View from the Grasslands, Mission Trails Oil on Panel 9″ x 12″ 4/23/09

I decided to work a bit closer to home (this scene is only a mile or two from here) Sadly, my Mt Woodson paintings are on hold for a little longer as my client is wanting to make yet more changes to this big project I’m working on, grrrr! If I go to the mountain I will be too far from home (my workplace) However, I can always slip away for a couple hours or so to make little paintings like this one.

The grasslands is stunning this time of year, not yet too hot during the day and over the next couple of weeks thousands of migratory birds stop over here. The late afternoon light makes everything seem magical. Hopefully I can explore this feeling by making several more one sitting paintings over the next couple of weeks or so until I can get back to my mountain. I love this place!

Mt Woodson Boulders #23 Oil on Panel 8″ x 10″ 4/13/09

I have been distracted over the past few weeks with animation work from Boston as well as a trip up to LA and a few other things. But I did manage to hike up the mountain again to work on this study. I’m not sure what I think about it yet. I really need to continue with these studies and find more ways to simplify and yet keep the light, space, and form of the boulders rock solid. I find it maddening to keep my focus on simplification rather that description – whenever my attention wavers I always seem to slip into wanting to add detail. As I clear my things to do list of non-painting work I hope to return to the mountain with renewed vigor to deal with this issue. As a note of interest, while working on this painting a bobcat walked behind me only a few yards away – according to a couple who happened to be walking nearby at the time. I was crestfallen that I didn’t get to actually see the bobcat myself!

I have been spending more time with my other blog, Painting Perceptions. It has been helping me with my own work by looking at how other painters have dealt with this simplification issue. I just wrote an article about Edwin Dickinson that hopefully will be useful to someone. I am also planning a trip in a couple of weeks to both Boston and Philadelphia to see show by both my old teachers, George Nick and John Moore. I also plan to see the big Titian, Tintoretto, and Veronese show at Boston’s MFA along with the big Cezanne show at the Philadelphia museum of art. As an added bonus there is also a Scott Prior show at the Alpha Gallery in Boston. I am pumped!

View from the alley Oil on Panel 9″ x 12″ 4/18/09

I meet with Pat Kelly and her Urban Landscape class at the Athenaeum Music and Arts Library of La Jolla. Some great new cityscape painters in the works here. It was fun to paint with some other people in an urban setting, not something I usually do. This is the fruits of my labor over a couple of hours or so. Thinking of going back to that alley in University Heights and doing some more little paintings. Several very engaging views with abstract configurations of buildings and what not.

View of the Cabrillo Bridge Oil on Linen 20″ x 24″ 3/29/09

I’ve been working on this painting over several sittings. The color is somewhat darker and less muted in real life so I may replace the image later with a better photo.
I had to put my boulder paintings on the back burner temporarily and work on this painting that is closer to my home as I have some of my medical animation freelance work I’m in the middle of. By the end of the next week I should be back on the Mountain full-time, can’t wait!

San Diego Farmer’s Market Building Oil on Linen 30″ x 42″ 11/01/07 – 3/29/09

I think I’ve finally decided this painting is done. I hope to do more in a similar vein in this location.