small paintings, small buildings

small buildings have always been interesting to me. there is something about the diminutive size and the scale to the surrounding landscape, as well as their purpose - that gets my attention. recently i've come across several that are particularly engaging and started a series of paintings of them.

sierra gas station, gouache on archival mat board, 4"x6"

dam-keeper's cabin, juncal dam. gouache on archival mat board, 4"x4"

train shack, lompoc. gouache on archival board, 4"x6"

weather

March has been relatively calm so far - rain has brought us a new green world, filled the creeks and river and brought the watershed to life. It's been great to get outside again to paint. I'm continuing to work on the "river" project with the Rose Compass, trying to get some larger pieces going. We will be showing at the Wildling Museum in January 2018.
We've been getting out to Surf Beach in Lompoc, where the Santa Ynez river meets the sea. I've posted some of that work on Rose-compass.com

We've also been going out to Naples and Dos Pueblos Ranch, in preparation for the SCAPE Gaviota coast show at the Bacara in April. 

Sad note is that Easton Gallery will be closing this summer - the last show will open in May. Ellen Easton has been such a force for landscape painters in Santa Barbara and the last show will really honor that by including as many of the artists that have shown with her over the years as possible. I am honored to be a part of that group.

Libby Smith and I will be preparing for a Fall 2018 exhibit of our work at the Architectural Foundation. So still some things in the works. 
My painting of Contrails was chosen for a feature article on 'OutdoorPainter' web magazine about painting clouds - it was fun (and a surprise) to see it on there.


Here are some recent oil paintings (something about fences going on)

eucalyptus at Naples, oil on panel, 9"x12"

old gate, dos pueblos ranch, oil on panel, 9"x12" 

out building, dos pueblos ranch, oil on panel, 6"x12" 

goats, dos pueblos ranch, oil on panel, 6"x12"

hello 2017

One has to move forward with hope in spite of the things around us that tell us otherwise. Ars longa, vita brevis - what we do with our short time here is more important than ever. Make good art, yes, but also show kindness, dignity, respect, compassion, civility and love wherever you can. We are all in the same small boat and it is not a reality TV show.

So onward with working and exploring this beautiful world. My annual New Year's Day painting, was a short start from the road, finished later:

santa ynez river, hwy 101
gouache on board
3"x4"








I'm continuing to work on the "river's journey" project, which has now expanded to being a larger show at the Wildling Museum, January 2018. We went back to same place a couple weeks later, after the big rains, only to find the river still in puddles.

river ruins, santa rosa road, gouache on board, 3"x4 1/2"

goodbye 2016

So, it is the end of a productive year and the eve of a new and creative time. I reached some unexpected goals this past year - showing my work in the 3 best art galleries in town (Easton Gallery, Sullivan-Goss and Marcia Burtt Gallery), as well as other local venues (Faulkner Gallery, Gallery 113, Palm Loft Gallery, the Bacara) and nearby Museum exhibits (Wildling Museum, Santa Paula Art Museum). Also started working toward some new and future projects: the Rose Compass group (A River's Journey) for 2017, a final group show at Easton Gallery, and a 2 person exhibition with my pal Libby Smith in 2018. Who knows what else may come along? It's just important to keep working, regardless. 

The last few weeks, being hectic with holiday events, still provided some time to paint and have some great adventures. The Rose Compass group spent a day touring Jameson Lake/Juncal Dam with our guides Chad and Louis from the Montecito Water District. The Lake is at about 6% capacity, creeks dried up and watershed sadly barren. It was amazing to see this up close and personal, driving and walking the back-country roads. Thankfully we have had a little rain - enough to pull us out of our year-round fire season - but not enough to offset the drought conditions. Check our web-site, rose-compass.com for updates on that project.

Lib and I got out to paint at Tucker's Grove several times - looking at the same oak tree. 

old oak I, oil on panel, 8"x10"

old oak II, oil on panel, 8"x10"

So here's to a New Year of more painting, more shared adventures and trying to make the best of everything.

mid-december

cold weather snap and even a small bit of rain - enough to green things up, but also to fool you into thinking we might be out of the drought. No such luck.

