Thundering Trains

This started with an older canvas that I painted a couple of years ago. I liked it, but I felt that I could do more to take it further, so I recently re-worked it. The whole harmony is different now, it has much softer and more subdued color than before. And I edited out alot of elements that were there, like a telephone pole and some foreground train tracks. The size is 24 x 24 inches, oil on canvas, and I changed the title to "Thundering Trains". I think that my second attempt here with the painting is much more successful, I love it.

Day's End

"Day's End" is 22 x 22 inches, oil on canvas. The view is in Pasadena, looking west on Walnut, very close to my old studio. When I started this piece, I did a little sketch with a cloudy sky. But as the painting progressed, I couldn't bring myself to change the effect that I got with the simplicity that you see here, the large mass of yellow, fading up into the darkening evening sky. It's in stark contrast from the bluish dark foreground. The view made me think of my drive home in my Art Center College days.

This painting is at the Timmons Gallery in Rancho Santa Fe, along with a handful of other pieces I recently brought down there.

PALMS ON WILSHIRE and Chinese Kitchen

This is "Palms on Wilshire" oil on canvas, 24 x 36 inches. I barely finished it in time for my show, I'm actually bringing it to the gallery with me for opening night.

This is "Chinese Kitchen", it is 24 x 36 inches, oil on canvas. I've been putting the figure into alot of my new works, as will be seen in the future.

New Paintings

"Grounded" is the name of this new painting. It is 19 x 19 inches, oil on canvas. I've been very interested in painting big cloudy skies again, rain seems like a novelty in Southern California, so I've been running around with my camera looking for interesting light and cloud formations. This particular view is out at Montgomery Field here in San Diego. It has a flight school with a number of smaller aircraft. I was excited when they allowed me to have the run of the place, it was an inspired moment. I've often thought of painting an airplane on the ground. Thinking of it as a metaphor of my career, waiting to take to the air.

This is "The Mark Twain Hotel", 18 x 24 inches, oil on canvas. It's an old Hollywood haunt, located between Sunset and Hollywood Boulevard. I imagined that upon their arrival to LA, an army of optimistic would-be actors, writers, and other artists would have stayed at this place over the decades. All in hopes of making the big time, working in the industry.

And finally, this is a piece that I recently re-worked. It's called "Morning in Pasadena", 16 x 20 inches, oil on canvas. It's in a neighborhood in Pasadena that's by the Arroyo, just off of Orange Grove Avenue. I liked those high hedges protecting the back yard of the house and the harmony of morning light in a neighborhood where Greene and Greene would have worked, or Frank Lloyd Wright... Wright once told his students that they ought to plant ivy or large hedges around their early architectural designs, so that in years to come their mistakes would be unseen as the foliege grew.

6th Street Bridge

This new piece is another moderately large one, it is 30 x 30 inches, oil on canvas. I actually crawled down the steep concrete basin to the bottom and walked a couple of miles along the L.A. River (in the rain) to shoot some photos a while back. Prepared to risk life and limb for my art, I almost slid on some gravel and toppled down to my imminent demise. But fortunately I lived to tell the tale and finish this painting, unscathed.

This view is a rather iconic angle of the old art deco era bridge, I loved seeing that dark underbelly, plus the reflections in the murky water. I decided to keep the color rather simple, emphasizing the dramatic contrasts. There's alot of thick paint on there, but other areas I kept washy and thin. The canvas was begun with gray gesso, a technique that allowed me to better judge appropriate values. At the drawing stage, I had to find my vanishing point and more accurately depict what the camera lens tends to bend. I'm very pleased with the finish here, it's one of those pieces that I've long wanted to paint.

CANTERS, FAIRFAX

This is my new painting, "Canters, Fairfax". It is a relatively large painting for me, 36 x 48 inches, oil on canvas. I've spent months working on this one, it's one of my favorite pieces this year. Canter's is a really great Jewish Deli located on Fairfax in Hollywood.

Soon I'll post some pictures of the damage from the fire here in San Diego. My parents' entire neighborhood looks like a war zone. Their two neighbors accross the street burned to the ground, as well as the rest of the cul-de-sac, but Mom and Dad's place was spared. The manditory evacuation was lifted earlier today, I was out taking photos and will share them soon.

BILLIARDS AT EMBERS LOUNGE

This new painting is called "Billiards at Embers Lounge". It is 18 x 24 inches, oil on canvas. I tried to clean up the photo, when I photographed the painting there was alot of glare in the upper left corner.

This is one of the first paintings for my upcoming January show that includes a figure. Over the years I have excluded any figures within my paintings, my effort was often to express lonliness or aloneness. And a figure makes for an entirely different kind of painting. I think it works well here, this lounge interior would be incomplete without the guy shooting pool. It's like my own version of one of my favorite Van Gogh paintings, "Night Cafe with Pool Table".

