Benicia Boatyard - 2nd Version

"Carquinez Strait Morning" - 8 x 16 inches; Oil on wood panel

Here's the painting I did over this past weekend for the Benicia Plein Air Gallery 2018 Paint Out Competition.  For this entry I received the "People's Choice Award."  I really enjoyed this event and met some new artists and got better acquainted with ones whom I had met before.

This painting is another version of the boatyard scene that I painted during last year's event.  Though this time around I was able to anticipate some of the light changes and tidal inflows that occur as the morning progresses.

Water Street Alley - Petaluma

Water Street Alley seen from across Petaluma Boulevard.

The week before last, while visiting a downtown coffee shop, I decided to sketch the wall in the alley across the street.  I wanted to see how well I could render textures of stone and brick with a fair amount of detail.  The challenge was to keep the line-work from becoming too "busy".  Not sure how successful I was, as there is always a fine balance between having too little, versus too much, detail in a drawing. Getting that balance right is something I work at continually.

Crane Creek Dry Season

Here's my painting of a dry stream bed at the northern boundary of Crane Creek Regional Park. Based on photos, pencil sketches and watercolor studies done on the spot during several visits to the park during late summer.   

"Crane Creek Dry Season" - Oil on Panel; 11x14 inches