Monoprints!

                                                                             20x20

                                                                           15x11

                                                                         20x20

                                                                            15x11


 To make a monotype, one essentially paints an image on sheet of plexiglass, a piece of paper is carefully placed on top and then this 'sandwich' is squeezed through a printing press. The painting transfers to the paper with surprising results. It`s an exercise in non-attachment as the painting will not look like the print, just 'related'. I tried this 30 years ago and wondered why I didn`t just eliminate the whole 'creating through pressure' step and just do a painting. The question remains though I know the answer;

                                                         monoprint by Jason Mayer


 Jason, who claims not to be a painter, dashed this off in moments. That`s why I try.

                                                         monoprint by Forrest Moses


 The idea is to make something spontaneous, send it through the press and see what you got. Hopefully something fresh and spirited like this one by the New Mexican artist Forrest Moses.

                                                         monoprint by Edgar Degas


 Degas did some too!
My friend, the formidable artist Don Gray, turned his studio into a laboratory and invited me, Ruth Armitage, Jim Young and Jason Mayer over to play with this process for a couple of days. Our leader and technical advisor was Jason. He was an extraordinarily patient and thorough instructor and he did not get much of his own work done. This party included a sleepover for Ruth and me and Don`s wife Brenda saw to our nutritional needs. What fun! The experience was carefree much like the plein air painting I do with friends. Such simple intimacy is too rare in my life.

                                                                monoprint by Don Gray

                                                                    Don and Ruth

                                                         Hog Island oil on canvas 20x16


 I did it! Finally a painting of Hog Island that feels like the place.

It`s those murky shadows under the trees that get me. In summer, with the oaks leafed out, it is just another green view. The mystery is a winter pleasure.

                                                            by Lorrie McClanahan


 I have a new friend in Texas!  Lorrie McClanahan appeared to me on Instagram and we had a mutual sympathy with each others work. She is fearless as she explores all manner of mediums and materials.

                                                               by Lorrie McClanahan


 Artist Books are an important part of her practice. Look at this clever way she displays them on an acrylic shelf together;

                                                           books by Lorrie McClanahan



Instagram, btw, is a direct and effective means of interacting with interesting people/painters. See something you like? Write the artist a thoughtful comment and you`ll most likely hear back from them.

 My buddy Ruth Armitage is going to France and will be exploring color in the landscape with a handful of fortunate painters. She told me the other day that there were two spots open. She`s rented a chateau and has experienced, fun guides to whisk everyone from painting locations to villages to wineries to restaurants for seven days. Sounds amazing to me!

                                                La Sagrada Familia when finished in 2050


 This thing is nearly finished! I remember reading about it in an encyclopedia when I was a kid. I couldn`t imagine something taking over a hundred years to build. Guess it could. Probably won`t be open for worship in my lifetime but it`s getting close!

 In this photo you can see the final central towers emerging. How incredibly exciting!

 The architect, Antoni Gaudi, is a universally beloved artist. His designs are so rich in imagination, they delight the child and stun the adult.

                                                   The Sitka Center for Art and Ecology


April 16 is the deadline for applications for an artist in residency at the phenomenally nurturing Sitka Center. Trust me I`ve been one, this place is magic! The campus sits upon Cascade Head, a geological marvel that juts out into the Pacific. It is so pristine and healthy, it is a protected UNESCO site. Safe for introverts too, no communal anything!
Here are some photos I took in 2014;

                                                          The Marcia Burtt Gallery


 The wonderful Marcia Burtt Gallery in Santa Barbara California is featuring an online exhibition of my work on paper. Please check it out!

                                                     Gerard Depardieu enjoying his life



work for sale in my studio

Prints from Fine Art America

some winter landscapes

                                             Fanno Creek in Winter oil on canvas 40x30


 For many, this winter has been rough. The weather more extreme, our government more depressing. Everyone knew how the shutdown would end yet it was agony for 35 days.
Finally though there are signs of life! Quite tardy here however, it`s not unusual for things to start stirring in late January.
Now I take my responsibility as the local head cheerleader for winter very seriously but even I fatigued and wished it weren`t so damn cold.

                                                 Almost Snowing oil on canvas 20x20


 For days it became common to glance outside and see snowflakes drifting down. It is not welcomed in the cities of the Pacific Northwest, in fact it causes panic. There have been raids on the grocery stores by anxious citizens, many cancelled school days and weeks long power outages in the countryside. A mess, but the forecast for this weekend is 70 degrees! Yes!

                                                    Bryant Woods Walk oil on panel 12x12


 This one was more like a long doodle. It started with more realism but as I randomly amped up the color, my trees became more stylized. Yet it still has the spirit of my beloved park.