I happened upon Embers Lounge when I was out on photo safari a few months back. William Wray accompanied me to Whittier, we had just shot a vintage bowling alley and wanted to get a cocktail at Embers and rest our feet. We were pleasantly surprised to find the bar filled with mediocre paintings done in the 50's or 60's by a patron who had paid off his bar tab by decorating the place with his depiction of hell... hence the name of the lounge, "Embers". It was like we time warped back into the 1960's.

Night Trains

Overwhealmed with other obligations, I've still managed to get a good amount of painting done since my last post here, but I've only just photographed my four new pieces. The first one here is "Night Trains", 18 x 24 inches, oil on canvas. It's part of my ongoing series of nocturnes and also the LA river. According to my friend William Wray, we're apparently founding members of the "LA River School of Painting".

This painting depicts a train yard, just east of downtown Los Angeles by the LA River. I was on a bridge, above the river, just as the sun had set. Not a place I'd prefer to spend an evening alone, I painted the view back in my studio rather than plein-air. It's really a study in blues, a narrow variety of color, almost a tonalist piece. I chose to paint it with a loaded brush, there's alot of pigment on there, giving it a liquid feel without much for hard edges. Painting the night is difficult, as I've said before, because it doesn't photograph well and the artist needs a good color memory and sense of color harmony. It's easy to let the painting go into black, and I try to never let it get too dark, allowing the viewer to see into this shadowy world. The earliest part of the evening is like a magical hour, it really casts a melancholy mood onto the landscape.

WESTLAKE

This new oil on canvas is called, "Westlake", and it is 12 x 16 inches. Westlake is an area just west of downtown Los Angeles, along Wilshire Boulevard. Once upon a time, this was one of the most fashionable ares to live in LA. And even though the area has lost it's upscale residents, it hasn't lost it's obvious beauty. I think that the contemporary architecture of the LA skyline is best viewed from afar, I really like how the hazy atmosphere seems to naturally mass the shapes of the buildings. Almost like Sam Hyde Harris' paintings of early California with his hazy mountains and trees in the distance.

Miracle Mile

This is "Miracle Mile", a smaller oil on canvas, 12 x 16 inches. Sorry, but the pic turned out a little bluish. The Miracle Mile is a stretch of road west of downtown Los Angeles on Wilshire Boulevard. There's alot of old art deco architecture along there, including the El Rey Theater here in my painting.

When I began the execution of this piece, I started out rather loose and painterly. But the lack of detail seemed to be problematic, it felt unfinished and bothered me. So the result here (from 2 to 3 sittings) is a painterly, but finished out piece.

Los Angeles River Trains II

Another new painting in the more "alla-prima" or painterly style. I kept the color very quiet in this one, started it with just a burnt umber lay-in with a little blue to cool it down. I like the overall effect with it's gritty and industrial feel. It's oil on canvas (16 x 20 inches) and it's called "Los Angeles River Trains II", since I have already painted the area so many times. I can really see how a painter enjoys revisiting themes again and again, I'd like to think that my treatment of the subject changes and improves with each piece.

Union Station

Sorry for the pic quality on this one, it's not so sharp. For those of you who are familiar with Los Angeles, you've probably made your way thru "Union Station" to catch a train at one time or another. This painting is 16 x 20 inches, oil on canvas, and depicts the outdoor waiting area of the old Art Deco era train station.

The paint handling is much looser than I'm accustomed to. Lately I've been experimenting with a more loaded brushstroke, thicker paint application, more palette knife use, and working quickly or more intuitively. This is the first one that I'm posting, I feel like it worked out well (although my pic doesn't show the variety of color in my darker shadow areas).

Beverly Liquor and Randy's Donuts

"Beverly Liquor"

"Beverly Liquor" is a recently finished oil on canvas, 18 x 36 inches. For this new series of Los Angeles landscapes, I've spent alot of time researching locations and looking for 1950's style architecture and signage. Anything with the Googie style (like this Liquor Deli sign) was a big plus in my urban photo-safari. This liquor store is on Beverly Blvd. and I was lucky enough to see the bus pulling away from it's stop just accross the street... I feel like it really makes the painting.

"Randy's Donuts"

"Randy's Donuts" is fresh off the easel, it's actually still wet and waiting for a final varnish. It is 18 x 24 inches, oil on canvas. As far as donuts in LA goes, this place is an institution. Relatively close to LAX, it's located on the corner of La Cienega and Manchester Boulevards. One of my teachers from Art Center (Jim Heimann) actually once photographed the Oscar Meyer Weiner-Mobile driving past this place... he called it divine intervention mixed with positive karma and dumb-luck. Anyway, I was surprised that I had never seen a painting of it before, and I had long been inspired to paint it, so it seemed natural that I would include it in the series.