A break from painting with the Rose Compass group and back to some Monday painting as well as catch up in the studio. Hard to get time during the holidays, but we will get a special treat to visit Jameson Lake/Juncal Dam next Tuesday. This is the first stop in the Santa Ynez river watershed and the reservoir feeds Montecito.
Should be pretty striking to see and great to have time to paint there.

Came back from the Ranch retreat with a fascination for sycamore trees. We found some beauties at Tucker's Grove.

sycamore clump, oil on panel, 9"x12"

this was a gray, low cloud day at tucker's grove, a good 20 minute walk up the trail. we went back 2 days later to keep working on it. the light of course was different, but it was good to have another look.

I've worked in the studio on some of the paintings started at Marcia's ranch:

sycamore at the ranch, oil on panel, 30"x30"

beautiful tree near the road, my pal, Libby is painting in the distance.

early morning shadow, oil on panel, 8"x10"

a quick study, standing in the cold shadow watching the sun light up the distant hills as it rose over the mountain ridge behind us.

late sunset hills, oil on panel, 8"x20"

Marcia would say, "believe the color you see"

post-thanksgiving post

hmmm... interesting meanings for the word "post": as a preposition it means subsequent to or after something; as a noun it is a vertical upright support for something or as a means of sending something (think postal service or by post) and as a verb to announce, display or publish something.

November brought some fun times: painting and exploring the Santa Ynez river, 
a photo-shoot with the 'roses', spending 4 days at a painting retreat with close to a dozen other artists at Marcia Burtt's ranch near Santa Maria (added bonus of the 'super moon'), celebrating a 100 year old birthday with a dear friend from the sierra's and the holiday that involves all day cooking and a large fowl.

some gouaches from the ranch:

early morning fog, 3"x4"

'super' moonset 6:30am 3"x4"

sunlit hollyhock, 3"x3"


still finishing up some of the oils - it was wonderful to have whole days to paint in a beautiful setting. 

early morning light, oil on panel, 5 1/2"x 14"

I am posting images on the new 'rose compass' website - work from the watershed project. 
All six of us are posting images and thoughts about our experience out painting along the Santa Ynez river:
www.rose-compass.com

still green , 3"x4"

umbilicus flumine, 3"x4"

this last one was done from a view of Bradbury Dam on what used to be Cachuma "Lake". The water is so low that there is a flexible pipeline that moves water from the lake to the river below, through the dam. I was struck by the slice of landscape that I saw through the dam opening - something one would never normally see from the lake-side of the dam. It reminded me of an umbilical cord feeding the river - or maybe an IV tube. very sad.

On an upbeat note - I will have 2 paintings in the annual Sullivan-Goss Gallery "100 Grand" show and continue to show small gouaches at the Easton Gallery.

change of season, change of time

short, but intense and steady rainfall washed all the lingering dust and ash off the landscape. monday painting at the santa ynez river has been fruitful and so lovely to be outside seeing the 'fall colors' such as they are in our southern california world. getting up in the dark with the shorter days is rewarded by stunning morning light and color.

the "rose compass" group has been working along the watershed in preparation for a 2017 show at the Wildling museum. we are developing a separate website for that project, which should be up and running soon.

these are some of the small gouaches from the last couple of weeks:

dry creek with waterline, 3"x5"

riverbank, 3"x3"

sycamore by pool, 3"x3"

white rock, rey fire burn, 3"x6"

matchsticks, white rock, 3"x6"


and as a total change of pace, I did a wonderful 3 hour still-life workshop with Meredith Brooks Abbott.  it was great fun and a good group of people. she is a treasure and it was wonderful to watch her work. this was my effort:

parsley, turnips and lemons, oil on panel, 9"x12"


another work finished from the trip to humboldt county in september:

rusty barn, oil on panel, 10"x20"