd hot pepper makes me think that heart shaped fruits and vegetables are more common then we think.

Painting organic objects like fruit or flowers are often more forgiving then trying to render an accurate image of a some thing man made. If the apple is lopsided it could be how Mother Nature made it, but if the bowl seams to be cockeyed or the teacup askew, the artist will more likely to be called to task.

Tomorrow is the last class in this workshop. I do not know what subjects I will bring to paint. I find I am willing to paint just about anything, or at least have fun trying. I try to convey the idea that just about anything can be the subject of a painting. It is important to decide what relationships you want to express. It can be shapes or colors, everything is a part of something larger. We decide what we want to show.

I enjoy painting with other artists, I'm grateful I had this opportunity to share my ideas and insights. While painting I am always thinking about the process of painting. This workshop allowed me to verbalize some of my thoughts and processes. It is nice when someone listens. I'm learning and I'm not alone.

Sorry it has been so long since I last posted anything • I will blame my computer, or what is left of it.

lilacs

2010-04-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite symbols of spring is the lilac. I have enjoyed these since childhood, with fond memories of the various colors of the blooms that grew in my parent's yard. I tried planting lilacs the same colors in my yard but with no luck. But an old bush does live in my yard. It is the traditional old fashion type with what I would call – lilac colored flowers.

These paintings both the same flowers and painted the same day but in a different location and with totally different lighting. The top image painted during the class I teach, where a large room where florescent and natural light came from every direction. The bottom image painted at night with more directed light in a dark room. I like the paintings done at class, I set up my models on a aluminum table top which reflects the abundant light of the room.

both 10" x 8" oil on board

star magnolia

2010-04-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

I've noticed that I have been painting in pairs. Typically I chalk this up to inner programing that tells me: "if it's worth painting once why not paint it again" I fool myself thinking that it will be easier the second time. I always think I could have handled something differently. So many options, how to handle something, you don't know what it will look like till it's done. I just get to express my impressions at the time.

These blooming branches, barely more than twigs actually were painted during the class I have been teaching for Modesto Parks and Recreation. If the class is progressing smoothly I am able to set up something to paint. Between working the room assisting students I would demonstrate with my paintings. I try to impress the concept that it's possible to paint quickly.

these are both 10" x 8" oil on board

painted in the dark

2010-03-08T22:31:00.000-08:00

Painting at night in a place where I did not have control of the lighting. I did not see the results of my efforts till the next morning. The colors within this painting are not colors that would be found in the interior where I painted. In a dark room it is difficult to see colors. I was able to perceive contrast but the low light neutralized the yellow.

both 8" x 8" oil on board

A glass bottomed tray with a glass carafe, martini glass and colored floats. Again painted at night, the reflections and highlights are the major focus of this painting.

Floats

2010-03-08T21:51:00.000-08:00

These small spheres of hollow glass show up best against a light background. Capturing the transparent look of glass is a challenge I enjoy taking on. A simple subject, playful and colorful.

both 8" x 8" oil on board

Placing the floats in a martini glass gave an uplifting to the familiar subject.

ripped apart

2010-02-06T19:32:00.000-08:00

A tangerine plate with a tangerine torn apart upon it. A study in orange, or maybe that should be oranges. I opened the fruit to increase the colors and textures of the subjects. It also expands the challenges within the composition. It also makes the room smell nice and citrusy.

both 8" x 8" oil on board

The orange and grapefruit was painted while teaching the Thursday afternoon oil painting class. I manager to steal enough time to paint while dispensing guidance and enlightenment. I try to instill that it is possible to paint quickly. For me it all changed the day I realized I don't need to spend six months on a painting. That day was 17 years ago, yesterday. I did a painting in the morning and decided to do another in the afternoon.

pair of pears

2010-01-28T10:41:00.000-08:00

both 8"x 8" oil on board

Painted some pears the other day. Same pears, different time of day. The top pair had the cool light of a foggy day reflecting on the table top and back lighting the fruit. The second painted after the sun set, show the rosy side of the pears with a spotlight aimed upon them. The contrast between the two images reiterate the truth "timing is everything".

sunny day paintings

2010-01-17T14:54:00.000-08:00

10" x 8" oil on board

We had a sunny day last week. Seems like it was the only this year. It was energizing and I ended up spending the day indoors painting. I did gather up some hose hips and privet berries from my yard for a still life. This winter bounty from my yard, inspired me with the blues and orange.

20" x 16" oil on canvas

It still looks a lot like Christmas around here. Probably the final Christmas painting of the season. I managed to get all three trees in this painting. I've done details of each already, glad to capture them together in there environment. The complexity of the trees is a challenge that I could go on painting, but by this time of year it seems an odd thing to do. The subject of the top painting is visible in this painting also. I did not have the lights on the tree in this painting, feels odd to light them the last few weeks. I have a few other paintings this size of interiors that I like this with. If I ever want to exhibit them together I need to be aware of the time of year. Christmas trees are much better in the latter pare of the year.

by the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful...

2010-01-13T11:29:00.000-08:00

after what seams like weeks of fog and gloom the sun is out today

9.75" x 3.75 oil on board

This location is one I have painted many times. This painting from a photo I borrowed brought back so many memories of this vista, I felt I was there again. I took painting workshops in Carpintera over 15 years ago. I haven't been back since, but with a paintbrush in hand the terrain was very familiar.

18" x 36" oil; on canvas

This studio painting of the Santa Cruz lighthouse is also from photo reference. Not a vista I have painted before, it was more of a struggle to capture the feel of the place. I created more of a feeling of winter in this painting, taking more of a clue from the weather around me as I painting than the atmosphere of the day I took the photos.

Seasonal Inspiration

2009-12-27T11:30:00.000-08:00

Every Christmas I enjoy painting holiday decoration. It helps to justify the amount of effort it takes to hull out and assemble this stuff. The forest of mixed matched trees that grew up on the table in front of the window. I hung one of my favorite Christmas paintings in the window. I had no wall space so the window worked, it fit well with the table top trees. The above image shows the finished painting and the table top inspiration.

10" x 8" oil on board

Here is the finished painting showing that strange little snowman guy placing an ornament on the tree. The little puff of tinsel on the green ball looks a little like a lit bomb, it gives a different spin to the narrative this image invokes.

8" x 8" oil on board

This painting is of this years green tree with it's multi colored light. This is a tall skinny tree, so I used a lot of long pointy decorations. The beaded garland was literally thrown to give it a extremely casual, drippy look. I tend to be attracted to unusual vintage holiday decorations. This tree gave me a place to display some of them, like the cluster of white plastic holly leaves with a couple of balls and tiny santa head. I find the complexity of a Christmas tree a challenge to capture in a painting. It seems so enticing before the tree is up, and so overwhelming once the painting begins.

more of my Christmas images are posted at: db-artist.blogspot.com

gold fish

2009-12-21T11:38:00.000-08:00

8" x 5.5" oil on board

The above image is a quick study I did while teaching my painting class a month or so ago. Having little time to work on my painting, being busy making the rounds assisting my students, I had to leave my still life unattended for most of the session. Yes this was a still life. I have tiny carved fish, smaller than the figures on my painting. Often during this class I returned to my easel to discover that my fish were rearranged. Adam it was not funny! if you were within reach my paintbrush would have left it's mark upon you.