Starlite Drive-In Theater

This is my newest painting, "Starlite Drive-In Theater". It is a smaller oil on canvas, 14 x 18 inches. Recently, I've started a dozen new paintings. All of them are depicting something of the Los Angeles area. That's why I've been slow to post any new artwork here on blogger for the last month, but now several of them should be coming upon completion soon. I may even pick away at this one a little more before I bring it to the gallery. Any suggestions?

This particular drive-in is actually no longer in use as a theater, but rather a swap-meet. The big screen is gone, so I had to imagine it here in my painting. The old sign was my initial inspiration, I love the old star on the googie style sign, as well as the long bluish shadow cast by it.

FOX THEATER, WESTWOOD

In an attempt to paint a successful nocturne, I chose a view that I already painted in the daytime. This is "FOX THEATER, WESTWOOD", it is 20 x 30 inches, oil on canvas.

Westwood Village is a stone's throw from the UCLA campus, there are a bunch of great old art deco movie theaters in walking distance from one another. Plus I actually just visited the Armond Hammer Museum in Westwood on Friday and saw their collection of Daumier paintings. Anyway... I'm satisfied with how this painting turned out, especially the color. Nocturnal paintings often get too dark when the painter relies too much on his photo refrence and not his color memory.

Los Angeles Winter

After a friend told me that I paint "all warm paintings", I thought I'd try to proove him wrong with this piece and the "Stockton Landscape" posted below. This one is called "Los Angeles Winter", it is 20 x 20 inches, oil on canvas. It is just east of downtown LA, over the 4th Street bridge by the train yards.

Stockton Landscape

I just finished this one last night, it's called "Stockton Landscape", 24 x 36 inches, oil on canvas. Tried to keep the color quiet in this one, the palette is mostly earth tones. The canvas I started with was an experiment, I toned it with a couple coats of light gray gesso... it really helped me maintain the mood I was going for.

I was up in Stockton in December for the Leyendecker show with Bill Wray. We ran around town shooting photos when we weren't looking at the Leyendecker paintings. Stockton is an old town in Northern California that's full of old shipping docks and railway depots along the river. I felt like this scene was right out of the 1970's with that old green car and railroad crossing signs. A cold day, likely the neighborhood of dock workers' families.

GALLERY GROUP SHOW

This new painting is called, "Paris, City of Lights". It is 18 x 24 inches, oil on canvas.

I wanted to let everyone know about my group show that opens this Saturday evening, March 10th, at the Tirage Gallery in Pasadena. I will be exhibiting four new Paris paintings and one large drawing. It is a themed show called, "Foreign Shores".

PARIS PAINTINGS

"CATHEDRAL VIEW" (Notre-Dame) oil on canvas, 34 x 44 inches

These are my three newest paintings of Paris. Sorry if I haven't posted in a while, but I've been busy finishing the lot of them (and more). Tomorrow I'll bring them up to Pasadena, they'll be part of the "Travel Show" at the Tirage Gallery in March.

After my trip to Europe in September, I was inspired to paint these. They were just something I absolutely had to do. The first one (above) is, "CATHEDRAL VIEW" (Notre-Dame). It is oil on canvas, 34 x 44 inches. The pic of the painting turned out a bit dark. Anyway, I felt that I needed to paint this one big, my only regret is that I didn't paint it even bigger. I wanted to capture the feeling of massive grandeur and awe that I felt while standing on top of the cathedral bell tower, looking down over the ancient city. When I was up there, I felt that all of my work toward my skills and abilities culminated into that one moment, where hopefully I could put that view onto canvas. This will be one of those paintings that I'll especially hate to sell.

"BRIDGE ON THE SEINE" oil on canvas, 28 x 38 inches This next one (above image) is "BRIDGE ON THE SEINE" oil on canvas, 28 x 38 inches. Holly and I walked along the Seine River one morning on our way to the Musee d'Orsay. You can see the museum structure off in the distance in the painting. I loved the form of this 19th century bridge in the foreground and it's reflection in the water.

"LOUVRE" oil on canvas, 16 x 24 inches
And the last one pictured (above) is called "LOUVRE" oil on canvas, 16 x 24 inches. The view is actually looking down from the Musee d'Orsay. It was the only one of ten days in Paris that actually had a little rain. The stormy clouds looked so powerful over the structure of the Louvre.

It was difficult to narrow down what to paint from Paris. I can see why Hemmingway called it "A Movable Feast". Everywhere I looked was a seemingly potential painting. In contrast, it seems alot harder coming home to so-cal and searching for subject matter. I can see how the Impressionists could spend decades painting in the city of Paris and never run out of inspiring views.

