Last Light, Bodega Bay

"Last Light" - Oil on panel,  8 x 10 inches

A quick painting I did over the weekend.  A view overlooking Bodega Bay during the last moments of a summer day.  This one was sold directly off the easel to the property owner next door who sees this view from their house.

Another view of Mount Taylor

Here is a painting I did this afternoon at Crane Creek Regional Park.  I have done several paintings and sketches of this view in the last few years.  I keep coming back to it from time to time.

"Mount Taylor", Oil on Panel, 9 x 12 inches

Mount St. Helena

This morning I did a plein air oil painting of Mount St. Helena, as it appears looking across Lake Benoist.

View of Mount St. Helena, Oil on board

I have been planning to do this painting since last May, when I did a preliminary watercolor sketch at the same spot.

Mount St. Helena, Watercolor and pencil on paper, 9 x 12 inches

Note:  Since setting up at this particular spot on the lake shore requires carrying all my paint gear for a twenty minute hike from the parking lot, (and back again with a wet painting in hand), I probably wont be re-visiting this spot again in the near future.

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.

A Day at the Fair...painting

Last Saturday I took part in the Marin Fair Plein Air Painting Competition.

I found a good spot under some pine trees to set up my easel.

Some stilt-walkers came by,

and the band came by too...

 

...while I concentrated on my painting...

 

...until it was completed.

At the end of the day, I won a merit award and got to meet some new artists who are very talented.

Annadel Path

Watercolor and pencil on paper

Here is a watercolor I did from a photo I took while hiking on a path in Annadel State Park.  This is another one of those studies that I use as a guide for future studio paintings.  I have already started an oil painting of this scene, but decided to do this study to see if I can make some improvements with another version of the painting.  I like the composition of this scene, and think that it is worth while to do more than one version of it.

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.  

Charles Burchfield

Well, I fell behind on posting to my blog last week, so I'm sharing this link to a site that shows some examples of artwork by one of my favorite artist; Charles Burchfield.  I think there is a lot to like about his work and methods.

Charles Burchfield (1893-1967)

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.

Clearing Up

Oil on Paper, 8 x 10 inches

This a small painting that I did last spring when the sun finally came out after several dark, rainy days.  I tried to show some of the interesting cloud shapes that were moving around when the cloud cover was clearing up.