Apx. 7' x 3' pigment on glass

This image is another from Artful Living the design showroom/fundraiser that was set up in Modesto this past month. The goldfish painting on glass, was a first for me. I used the small painting above and the tiny carved fish as my subject reference. It is painted on the reverse side of the glass. The image is flipped when viewed. The very heavy glass make it difficult to lift to view the other side while working on it. I worked alongside Kristi Hughes as she painted a similar sheet of glass. Unfortunately I did not get her painting in this photograph, only the steel wall bracket shows on the upper right edge.

more pods

2009-12-14T10:50:00.000-08:00

apx. 5' x 2.5' mixed medium on canvas

This photo is of a painting of mine on display at a designer's showroom in Modesto. It is a departure from my traditional oil painting. This was painted with layers of varying thicknesses that I sanded through to achieve the finished effect. The pods are the same as the ones shown in the following post.

pods

2009-12-14T10:32:00.001-08:00

10" x 8" oil on board

I do not know what these pods are. They grow on a tree in big clusters and will turn a dark coppery brown when left on the tree. I harvested these a few years ago in late spring when they were still green, they have dried to a pail sandy brown color. As they aged, some have opened up revealing the seeds inside. These were painted on a white cloth with a direct light sourse creating strong contrasting shadows.

8" x 8" oil on board

platters & pomegranates

2009-11-20T08:41:00.000-08:00

Red pomegranates with the whites of the table's top are the focus of these paintings. The top painting with light coming through the window adding plaid shadows to the composition. The seed pods giving an earthier nuance to the graphic starkness of the plaid, while the branch mimics the linear aspect of the grid. The second painting the tablecloth creates the sense of depth within this composition. Placement of the smaller platter in front and the idiosyncratic relationship of the dishes challenge the typical perceptions of perspective.

both 8" x 10" oil on board

White bowls

2009-11-14T10:22:00.000-08:00

6.5"x8" oil on board

The painting above both have a white bowl as a focal point of the painting. The top was painted during class I was teaching, a student was working with this group of objects and this was my attempt to demonstrate the use of color when painting a white object. My focus being to capture the illusion of the roundness of the bowl. This was a quick painting, I would steal in a few brush strokes as I rotated around the room providing guidance to the dozen students.

I would have liked to paint larger but my large easel was being used at the time to paint the platter in the previous post. I was interested in the handling of the crest, it is not as much of focal point in this painting as it was on the platter.

8"x8" oil on board

white on white

2009-10-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

This painting of a large oval platter sitting on a white table cloth. The dish it self is 2 feet long and measures about 40 inches on the canvas. This monochromatic (maybe it is more of a non-o-chromatic) subject has offered up some interesting challenges. Working white on white I still made use of my full pallet. I focused more on the color temperature of the paint. This painting with it's oversized ellipse as a subject offered more challenges then the lack of color, I needed an accurate representation of the shape. Typically I tend to freehand all the shapes in my paintings. Not wanting to exhibit a warped and distorted likeness of the dish, I needed to render the ellipses accurately. I worked out the shapes I wanted and created a paper stencil to insure faithful depiction of the platter. This is a technique I recall from my childhood, my father used it with his still life paintings. The crest on the platter is different than what I painted on my canvas. I replaced the top two lines of copy within the crest with my logo, the foreshorten words looked to much like a face.

30" x 48" oil on canvas

some sort of pods

2009-10-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

Out side of the Modesto's Senior Center where I am currently teaching an oil painting class is this tree with some pod shape growths upon it. There are green ones and some older looking brown ones. I'm not sure what type of tree this is, I imagine it to have some orchid like flowers on it is spring or earlier summer–but I do not know if it so.

I teach there for a few hours on Monday afternoons. The paintings in this post are from the first 3 classes of this session. I set up my easel and a small still life before each class. My fellow painters typically are working on subjects of there choosing, typically using photographic references. Although I am busy with assisting students during the class I try to squeeze in a brush stroke or two on my painting as I go. I am trying to instill the concept that a painting does not have to take a lot of time to complete. As the class size has grown to a dozen or more my time to work on my paintings is often cut short.

Having a little less time to work on the above painting, it seems less complete, but it may be my favorite of the three. The course runs in 6 week sessions, there is only one class left in this session – it has passed quickly. Another session begins the following week.

each 8" x 6.5" oil on board

green elephant

2009-09-03T18:43:00.000-07:00

This is top shelf or at least it was until the elephant went to where gifts go, to the recipient. This jolly green pachyderm is no longer sits atop. Still got the little orange fish though. I like the graphic division of space in this painting. With the underside of the shelf visible the space is divided in to horizontal stripes.

6.5" x 8" oil on board •

Below it can be seen in it's prior environment.

I just finished the first tomato from this years garden. I planted late (july 4) but better late than never. To celebrate this harvest I made Pesto (also first of the year).

I had triangles of toast with pesto and tomato slices. Can't wait to do that again.

not so still lives

2009-08-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

This painting with it's curvaceous piece of pottery is a detail of the clutter that surrounds me. Things just pile up, I prefer the term "stack". I tend to create clusters of stacked objects. It is pretty easy when you have a lot to build with, like me. I find these constructions to have unlimited potential taking in limitations of space and gravity.

I like to paint the same subject more than once I don't feel I captured everything I experience in a subject if I don't give it a second try. The proceeding blog entry, the one that follows this, shows another view of this collection. Things are always in transition, these may be still lives but they are always evolving. some subtle additions or subtractions or maybe it's a complete make over. The following are to views of the same area one from last week and is just days past a month ago.

all 10" x 8" oil on board

painting in process

2009-08-23T15:24:00.000-07:00

I thought about taking photos of a painting in process, and actually did it. This painting of the stacking by the fireplace is the second I did of this grouping. As always I tinted my panel with a wash of Cadmium Red Light. I then blocked out my composition with more of the Cad. Red, adding Ultramarine Blue as I refine the shapes, blocking in the darker areas.

I add spots of color to hold the shapes. The color at this point will indicate the final color, but it will be added to along the process of the painting. I start thinking about color temperature at this point. If I want something to recede or be in shadow I often push it back with Ultramarine blue, I like the translucent quality of the color so I layer it with the local color.

The final painting.

10" x 8" oil on board

tiki joy rideDid you hear the one about the tikies

2009-08-12T11:01:00.000-07:00

It took only 3 tries to get this image to post.

Did you hear the one about the tikies in the Edsel? Well they it are; carved wooden tikies in a toy '58 Edsel upon the table top that has been in the last few postings. I like the shapes in the upper half of this painting, there is a simplicity in the division of form that contrasts with the more detailed bottom half. Having painted just about all the elements in this painting before it is the handling of the paint that keeps the subject interesting for me. As a bit of an old car buff the rendering of a car can destroy an image for me. I try not to supply to much detail because that is where the errors show up. But I want to know the car when I see it represented in a painting. The '58 Edsel is quite distinct that can make it easier to recognize but still a challenge.