Cuyamaca Reserve

This is a 10x12 inch plein-air painting I did called "Cuyamaca Reserve". The area is up in the mountains, just east of San Diego. The last time I had been to this place before I painted it was for 6th grade camp as a kid. As I was working out there on location with my friend Bill Wray, the sun went down behind those trees and my fingers froze. I had to finish the piece in the studio later. I think I poured way too much time into it for such a small painting, but I like how it turned out. The broken color and the impressionist's palette were challenging for me.

PHILIPPE'S AT NIGHT

I've recently been going through some files of paintings I did a while back. I love the holidays, but late December feels like a distraction from the studio, it's constantly beckoning me to come and work. Anyway, I never got around to posting this piece... it's called "Philippe's at Night", oil on canvas, 20 x 30 inches. I painted a daytime version before I attempted this nocturne. It's an old saw-dust on the floor kind of place, located in Los Angeles close to the train yards of old Union Station. They serve up some killer french dipped sandwiches.

Meanwhile, in the studio I'm currently painting a couple large canvases that I will post soon. It feels slow-going, but I love the scale of the large finished work. I plan on working bigger and bigger, I want that sense of awe and grandeur in my work. Last night was my first chance in several days, but I'm back at the all-night painting binge. I think that working at night is why nocturnes appeal to me so much.

San Diego Harbor

I went on a little trip up the California coast this week. I didn't get much painting done, so I'm posting a plein-air painting that I did a few weeks ago, called "San Diego Harbor", It is 12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas.

My first stop on my trip was in San Louis Obispo where Bill Wray introduced me to a gallery owner. Once I get some new paintings finished, I look forward to perhaps doing a show up there.

Then Bill and I went on to San Francisco where we saw the de Young Museum's collection of American painting. The highlights of the collection for me were Rockwell Kent, an Edward Hopper, a major Thomas Benton tempera painting, and a couple Thiebauds. I looked at my list of potential galleries to show my work around town, but I didn't get the feel that I would fit in just right... I only liked a couple places. But I shot alot of film and hopefully will do some "Bay Area" paintings.

And finally we made our way to Stockton. The long awaited J.C. Leyendecker show was at the Haggin Museum there, we spent two days viewing the exhibit of 50 original artworks. I can't think of another artist who can paint the figure with more excitement and technical mastery. The above image is the kind of illustration work that he's typically known for, the idealized American male of the 1920's. I have a huge collection of Leyendecker stuff, dating from the late 1890's thru the late 1940's. He did covers for the Saturday Evening Post and paved the way for Norman Rockwell (who idolized Leyendecker). And since I want to paint the figure more in my work, there's few who's paintings can educate like Leyendecker's. It was great to see so many in person.

NEW DRAWINGS

"FASHION DISTRICT" charcoal drawing, 28.5 x 21.75 inches

"Rue de Rivoli, Paris", charcoal drawing, 23.75 x 35.75 inches

For a long time, I have been contemplating how I can put the figure into my regular gallery work. I've made several awkward attempts in the past, but I wasn't satisfied and rarely exhibited those pieces. I had been able to draw and paint the figure quite competently, but only by itself, never in one of my landscapes. I think that one of the most difficult things for an artist to do is marry these two worlds of landscape and figure. The figure can look out of place, or the landscape can look like an afterthought.

Knowing that the figure in my landscapes isn't one of my personal strengths in painting, I decided to do my homework with a fully worked out preliminary drawing. I don't know why I've felt so timid, lazy, or rushed to attempt this in the past, because I really like these two new drawings.

The first one, "Fashion District", is located in downtown Los Angeles on Broadway. I shot numerous rolls of film of people walking by. I got in a couple yelling matches (and nearly a fist-fight) with people who REALLY didn't want their picture taken. I understand how intrusive this method of photography can be, but anything for my art, right? I'm not sure if these two girls thought they were getting out of my shot, perhaps they didn't notice me. Their faces seemed somehow in thought and slightly self-conscious. I found their clothes interesting, their attempt to dress as much alike as possible, the same kind of over-stuffed coats with fur hoods, similar earrings, and they were each walking with their left hand inside their sleeves.

The second one, "Rue de Rivoli, Paris", is of course from my vacation a couple months ago. After seeing the Louvre, I felt quite compelled to paint the figure. Almost no great artist in the museums I saw completely ignored the figure. And I knew that I would need a new challenge for my work when I got home. The time I spent on the drawing was more focused on the landscape than the girl in the foreground, but she is certainly the star of the show. I shot some photos early one Sunday morning, Parisians sleep in quite late, so I had to walk 4 blocks to find a place that was open and had coffee. As I shot pictures all along the way, I fell in love with the patterns in the street, the gray landscape, and all of the Parisian buildings. It felt like the perfect moment when she walked into the scene, especially since there were so few other people and only one car.

