Monday, July 26, 2010

Swim


1976.
When I was a teenager in Calif., swimming in the ocean was my ultimate pleasure. A few years later, I tried to show that sensation in this painting.
I`ve got murky creeks and wetlands going on in my studio in all sizes and stages. I mix oil paints with alkyds for faster drying times yet I`ll often have three or four pieces in process all wet and not quite ready for the next session. I`m not a patient person.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Dark Pool Beneath the Cedars


This is the painting that confounded me last week. It`s hard to walk away from something that isn`t working out but it`s usually the right thing to do. By setting it aside, when I returned I could see that my source material was the problem. I got rid of some content, altered the scale and just began making random experiments. Now, I wasn`t so invested and my original response to the subject came through. There is something compelling in these Northwest rain forests, they are so dark yet so generous.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Dusk on the Creek


2004.
I`ve been working intently on a small piece and it just isn`t coming together. I have that ridiculous feeling that I now have so much invested, I must persist. Or, get on with my life, cut bait, run away! It`s uncomfortable.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Thursday, July 8, 2010

The Cliff Joins the Water 2


This is the largest painting I`ve done in my new studio. It`s another of the Oswego Creek series I`m working on. Early Spring in a wet place is so dynamic!

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Cliff Study


I`ve got a big version of this in process and it`s going well. I`ve discovered though, if I have an inspired idea, get something of it down before it dissipates. A long time friend from my New Mexico years was visiting this week and we were sitting on a boulder at the mouth of Oneanta Gorge with the cliff walls lush and spectacular. So much plant life just spilling off! I had to paint it.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

#2


This is from 2001. I`ve been a blogger for two years today. Met some really nice people and learned to put feelings into words. Not a bad idea for someone who lives in their head.