Waiting

Waiting 12x16 oil from a photo, but mortified. This is a typical Los angles corner kid waiting for a bus. Looking into the hazy late afternoon some where most of the color is unified by light and haze into that LA warm grey. I'm still trying to capture the light just right, this is still a bit to yellow. The centering of the kid was deliberate, an exercise in breaking the rules.

Gun Shots and GOLD.

While we wait for some urban's to dry, here is a golden oldie painted at Whittier Narrows in 2004. Recently, I added the warm light.
I don't paint this smooth, yet hard- edged anymore, but I thought it was something at the time. WN is a lovely park of man made lakes only compromised buy those freaking' little motorized power boat races, the distance popping of Koreans shooting at the practice range and the hiss of male flesh hooded fighting ducks...

Riverside is Grey

A week or so ago I went to Riverside to paint with the Riverside Plein Air painters association. We went to a old castle like estate that’s been converted to a Christian kind of work farm for teens called Teen Challenge. Most of the painters painted the main building, I wandered around back where they have a vineyard. Sometimes a grey day will present you with and interesting problem to solve, other times you just do a blah painting. The vineyard one isn't my best, but I decided to post it anyway it the sprit of keeping fresh material on the blog. The palm tree one was from later in the afternoon. On the way home I stopped and spontaneously decided to paint this view, the light was going fast so I had to work fast. It's a bit rushed looking, but I like it better that the morning painting. A simple design is often better.

Equestrian Alley

Oil 8x10
Here is an alley in Burbank in an equestrian neighborhood where the ground is still unpaved with garages right next to stables. The funny thing we met a guy who lived off the Alley was a Plein air painter on his way to paint in Malibu. I don't think it occurred to him that his alley was a perfectly good spot to do a paining. We all had a good ( artist joke) laugh on that one. The silhouette in the painting was a real guy going up into a hayloft.

The Saint of Melrose

Saint of of Melrose is one of those lucky moments that happens sometimes when you are in your car in traffic and have your camera. The title came from the homeless guy happening to be in front of one of those Hispanic "saint stores" where you can buy your Virgin Mary statues and the like accessories. The sun was a little brighter in the moment, but I toned it down ( in the painting) on the face of the building so the viewer world look at the figure that was glowing in a "saintly light". I was struck by his confident stride, like he really had a place he needed to go.

FORUM ALLEY

Here is a studio paining done a few weeks ago I finally got shot at artworks. It's 24 x35 oil on Wood, from a photo. As my painting friend Tony Peters an I went in the Forum gallery last month, the alley struck me as making a good painting. Being that the Forum is on my short list as a gallery I want to get into, I felt motivated to do something new and strong. So when they see this work, I hope this "clicks" with them. I was also inspired by the Pizarro / Cézanne show we saw that same day.

Chinatown

Here is a quick small painting done as a gift for my framer in Chinatown in LA. 6x8" oil. He framed something for me for free as a Christmas present. (We do a lot of business.) I was going to just give him a random painting in return, but didn't think that would interest him as much as a shot of his own business and the thought that I did it especially for him. This presented a small inspiration problem at first as it's not a tremendously interesting building, but by looking around I found the right angle and pushed the colors in what I hope was an interesting way. The more traditional building behind it helped give it idenity. The owner "Thai" and his brother Phillip have very good prices, lovely frames and are polite and generous to artist regulars (see the frame on Still Life in a lower blog entry.) I drive all the way from Sierra Madre into Chinatown to use them. There number is (213) 621-O471 and tell them I sent you.

On another note I want to thank everyone who wrote me via my article on Boing Boing, it's been overwhelmingly gratifying with all the kind letters and new connections. Also A thank you to Mark at BB for posting.

Model Head

For a change of pace here is a recent painting (8x10 oil) of a model named Patty at The Los Feliz Workshop. There is a fellow painter there who is in charge by the name of Jennifer McChristian who's work has positively influenced me. I'm also posting an example of one of her tiny 25 minute oil studies... Mind blowing eh?

JUNK YARD

Here is a golden oldie from about 6 months ago. This is the inside of a used car parts place, a little more organized that the usual junkyard. This place is near the LA river just north of Chinatown. The guy turning away was doing just that because he saw I had a camera and didn't want to be photographed. Robert Williams has more that one title for his paintings, maybe the second title for this one would be: Lemmie out of here! This painting is in the running for the ray mar painting contest. I don't expect it to win, but I'm hoping to place.

National Ready- Mix

This in not my first Cement factory Painting, but it's the biggest and I think closest to the new direction I'm headed in. I keep trying to push the energy paint stroke factor, edging toward more abstract / design elements. 20 x 24 oil on wood.

All my big paintings are done in the studio from photos or studies or both. This was from a photograph taken late in the day when the place is quiet. Earlier in the day the place is a mad house with huge gravel and cement trunks coming and going, jostling for position. A young Hispanic kid on a forklift was really interested that I thought the place he worked might be the subject for a painting. He was zipping in and about all the organized chaos on his little fork lift.

Gravel Pit off the 605

Here is a industrial from the City of Industry, about 30x40... a big oil for me. The subject is a huge gravel pit filled with water you can see from the 605 headed south. I hopped the fence on a Sunday and later got caught by a guy who worked there who wanted to know didn't I see the trespass sign and all that . I told him yes, but I was a Painter taking reference photos. He paused and said he liked to paint old trucks and then he drove of shouting "but today I'm going fishing..." Letting me go about my business.

Last two

Two of the four paintings I have at the Christmas show have sold. These are the two that are left. At $300 I'm going lower than my regual price in order to sell out so the gallery will take me on a regular. Pray for me folks.

Forth Still Life

A little change of pace. I never had a still life work for me before. It was more interesting that I thought it would be. Doesn't have much to do with my local city theme, but I did paint it in Glendale.

Little Christmas show

Show ( below )went great last night. sold two paintings out of four. The one pictured in the posting below and this one.