Across the Field

A daily painting.
Views like this are common throughout the Willamette Valley.

Full Moon / High Tide

1988.
I`ve always loved painting the ocean, even when I lived in New Mexico.

Dusk on the Channel

When I posted an older watercolor of this subject, someone suggested I do it in oils, so I did.

Creek...

This one came quickly but without a title.

Rose

Photographing paintings in the backyard, I noticed this pale pink rose poking out of a nearby bush. So I cut it off, put it in water, brought it into the studio and painted it.

Rain in the Orchard

I was distracted and felt stuck which is mostly rare. So I began looking through the thousands of images of other painter`s work I`ve collected on my hard drive. I`ve recently re-discovered George Inness and have looked closely at what he did. They are so romantic as to be sentimental at times, but I ignore the human narrative and just drink in the atmosphere. That man spent considerable time outdoors! HE is the master of light!
I did this in his spirit as I figure out what`s next.

February Forest Study

I`m gearing up to try for another large winter alder rain forest. The first one was painted over, I didn`t get it right. For a painter, any forest is a complex web of information. What makes the coastal forest so elusive is the ethereal light. Alders are deciduous, so in the winter they`re completely visible. The trunks are encased in moss and the finer limbs shine with a silvery lichen. Without all the summer vegetation, one can see deep into the forest which seems to glow.