10" x 8" oil on board

cosmos - library table

2009-08-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

In my post from earlier today I show paintings with this table top as the background. I was having technical difficulties and could not include these images with that post. Above is a picture of my Studio Gallery taken in May 2007. The table was painted in 1992 in Laguna Beach. I recall spending over an hour painting each layer of the spiral, each spiral and crosshair had numerous layers of paint (6 to 12). I layered the paint and sanded through to reveal the colors. Many of the layers were metallic or iridescent paints. It is hard to commit that much time to a project. If I paint a piece of furniture now I find a faster way to get the effect I want. I do like this painting technique, a detail of the table's top is below.

table top treasures

2009-08-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

Here are two recent paintings of small objects sitting on a painted table top. I Incorporated the spirals of the painted surface as part of the composition. I like the division of the negative space that surrounds the focal objects, creating a sense of distance upon a flat surface. Of course painting from the same surface does give me a lot of paintings that have a violet/grey/blue background. The relationship of the subject to it's environment is effected by countless outside influences including light, that make the colors appear different.

both 10" x 8" oil on board

db mid-century

2009-07-29T12:29:00.000-07:00

Placing a mirror on my large easel has given me the opportunity to do a self portrait. This view of me with my favorite stack of lamp shades. The lamp had one shade as most do, but the bulb seemed to intense; rather than changing the wattage of the bulb I found placing an second shade on the lamp solved the problem. The top shade having no other place to live (if this can be called living) ended up on top on the other two. I liked it there! With a mid-century star clock like the sun rising (or setting) above it all.

8" x 5.5" oil on board

I cut off 2" of hair from the back of my head yesterday, it was time.

I just posted for the first time in many months at a:

db-artist.blogspot.com

old enough to need glasses

2009-07-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

A mannequin head adorned with costume jewelry, layers of hats and a outdated pair of spectacles is the subject of this painting. This collage of objects stands aside the mantle with a stem of Moneyplant. It seems easier to paint a portrait of a living person than the features of this stationary bust. Sometime in this head's past silver spray paint was used on it. No longer peaches and cream, it's completion more painterly than actual skin, making rendering it a little more difficult.

10" x 8" oil on board

still lives

2009-07-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

Most recently I have been painting more on 10" x 8" panels. I need to guesso more of the 8x8's, but that has not happened yet. These still lives are of things that surround me where i paint. Above the weighty tomato and the vintage postal scale are the only placed objects in this composition. Surrounded by subjects of previous paintings; the old scale and ripe fruit seem to expound a story yet to be told.

In this one, the objects are as they sit across the room from my easel collecting dust. Included in this arrangement there is a found painting on a block of wood I found over a decade ago when I moved into a studio in San Francisco. Objects tend to stack up around me including these vases and glass balls, one of them topped with a cocktail monkey. The branches with dried pods in the background were fresh three years ago when in my studio in Modesto.

bountyful

2009-07-09T21:41:00.000-07:00

This view from my easel features a pair of figures engaged in the reward of the harvest. The quantity of things that pile up around me makes me wonder how ever they could come to harvest. I've had this pair for at least 25 years, this is the first time they ended up in a painting. With such an accumulation of things amassing around me, it is a challenge to show there relations to each other.

10" x 8" oil on board

plum trees

2009-07-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

This was painted plein air along the route from Halfmoon Bay to Palto Alto. I drove for miles looking for a spot to paint. I forgot my hat and my painting umbrella was not in the car (actually it has not been there for a while, I meant to pack it like the hat). I drove the coast north from Santa Cruz, it was to cold and foggy then to hot and shadeless. I love driving that area and have not been there in years. I was being followed to closely by a monster pickup on a windy stretch of route 84 when I pulled over as soon as the shoulder was wide enough. There was shade just behind my car and a eye catching vista. The shade lasted only long enough for me to get started but I stuck it out.

8" x 8" oil on board

While painting this painting I was reminded of a painting I did in high school. It was a landscape that had trees growing up a hillside. My Father helped me out with the trees. I could envision the brushstrokes he made on my field of hooker green that represented the trees.

It felt like I was not painting alone.

hot shoes

2009-06-27T11:06:00.000-07:00

Recently visiting a creative friend; commiserating about how things just seem to pile up around us. We both tend to collect. As artists we see the potential in things or we admire the aesthetic of an object and seem to have the need to possess it. Others recognizing our needs and reaching out to aid us, often as a drop off point for there no longer desired objects. These shoes given to Cloe because they could not be worn comfortably. What's comfort has to do with it when these suede Guess stilettos are this luscious persimmon color. I had to borrow them to include in a painting or two. Shades of reddish orange are Hot.

Toe to Toe 8" x 8" oil on board

Heal to Toe 8" x 8" oil on board

I love the shoe's color. They work so well on the painted table top. I especially like the way the art nouveau vase is rendered in this one. This vase has made it into many paintings already and this may be my favorite rending to date.

jingle bell

2009-06-20T10:08:00.000-07:00

The white satin ribbon tied to a ball of a bell. Sitting on the edge of a painted table the reflection of the ribbon within the shadow caught my attention first. The cool tones of the table and ribbon make the warm reflections upon the silvery bell appear golden. This caught me by surprise, I knew it's chrome surface I typically see as being cool. I studied the painting realizing that I captured the actual color relationships and not a preconceived notion of what it should look like. Maybe, I pushed the warm tones to enhance the overall color harmony of the painting. Guess I like that way.

8" x 8" oil on board

Trumpet's bud

2009-06-17T08:24:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite flowers Angels Trumpet has large trumpet shaped blooms that hang down from it's branches. A friend gave me a cutting of his angels trumpet with a small bud hanging under one of the leaves. The flower began to form but fell off before it developed. I hoped it would open more but found the star shape of the closed flower intriguing enough to paint. My cutting seems to be taking root, but it may be a while before I get to paint one of these again. The vase is sitting on a leaf shaped Royal Haeger plate.

8" x 10" oil on board

back yard

2009-05-24T21:52:00.000-07:00

This was painted from my back porch on Mother's Day. The last time this corinthian capital showed up in a painting was a couple of years ago while my Mom was visiting. This was a way for me to honor her in my heart that day. I have bowling balls in my yard, close to a dozen of them most in shades of blue and purple, though there is a dark red and a gold in the lot. A white soccer ball joined the bowling balls showing up in my lawn back in January. This week I noticed that some of the balls were getting lost in the grass. Today's post is to celebrate the fact that I just finished mowing the lawn. All balls are again in view.

8" x 8" oil on board

three vases

2009-05-23T22:15:00.000-07:00

This is what I painted today. It's not all I've done since posting last, but there is always some reason for not posting. Not liking the the quality of the photos is my current excuse. Posting this gets something up before another day or night goes by.

These three vases happen to be on the table near my easel. I would need to find a place to put them if I wanted there space for another subject. I liked the style contrast of the three of them. The ribbed green and yellow vase; a piece of Catalina Pottery with a hairline crack – all space age and modern in design, 3 ribs extending down for support. The blue green vase in the foreground; thicker and less refined in construction juxtaposed with the sphere of thin yellow glass set askew on it's lip. The largest of the three, a deep cobalt blue with a glaze dripping in shades of light brown around it's shoulders is adorned with an art nouveau floral motif hand applied in gold. (Once half of a pair, it's twin now reduced to shards on a box)

10" x 8" oil on board

R.O.B.

2009-05-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

This is: R.O.B. Robotic Operating Buddy. It is a Nintendo robot from 1985, it is hard to believe that is so long ago. I've had it for a while but haven't painted it before. I think it should be incorporated in a composition with other objects. It usually sits on a table holding a stack of bowls over a larger bowl, much like a chip and dip ensemble. Maybe now that he stands alone, he will be joined with other objects. I refer to it as "he" but gender if any is unknown.

