Creek Shadow

Slow Water Study

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.

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.

Cliff Study 3

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.

Cliff Study 2

Another from the Oneanta Gorge.