Road to Nicasio - afternoon painting - Sold

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Nicasio Hills - morning painting - Sold

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Rocks off Bodega Head

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"Pumpkin Farm" - Sold

This was painted the week before Halloween in Petaluma, California. I tried to suggest pumpkins in a field without having to get too detailed. This painting was also exhibited in November & December 2007 at the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association's "Less is More" miniature show.

Near Shell Beach - Sold

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I started this painting on the last day of the Slo plein Air event but didn't get it finished. I went back out with Mike Rada after we turned in our paintings and finished it. As we were finishing our paintings Walter Porter came out and started a painting.

Mission Park, San Luis Obispo - Sold

This was painted on Saturday's Quickdraw for the SLO Plein AIr event. We had 90 minutes to complete the painting and then it was auctioned off in the park. I had a hard time deciding what to paint and ended up trying to capture the light as it passed through these eucalyptus trees. The refected light on the trunks were all quite different and beautiful. I forgot to shoot a photo until after I framed it. Ed Terpening was kind enough to take the photo as I left my camera in the car.

Rocks by Shell Beach - Sold

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In the afternoon of the third day of the SLO Plein Air event Mark Ruszczycky took me to this scene and we painted in the fading light.

Across from Bishop Peak

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This was painted in the morning on the third day of the SLO Plein Air event. The previous day I saw this scene while painting Bishop Peak so I came back to the same spot.

Glimmer of Morro Rock

This was the evening painting for the second day of the SLO Plein Air event. I got to this view of Morro Rock just as the sun was almost down. I loved how the rock disappear into the atmosphere and tried to capture the light in a 45 minute painting.

Bishop Peak - Sold

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This was painted in the morning on the second day of the SLO Plein Air event. Bishop peak is just outside of San Luis Obispo on the way to Morro Rock.

Hollister Peak

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This was the first painting I did for the 2007 San Luis Obispo Plein Air event. I painting this over two days, 2 - 3 hours per day. I had a blast painting this size and want to do more larger pieces on location.

Girl with basket

The model was next to the Petaluma River on dried grass. The colors in the scene were beautiful and I tried to capture them in a 40 minute pose.

Quick color sketches in sunlight

These are each under 20 minutes. These paintings from the last few days were done at a workshop at l'Atelier aux Couleurs in Petaluma, California where I also teach. The instructor was Peggi Kroll Roberts who is awesome. She focuses the students to see the big shapes, light against shadow, covering the board quickly. If you get a chance to study with her or her husband Ray Roberts I highly recommend them.

Antonia in ballerina outfit

Antonia seated in a ballerina costume. 20 minute pose.

Quick Color Sketch

Another quick sketch working on keeping light and shodaw separate.

Color Sketches

These are quick sketches to warm up. They're 10 -15 minute poses.

William Sitting Bull

This painting is available at The Link Gallery.
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This is my quickdraw portrait of William Sitting Bull, the Great, Great Grandson of Sitting Bull. I was really happy with the way it was going. I had 90 minutes to finish it and I could have used a little more time. William is an excellent artist himself and we are at the same gallery, The Link Gallery. Check the link in My Links to the right to visit the gallery's site. Most of my Estes Park paintings are at the Link Gallery.

Note:
William past away earlier this year and the world is a sadder place for it. He was a unique soul and a talented painter. We had a combined opening and a fund raising auction for him in Cheyenne last October in an effort to raise money for a kidney transplant. You can see some of his work at: http://www.linkgalleryonline.com/williamSittingBull.php I apologize that the site hasn't yet been updated to reflect his passing. Keep William and his wife Bonnie in your thoughts.

Saint Vrain, Lyons

This painting is on display at The Link Gallery.
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The red bluffs in this painting are the same bluffs as the day before in Last Light. My painting location from the day before is to the left of the red bluffs a few hundred yards. I am now across the road and and the Saint Vrain River looking back at the bluffs.

