Big Tree and a live Demo

I wanted to try to be really loose and expressionistic on this one. I fussed with the tree canopy a bit then rubbed it out and banged it in fast and spent a little time on the truck, but the rest was fast, fast, fast!


For those of you intrested I'm giving a demo May 18th at the

San Gabriel Fine Arts Association
425 West Las Tunas Drive
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626)282-1448
The demo is on May 18, at 1 PM. The admission is $5 per person. The location is at the Grapevine Room on 324 S. Mission in San Gabriel. It is adjacent to the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse.
Call them for more info

Or cut and paste this link:
http://www.barnesroberts.com/mezz/club/sgfaa.html

3am & Dead bird

9x12 oil on linen

For years I've thought about painting a nocturne of my Neighbors porch. One a hot night in April they left their porch light on by accident. I was watching a movie late and kept distractedly looking out thru my open door at this view. I finally went and got my Camera and snuck outside in my PJ's, nervous the whole time everyone would assume I was a peeping Tom. " Officer, I'm an artist, It's for a painting of their porch, HONESTLY!"

Sorry about the glare, I used some Liquin to darken the painting and it's very shiny.





both oil on linen 5x7
Sharon brought this little guy to me a few days ago, she found him dead in the street so I did a few studies of him then placed him were the coyotes would find him. ( unless I bury him deep they would dig him up anyway) Seems more natural than throwing him in the trash.
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The Big Blue and Fire-Fire- Fire!

oil on wood 18x24

Here is a view we see all the time but rarely paint. I was driving riding shotgun with painting pal Tony Peters when this gentleman drove by this big old blue car. With his matching outfit and his striking older face the image formed in my mind as a painting so I made Tony catch up to him and got a shot I turned into this painting.


Fire in the hills of our town.
It was scary as the mountains just above us burned badly. But we are just low/ far enough away not to be evacuated. Do to ideal weather conditions( for us) we could hardly smell the smoke is it funneled strait up and away. Don't know how bad it got in the canyons. The rumor is the Fire department concentrated on protecting the million dollor homes, letting the " hippy house" canyon fend for itself. Just a rumor at this point.




view from my front porch



Midnight reflections of fire light on my studio


The second night from my studio looking over my house... During the day it looked contained...

Yellow House and The Gold Medal Show

Oil 8x10 on linen

Just a little painting of a Yellow house in Pomona.( Not in the CAC show) Pretty close to the Foundry if I remember correctly. It sold it the second I brought it into the gallery. Sometimes when when that happens you wish you kept the painting.




The California Art Club will be opening its much-anticipated Annual Exhibition at the Pasadena Museum of California Art on Sunday, April 27th. A special Gala Reception will be held on the evening of April 26th.
a small painting of mine will be included in this nationally recognized exhibition. To preview the artwork
Go to the CAC Link ------>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Then look Under Annual Gold Medal then click View Art work to see it and a ton of great painting by all the members.



Portuguese Bend oil 9x12 on linen panel

A few weeks back I was lucky enough to be invited by Boomer Beach to paint at Portuguese Bend with the local artists and some out of Towner's like Viking 57. I'd like to name drop, as more that one of my hero's was there, but don't known the edict of the situation. It was a perfect day I heard one painter who lived there mention in all the years there he had never seen a nicer one.
Me being the rebel in my own mind didn't paint the rolling hills, but found a little gully with some rundown trucks and a metal storage container. I'm on the fence on this one...
I was feeling like I need a challenge so I picked a tough view and I don't think I simplified it enough and in fact, overworked the paint trying to get the trees right. Still, it was a lovely day screaming Peacocks and all. Later at dinner all the artists were all warm and accommodating to me, a stranger to most of them.

Beach Day

16x24 oil on wood.

Here is another beach themed " figure in the landscape" from a reference photo take by my friend Joao. Same Michigan Beach as the last one. I’m getting more and more interested in the figure in my work, my confidence building with this one. I'm more comfortable drawing extreme proportions than normal, so the huge mother and tiny child is a compelling contrast for me.

Sunland and San Fernando

San Fernando Blvd 12x 16 oil on wood
Here are two paintings near the corner of Sunland and San Fernando Road. Can you tell me what they have in common besides location?
Sunland is a pretty rough area; old industry, junkyards; gravel pits Garbage dumps and junkies along with hard working immigrants. A lot of Burbank and LA were built out of tearing the resources out of this area. After all these years they finally got their first health clinic this year.
I wanted to go into a nearby huge wild looking “pull your own” junkyard, but the feisty little Pilipino Barney Fife security guard wouldn’t let me take in the camera. Apparently I would make the thieves and EX- cons uncomfortable. It’s funny there’s still places were middle class whites can’t go.



Sunland and San Fernando 12x16 oil on wood

Olive and Victory

Oil 12x16 on linen
This is the corner of Olive And Victory in Burbank a half a block from Nickelodeon. The light was odd than day and taking a shot into the sun gave me a seemly under and over exposed picture. The challenge was taking this almost useless reference shot and making it into something. I don’t think it recognizable as the corner described as I just faked everything; it’s more a reflection of the dark mood I was in when it was painted.