I have already mapped out a couple of large canvases for Paris landscapes. So my next step is to paint something based on these drawings. Painting the figure, I would prefer to be less impressionistic, more layering and glazing like the old masters. In the end, I'm sure it will be a combination. But these two new images have been haunting my mind, they resonated with me somehow. I'm very inspired to paint them.

Fog Train

This painting is "Fog Train", it is 12 x 16 inches, oil on canvas. I usually don't choose frames like this, but I fell in love with this one. I felt that the frame echos the train tracks, and the black against the grey/tonal palette of the piece makes for a striking presentation.

Last week, I went landscape painting around town with William Wray ( http://williamwray.blogspot.com/ ). We got alot of work done, I'll have to post my recent stuff soon.

805 FREEWAY

This is another little 8 x 10 inch painting that I did "plein-air", on location with Aron Wiesenfeld ( http://aronwiesenfeld.com/ ). We were on a grassy hill overlooking the 805 freeway, with some industrial warehouses below us and Tijuana off in the distance.

LA BRIDGES (After the gallery opening... back to work)

This is a piece I did completely "plein-air" or on location over a period of 2 days. I't called "La Loma Bridge", 8x10 inches, oil on canvas. It's up in Pasadena, close to the Art Center where I went to college. I painted it with my friend Bill Wray a while back, but I never got a chance to post it here on my blog...

With my vacation, plus getting ready for last week's Timmons Gallery show, I don't have any new paintings finished so I'm posting this one too. I did it for my June show at Tirage, it's called "LOS ANGELES VIADUCT", 16x20 inches, oil on canvas. The location is along the Los Angeles River, looking down from Elysian Park. I've seen some of the old 1920's watercolorists paint this view, like Emil Kosa Jr.

My show at Timmons went well on Saturday. We had an excellent turn out, the place was packed. I saw some old familiar faces that I hadn't seen in a long time too. Glad I could finally do a big San Diego show. Dan McCaw was last month's Timmons show, I really admire his work and there was some beautiful stuff. The gallery space in Rancho Santa Fe is brand new and shows off the artwork nicely, but they just moved from Solana Beach, so not everyone knows about the new location. The new Timmons Gallery will be a real gem to collectors when they get in there, alot of great art by various artists is available. My work will be hanging for a month, along with Aron Wiesenfeld's.

Meanwhile, I've got time to chew my fingernails, hoping sales go well. San Diego has a large number of wealthy people with large new stucco mansions, who desperately need art whether they know it or not. A variety of folks, from old money to the "nouveau reich" (especially from real-estate). Lots of empty wall space, or decorative mirrors and furniture store bought art. Typically, not often the creative or meaningful sense of decorating their homes by surrounding themselves with inspiring objects, yet there's certainly alot of money spent on fashionable decor and home improvement. I wonder if San Diego knows about it's reputation for being a "cultural wasteland"? I don't mean to be too critical or down on San Diegans, because I truly love it here, but it is certainly more of a sports-culture or beach-culture by reputation. For example, what often happens if I meet someone and in conversation tell them that I'm a painter, their first reaction is to say, "Oh! I really need my kitchen painted!" And I'll correct them and say, "Sorry, what I mean is that I'm an artist..." Then they get a generally confused look on their face. In contrast, with Los Angeles or New York, there's a sense of reverence for artists and all the arts. They've experienced the feeling and wonderment of great museums, they appreciate that beauty of the arts, which is the highest expression of the human experience. Discovered a deep feeling within them, having been inspired by creative works. Moved to find meaning in their lives. But then again, if their only exposure to it was some commercial gallery in La Jolla with sub-standard and mass-produced art, or modernist museums that leave them feeling excluded and confused, I can see why it doesn't whet their appetite. Understandably, San Diegans might make the mistake of thinking that all art is "stuck-up" and miss out. Hopefully, as people patronize galleries like Timmons, they can discover for themselves what could be some of the most enriching and meaningful stuff in their lives.

TIMMONS GALLERY SHOW, opens 10/21/2006

My first big San Diego show opens this Saturday, October 21st, from 6pm to 9pm at the Timmons Gallery in Rancho Santa Fe. Everyone is invited, I'll have approximately 30 new artworks exhibited there. Please join us!

Timmons Gallery
16091 San Dieguito Road
Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067

www.timmonsgalleries.com
(858)756-8488

I'm honored to be exhibiting along with my very good friend, Aron Wiesenfeld, one of the most talented painters I've ever known. We're sharing a full page ad in this month's issue of American Art Collector (seen above) compliments of the Timmons Gallery.

