Excavator Action and Painting Demo

Here is a recent big painting, painted for inventory for my one man show in October at Segil Fine Art. 26x48 oil on wood.

Also I have paint demo coming up-- Not a workshop, you just get to watch me do a painting. I will cover my teaching theories at the same time so it's like a workshop, but you don't get to paint. ;-)

Plein Air Artists of Riverside

invites you to join us
Wednesday, April 18, at 6:30 p.m.

for an oil painting demonstration
by award-winning plein air painter William Wray
Fee: Free for all PAAR members
$5 admission for non-PAAR members (applicable to the $20 fee to join PAAR).
PAAR members must also be members of Riverside Art Museum.
We will accept membership fees for both RAM and PAAR at the door.

Place: Riverside Art Museum Information: Joan Coffey, 951-789-8865
3425 Mission Inn Avenue coffeycreations@yahoo.com
Riverside, CA 92501
www.riversideartmuseum.org
951-684-7111

On the Way o SLO

I still haven't gone to Artworks to pick up my big paintings so here is one I painted recently with my SLO Gallery in mind, literally from a reference photo taken from the car on the way to Just Looking Gallery. I was trying for a really buttery stroked Ray Roberts kind of approach to the brushwork with a quick spontaneous attack. Still working on getting the clouds right. Oil on Wood 16x24.

I recently discovered the work of Zhaoming Wu.

I'm so knocked out by it I 'm ready to move to San Francisco to take his classes. I love how he mixes the roughs with the soft in both his painting and drawing. I bought his books and they are well worth it with large good reproductions. I now feel like all my edges are way to hard, time to loose them! All art below Copyright by Zhaoming Wu.

See his link 10 down form the top of my links------>>>

Recycling, A little new one + Hollywood Mannequin

Oil 8x10 ( slightly cropped)
Looks like the Repaints went over like George Bush in Baghdad. Here is a little study of a Hollywood Mannequin from my trip with Tony. I must say taking photo's of "Sexy" window Mannequins made me feel like a creep. I didn't get any dissenting looks from that assumption by passers by. This one is a study for a possible series dedicated to Dan the (Urban Barbarian) who owned a few of these until he got married.




All oil 6x8 on linen board





I haven't made it over to Artworks to pick up my big paintings and don't have the time at the moment to write part two of Tony and my sign trip-- Maybe he would on his blog if you ask him nice. ;-)
So Here is a little art recycling. Here I have taken a bunch of old paintings a re- worked back into them. Glad I didn't sand and gesso then, they look sort of ok now. Originally these were painted really thin, now I dragged some chunky paint on and fixed the contrast and dull colors.





Road to Chantry Flats 9x12--
this is a little cloud study I did just up the street from my house.

Bill & Tony's Two Day Sign Safari and a painting

Last week Tony and I drove around the Valley and Los Angles on a trip he mapped out looking for fifties style signage to photograph. Starting at the old Van De Camps in Arcadia, we hit bowling alleys, restaurants, Liquor stores and the like.



At this Diary that is still in operation. In the greenery on the right was a mystery man in the shadows at a bench provide by the diary, a wholesome spot for the kids to drink their milk fresh from the Dairy. Times have changed as Tony was lucky enough to get a frenzied tongue overture that left no uncertainty to who's milk the mystery man wanted to drink. We tried to hit him with Tony's truck later, but he was to quick for us.








We came across drive- in signs that were missing their drive- in screens and " twofer" restaurants where the new Asian owners didn't feel like tearing down the old signs.






I found this Meth whore ranting to herself in a empty old used car lot. She was kind enough to offer me some potato chips from her blackened fingers, but I wasn't hungry so I declined. She explained that she wasn't a drug addict or a whore, I'm sure her teeth were falling out because of her advanced age of 30. Note the blackened doorway were the locals tried to burn them out the night before. What a lovely world!




We had the worst most overpriced "Martini" at this bowling alley on Washinton Blvd. then went to a local bar called the Embers (as the the fires of Hell.) No Martinis, but great service, the prices were fair and the Liquior not watered down.The artist who painted the murals behind the bar was was and alcoholic set designer who paid for his bar tab at the Buccaneer in my home town of Sierra Madre in the same fashion, only with Pirates instead of devils boys.




We hit some of the same spots of the way back for 'Nocturne" versions of the shots. No fuss during the day at this Liquor store, but this time the middle eastern owners spotted us and started giving Tony the third degree. I came running over to them waving my business card yelling:" My friends, we love your Liquor store, were not middle eastern terrorists who want to blow upon your place, we love Liquor and drink it often! I may make your store into art, into a painting." "You should pay me then" said one of the owners said half seriously. I said: : That is only fair. I will purchase a bag of M and M's from your store!

Next time of to Inglewood... Fired Chicken, Angry Indian women defend their shitty Motels with scolding finger and the brothers tell me where to go.


Here is a little PA painting of a Church in Sierra Madre that has nogthing to do with the trip. Oil on board 9x12

All That's Left

oil on board 12x16
This sign is all that's left of what was apparently a restaurant called Grandview Gardens in Los Angeles's Chinatown. There is now an empty lot behind the sign with lettering identifying the spot as Chinatownland.
I searched in vain for a picture of the original building, but have so far come up empty handed. I wasn't satisfied with the original lighting on this piece so I went back and did some glazing and re- stated paint into it. Now I like the lighting, but find the paint a tad overworked in places. They can't all make you totally happy.


I have a old painting in a new book... info:
: Plein Air New Mexico; Volume One of the Jack Richeson Fine Art Series. The editor of a new book Maggie Price. The book was released in the fall of 2006, and retails for $49.95 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. For more information, see www.richesonart.com; Phone orders: 800-233-2404, fax: 800-233-2545.

Boyle Heights

Oil on wood 16x24

Took a "wrong " turn the other day and ended up on the edge of East LA in a Hispanic neighborhood that was a bit run down but improving. It has some great old houses that have not been fixed up since they were build in the 20's/ 30's, just my speed. Walking down a back alley I cam across this cheapjack apartment. It ended up being one of the best reference photo's so I painted it up. I'm working on a big house painting from around the block, but stalled out on it, so this will have to do for now...

Lonley Bus

16x24 oil on wood

Here is a pulled out view of of the area where I painted Dark Bus.