untitled autumn slough

                                                               oil on canvas 50x40


 From a study done in 2011, both are improvisations based on memories of Minto Brown Island. This progressed quickly and I was feeling brilliant. Then came two weeks of tweaks as I tried to reconcile a simple but looming shape with the delicate intricacy of the vegetation. A 'stillness' was what I was after.


At the Clackamas Art Extravaganza I bought another inexpensive new paper made from rocks called Mineral Paper by Yasutomo. I was assured it was tougher than Terraskin but it isn`t. My problem involves the multimedia I usually end up using in a work on paper. Acrylic binds the paper along the edge to my drawing board and when I very carefully try to lift it free, it tears! When that began happening to the painting below, I stopped and got a box cutter and cut the painting out leaving the edge. This is not acceptable but I did like the painting even if it was a little smaller than I intended;

                                Over the Sea 31 11.75x 8.75 watermedia on Mineral Paper


 Loving pure color, pattern and complexity, I was smitten immediately when I discovered the work of the Lebanese painter Huguette Caland. Take a look at the magic she weaves;

                                                                 Huguette Caland

                                                               Huguette Caland

                                                   It`s fun being Huguette Caland!


 No new I pad paintings from me this week but scroll down here and check out Cynthia Wick`s vibrant slideshow.

                                                Father and Son by Cynthia Wick


In case you missed it in the 1970s, here is the incredible chocolate chip recipe from the Diet for a Small Planet Cookbook. One and a half grams of complete protein in each cookie! And they`re delicious!
[notes to the right are for a double batch]

[WW=whole wheat]



My workshop in Coos Bay July 10;

work for sale in my studio

Bryant Woods Spring

                                          Bryant Woods Spring oil on canvas 40x40


 From my unexpectedly beautiful walk in the rain last week in Bryant Woods.
I guess as the new normal, this Spring too is a month early. It`s beginning to feel like Northern California!
Lots of small experiments in this one. I wanted the forest to be in shadow but with a lot of color variety and texture. As usual this involves placing paint down in a given area then moving it around with squeegees and spatulas, cutting through it with rubber scrappers, wiping it with rags and drawing into the wet with q-tips. Section by section. Nearly every successful idea requires adjustments elsewhere. Eventually it coheres or doesn`t, more luck is involved than skill. But I don`t give up easily. The foreground was to be the brightest element just as the meadow was the day of my visit.


 The magnolias are out and as splendid as always! What an extravagant tree, it`s nearly embarrassing! These 8x8 studies on wood were created in 2008 for an arts benefit sale.

 In 1983 my brother Gary clipped a article out of the Oregonian newspaper and sent it to me in Santa Fe. It was a review of the poet Lewis Hyde`s book 'The Gift'. It had the provocative subtitle of 'Imagination and the erotic life of property'. [Since changed] Well that was too intriguing and I bought it immediately. Right from the start this guy started explaining the way art comes into being and why I found the life of an artist so confusing. I have never been quite as educated and consoled by a single book. I reread it every few years and always find new insights. The introduction is beautifully written and seductive. You can read it here and this includes a link to a pdf file you can download of the whole introduction. If you`re not moved, do stop, it`s not for everybody.

 The deadline to apply for a residency at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology on the gorgeous Oregon coast is fast approaching! April 18!
I`ve stayed twice and each time was exceptional. This is the perfect opportunity to really concentrate on a project, I highly recommend it.

                                                  Autumn Slough I-pad painting


 A study for a large painting I just completed and will post soon. Procreate is perfect for composing as it is easy to change things quickly.


My favorite Frida Kahlo;

                                     What the Water Gave Me by Frida Kahlo



work for sale in my studio

Boundary Marsh - big ceramics!

                                                      Boundary Marsh oil on canvas 50x36


 I asked Matt McCalmont to make me some large canvases for my show this summer. In non standard dimensions. This is the first one I`ve painted on and it was a pleasure. More wetlands though the whole region, including my yard,  would qualify as one. In 24 years of being in the Northwest, this is the only winter I can remember where I was so stymied in my walks. Huge pools of standing water right over the paths, fallen trees, mud of every description and downpours that no one would venture out into. Two days ago I desperately wanted out of my studio to stretch my legs somewhere beautiful. It was raining and I almost didn`t go but we`re into a Spring pattern already and I knew there was a good chance it would stop in awhile. It did not but I was so glad I went! Bryant Woods is my go to forest for quick refreshment and it`s stunning right now;

 And last week we got away for an overnighter in Oceanside;

 Absolutely my favorite place on the coast! Sort of tricky to get to sometimes. This recent trip required a pilot car to lead drivers over a washed out road on a cliff overlooking the ocean. The only other road was closed because of a culvert collapsing. Nonetheless, so gorgeous once we were there! Just a couple of restaurants and motels, no shops but a spectacular setting at the base of a huge bluff. The sunset was foggy and opalescent and when I got home I did an I pad painting of it;

                                                                  Oceanside I pad Tipton

                                                             Jeff Blandford with one of his pots

                                                                  Blandford


Here he is throwing 300 lbs.
I love ceramics and once made a couple of pots myself, it is not easy. I`m especially impressed with giant pots. In the photo just above, he has weights in that backpack to help give him leverage. Take a look at his work.

                                                              Tollef Runquist


 Another young artist I`ve been watching is Tollef Runquist who lives on the coast of Maine. This guy is a natural. His work looks so effortless yet it is intelligently composed with great wit and skill!


Evil dies too, goodbye Justice Scalia. You could never mention homosexuality without disgust and contempt. Your denial of racism in our society was as racist as could be. You did not recognize the sanctity of a woman`s right to choose what is best for herself and her body. You will not be missed.


work for sale in my studio