Bridge Lights

Well, I've been back home from Europe for a little over a week now. I finished up this nocturnal painting that I started before I left, "Bridge Lights", it is 24x24 inches. The location is along the LA river.

Europe was fantastic. I bought so many art books that when I was coming home, the airline almost wouldn't let me check my luggage because of the weight... and that's AFTER I shipped the heavy ones home. I saw just about every major art museum in London and Paris. Taking it all in was rather like drinking out of a fire hose. I was really struck by the Bonnard paintings at the d'Orsay Museum, that use of color and his whimsical treatment of subjects. Millet, Manet, and Monet all really struck a cord. And I loved seeing all of Delacroix's major works at the Louvre, they had a powerful presence. As did the Hubert Robert paintings. I was also surprised to find that the TATE had an entire wing of the museum dedicated to J.M.W. Turner.

This is me in front of one of Monet's murals in Paris...

I'm always attempting to successfully photograph a nocturne... this is "The Nag's Head" in London...

My wife Holly at the Tuilleries...
Holly and I outside the Louvre in Paris...

I can really only begin to express how overwhealmingly wonderful it all was. I shot approximately 1800 pictures in all, I have fantastic refrence for my March show at Tirage. I was impressed at London's immaculate cleanliness, orderliness, and polite manners (especially in contrast to the Parisians). And Paris has got to be the most picturesque city in the world, plus they win when it comes to their vast art collections. I hope someday to be able to make an extended stay and work there. I did little more than a handful of sketches because I was so busy seeing everything. And we walked so much that we had giant blisters on our feet. Not the most restful vacation, but certainly the best one I've been on.

Torrey Pines

This new painting is called "Torrey Pines", it is oil on canvas, 20x24 inches. This is a favorite spot of mine, very close to where I live in San Diego. I frequent Torrey Pines State Beach as often as I can, mostly just to walk and enjoy the sound of the pounding surf. I painted this for my Timmons Gallery exhibition in Rancho Santa Fe in October.

I will be going on vacation on Tuesday, so this will be my last post until September 23rd. I've been burning the candle at both ends for months now, so I'm in dire need of a get-away. Fortunately I've had some decent sales since my June show, so I'm taking my wife to London and Paris for about 3 weeks. Yes, I'll be bringing my sketchbook and my camera. Hopefully I'll return with lots of ideas and inspiration for new works. Can't wait to see the National Portrait Gallery, the Tate, the Louvre, and the De'Orsay Museum. And I just booked our dinner cruise on the Seine... I'm sooo looking forward to some French cuisine.

La Paloma Theater

This one is fresh off the easel, it's called "La Paloma Theater". Oil on canvas, 24x36 inches. The building is located on the Pacific Coast Highway here in San Diego. I believe the specific area is actually called Encinitas. Anyway, the day I drove by it for the first time, it struck me as something that I simply had to paint. The marquee had some other movie title on it, but I replaced it with "Some Like It Hot", a Marilyn Monroe movie that took place here in San Diego. Yes, the pigeons are eating popcorn.

La Jolla Cove

This is my newest painting, "La Jolla Cove". It is 30x40 inches, oil on canvas. Right now I'm painting larger canvases of San Diego scenes for my October show at the Timmons Gallery. Historically, this scene has been painted many times at different angles by artists such as Edgar Payne, Maurice Braun, and several of the old "California Impressionists" back around early 20th century. Compositionally, I decided to focus more on the sky. Hopefully making my painting less typical of La Jolla Cove paintings I've seen. I used broader brushstrokes and very heavy paint than I usually do. I often like that kind of blobby paint in other's work, I don't know why I haven't done more of it myself. Perhaps it just takes time to work more confidently in "alla-prima". It makes for a more deeply felt piece in my opinion, because the artist is working faster and can maitain the initial thought that motivated him to do that particular painting.

SINGER BUILDING, PASADENA

I did this piece as a comission a while back. It was something like 20x30 inches, oil on canvas. The client's mother had worked in this building back in the day and he had a vintage photo of the building with the old Ford Model-T parked out front. The place had since been painted a different color, but was otherwise still there. I went and shot photos of the place and used a combination of my shots and his photo to do this painting.