                                                     Songbird by Nicholas Wilton


 Isn`t that magic? If you don`t know Nicholas Wilton, it`s time you did. He is a mensch extraordinaire! His work is always interesting and he`s a tireless, generous educator and mentor.
He interviews the great painter Krista Harris in this video. It is a remarkable conversation full of insights into the painting process and completely absent of ego. Listening to the two of them talk about their [abstract] work, it made perfect sense why I find painting non representationally so incredibly difficult. If you paint, this is well worth your time.

                                           Everyone we have ever Loved by Krista Harris

 You`re looking at a game changer here. Among the many things I learned at my workshop was the revelation that some Q-tips come with points! They are used for makeup apparently and are overpriced but they do fine job of carving trees out of wet paint. So much of my technique involves removing paint creatively. Blotting is a current field of experimentation.


I was introduced to Howard Hodgkin 35 years ago and I didn`t take to him immediately. The work was so simple and the painted frames seemed gimmicky. Yet I wanted to keep looking and in time I  became deeply affectionate toward his work. He`s one of a handful of artists whose paintings suggests an entirely new and separate reality. For me. This other world is one of pure sensation. Because of the era he was born into, this gay man, like millions of others, married in order to have a socially legitimate life. Such a common tragedy for his generation. But look at his stuff!;

 Though I`m not directly influenced by him as an artist, as a human being I`m so grateful he lived and gave the world such intensely personal images. He made the heroes journey.

                                                              oil on canvas 20x16


 This did not succeed and I threw it out but I am returning to this island in my next painting. It lies close to shore but away from homes in a quiet stretch of the Willamette River. I`ve tried three times now to get something of the atmosphere of its dark oak forests. I will prevail eventually.

online exhibition at the Marcia Burtt Gallery



work for sale in my studio

The Cloud Lifts off the Mountain

                               The Cloud Lifts off the Mountain watercolor on Yupo 26x20


 The mountain was Mt. San Jacinto.
When the Santa Ana winds howled through Fontana CA where I grew up, the smog was ripped away and suddenly we could see the mountains that surrounded the valley. Off in the southeast was Mt. San Jacinto sitting like a ship in a harbor. Just on the other side of it is Palm Springs.
When I got my drivers license at 16 the desert was a frequent destination as long as I was back on time. A few years later I read somewhere about some canyons south of Palm Springs which were palm oasis you could hike in. I soon explored them and have continued to do so.
So in between two of the northwests recent snow storms, we flew to Calif. for some warmth. That normally parched desert was so wet, grass was growing beside cacti. Some plants were already blooming but the big show is just beginning now. It will be spectacular!

 The view from our Air BnB. It was in the Mesa neighborhood right up against the mountain.

 A view up into Tahquitz Canyon. I wrote about my first visit here when it was finally opened to the public.

Tahquitz Falls. This is a special place.

Grassy desert.

Coachella Preserve. I lived near here the winter of 1980. It was private property then but my landlady knew the caretaker and I was allowed in.  Because of the principles of evaporative cooling, one can be comfortable here on a scorching hot summer day. I may try to paint this pond with its confusing reflections.

 Murray Canyon. I had painted these rocks in 1980 and wanted to see them again. This involved crossing the creek many times. I trudged through the water with sneakers on. Much better than risking my new knee by falling off a stepping stone.

 This was a 360 photo John took with his fancy camera. It is the greenhouse at the Moorten Botanical Garden. I have driven by it dozens of times and never went in. This visit we did.

                                              [untitled] oil on Multimedia Board 12x12


 Another new one and I`m struggling for a title. The big black thing is a root ball of an evergreen that toppled in a windstorm. You see them often in our forests but are they ever called something else? "Root Ball" is not a great title.

                                                                Wil Wheaton


 A friend posted a link on Facebook to an essay by Wil Wheaton on depression. It`s a moving account of his disease when it began in childhood. Mental health is still not given proper respect even though we have mass shootings seemingly daily. Consequently, it`s not diagnosed in kids until they have suffered horribly. My own began in adolescence and it was terrifying. My parents, god bless them, listened to me and did what they could. Viable medications were still many years away so they got me involved with the local art center and I took classes.
 For adults. Like now, the people with time enough to paint are often retired. So I was this frightened kid plopped into a bunch of mostly women elders. They helped save my life as I had never been in such a dark place. Soon I had my role in life and I`ve been grateful for this answered question ever since. It is so unnecessary for children to bear depression anymore. Yes it`s serious medication but it works.
Anxiety and depression often intertwine. If you know an anxious child, ask some questions.

 No one tells me anything! Last I heard Joni Mitchell was on her deathbed clinging to life. I`m mostly repelled by celebrity but she is, or was an important artist. I`ve been hoping she pulls through as I`ve searched in vain for updates.
Looks like she did! And holding hands with David Hockney no less! There`s some good news! Hockney draws as well as anyone but I sure wish he would turn down his color!

                                                               by David Hockney

                                                                 by David Hockney

You never know who`s watching.

                                                           cartoon by Jeff Stahler




paintings in my studio for sale [updated]

prints on Fine Art America