8" x 8" oil on board

fruit and flowers

2009-05-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

It been a while since I had boards to paint on. I ran out a few weeks back, found a couple here and there but they were few and far between. I did have some canvases but not the 8x8 or 8x10 panels I was used to painting on. I had to have some panels cut, I no longer have access to a table saw myself. I now have a stack almost 2 feet tall. Alas, they all needed to be gessoed, this set me back almost another two weeks. I don't enjoy applying gesso, I always end up wearing some of it. I did get some of them primed and ready to be painted on. I used two already, neither shown on this post. These paintings were products of the last of the boards I cut myself. The roses above and the papaya below both have a large Poppytrails platter as the subject's base. I like the green color of this dish with the oranges of the flowers and fruit. Actually, I selected this one for the fruit, it had not been put away when I was setting up the roses. I probably have a dozen large platters in shades of green, most are subtle shades between chartreuse and turquoise, that is not counting the very dark green one. Seems I also collect platters, at least they stack well. I realise the scale of the papaya is hard to judge. The fruit was close to a foot long, the platter a couple of inches larger. I seldom spend time with papayas, but knew the color of there flesh was something I wanted to paint.

both 8" x 8" oil on board

The camellias in the bottom painting were the last off the bush in front of my house. When I first moved here I felt lucky to have one or two flowers a year on this shrub. Who knew that if you water it once in a while it may decide to flower. It was covered with blossoms this year. This painting and the roses above share the same vase. I've had it for quite a while, it seems to have resurfaced, I can't recall when I used it last in a painting. I did open a few boxes (10) that were stored in my basement recently. I did not think it was out of action for nine years, but that may be the case. Time goes speeding by...

10" x 8" oil on canvas

Paint Devil & apple

2009-05-03T08:50:00.000-07:00

Here are two more images that I painted while teaching at the senior center. I wanted to show a simple subject can have enough interest to stand alone. I walked into the center with no idea of what I would paint. I borrowed the apple from a student, set it on the nearest table top and started painting. The overhead florescent lights coming from every direction gave me (for lack of a better word) interesting shadows on the dull aluminum tabletop. I tried to show how casually I slapped down color, building up layers to create the effect that expressed the apple. I was not taking the painting to seriously while working on it, walking away often to see how everyone was doing.

The following week; again I walk in not knowing what I would paint. After spending time with each student to help them with there paintings. I started to look for something to paint. I found there was a lending library across the room. I selected these three books and started painting. Setting up the composition I kept in mind the advice I was giving my students. I wanted to be sure my painting did not have awkward indiscretions I just advised then to be aware of. The titles of the books were not an issue when I selected my subjects, colors, scale of image and patterns were my criteria. I did not notice what the bottom book said till after I was painting it. The words; PAINT DEVIL was all that showed, I found the juxtaposition of these word segments amusing enough to be sure they were readable. Seems right that muse and amusing are so similar. I like to keep things light hearted when I'm teaching.

both images are 8" x 10" oil on panel

teaching

2009-04-17T06:14:00.000-07:00

I started teaching a painting class two weeks ago. It is through Modesto's Parks and Recreation program, taught at the senior center. That should have been a clue. Turns out senior is the key word. Though the class is open to anyone over 18, I may be the youngest person there. The eight ladies in the class would show up and paint even when there was no teacher during the previous term. They all had their projects in various stages of completion, and quickly were absorbed in there work. After the first hour I felt like there was little for me to do. I did have my paints there so after letting everyone know that I was available for help, I started painting. I did the lilacs above. My painting style is different than everyone there. I paint quickly, layering colors and filling the whole canvas. The first class there was casual attention paid to what I was doing, everyone had there own projects to consume them. I think they were surprised how the painting I was working on evolved, every time they looked up, my painting looked markedly different.

The second class, I arrived a little late. I think they were afraid that I was scarred off and would not show up. After assisting everyone with there paintings I was asked if I would be painting. Someone brought in geraniums to paint, she wanted to try my techniques. I did a painting demo, everyone stopped what they were doing to watch. I did not want to block there view so I tried to paint from the side of the easel, it is not easy.

lilacs 8" x 8" oil on board •

geraniums 6" x 6" oil on board

puzzled

2009-04-08T23:13:00.000-07:00

I paint things. Sometimes it is hard to choose what to paint–sometimes it is not. I often will paint something because it will be difficult to capture. When challenged by a subject I'm not sure how I will capture I am often surprised with the out come. When I paint it is a lot like solving a puzzle, as I put the spots of color in place it is easy to equate it to finding a jigsaw pieces fitting together. I like working from life, having the subject in front of me. It's the equivalent to the picture on the box top in 3-D.

San Diego

2009-04-05T22:26:00.000-07:00

This morning, I was thinking about this painting of Balboa Park, and a few hours it came up in a conversation. So today might be a good day to post it. Both of these images are from a trip to San Diego a few years back. It was good to paint in the park. I love the architecture in the park. It was nice to be able to capture a piece of it. The bottom painting is from a friends roof deck. Painted at night, it was interesting to see how the nocturnal landscape differed from the daytime view.

Balboa Park 8" x 8" oil on canvas

deck's view 8" x 8" oil on canvas •

hall's balls

2009-03-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

In this painting a hallway flanked by a stainless steel sphere in an Asian inspired pottery piece. I played with the division of space, the contrast of light & color, the whimsy of spacial juxtaposition. With light at the end of the hall made the color of the plastic hanging lamps silhouetted against it glow. The circle on right is a mirror on the wall with a beaded purse hanging below. A few birthdays back, i received quite a few bejeweled evening bags, it was a joke that took me weeks to comprehend. The cars; Hallmark ornaments are there to bring the aqua forward in the composition.

12" x 24" oil on canvas

A great show

2009-03-28T23:47:00.000-07:00

It was a really great show. I was lucky enough to have some premium display space. The above paintings hung in the front room and would be among the first thing to see as you entered the show. The painting of an almond orchard in bloom (Outstanding Orchard, 48" x 48") above a pair of 2 foot square paintings of ground cover from the South of France. The paintings to the left of them are my work. Below is more of that room from the view point of the archway next to the paintings mentioned above, just before the show began.

turning a corner

2009-03-28T00:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight's art opening was great. A lot of people that came to the event. Art was sold!

While hanging the show I had paintings all over the place. Leaning against the wall and furniture, inadvertently I placed the two sides of an image on perpendicular surfaces. I've never displayed these paintings this way before. I had an odd entry alcove to hang in, turning a corner with these paintings gave me an interesting entrance to one of the rooms I was showing in.

Tahoe

2009-03-24T20:04:00.000-07:00

These paintings of Lake Tahoe come from a an exciting weekend I had spent there a year and a half ago. Boy time flies. The above image the first of the day showing a couple of sunbathers, swimmers and boats in the water. Painting on location with sand under my feet I had a great time.

As the day went on I continued painting. I was able to observe picnickers as they celebrated this holiday weekend. While painting it is often to difficult to capture the intricate patterns of moving figures. I had to decide who would show up as a smear of paint on my canvas and who would not. It was a very social group, people came by wondering where they were in my painting and I was wondering why if they wanted inclusion they did not stay still for a minute or two. Someone in the group had a large bird trained to shit on command.

Later that same day... I started this painting as soon as the sun dropped behind the mountains. It was not easy to look in this direction with the sun low in the sky and the glare on the water. The colors were striking! I wanted to capture them. This the third painting of the day, with little time due to the changing light, went quickly. By this point I felt well acquainted with my subject and I had an intimate understanding of the colors I was mixing. A lot of shades of blue.