At the time, I was working in a small spare bedroom in my Glendale apartment. My progress in my work had slowed to a pathetic crawl. The heat would get so bad in that apartment that I would spend my days lying in my underwear on the couch with a fan blowing, attempting to keep cool. It never worked. Thank God for air-conditioning in my new place. Being comfortable while I work is far more important than I had ever realized... I guess I'm kind of a baby. To paint, I need to be cool and not too warm, well fed, well rested, free of interuptions, a clear head, and to top it all off I need to feel inspired. Usually I can work myself into inspiration, but inspiration must be coaxed. If all these prerequisites aren't in place, I won't get anything done. If I worked at an office or worked doing manual labor, I wouldn't need to be inspired. I could just show up and grunt through it. But painting is a spiritual act. When there's no inspiration, the painting won't be any good. But working through the difficult times is imparative, it's the only way to come out on the other side. I really feel like I'm currently doing some of the best work I've ever done. It's taken years to build momentum. I feel continually anxious to see my own future paintings.

LAKE HODGES

"Lake Hodges" is 18x36 inches, oil on canvas. After spending weeks on the "Muffler Monument" painting that's posted below, I wanted to paint something that would give me some instant gratification. I just finished this "Lake Hodges" painting, it moved at lightening speed. It's got some thick impastos on there, I think I used $30 worth of white paint. Lots of palette knife at the lay in stage and broad brush strokes kept me from getting too fussy with the details, just looking at the big picture. I had fun with this one.

Muffler Monument (painting)

Finally I'm back on line. Turns out that my DSL modem was on the fritz, so I got a new one. If you recall, a while back I did a drawing of "Muffler Monument". It was a preliminary study for this painting.

"Muffler Monument" is 36x36 inches, oil on canvas, a fairly large painting. I figured that since I'd done my homework with a nice finished drawing, that it would be easy-street in executing the painting. Unfortunately, it didn't move so quickly. I had started with an all burnt umber lay-in. It looked awesome, maybe I should have stopped there. Then I proceeded to apply color, that's when I got into trouble... I had to re-paint the sky at least three times. But they say that a good painting should show some struggle. I'm pleased with the finished painting, I'd better be for as long as it took. It will be in my October show at the Timmons Gallery in Rancho Santa Fe.

Coronado Bridge

This is another plein-air painting I did, it's called "Coronado Bridge". The size is 9x12 inches, oil on canvas. I enjoyed letting myself go a little bit in this one, the drawing is a bit quirky, and the paint rather thick in the sky. Perhaps I ought to let go a little more?

Believe it or not... this was another occasion that I was harassed by the cops when painting on location. My friend Aron and I were setting up our easels when a cop car pulled up. The officer had to run thru our drivers license numbers to see if we were terrorists or not. Fortunately, he let us go about our buisness. I always try hard to be nice to those jerks. I guess they need to fill out their stat sheets to account for their time not spent in the donut shop. Gotta look busy.

SOLEDAD LAGOON

This is a plein-air painting of "Soledad Lagoon", oil on canvas, 9x12 inches. I painted it on location, just off Carmel Valley Road by Torrey Pines. It was a nice cool evening and I was accompanied by my friend Aron Wiesenfeld... http://aronwiesenfeld.com/

The area has nice little trails and a parking lot for beach access. Earlier, when I was scouting around and looking for a place to paint, a park ranger approached me. I guess he had nothing better to do, so he started harassing me. Told me the area was off limits and it was a wildlife rehabilitation area (total BS, there was only a no parking sign). So when he gave me a ticket, I didn't have much to say. Later, when I went to court to fight the ticket, the judge threw out the case. Fortunately, as it turns out, the judge's mother was a painter too :-)

The Girl Next Door

Although I started this one nearly a year ago, I just recently finished it. At first, I wasn't all that pleased with it, untill last week when I re-worked it. I'm much more satisfied with it now, I even re-named it "The Girl Next Door". It is 18x24 inches, oil on canvas.

I've been a fan of Edward Hopper for a long time now. I have too many favorite painters to name, but he's certainly toward the top of my list. I had him in mind when I was working on this one, this neighborhood is just like the kind he would have painted back in the 1940's. It is located in the old University Heights area, just east of downtown San Diego.

The Night Drop

This is a larger painting, 36x36 inches, oil on canvas. I'm calling it "The Night Drop". I actually started painting it a year ago and took it to the gallery. It was rented out (with a few other paintings of mine) to a studio set for the newest Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore movie called "Because I said So". But I still didn't feel satisfied with the painting, and it sat around the gallery for a while with no buyers. So I took it home and totally re-worked it.

Nocturnes are amongst the most difficult subjects for me. I picked away at it, changing the values, adding the cars, warehouse doors (the prominent center of interest because of the light), as well as the other city lights in the distance. That car driving thru this otherwise empty landscape made me think that perhaps the driver was up to something, so I gave it a new title "The Night Drop". The painting has an entirely different feel now, I like it much better than before.

