Old and new

Here's one from back in March when I went with my buddy Mike up to Tilden and painted at the Equestrian Camp behind Lake Anza. Got to meet little new baby Elliot too!

Tilden Eucalyptus 6X8 O/P

Next is from a great day out with another painting buddy Richard. We headed out to Fairfax up in Marin to check out Tim Horn's 'Open Studio' and shmooze with a genuinely nice guy and amazing artist. By the way, I'm now the proud owner of an original Tim Horn, a gorgeous little jewel of a painting that he did of an old Cadillac he saw in L.A. I really like Tim's simplification of forms and his strong sense of design, there's lots to be inspired by in his work for sure. So suitably inspired, we left the Horn home studio/garage, and headed West down Sir Francis Drake Blvd. then up Nicasio Valley Rd to the most perfect little farming village in West Marin. We found this ridiculously picturesque scene and set up. A word of warning, if you're painting here and near the road, be sure to go during the week. The noise of day tripping Harleys passing by every other minute, could very easily ruin the bucolic peaceful painting experience of the unsuspecting artist ; )

 

Nicasio Ford 6X8 O/P

Too cool to pass up, but looked nearly black and white when viewed from up front. A nice back lit scene though.

Happenings

Just some stuff you might see hanging on a wall somewhere : )
The Saulnier brothers Anthony and Chris were nice enough to let me park a few field sketches on the wall of their restaurant 900 Grayson, our absolute favorite place for breakfast. If you live in the East Bay (heck, if you're in the Bay Area at all), you HAVE to eat here at least once. You can't ever go wrong with their Chicken and Waffles with a side of Cheesy Grits (yum!). It's kind of neat how a theme emerged for this wall, I wasn't planning on a Berkeley theme, but it just sort of shook out that way. All of these paintings, with the exception of the seascape (Muir Beach) were done in and around Berkeley. Most just a few miles from the restaurant! These will probably be up for a month or two, or til they get sick of em' : )

Next up is a little piece for the "Take a Chance on Miniatures" exhibition at the Napa Valley Museum. I answered a call for entries which requested 4 paintings of which they would select one. They liked them all so I got to choose which to hang! I went with  this little cloud study I did in Bishop a while back. I actually hate this frame, but the frame I originally had on it before I read the fine print, turned out to be too large to keep the entire piece under 64 sq inches. Oh well, if someone does buy it, I can always point them to a Holton Studio frame.

From the NVM website:
"May 4-June 2 Napa Valley Museum invites visitors to take a chance on winning miniature works of art created by 80 participating artists in the Take a Chance on Miniatures exhibition, May 4 – June 2.  Many of the artists will be present at the exhibition’s opening reception on Friday, May 4 from 5:30–7:30pm. This year’s juried exhibition, curated by Jennifer Garden, features work in all medium including sculptures and paintings no larger than 64 square inches. All artwork will be raffled off as a fundraiser for the Museum. Visitors can purchase raffle tickets for $5 each or five for $20. Four awards (People’s Choice, Curator’s Choice, President’s Choice and Executive Director’s Choice) will be presented to the artists at the exhibition’s closing reception on Saturday, June 2."

That's all for now!

From the driver's seat

Just a quick sketch of a cool looking Mercedes bus thingy.

Color Notes

Done super quick because I spend more time wandering around looking than painting, as usual...

 

Among the eucalyptus above Lake Anza.  5X7 O/P

Last light at Wildcat Canyon. 6X8 O/P

For both of these I had just enough time to get the broad colors and values fixed before I lost the light. It seems lately, that once the sun  goes down it's just instantly dark, but, it's not long til the time change. Also, the countless miles of wandering can be a bit dis-spiriting at times, but it's allowed me to find some new spots, and see old ones in a new light. Can't wait to get back to these locations, I'm prepped with my new studies!

Pre-rain

The rains are coming now in full force, here are a few recents from brighter sunnier days.

End of the day glow in Tilden. 6x8 O/P

Arrival of fog at Inspiration Point. 5X7 O/P

Still here!

Just a post of a little painting from this past summer (sigh). I have been painting lately, but...

4th and Camilia in Berkeley, Ca. 6x8 O/P

More Gouache

I'm no photographer, but I do take loads of photos for reference, and of course they're overwhelmingly landscapes, but in this case the Masai are just such photogenic people I couldn't resist.

Masai Beads. Pencil and Gouache in my 3X5 Moleskine

This quick gouache study is from a set of photos snapped at a Masai women's craft market. I can see the allure for photographers, there were some real magic moments of interaction with these ladies. Some were camera shy, most very curious, and thanks to digital photography, they were able to see themselves instantly and candidly (I didn't see too many mirrors around the village) and I think they really got a kick out of it. I only wish I were a fast enough artist to be able to get on the spot portraits in paint. THAT would have been special!