I was very fortunate to have some good friends with me on this weekend getaway. While I was occupied with my paints they had kept busy with other things, like; tending bar and fixing food. I was not the starving artist that weekend.

This painting of people waiting for the fireworks at Lake Tahoe on Labor Day weekend was done in the studio after my return from the lake. It is painted on two canvases, because the overall size would not fit in my car as one canvas and I like to split an image. My house, being older, has few walls large enough to hold large art and those seem to always be filled. But there are a few areas where a split image can hang. This won Best of Show at CCAA's Spring show two years ago. I guess I was in Tahoe two and a half years ago. Time does fly...

11" x 14" oil on canvas

12" x 16" oil on canvas •

8" x 10" oil on board •

(2) 40" x 30" oil on canvas (40" x 60" overall)

chalk line vines

2009-03-23T16:07:00.000-07:00

I had a chance to work on the wall I started a month ago. I had painted the scroll design and liked it enough that I was not sure I wanted to add anything more to the wall. I drew the vines with pastels. It is mainly to show the positioning of the vines. I will paint over the chalk after my show this weekend. That will be the fun part. The pastel color I used is not the color I am thinking of using when painting, it was the color that showed up on the wall. The translucent iridescent scrolls made it difficult to see the first 3 colors I tried.

A wall of paintings

2009-03-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

Finally, I got an image to post. I have been trying to upload images to my blogs for about a week.

This image is of a wall that that is part of the show I have been hanging this weekend. There are 44 paintings on this wall, all 8" x 8" oil on board. Hanging a show is often a tricky operation. The decision where to hang something is obvious. Not this time. I struggled what would go where. It was not my original thought to hang these little panels, but the space seemed to need them. About a third of these were painting were painted in 2009, maybe 6 were painted over a year ago.

camillas

2009-03-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year again. My camillas are in bloom. These paintings from a few years back are a few of my favorites. I like the vintage pottery with the flowers. Are the flowers to show off the pottery or is the pottery that just happen to be there with the flowers.

both: 8" x 8" oil on board

Manhattan Beach

2009-03-14T20:52:00.001-07:00

The the stand and the pier in Manhattan Beach were painted for my nephews last year when they moved from this sea side community to the Denver. These two boys did not even own long pants when they were first introduced to the snow there. I wanted to capture the place they would recognize and remember fondly.

both: 8" x 8" oil on board•

pool side

2009-03-13T23:57:00.000-07:00

OK, so maybe it is not the time of year to be thinking of swimming. These two paintings from last summer are an examples of the what a difference in point of view or point of interest can make. Focusing in on just the ball as apposed to – for lack of a better term – the big picture, makes a major difference in the out come of the painting. I often try to show as much as i can in a painting liking the relationship of all the objects. When I limit the subject I am often surprised at how much can be shown. These two paintings show views of the same place, but viewed differently.

both: 8" x 8" oil on board

float in a boat revisited

2009-03-12T22:13:00.000-07:00

I did not have the bottom image to post the last time I posted the float in the boat. The bottom painting with the money plant in front of the float is the older, by about a day. The over lapping objects in one painting is a contrast with open space of the other.

both: 8" x 8" oil on board

Where to paint

2009-03-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

These two paintings currently hang together in my home studio. The top image painted about two years ago in a studio gallery I had in Modesto CA. It was great to have a place to paint and a place to show my work. I regret that I had to give it up, the demands on my time and resources were to much at the time. Most of all it was located in the wrong place. People do not buy art in Modesto. The studio was on its way out at the time of this painting, I was trying to show as much of this space as I could. It seems the main focus was to record that place at that time.

Since then, I have been painting at home. The painting of the lamp in front of the orange velvet drapes is a view from where my easel is now. The color and pattern of the light attracted me first, then there was the old hi-fi piled high with glassware and disco balls, I think there is even Batman's arch rival the Penguin in there somewhere. Again I am recording my environment. Where I am is where I paint.

both: 16" x 12" oil on canvas

persimons

2009-03-10T23:17:00.000-07:00

Every fall I paint persimmons. I am fond of the color. These paintings show two different types of the fruit. The top image in the pink dish shows Fuji persimmons, a flatter more squat fruit. The second two are from my own tree, they were said to be "Chocolate Persimmons". I must admit I didn't recognise any chocolate flavor, but the fruit I tried was not ripe yet. You never want to eat an unripe persimmon. The bottom two took 7 years to paint. I planted the tree in 2001 and this was the first time I had any fruit on it. I had 10 persimmons, 9 on the same branch. The fruit is in vintage California pottery, I was told these shallow dishes are for floating Camellia blossoms in. A persimmon tree often will have fruit hanging on it after the leaves have fallen off, giving a look as if decorated with orange Christmas ornaments.

each 8" x 8" oil on board

early orchard

2009-03-08T22:09:00.000-07:00

This painting was done in January before the orchards came into bloom. It is from the same propriety as the previous posting with the truck and the trees in bloom. This was done looking out the window of Tamara's studio. It is a second floor window so it allowed me a little higher view point than usual. This was done on a Paint Day. A day when a group of local artist get together to paint at one of our homes or studio. Today was a Paint Day, I painted in an almond orchard across the street from Gay and Don's house. It was wonderful out side today the petals falling like snow. I will post an image on db-artist.blogger.com

8"x 8" oil on board

pickup in the orchard

2009-03-07T20:59:00.000-08:00

This painting of an old pickup parked among the almond trees was painted behind Tamara and Sam's house. I enjoy the contrast of the pink blossoms on the plum tree with the much whiter ones on the almonds. It was the edge of the landscaped yard and the start of the orchard. The late sixties chevy with it's contrasting door and fender parked among the trees felt like it could have been there for years or just days.

8" x 10" oil on board

blue pitcher

2009-03-06T23:38:00.000-08:00

Painting objects more than once is something I like to do. These three paintings a blue pitcher is the common thread. I realize how differently the focus of a composition can be even in a painting of the same object. As it is said of many things, we are all a product of our environment. As I paint objects, using them again in different settings, I am often surprised to discover the numerous way there are to show something. It is the relationship of an object with what is around it that makes it unique.

each 8" x 8" oil on board

2009-03-05T07:43:00.000-08:00

Here is the invitation to my show. March 27 and 28, in Modesto. I will have some new paintings on display there, some of which can be viewed on my other blog.

db-artist.blogspot.com

Brandy Rose

2009-03-03T23:17:00.000-08:00

The Brandy rose is one of my very favorite. I am fond of it's rich apricot color, the large scale of it's bloom and the sentimental memories it represents. My first Brandy rose bush was a gift from Florance and Tokio Shimanuki, who were visiting California celebrating there 50th wedding anniversary. I always associate this rose with them and their love for each other. Also the golden color fit in well with the golden anniversary tradition. This painting was done with thoughts of enduring love, to celebrate the marriage of there son Francis to Yoko last summer. I have a Brandy rose just outside my bedroom window,it is mostly sticks with thorns now but it won't be to long till it will be in bloom again. The first blooms of spring are always the best.

8" x 8" oil on board

Often I will paint something to celebrate or commemorate an event. It's a way to hold something close to my heart. I am not always able to express my feelings in words. There are a number of paintings that for me are connected to people or events in ways that there subject can never express.

still life

2009-03-02T20:35:00.000-08:00

I found this quote on another blog;

"The successful painter is continually painting still life" Charles Hawthorn

Earlier this week heard a soon to be art school graduate dismiss her recent education in painting because the instructor had the class only painting still lives. I find myself painting quite a few still lives lately. The majority of what is shown in this blog has been still lives. I like to paint still lives, they are an amusing process for me, visual challenges. I like the relationships of shapes and color, the illusion of the space between objects. I get to explore them in a still life. It seems that what I choose to paint is of interest to me, I'm not sure how well they speak to others.

