December - 2018

Everyone enjoy your holidays, whatever and wherever you celebrate.

October 2018: Get Some Abstract in your Life

Still relatively unexplored in my artistic efforts is the realm of the somewhat abstract. I have copied the expressions of Kandinsky

 and one or two more here and there like a watercolor I call "Fish and Chicks". 

A couple of days ago, I grabbed some blank canvases and created some decorative art pieces for my bedroom. I don't have a name for them yet, maybe they just don't need names. 

Using a 3" regular paintbrush and some smaller additions, I just let the juices flow. Magenta, black and gold metallic on 16x24" canvases. 

September 2018-Notes

I have yet to post some pics as my camera has had some issues lately. The family has been busy putting up the harvest we've invested in lately and there hasn't been time for much else. As you know, there has been lots of smoke in the skies, making it horrible to breathe from the wildfires, even hundreds of miles away, all along the West Coast, and we've all had warnings to keep indoors.
Oregon has beautiful farms and the produce is just out of this world. There's an abundance of pick your own "berry farms" nearby and we've gotten

so much. The blueberries, Triple Crown blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, and more. The produce is from the local farmer's markets or the organic shelves in the local groceries. When the harvest comes in, there's much work to do. Also, some good eats to share.

Next...will send shots of the canning goods. Lots of jams, fruit, relishes...yum. 

Mom's China

I remembered the kind of china (dinnerware) mom had when we were living in Oregon, as I am now after 55 years or so in California (born San Diego 1947). She bought this Franciscan Ware "Apple Blossom" in the fifties piece by piece at a pricey department store in Salem, OR. It was a family fave on her side of the family as my grandmother was also a collector. Grandma had lots of treasures because Grandpa was an antique dealer.

This is my interpretational sketch of a stack of it in watercolor on cold press paper 11x15"

May 2018

Well, looks like Google has ownership of the blog now and have changed things considerably. I hope to continue to give updates in the usual manner, so here goes.

Lately, since the move to Oregon, I haven't done a lot of blogging, art, or anything else. I intend for that to change, now that I'm acclimatized to living back in the land of my childhood. Just a little cooler and wetter than I remembered. We did have fires in the Columbia River Gorge (boundary between Oregon and Washington) with serious ash in the air. Health has been wicked as well but Oregon has amazing healthcare and I have a couple of doctors. On the upside I'm feeling better and hope to get that old energy back real soon.

In the meantime, I've been painting some feathers. A little watercolor, some paper, nice brushes and we're off and running. I have more coming soon...

December 2017

It's been a long year. We moved from California to Oregon in August, so there was so much to do this year to prepare for the long move, van, new job, etc. So much planning, packing, I rarely had time for any art. Since the move there are a few new items. Hope you like them. The first abstract watercolor (11x15") is 'Fish'n'Chicks', the next are three of my Chanel watercolors and the last one is an acrylic painting with ink & trim of the Eiffel Tower (Tower is Tour in French), about 8x10" stretched cotton canvas.

March 2017

Final shot, maybe I'll work more on it later. Kinda ridiculous someone made a comment about how I should get a mat and a bigger frame before they commented on the work (I had shown it in a frame with no mat that I had laying around). Funny, when you don't ask for advice and there are rules not to give if not asked.

More graphite work. My role as artist sometimes takes on a teacher role. As I learn more about pencils, graphite and carbon, the more I like to share. I have been working on a sketch of Dame Helen Mirren using her character of Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect.

After blocking in the facial features and the tones I needed, I will start refining the features and hair. I usually work all over the subject rather than in parts as I go and it works out better for me that way. At first I did grid work in an effort to be more photo realistic, but I found that I actually would make mistakes that way, go figure, right? So back to the old way for me.

December 2016 - January 2017

Back to graphite for a while. Two commissions in the near future, all from photograph. I'm so looking forward to it because doing it for money means I have to do my very best work. Which has the side-effect of making my work better.

We're done with the Chanel decor for the moment and changing the accent colors in my studio. Just the necessities here.

To take up some spare time, meantime, doing some graphite drawings per request. I noticed when you've not done anything for weeks, getting back into it is a little frustrating (at least for me). So, something easy like Daenerys from Game of Thrones and all her blond locks. Easy, right? I think it will be completed in three phases. The first or what I like to call, the blocking out phase, working out the kinks in the placement of everything. So here is phase one:

For phase one, blocking in with Cretacolor Monolith pencil in 4B, as well as a mechanical pencil with AinStein 4B lead. A really light very hard pencil, 6H for the delicate first layer of skin. Time with this is about 1.5 hours. The paper is 11x14" Fabriano Studio 90# hot press watercolor paper. No blending at this point. 

Phase two: More detailed and darkening as well as a little blending. Working on the final phase(s). 

PHASE TWO

FINAL

November 2016

As promised, a few photos of my multi media art. In particular, the Steampunk movement has inspired me to do more than draw and paint on canvas/paper. Always a good way to use up spare nuts, bolts, old jewelry, buttons and other odds and ends laying around.

Here's what I have so far. All Chanel logos were created by hand, not copied or printed from the internet. Some old Chanel related drawings are included because I decided that Chanel inspired and Steampunk work quite well together. See if you agree.

October 2016

Although October is over halfway done, just a little update on my current projects.

Still working on the Chanel inspired studio and have created lots of stuff from recycled and thrift objects into things that fit the motif. Still in progress would be the furniture updates and computer desk/work areas. This still counts as painting, right?

