Just Wow

Today’s inspiration.   I just love living here.

April17th

Newer work #99

This is the last of a series of collages available in mats.

1427fittogether_w

#1427 Fit Together. Watercolor collage on foamcore, 7.5×5.5 in mat to fit 10×8″ frame. $45.
Includes the words “It will all fit together beautifully”.

Sunrises and Sunsets

550seacrestsunset7_wI had a painting accepted in the Sunrises and Sunsets Art Exhibit, held by Fusion Arts.  There’s no excuse for not seeing this exhibit, despite the current closure of most facilities, because it’s online.  Happy to see that my friend Diane Morgan won one of the awards.

La Mirada talk and demo

Last week I went to the monthly meeting of the La Mirada Art Club to talk about my work and demonstrate part of my process for them.  I was fortunate that one of the members agreed to take some pics of me working while I was assembling the refractured watercolor.

1setup

Here’s the empty room, just when I’d set up.

2lowersky

After having watched me brutally hack up my painting, I start by assembling the horizon. 

3apatchofblue

I usually am looking at the sky the ‘right way up’…..

4building

…and I usually start with the top of the sky….

5reallymoving

Now it’ starting to come together.

6closetodone

Sliding some deeper blue under other pieces.

7allwehavetimefor

Well folks, that’s all we have time for tonight.

8whatidid

This is the layout that I created at the demo, but I just picked up the pieces without marking their places.

1438turquoisejewels_w

This is the final product

The poem in it reads:

Dawn leaves me speechless

These gold and turquoise jewels

precious beyond words.

 

Newer Work #90

Watercolor collage

#1404 “Stretch” 7.5×5.5 watercolor collage in mat to 9×7. $45

“Stretch” is reminiscent of a painting I did in the early days where the tree reaches into the sun.  This one though has a poem – a haiku – written for it and into it:

Stretch into the light
My leaves are needing the sun
Food comes from the sky.

An award

I was happy to learn recently that in the 3rd Annual Skies Art Exhibition at Fusion Arts I received an Honorable Mention for the painting below.

Sunrise with Creosote

“Sunrise with Creosote” Oil on canvas 30×40″. $1500.

 

A forever home in Flagstaff

A recent sale of one of my larger paintings resulted in this young couple hanging a beautiful view over their dining room table.

Oil painting of Salton Sea

“Away we go” has the following poem written for it and painted in just below the horizon. (The birds that it refers to aren’t easily seen at this distance.) The days approach the dawns’ bright glow we stretch our wings away we go.

A forever home in Palo Alto

A recent sale at Palo Alto subsequently got back to me as a pic of the painting in its forever home.  This one might not look as interesting as you would think it could be, but I knew before the new owners took it home, it was going in the guest bathroom, so most of the surrounds are omitted for aesthetic reasons.

Refractured watercolor painting

“I thought this would be” has the following lines written for it and painted into the horizon areas: I thought this would be the view I’d live and die with but the sea recedes.

Newer work #89

“Daybreak on earth”‘s name is inspired by the beauty that I am still seeing in ‘Dawn off my back porch’, and the fact that the Salton Sea is drying up.  Some day in the not too distant future there will be no water reflection.  And it’s not just here right in our lap, it’s everywhere.  Climate change is observable in our lifetime and will eventually render the planet utterly different than we know it.  But it is still worth getting up in the morning and seeing what the world has to offer because as far as anyone knows, there are no dawns and sunsets in heaven.

refractured watercolor dawn painting

“Daybreak on Earth”, 9×12″ refractured watercolor on panel. $110. The poem written for and painted into this painting is: Daybreak in heaven never looks like this! Heaven has no day and night

Skies Exhibition.

I’m happy I was accepted into this online exhibition and received an Honorable Mention.  The couple who run this are local and I’m hoping that at some point I will be included in the in-gallery shows.

The 3rd Annual Skies art exhibition is now open. Thanks to all the artists who participated and congratulations to the winners and finalists including Best in Show winners, James Griffin (Traditional), Pavlos Evangelidis (Photography & Digital) and Diana Fernández (3-Dimensional). Click HERE to see the exhibition. Also visit our YouTube Channel on September 8th to see the exhibition videos.

1181sunrisewithcreosote_w

“Sunrise with Creosote” Oil on canvas 30×40″. $1500.