8" x 8" oil on board

blue glass and green

2009-03-01T20:01:00.000-08:00

With this painting I found my inspiration with the colors of the objects. The pale green Poppytrail platter and yellowgreen Bauer bowl. The color of these two pieces of pottery made me want to paint them. I added the blue glass and quartz sphere to add more interest. Painting glass is freeing. To capture the illusion of glass you go for an impression of what you see. I don't literally try to capture every nuance. If I did I would end up with something overworked and distracting in my composition. In this painting it is the shadow of the glassware that place the objects within the bowl.

8" x 8" oil on board

Thinking of painting glass I am reminded of an early painting I did around age 13 after receiving my first set of acrylic paints. I painted a bunch of zinnias in a glass bowl, set with an arched recess in a wall. The painting was maybe 12" x 16", the glass vase maybe 3" round. I had trouble painting the glass and asked my father for help. he used about 3 brushstrokes and made it look like glass to me. It was like magic. I would stare at the painting afterwards realizing that the brushstrokes captured the essence if the glass sphere more than a physical representation of it. I've learned not to be afraid of painting glass after that. About 20 years later I painted a large zinnia painting. Thinking at the time of that early painting. When my father saw it he said it reminded him of a painting he did years earlier. I knew it was the same painting he was thinking of. I suppose maybe he could of helped me paint more than that vase, but I remember it as my painting.

gumball and spacey machines

2009-02-28T22:37:00.000-08:00

This was the painting that was on my easel the first time I blogged. It is a fun juxtaposition of some spacey toys and a gumball machine. I glad to show a better image of it. If you want to see the subject in relation to the painting check out my first blog.

8" x 8" oil on board

I have been working on my floral series, a painting of Quince.

2009-02-27T23:04:00.000-08:00

Painting an object more than once gives me the opportunity to explore the relationship of the subjects. It seems when I paint something repeatedly I am an often surprised by how a object appears differently in different surroundings. As with other things, it is the environment that has the greatest influence.

both 8" x 8" oil on board

I started a new paint series today. I have a show at the end of next month and I am hoping to have a few new paintings to show. I am greatly influenced by my environment. I have been enjoying the spring weather and the trees blooming. I decided to paint some floral paintings.

float in a boat

2009-02-26T22:00:00.001-08:00

This painting of a glass ball in an elongated dish was the painting I did just before I started this blog. I had not had time to take an photograph of recent work till this week. I do enjoy this one. A cast iron candle holder is holding a quartz sphere and the spirals of the table top complete this composition.

8" x 8" oil on board

tossed aside

2009-02-25T21:40:00.000-08:00

I often paint a subject more than once. I try to capture a likeness of a subject. It's always just an impression of a part of what I see. There are so many ways to represent what is in front of me. I An artist must choose what to show and what to leave out of a composition. There are endless possibilities. I can finish a painting and feel there is more I missed than I captured. Painting something more than once allows more to be expressed. I have found that objects I've painted many times loose there attraction once I felt I captured them to my satisfaction.

14" x 11" oil on canvas

A True Classic

2009-02-24T22:03:00.000-08:00

A denim jacket tossed aside on a modern chair. Symbols of style. The objects that combine to form a composition, tell a story, set a mood. Is there a story? Will a painting ever tell it all? The things we surround ourselves with probably tell more about who we are than any bio we might try to write up. I look at this image and I see the history of the objects. I know the owner of the jacket, I know he left wearing mine. The lamp that once fit in a suitcase was purchased in a place where colonial had value and mid-century has none. A small abstract figure painting on a block of wood that was left abandoned when a studio changed hand. The phone now disconnected because the ringer is ear-splitting. Things come together all around us, how we see them determines how the story is told to us.

It seams like I'm babbling, making up words instead of letting the image tell it's own story.

8" x 8" oil on board

cats eyes and pigtails

2009-02-23T22:48:00.001-08:00

CATS EYES 24" x 18" oil on canvas

Again in this painting those precious earrings mentioned in my previous post appear. What else can you with them. I added them to a pin cushion holding a few pins, brooches actually. I've done quite a few paintings that include pincushions. I like the absurd little figures that surround the cushion. I have managed to collect quite a few of them; different colors, different sizes, different number of little pigtailed figures, some old and some new.

pearl earings

2009-02-23T21:55:00.000-08:00

Family Jewels 8" x 8" oil on board

It happened again. The color temperature switched when I attached this image. I liked the switched colors so I attached both versions. The top one with the cool shadows and warm pearls is correct. I had to take this image into photoshop and save it differently. I have no clue why this happens, this is the second image I had a problem with. There was no known difference to the way this originally was saved and the way all other images I posted except the fore mentioned other mutant. They all appear correct in all other aspects.

Anyway, about this image. The earrings that I painted here were once worn by a dear friend, Mary. Well as the story goes she wore them more than once. I saw Mary wearing them and I told her how good looking they were. She offered them to me. I turned her down. What am I going to do with earrings? Even if I had piercings these would not fit my personal style. Times go by I forgot all about these little danglers. I see Mary wearing them again. Again I tell her how nice they are. They are nice. Well she wants me to have them again, and I can not get away from her with out these earrings. Now I have them, so I paint them. I've done a few paintings with these gems included.

plastic icons

2009-02-22T19:51:00.000-08:00

A lot of the fun of painting a still life is choosing a subject. On these two paintings I focused on some small plastic religious icons I came across. The plastic quality of the subjects is what attracted them to me. With both these paintings the use of color is a strong element within the compositions. Focusing on the transparent qualities of the plastic was a challenge. I always seek a challenge in my paintings. I paint to see what it will look like in a painting. I find something I want to paint and then look for something to paint it with. It important to me to choose objects of the proper scale and color to make the composition exciting.

both of these paintings are 8" x 8" oil on board

clock on the wall

2009-02-22T19:17:00.000-08:00

The first stage of this wall is completed. These scrolls are the background for grape vines with leaves and clusters of grapes. I like it as it is and probably would not take it any farther but, grapes just don't mean a lot to me. If I had actual grape vines to work with I would be all over this next stage. right now the vines are bare.

painted finishes

2009-02-21T20:56:00.000-08:00

Today, I have been working on doing a painted finish on a wall. This mocha colored wall has a 30" round clock that hangs on it. I am painting some scroll shapes in iridescent colors to go behind it.

I have done a lot of painted finishes in the past. I like what can be done on a wall or piece of furniture with paint. There was a time when I had quite a paint collection. I was a wall paint junky. If I saw a color I liked I would buy it. I would go to hardware or paint stores and buy the cans of mismatched colors. The paint was cheap and I could do so much with it. At one point (it could have been the point of no return) I realized I had hundreds of gallon paint cans and countless quart cans. I can only recall having paint mixed to order once unless I was going to paint a room, it was a quart a black-purple, and that was over 20 years ago for a particular piece of furniture.

I don't have that much paint now, though I do still have some paint from that stash as well as some that came my way more recently. Much of it has dried up by now, the worst part is finding a color when you want it and these cans take up a lot of space. I find it best to limit my pallet with these paints.

