View my watercolors at Red Rock Coffee, Mountain View, in April & May 2024
"GRIFFIN" (8" x 10" - COMMISSIONeD)
I worked with Griffin's owner who commissioned this piece as a surprise for his wife. Griffin passed away in April 2023. We worked collaboratively, with colors to represent how the owners felt about their beloved pet. After several studies exploring different color palettes and watercolor styles, I did this final painting in a limited 4-color palette, and the owner loved it!
LOS ALTOS APRICOT BLOSSOMS I
Done en plein air at Los Altos Heritage Apricot Orchard on a warm spring day, I enjoyed the looseness of this gestural painting where just enough was conveyed yet everything is clearly understood.
LOS ALTOS APRICOT BLOSSOMS II
Done en plein air at Los Altos Heritage Apricot Orchard on a warm spring day, I enjoyed leaving the whites of the paper for the bright blossoms.
LOS ALTOS APRICOT BLOSSOMS III
Done en plein air at Los Altos Heritage Apricot Orchard on a warm spring day,
I find I am drawn to watermarks that add unexpected charm to my paintings.
BEDROOM WINDOW
I happened on these roses through my bedroom window, and was struck by the color temperature variation on the petals that told me where the sun was hitting the translucent petals and where some petals were in shadow.
SECRET INGREDIENT
I love playing with white and dark shapes in a simple still life with limited color.
GARLIC - VALUE STUDY
I delight in doing these small value studies and am always suprised by how the adjacencies of darks and lights still tell the viewer what the study is about.
ALLIED ARTS SHADOWS
I did this en plein air at Allied Arts, Menlo Park, paying attention to color temperature and complementary colors.
ORCHIDS - STUDY
A black and white value study of the Orchids painting below.
ORCHIDS
Just two colors, and what a harmonious palette and astonishing number of colors emerge.
QUICK BREAK (11"x14" FRAMED)
I enjoyed the moment between these two cyclists at Nisene Park. The lean of the bike of the figure on left was especially appealing. This was done as part of the weeklong Capitola 2023 Plein Air Invitational.
CRUISING THE CREEK (13"x13" FRAMED)
I was fascinated by the trusswork of the Trestle Bridge and walked along the Riverwalk for this exact view. It was serendipitous that a canoer cruised past just as I finished sketching the bridge, as if she knew the exact moment I would need a figure under that bridge. This was done as part of the weeklong Capitola 2023 Plein Air Invitational.
"WALKING THE HUMANS" (11" x 14" - SOLD)
I enjoyed the early morning light at Nisene State Park and did this en plein air during the week in Capitola this year.
ALL IS WELL (12" x 18" FRAMED - SOLD)
I did this reprised black and white painting from Depot Hill as the sun was setting, creating a bright glare. Uncannily, in the same view that I painted two years ago, I broke up the wharf because the bright glare of the sun was dissolving it in the middle. Now, unfortunately, there is a real break in the wharf because of the storms, but all is well as construction is happening as evidenced by the crane hard at work.
BRIGHT'N BATHING (14" x 18" FRAMED)
As soon as I had finished this sketch at Brighton Beach, a woman and her dog appeared in my frame, ready to be captured. It was timely and wonderful to add life to an otherwise quiet landscape.
HAPPY HOUR (12" x 18" FRAMED)
This was done in 1.5 hours from start to finish in the Quick Draw event in Capitola. I used a complementary scheme for harmony and enjoyed the background pattern of the wharf piles between the people in the foreground. This won a Special Award (judge: Paul Kratter) at the show and sale.
WHARF AT WORK (12" X 12" FRAMED)
I painted another square painting from the same spot as "Look What the Waves Brought In" two years ago. This time, it was the busy work of the cranes and construction crew as the wharf was being repaired. What drew me to this scene was the crane breaking up the view of the ocean and distant hills.
"SHIMMERING MOSAIC" (12" x 12" FRAMED)
I loved the way I cropped this view of the restaurants over Soquel Creek from Stockton Bridge to fill up the square. Like a mosaic, there is color everywhere.
"PACIFIC PERCH" (12" x 16" FRAMED)
Rather than paint the Pacific, I looked back on these beautiful homes perched on the hill, looking at their slice of the Pacific.
"TETHERED" (11" x 17" FRAMED - SOLD)
The storm broke up the Capitola wharf, but this half is still tethered to its other part, ever hopeful, as work continues to repair, rebuild and rejoin.
"MORNING WALK" (11" x 18" FRAMED)
I visited and painted at Pleasure Point for the first time this time in Capitola, and enjoyed the snaking coastline tied together by the fence and the movement of walkers.
"MORNING LIGHT" (8" x 10" UNFRAMED)
Just a pair of complementary colors and 30 minutes on this painting.