Musso & Frank's Nocturne

My show went well last Saturday, there was a great turn out and I saw alot of old friends. Wish I could have had this painting done on time, I was only a week off in completing it. This one is called "Musso & Frank's Nocturne", the size is a fairly large 30x40 inches, oil on canvas. I've painted Musso and Frank's before, but during the daytime. It's the oldest restaurant in Hollywood, it's been there since 1919. All the old Hollywood stars ate there back in the day, including Charlie Chaplin. In the Tim Burton movie, "Ed Wood", Ed went there (dressed as a woman) and met his hero Orson Welles. It was also a favorite watering hole of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemmingway.

I feel that the best way to approach doing a nocturne is to get a strong foundational drawing, so that I have a good idea of the structure even when it's hidden by the shadowy darkness. I had to make up alot of things in this one, particularly the ironwork on the facade of the forward building. And importantly, the color harmony of this piece seemed to work for me. I pushed the foreground to a warmer purple and redish color, and the area further away into cooler greens and blues. I think it has a good feel to it, like a comfortable alone-ness.

My Gallery Exhibition in Pasadena this Saturday, June 24th

Finally, after nearly a year of work, I'm having my exhibition with 25 new drawings and paintings. It will be at the Tirage Gallery in Pasadena on Saturday, June 24th, from 5pm to 8pm. The address is One West California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91105. For more detalis, go to www.tirageart.com

This new painting is called "Crossroads", the location is the historic Crossroads of the World building on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood. It is 18x24 inches, oil on canvas.

CITY TRAIN painting and EAST VILLAGE NOCTURNE

This new painting is called "City Train", it is 24x36 inches. If you scroll down, you can see the drawing I did of this same place a while back. In this painting, I wanted to play with a bluish palette, keeping the color very limited. It has a rather smokey, hazy feel.


This is "East Village Nocturne", it is 16x24 inches. The scene here is on St. Marks, the East Village bookshop, a brownstone, and Cafe Magador. One of my favorite little places in Manhattan.

Night Bridge

When I was a young art student, Van Gogh's "Starry Night" was one of my favorite paintings. Nocturnes remain to be among my favorite subjects and one of the more difficult things to paint. The subject seen here is east of downtown Los Angeles, one of the old WPA era bridges over the LA river. This area is full of industrial warehouses, sweat shops, and truck depots. I wanted the viewer to get a sense of the quiet solitude of this area at night, and make my own contemporary version of a Van Gogh like nocturne. It is 18x24 inches, oil on canvas.

This painting sold immediately in my exhibition, there was alot of interest in it by several collectors. But the Tirage Gallery stalled on paying me for it, it's been almost two years now. Never did get my money.

City Train (drawing)

This is a drawing I did a while ago, back in 2002. I've got a new painting of it, or rather a variation of this scene, but I'll have to photograph it soon to share it here on the blog. I have long since sold this drawing, I believe it is something like 18x24 inches.

Back then I used to go on "urban photo safari" around Los Angeles with my friend Suong Yangchareon. He and I went to photograph at this location overlooking downtown LA and the 5 freeway, among other places. Now he's making the big bucks, he shows with Wayne Thiebaud and Diebenkorn up in San Francisco at the Paul Thiebaud Gallery.

New York Interior

A little more than a year ago, I made a trip to NYC to see the John Currin Retrospective at the Whitney. Whenever I'm there in New York, I stay in the East Village. Somewhere down around St. Mark's and Avenue "A", right by Thompkin's Square. That's where the setting for this drawing takes place. I only finished it recently, it's charcoal on strathmore kid finish paper, making for really nice rich blacks.

DOWNTOWN INTERCHANGE

This is the largest painting I've ever done, 54x48 inches. The view is of the 110 freeway cutting thru downtown Los Angeles. I started it just before Christmas, then I pulled it out again 3 weeks ago and decided to finish it.

I had considered having a bunch of cops running a car off the road and chasing or tackling a crazed woman trying to flee on foot. It actually happened to my next door neighbor in Pasadena, she was a fruit loop, didn't take her medication and got caught in a high speed chase. I saw it happen on the news.

But then I thought... who the heck is going to buy that? Then again, it might work. Maybe I ought to try it in the future. Like Goya's series, it could be called... "I saw it happen".

"GROCERY" painting featured in this June's issue of Southwest Art Magazine

I just got the June issue of Southwest Art Magazine, it features my painting of "Grocery" on page 62, and was picked for the Best of the West. It is promoting my June show at the Tirage Gallery in Pasadena.



"Grocery" is a brand new painting. The size is 24x36 inches, oil on canvas. I really liked this street corner and the old lamp post. Even the garbage can. As I was working on this painting, I had the idea of putting a shop keeper on the sidewalk. But I decided against it and went with strategically placed pigeons instead, making it a more whimsical piece for me.

Check out http://www.southwestart.com/section_display.cfm?section_id=25