Working in oils I have a lot less demands on my space.

plum blossoms

2009-02-21T00:44:00.000-08:00

I working on some branches from my red leafed plum tree. I brought the branches in the house on Monday, Today Friday, so maybe it's very early Saturday already, the branches are about 50% open. The petals haven't started to fall yet. My first year living in this house I brought some almond branches in. As they started losing there petals, my house began to look like it snowed indoors. The look was spectacular, but it did require some intensive housecleaning afterwords.

This painting, 20" x 10" oil on board, is only getting started. I realise I want the paint to dry out a little before I continue. Besides I'm just tired, it's been a busy week. The white flowers require a little effort to maintain a clean white color with the burnt orange behind it.

tonight's painting

2009-02-19T22:58:00.000-08:00

I ended doing a painting of some Disney characters that were on the shelf in in the case. There was so much to chose from it was hard to focus on any one subject. The mice in dresses seamed strange standing there with Happy.

8" x 8" oil on board

Art Walk at Crow Trading

2009-02-19T22:31:00.000-08:00

Tonight was the art walk in Modesto. These are some of the paintings I had on display at Crow Trading company. There were about 5 other paintings I had on display there tonight. It was a fun evening. I selected paintings that had a lot of stuff in them since this store has a lot of stuff in it. There were some fun people who came through. I realized how much I enjoy talking to people about painting. I got to share thoughts on painting techniques with other artist. It was an enjoyable evening.

blog drama

2009-02-18T20:43:00.000-08:00

I'm having trouble attaching images today. I don;t have the patience for it right now. The colors have been reversed or they just won't attach.

I dropped of a stack of paints at Crow Trading company today for tomorrow's art walk. It is a fun place to hang out so it will be even better to paint there. It is always a lot of fun for me to paint on location. Having my paints is like having a security blanket or some other talisman that removes any social insecurities. When I'm painting I'm ruler of my world.

Anderson gallery

2009-02-17T23:35:00.000-08:00

Last summer I had a showing of my work at Anderson Gallery in Modesto. I had 32 of my 8" square paintings in the show. There were larger pieces being shown but i wanted to share this photo of how one wall was hung.I like the small images placed together in a grid. It gives the impression of a story board, but there is no corresponding story.

I tried to add another image but the warm and cool was switched again.

money plant

2009-02-16T17:49:00.000-08:00

This is more like it. I had to save the image as a gif file, I do not know why this image would not work as a jpeg.

Money Plant 24" x 24"

This view from my easel shows a couple of figure sculptures I did while I lived in San Francisco while working with sculptor Marilyn I. Rodriguez. Both sculptures were originally done in clay, the female is in it's original fired clay form the black piece is a bronze. I once tossed the stripe fabric aside after using it in a still life, it landed on the sculpture and I liked the turban look and that fabric has been there since.

2009-02-16T14:25:00.000-08:00

Ok I've been blogging for a week now, and I still pretty much clueless with this process. I don't know why or how things happen with this. I attached 2 images the top one seems to have gone through some transformation in being placed. It not a negative of the image the white did not turn black but the warm colors turned cool and the cool warm. Interesting to look at but it's not right.

These two paintings are currently at Crow Trading Company, 1208 J Street, Modesto CA

I will be there this Thursday evening for the Third Thursday Art Walk, 5 to 9 pm. I will have a selection of paintings on display and will be painting there that evening. If you can make it please stop by. There will be other artist displaying their work at various locations in downtown Modesto most are within easy walking distance

The above paintings are different than anything else that I posted so far. These are not oil paintings. They are acrylic/mix media paintings. The painting process is different due to the quick drying nature of the water based media. I tend to mix a lot of my colors on the painting with oil paint, that would not work with these paintings.

Both are 24" x 24" on board

Brass Lanterns, the bottom image, is a view of some vintage lamp parts. They once were hanging swag lamps, and who knows? maybe some day they may hang again.

Gallo Gala

2009-02-15T22:37:00.000-08:00

This pair of paintings was done in October of '07 in front of the Gallo Center of the Arts in Modesto California. The show was call 'An American in Paris" and they had continued the entertainment during intermission to the outside of the building these two nights. They had food from local restaurants, live music, plein air painters, wine & champagne and more in front of the Gallo. I was set up to paint there both nights. The top image is October 5th, bellow it is October 6th, There is about 20 feet difference from where I was set up those two nights. The second night people would start to linger hoping I could capture them in my composition. It was fun trying to capture likeness of people as they drifted by. I would see some one standing some where and would have to remember the pose as they moved on. some of the figures started out as one person and evolved to someone else as the night went on.

These are both 9.3" x 9.3" oil on a thick board

The second painting (Oct. 6th) is sold

I enjoy painting in public. I'm seldom disturbed by the crowds as long as I have enough space. My first public painting experience happened over 25 years ago. I worked for a screen printed sportswear company that sold a horse themed product line. The name of the company, Horsen' Around seemed the perfect venue after leaving Boeing where I was an illustrator. I did not think it odd when asked at the job interview if I ever used an airbrush. I had, once. I painted a sign using stencils. I soon learned that was to paint portraits of horses on jackets and sweatshirts at a horse show in two weeks. I took my airbrush and 2 colors of paint out to a friends barn to try airbrushing freehand. It was great, I felt really good about this new medium. Went back the next day and could not do anything. Seems you really need to clean those things. If those two days were switched I would have never gone near an airbrush the second day.

I had a Polaroid camera, and would take a picture of the horse to work from. I did not know anything about horses (still don't) but I would work to capture a likeness of what's on the Polaroid. I much prefer working from life rather than photographs. I like my oils better than the airbrush. I have a set up that is pretty portable. A pochade box on top a tripod, a bag with my paints and other supplies and I'm good to go.

My favorite memory of painting at horse shows was when I had to paint someones truck on the back of a Members Only jacket. He watched me painting it as his girlfriend was performing in the ring.

Cambrina

2009-02-15T12:51:00.000-08:00

These two paintings were both done last summer during a weekend trip to Cambrina, the little town just south of Hearst Castle. The bottom one is Moonstone beach the top is off the deck of the house we stayed in. I set up to paint as the sun set, I did not get to start painting till close to midnight. I had to eat then play some games while my paints were set up and the moon was leaving the sky. Painting in the dark, or near dark is a bit of a challenge, You must know where the paints are on your pallet and still it is always a surprise to see the colors in the morning.

8" x 8" oil on board

I have a red bar across the top of the page that says ERROR, and the auto save function is failing I'm not sure this will post.

family

2009-02-15T11:17:00.000-08:00

I got 2 images to post but now the text is underlined.

Don't have a clue how or why.