Last Light at Hall Ranch

This painting is available at The Link Gallery.
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After I finished up the Hall Ranch 9x12 I saw the last bit of light on these right bluffs and decided to go for it. I spun my easel around and scrambled to get a 6" x 8" on my easel. I quickly sketched the composition with the light in this position. I put some broad strokes of color down because I knew the light wouldn't last. Within 5 minutes the light was gone from the red bluffs and I had to finish that part from memory. I finished the mid ground and added the blue sage to the forground.

Hall Ranch, Lyons - Sold

This painting is available at The Link Gallery.
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We went out toward Lyons, Colorado and found several scenes we wanted to paint. This is at Hall Ranch looking back toward the road we just came in on. Something about the fields of yellow grass with the red rock and distant mountains made me want to paint it.

Just Around the Bend

This painting is available at The Link Gallery.
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On the second day of the Estes Park Plein Air(PA) we went to one of the parks and I started wondering around. I didn't find anything that really got me going so I turned around to head back and saw this scene. I decided to try to capture the light falling throw the trees even though it wasn't a signature Estes Park scene.

Guardians of Lumpy - in private collection

This painting is available at The Link Gallery.
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This was the first day of painting for me at the Estes Park Plein Air event. I had started another sunny painting looking to the right of this one but the sun kept going in and out. I'd switch back and forth for a while but the coluds finally won out. I liked how these rocks stood out against the ominous sky.

Bay Trees - in private collection

This was my Quickdraw painting on the final day of the Alameda Plein Air. I believe this was a 90 minute painting. I am on the south end of Alameda looking back at Bay Farm Island across the estuary. The reflected light bouncing back up on these tree trunks are what caught my attention.

Morning Glimmer

This is painted on Bay Farm looking east toward the Oakland hills. There was this reflected glimmer of the rising sun behind the bush that caught my eye.

Sally's Bougainvillea - Sold

There are some great houses in Alameda so I decided to try an find one to paint. I found Sally's house by driving around until something caught my eye. I loved how the colors worked in this scene. I noticed someone working in the garden and hoped they wouldn't mind if I painted there. After a while Sally came over and introduced herself and asked what I was doing. I said "I love your garden so I'm paintng your house". She seemed to like the idea and came over several more times to watch the progress. Several of the neighbors came by and were very nice. One of the little boys came and gave me a sketch he had made after he saw me painting. I still have it on my wall. Sally arrived bright and early on the day of the sale and purchased the painting. I hope she enjoys it as much as I enjoyed painting it.

Last Light across the Bay

I came back to the bay on Bay Farm Island to paint the sunset looking back at San Francisco. I found this fading pattern of light and decided to try to capture it with SF in the background. The shadow patterns crawled right off the canvas and I was having a hard time seeing the colors on my painting by the time I finished. I had about 45 minutes to get this painting covered.

Alameda Lagoon

This was painted at the lagoons in Bay Farm for the Alameda Plein Air event, Jewel by the Bay. There are walking trails along the lagoons and you can walk to the bay to look across at San Francisco.

Sarah Relaxing in Wicker Chair

Sarah lounging in a wicker chair. We are almost to the end of the fantastic workshop. Hope to do it again next year.

Little girl on Beach

This little girl is a cutie that was next door to where we set up to paint each day. Joanette finally talked to her mom about having her sister model for us one afternoon. A little while after her sister started modeling her friend came down a sat down next to her. A little while later her younger sister came and sat down next to her; and pouted the whole time.

Sarah on Dingy

Sarah sitting on the dingy on another overcast day. Sarah has been modelling with the Egelis for several years and is a great model. She is also a heck of a painter! She paints a mean sunset. Sarah brought out a bunch she had resently finished and I had to have one; so I bought one!

Krista on overcast beach

Krista was lounging against an old beat up dingy on the beach. We waited for the sun to come out but it never did that day.

Diver between jobs

This young man saw us walking up from the beach after the workshop started. He was waiting to start a dive on a ship off the cape and the next thing you know he was modeling for us the two weeks I was there.

Krista with Pink Scarf

Krista posing on the beach in Provincetown. I took a workshop with Cedric and Joanette Egeli there in June & July for two weeks. They have a tremendous knowledge of the human form as two of the top portrait painters. They also studied color with Henry Hensche and teach painting mud heads on the Cape.