Benicia Boatyard

A plein air painting I did of the Benicia Boatyard showing the Carquinez Strait in the background.

Oil on wooden panel; 8 x 16 inches

Recent Sketchbook Drawings

I have been making an effort to do more sketching as the opportunities arise, and then post them to this blog when I have filled a few pages in my sketchbook with drawings I think people might want to look at.  Here are some below:

"View of Baker Street in Petaluma, CA"

"Calm Day at Doran Beach, Bodega Bay, CA"

"Morning Shadows, Three Rivers, CA"

"Hillside, Three Rivers, CA"

"View of the hills, Three Rivers, CA"

Crab Park

Labor Day Weekend at Crab Park Beach on the Eel River Estuary, Humboldt County, CA.

Watercolor; 5 x 8 inches

Pewetole Island

Here are recent sketches of Pewetole Island, on the Humboldt County Coast, that I painted on the same day in August of this year.  My day of sketching started off with overcast and mist, so I concentrated on the muted tones and neutrals of the scene.

Watercolor, Pencil & Ink; 7 x 10 inches

Sketchbook study, 3.5 x 7 inches

Watercolor; 5 x 8 inches

Returning later in the day, I found different scenery with late afternoon angled sunlight on the island, which have I tried to capture in this sketch.

December Light - Pewetole Island

Watercolor study of Pewetole Island, located by Trinidad, CA.

Watercolor; 5 x 8 inches

Winter Waves

A painting I did a couple years ago of Schoolhouse Beach on a winter day.

Schoolhouse Beach, Oil on Panel, 12" x 16"

Detail view.

Painting on the Fourth of July

Here is one of two paintings I did at a spot along the Sonoma Coast near Duncan's Cove, yesterday afternoon.  The weather was especially nice for painting.  The wind was calm and the light was perfect. 

"Rock Beach", Oil on Board, 11x16 inches

The spot where I set up my easel.

Scotty Creek

Watercolor and pencil on drawing paper

This is another watercolor from my sketchbook of ideas for future oil paintings.  The sketch is based on a photo I took at a spot on the side of the road (Highway One) where Scotty Creek meets the Pacific ocean.  It was a bright day and there was a lot of reflection from the sand and water.  

Schoolhouse Beach Sketch

Here's another page from a small sketchbook that I carry around. This is a view of cliffs and rocks at Schoolhouse Beach. I drew this while sitting in the truck because it was a windy day.

Bodega Head Cliffs

Watercolor and pencil on paper

Here's a small watercolor sketch I did a while back of the cliffs at Bodega Head.  I've tried to show the effect of late afternoon winter light by contrasting the long dark shadows against the bright foam of the surf.

Hogbacks

Late yesterday afternoon I did these two quick drawings in my 3.5 by 5.5 inch pocket sketchbook of the "Hogback Rocks" at Wright's Beach, .  The weather was perfect for plein air painting, considering the time of the year.

Winter Shadows

Duncan's Landing Shadows, 3.5 x 5" sketchbook, December 2011

Duncans's Landing Cove, 11x14", Oil on Panel, January 2009

Duncans's Landing is on of our favorite spots along the Sonoma Coast of northern California.  We have stopped here many times over the years to watch the ocean waves crash on the rocks, or just read and relax here.  By now I have done more than a few sketches and paintings from this spot.  One feature that I have returned to draw and paint is the cliff and beach of the small cove at Duncan's Landing.  Above are two of my attempts to capture the deep winter shadows that are so characteristic of the northern California coast at this time of the year.

South Jetty Beach

Here's another page from my sketchbook.  This is a view of the dunes on the south jetty of Humboldt Bay on a cool, misty July afternoon.  (My wife and I had just traveled from a part of the country undergoing a massive heatwave and drought).  What a contrast!

Size 8-1/2 x 11"
Watercolor and pencil

Pier 39 Sea Lions

This is from one of my sketchbook pages where, at my wife's request, I did some quick sketches of sea lions that gather around Pier 39 in San Francisco.  It was a while back and the first time that I saw these sea lions.  I was impressed by their interesting postures and movements; not to mention sounds.

Size 8-1/2 x 11"
Ink and Conte crayon on paper

Pewetole Island Sketch

Here is an older (circa 2000) watercolor sketch I did of Pewetole Island near Trinidad, CA.  A camera malfunction meant that none of my photos of this scene developed, so this sketch is all I have to record this trip.

Sketch of Surf at Bodega Head

Ink and sepia wash on paper, 5 1/2 x 8 inches

It was a cold, windy day when I made this sketch of the winter surf at Bodega Head.

Pewetole Island

Size - approximately 7-1/2 x 10"
Medium -Watercolor, ink, gauche, Conte crayon and pencil

Russian Gulch

Oil on Canvas, 11x14 inches


This is a painting of a view of the Pacific coast from near Highway One as it appears during a late afternoon in the fall, just before the winter rains commence. This is a subject that I have painted several times, trying to capture the intense orange and gold hues of the coastal hills. It is signed in the lower left corner and painted on stretched canvas.

Rock Beach Surf

Oil on Panel, 8 x 10 inches
A windy March day.  Gleason Beach rocks are seen in the distance.

Schoolhouse Beach - Spring

Oil on Panel, 11x14 inches, Sold

Painted on a calm day at the Sonoma Coast.  The wind was mild for a change.