Above are two paintings I did while visiting my family during the Christmas holidays. My brother was a decent model he held the pose so well that when he did move it was disturbing. He was watching the first three episodes of MAD MEN. I missed most of the show while painting and had to watch them again first chance I got. Great show full of some very cool lamps. My mother doing the crossword puzzles was not aware she was the subject of my painting and was not holding a pose. I can see where a little more editing of brush strokes would have been helpful. Her head appears wider in this painting then in life.

both: 8" x 8" oil on board

Green & Glass

2009-02-15T08:50:00.000-08:00

Here is the painting I completed last night. I started it right after I finished with zombie ken. I had been thinking about the reasons I paint what I paint. The subjects I choose vary a bit. Ken was strange as was that ceramic piece he stood with. So I like strange, no surprise. I was thinking about what else attracts my eye. One subject of interest is color. Placing objects together for there color relationship is something I do. The painting on my easel was chosen because the yellow-green Bauer bowl and the pale green Poppytrail platter were setting on my dinning table, I had company last weekend and had not put the crockery away after it was washed. I liked the colors together, I was in the mood to paint with a cooler pallet after the warm tones that surrounded ken. For interest I added the blue glass, a cobalt blue sphere and a fluted turquoise bowl, there is also a quartz sphere sitting in the bowl. Of course the table top, a warm reddish brown, sets off the shades of blue, yellow and green.

a seasonal disorder

I had expected to paint with friends today. A group of local artist get together about 10 times a year and paint and socilize in someones studio or home. The combination of good friends and good food is a good working environment for me. This weekend's "Paint Day" at Gaye & Don's home was rained out. Their house is surrounded by orchards that is still more dormant than vibrant this week, in be a week or two blossoms will be everywhere.

INSIGHHT:

I probably would not be living in the central valley of California if not for the almonds. My first visit to the area must have been in March 2000. The almond orchards were in bloom. As a visual person I was enthralled. It cast light on the whole area that did not dim until after my stuff was here. I have often said the reason I'm here is because it is where my stuff is.

I peck away at these keys wishing the screen would be in focus without having to ware glasses.

I have noticed for years a feeling of regret and sorrow when the orchids bloom. I begin to morn there loss before they leave. The two weeks or so when they look to be covered in what looks like snow even though the weather feels like spring is so mesmerising that I can not get enough. I feel I should be painting all the time, and even if that was possible it would not be enough.

happy S A D

2009-02-14T17:05:00.000-08:00

Fleur-de-lis

8" x 8" oil on thick board

In this painting a small dish embellished with a blue fleur-de-lis and ring along the edge, with a few candy message hearts, sits on a Melamine (plastic dinnerware) saucer of that very early 70's orange color. It was painted a year ago as an valentine with someone in mind. The contemporary idea of valentine's day is something I do not identify with. Everything is red and pink. The cadmium red light of the dish is as close to a red as I wanted to get. This so called holliday is a marketing product that exploits peoples' feelings. It is all about "showing your love" by spending money or is it more about increasing the awareness of people who are not mated up. I think it would be a much better day if we handed out valentines like in grade school. If you don't have a oddly shaped card with a heart on it to hand out — a smile will do.

today is SAD

Singles Awareness Day

if you are single today, you know it.

I saw someone this afternoon wearing a green plastic bowler hat. Seams this holiday is over and the merchandising is in place for the next consumer holiday.

Zombie Ken & life's pattern

2009-02-13T06:44:00.000-08:00

This painting made me wonder why I paint what I paint.

It sometimes surprises me the subjects I chose. I have noticed some patterns and themes even but I wonder "WTF"! I suppose the same can be said of what I chose to collect. Another pattern is forming, it brings to mind the patterns found on the floor to a casino, not all patterns are good.

I like to paint what is in front of me. Working from life, even if it is still life is a is a challenge that intrigues me. When you are looking at something for the length of time it takes to do a painting, you realise that the perspective you are looking at your subject changes. At least for me. I do move around some, not much, but my head would need to be immobilized to keep my line of sight consistent. It is having the reference of the subject in front of me that allows me to study the relationships between areas of the composition.

Zombie Ken

8" x 8" oil on board

OK this subject is maybe not the most main stream. This Ken doll, it's an old one in it's original suit without a shirt. Ken is kind of stiff, a little dingy, seedy, looking and oh yea, there is a big hole on his right side of his head. Looks zombie to me. Here I paired Ken with a swoopy ceramic dish holding lucite grapes, a fun combination (to me anyway) but not a subject of mass appeal. For added challenge I added a small carved sandalwood urn. The urn smells like in incense. I suppose the challenge here is keeping unrelated objects looking like they have something in common. Maybe I'm painting the space between things. I don't know and don't have the time to think of this now.

Paperwhites & Pincushions

2009-02-12T07:03:00.000-08:00

Paperwhites and Pincushions

8" x 8" oil on board

These colorful little pincushions with there tiny little people holding hands around them is another thing I seam to collect. Surprised? Here grouped with blue vases and a F-86 Sabre from north American Aviation, Inc.

I wish I could group images together in one entry. Maybe someday I will figure it out. I find that trying to group words together in an interesting and informative manner is a more difficult early in the morning. I'm trying to balance the desire of keeping up to speed with this blog. This is day three. Already I feel the pressure to perform.

2009-02-12T06:57:00.000-08:00

Paperwhites

8" x 8" oil on board

One of the best reasons for living in CA is that you can often find flowers blooming even in January.

These paperwhites in the blue pitcher are standing upright because I used a Floral frog to secure them. No big deal, that is what frogs do. Ececpt this is the first time I used a frog. I have collected them or years, I must have about fifty or more of them.

2009-02-12T06:33:00.000-08:00

Blue Pitcher

8" x 8" oil on board

So far all of the eight inch square paintings have been recent going as far back as last month. Newer work has not been photographed as of yet. Most of these small paintings have been done in one sitting, only a few needed to be adjusted the next day.

This blue pitcher is about five inches round. I was attracted to it's color, simple shape, graceful handle. I knew that I would want it in many paintings. The table top that it is sitting on is one that shows up in many of my paintings. It is an old library table that I painted shortly after I moved to CA, probably in 1992. The top has 1/4" lines and spirals of colors inlayed in the paint. I went a bit over the top with this one, I timed how long it tool each layer of color in the spiral took, about an hour, each spiral has about 20 layers. The end result was spectacular but the time involved was overwhelming.

water pistol

2009-02-11T21:09:00.000-08:00

Space Gun

8"x 8" oil on board

This water pistol with three rockets in graduating size and saturn embellishing it's handle also had the word "S P A C E" spelled out on it. It is placed with a modern boomerang shaped ashtray, a few marbles and a blue plate.

I don't feel I captured the transparent quality of the water pistol in this painting. So I'm sure I'll be painting it again. I have noticed that in the past when I have trouble capturing the essence of a subject I will have to paint it again. There is a yellow green and grey vase that I have that painted many times before I felt I really captured it. It would show up in one out of four of my paintings there for a while. I seemed to lost interest in it once I got it. I haven't painted that vase in over a decade, but of course it has been packed away for the last eight years.

Buck Rogers

2009-02-11T20:18:00.000-08:00

Buck Rogers Sonic Ray

8"x8" oil on board

In this painting a toy gun (flash light actually) is sitting on a sketch book.

Who would have thought that I would end up with a gun collection. Not much of a collection yet but I've seen this kind of thing has happened before first there is one toy gun then before you know it there are more. I haven't painted all of them, yet.

I think I have some other Buck Rogers stuff somewhere. I have a costume that was purchased from the estate of Mary Pickford, if I remember the provenance correctly. I recall it being silver lamé with a lighting bolt across the chest. I don't know if Mary P. ever had a Buck Roger experience. It could have been from some other science fiction story. Maybe someday I'll pair up the dress with the gun in a painting. Don't hold your breath.

Tracy Art League

2009-02-10T18:23:00.000-08:00

This painting of a pond with waterlilies in Oakdale, CA is going to be on display in Tracy Art League's Expressions 2009 show.

info for show at: tracyartleague.org

Artist Reception Feb. 13

show hours: 2/14 & 2/15 11am to 5pm 2/16 to 2/20 4pm to 8pm