Mystery Girl at the Triton Art Museum

Mystery Girl oi 30" x 24"

 This painting is currently in the 2024 Salon at the Triton Art Museum ( www.tritonmuseum.org ). It was awarded an honorable mention. 

Norman and Neva

Norman and Neva (detail) oil on canvas

This is a detail of a large painting I've been working on for a while. The figure to the left is roughly half life size and the entire painting is 8 feet wide.

Road to La Grange

Road to La Grange oil on board 8" x 10"

Cup of Coffee

Cup of Coffee oil on board 5" x 3"

Tequila Shot

Tequila Shot oil on board 7" x 5"

The early morning sun shining through the glass and bottle created interesting shadows and highlights.

Kahlua

Kahlua oil on board 7" x 5"

Continuing the spirits theme.

Jalapa in Rain

Jalapa in Rain oil on board 5" x 7"

I haven't posted anything recently, but I have been working. I've been putting in full days churning out 25 small paintings for a show in April and May. I'll post them here when the show is over.

I took a few moments the other day to do this one for the blog. This is a view out the studio window to the hill above. It was pouring rain.

Brandy

Brandy oil on board 8"x8"

Continuing the drink subject.

Bourbon

Bourbon oil on board 5" x 7"

No, I'm not on a binge. I thought I'd do some paintings with reflected light and got out some bar ware, shaker, glasses, etc., and some liquor bottles. The glasses are more interesting with something in them and the liquor adds some nice pure color to the scene.

Small Shaker, Mini Martini

Small Shaker, Mini Martini oil on board 5" x 5"

Gates

Gates oil on canvas 12" x 16"

I painted this at a nearby wildlife refuge. The day was cool and partly cloudy. I could hear gunfire from duck hunters at the other end of the refuge, but at this end animals were safe. A coyote ambled across a dry marsh and nearby a great blue heron accompanied three great egrets. My concentration was broken by a big splash directly in front of me, followed by successive splashes that moved down the canal. Later a cottontail hopped close by, perhaps avoiding an owl that occasionally hooted softly behind me.

Ornamental Gift

Ornamental Gift Oil on board 6" x 4" December 2009

This is a small Christmas tree ornament, about 1 inch on each side.

San Joaquin River

San Joaquin River Filling oil on canvas 11" x14" December 2009

This painting was done at the same site as the previous painting but off to the right a bit as the center of the river bed is under about 3 feet of water. Flows are finally being restored to the river and began the first of October. It took about two months to reach this location which is very roughly 75 to 100 river miles downstream of Friant Dam.

11 Ball

11 Ball oil on board 5" x 7" November 2009

Yet another object rolling around the studio.

Wooden Toy Car

Wooden Toy Car oil on board 4"x6" November 2009

This is another object hanging around the studio.

Kathy Working Stone

Kathy Working Stone oil on board 6" x 4" October 2009

This is a sketch of Kathy intently working on a stone sculpture. She was standing in the shade so the colors and shadows are muted.

Cut Fig

Cut Fig oil on board 5" x 7" August 2009

More figs from our tree. The third crop is on the tree now, but as usual probably won't get to ripen due to cold weather.

Lover's Leap

Lover's Leap oil on canvas 16" x 20" July 2009

This is a prominent basaltic hill in the Diablo Range in central California.

San Joaquin River

San Joaquin River oil on canvas 11" x 14" July 2009

If it doesn't look like water, that's because there is none. Instead this is a river of sand, the water being completely diverted to irrigation and other uses. Supposedly water has begun to be released to restore flows but it is still dry here. It's a complex ecological and political problem.

Box Compass

Box Compass 8" x 10" oil on board July 2009

Today we have another object loitering around the studio. The compass and the telescope were purchased some years ago when I was reading some of the Patrick O'Brian books. I also used to have a brass sextant but that disappeared in a burglary.