I get a comfort feeling from Chanel as it was one of my first loves, my first identity, one of my first perfumes. OK, Lanvin was my first, but Chanel followed closely.

I've been doing some private works, including military works, which of course, cannot be shown due to privacy issues.

Busy for the upcoming holidays and wish all of you well.

C

August - September 2016

Focusing on home deco. Lots of gold paint, gold foil decoupage, etc. Candle holders, knick knacks and picture frames in gold, going for the "Lux" look. Chanel logos in frames and paint.

May, June, July 2016

Just to catch up on my works a little after being in the hospital for a burst appendix recently and now I'm in recovery, starting to get back into the swing of things.

A graphite portrait of Jon Snow from Game of Thrones for my daughter, Kimberly, who requested this fan art. I did this on some smooth bristol board with several pencils, a 4B mechanical with AinStein lead, assorted 3,2B Mars Lumograph pencils, Carbon Pencil by Wolff and a chunky 6B from Cretacolor. The fur was developed with a side motion of the chunky one and worked over in the other graphite. Some smoothing was done as well as picking with a kneaded eraser and a mechanical Kohinoor eraser stick.

The finished drawing above and the collage show a number of steps for the work. 

March and April 2016

Jessica riding her horse, Winston, on the beach in Sonoma County, CA.  Watercolor on Arches cold/press 10x14" 140lb paper. 2016. Photo reference used for the painting from the owner.

February 2016

Got out my box of oil paints today. So many artist's grade ones in beautiful colors including real cobalt purples and blues, real cerulean (also a cobalt), real cadmium reds, all the earth colors, lead (yes lead paint) whites, real ivory blacks. Winsor & Newton, Grumbacher, and others. Lots of them are really old but still vibrant and usable. I need to do some oil paintings. I have a couple of canvases to paint over as well. Artists do this a lot. Some will need a slight sanding to remove the raised parts of paint.

Got lots of inspiration going to the beach with the family yesterday in our three car caravan. Lots of traffic but the ocean and cliffs were inspiring. Also, the old schoolhouse (now museum) where Hitchcock filmed "The Birds."

January 2016

I've been busy finishing up some commissions and late promised paintings and drawings. First on my list is one of my grandson, Xochim for my daughter Gretchen's birthday on January 15th. He has just started school and I wanted to save that first day. What a sweetheart!

Pretty satisfied with this one, but I want to try again with different paper. This was on a sheet of 11x14 hot press Fabriano studio. I would feel more comfortable doing another with a cold press all cotton Arches.

I need to paint my friend, Jessica riding her horse. I still have to choose a photo:

I've ordered more paper so I have a block of cold press Canson Montval. I have had good experiences with Canson in the past, so I can't wait to try it. Economical and good quality.

Next, I'm getting a nice quill mop brush. Princeton is making a really good synthetic one I'm going to order it soon.

December 2015 - January 2016

Working on a commission for a client who wants a watercolor of her daughter (whom I've done one of about 5 years ago). Her daughter requested a painting to include in a collage. My client sent me a photo as reference (I also took the liberty of viewing her daughter's FB page for other references, just to be sure I've done it right. After not painting for a while it took a few tries to get into the groove again.

Here is the final painting and shots of the tries. Since I'm giving the client all of these, I won't pick the one so just chalk it up to "learning curve."

October and November 2015

It seems I have neglected my blog for some time now. No excuses of worth here, but I have been busy at times. OK, I admit I got caught up in the Facebook group pages trying to create an art page, I'm still halfway done loading photos of artwork.

I completed a work my daughter, Kim, requested. She asked me if I would draw (something I hadn't done in a while) a picture of one of the actors from the tv show "Game of Thrones." Very popular with the young crowd apparently, but not really to my taste, I prefer documentaries, but there never seems to be enough. I think I watched all of the Time Team vids on youtube, though. Anyway, here's a photo of my work in progress, the reference used, and the finished drawing of Jon Snow from "Game of Thrones." Enjoy.

June 2015

Just a couple of florals to add so far this month. Not a lot of drawing lately, just watercolors. I really love flowers with that fresh look of spring. The top floral is my version of a painting by Janet Rogers, its the second one I've done and it's a very loose, very colorful one.

The irises are approximately 8x5" each. Top one is 9x12", on Fabriano hot press paper. The irises are on Arches cold press 140lb paper.

Current Works - May 2015

Starting some new stuff here. May brings out the sunshine and makes me want to paint! I'm starting by creating works in different mediums, starting with a watercolor of my grandson, Eddie. I'm showing the completed watercolor and the photograph (which I did not religiously copy).

This is a study in shades of gray. My grays are composed of Permanent Rose, Prussian Blue and Sepia or Burnt Sienna. A very limited palette here (four colors), just exposing the variance in grays from light to dark and warm to cool.

'Smokin' Eddie'-Watercolor-11x15" May 2015

The reference photo which I actually had to lighten somewhat to see detail.

May 2015

I went through my works and some old photos in the endeavor to organize, and came up with an old drawing done in 2004. Here's Legolas from The Lord of the Rings, done in graphite on bristol during that time. I wanted to do more characters from LOTR, but time got the better of me, and I was doing more commissions than ever during that time. Perhaps I'll get back to creating more graphite art in the near future.

Legolas-2004-Graphite

A study in white objects that aren't really white. Watercolor on Strathmore cold press. 11x14" 2014.

Bowl of Fruit with Pitchers-2014-Watercolor