A Burst of Afternoon Sun at Rocky Point

Rocky Point is right outside a fine restaurant I told you about the other day. Almost sat on their porch to paint this. The California Coast is a beautiful part of the world. There were seals down there barking and playing .... and gulls of course. I can still hear them and the waves crashing against the rocks.

Oil on 11x14 panel  $90

Breakfast for One

Almost every day I have organic eggs for breakfast. On the other days I have a bowl of oats and blueberries. I love both days. There was always this thing about painting egg shells ... so I did it. I will try again later but this is it for now.

oil on canvas  5x5    $ 50

By the River

There are not many rivers around here so we make do with what we've got. I thot this was interesting. Done in the studio, of course and we dream of water here on the desert.

oil on canvas  6x8

Bartlets

It must be pear season this time of year .... at least it's pear season somewhere because they keep showing up in the stores.... all kinds of them... Bosc, Asian, Bartlets, Chrimson, Royal Riviera. So I painted some Bartlets this time. Good pear.

oil on canvas  6x8

Morning Shadows

While we were at Cave Rock we painted all day... got there in the morning and painted then painted again after our lunch break. Ate at a restaurant that actually served grass fed organic beef... yummy. Here's the Morning Shadows.........

oil on canvas 6x8

Crashing Waves

Still at the beach... at least in my mind... and still going thru all those pictures I took down there. Pictures are great... paintings are greater no matter what they look like  :-)

Here I am watching the waves crash on the rocks on a cloudy, overcast day ...... it was still lovely.

oil on canvas  6x8

Coast near Big Sur

 More from the Monterey-Carmel-Rocky Point-Big Sur painting trip. The paintings always bring back good memories of the trip. I love the coast with it's special sounds and smells. It will probably be quite some time before I get back over there... if ever. We just never know. I took lots of fotos. Bill Davidson does the same.

oil on canvas  6x8

3 Pears

I had to paint these pears before I ate them. They made good props and good eating. Waiting is a box of organic pears sent from Harry & David's ... can't wait to dig into those. Maybe I'll paint one while it's still green.

Oil on canvas 6x8

Knife Painting At the Base of the Mountain

The painting goes on ... the posts to the Paint Spot are not ... not because I wanted to miss them but because I have not taken the time .
At the base of the High Sierras in Gardnerville. We went there on day on a Pleine Air painting trip.

Probably an 8x8 on canvas.... a knife painting

Herb and Tomato Garden

So this winter I am trying out growing herbs and tomatoes in my kitchen on the counter ..... we'll see if it works or not

Lilacs & Grapes

Leaving on a work vacation in a couple days .... right after my annual checkup :-). Now we'll see if I have been living up to all those things I know I;m supposed to be doing.

Eat right; get fresh air; exercise and die anyway  :-)

"Most people work hard and spend their health trying to achieve wealth. Then they retire and spend their wealth trying to get back their health."

 

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

 John Lubbock - What we see depends mainly on what we look for.


Bernard M. Baruch -Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind

nuf good quotes for the day .... now to my painting. Just a quick sketch on a piece of 9x9 canvas. I gessoed it with very thick gesso.... notice the marks.

Oil on canvas 9x9

Erueka

We took a trip to Eureka for painting, fotos and fun. The outcome is going to a show near the end of October. All of mine are small paintings. Some are brush, some are knife paintings. There are no prizes so is some are not so good it's ok. Not looking for any sales either. Someone wanted to see my entries so here they are:

T

Oil on canvas  6x8 (mostly)

Lemon-aid Jar

oil on canvas 6x8

Summer is still here... time for fresh lemon-aid. Actually mine is always just lemon juice and filtered water ... forget the sugary stuff.

The greatest wealth is health.  ~Virgil


Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.  ~Doug Larson

A sad soul can kill you quicker than a germ.  ~John Steinbeck



Red meat is not bad for you.  Now blue-green meat, that's bad for you!  ~Tommy Smothers

 Be careful about reading health books.  You may die of a misprint.  ~Mark Twain ... wow! they even had health nuts back in those days.

 Eat right, exercise regularly, die anyway.  ~Author Unknown  Ask my mother. She's 103.


Sunshine, water, rest, and air exercise and diet... just pay attention to these... the only variable is the diet, the food we eat, that's the challange, especially in this age of GMO's, PCB's , flourides, pesticides, x-rays, emt's and all the other word substances out there.
Eat well. Stay healthy. Live long. Enjoy what you have now.

Cherries & a Wine Bottle

Oil on canvas 6x8

The wine is gone... the cherries are gone ... I'm happy :-)

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

Do more, Spend less..... enjoy life to the fullest.

Those who can laugh without cause have either found the true meaning of happiness or have gone stark raving mad. ~Norm Papernick

 Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open. ~John Barrymore

It’s pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness. Poverty and wealth have both failed. ~Frank McKinney "Kin" Hubbard

So with that in mind look around you .... see the good... be happy. 

Portrait of a "Saint"

Santos oil on canvas 6x8

Santos is a local character who comes to pose for us occasionally.  Yes, Santos is his real name. Always in costume..... always refreshing and always funny. 6x8 portraits are always a challenge and may or may not look like the person.... but we have fun painting them.

Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. ~Albert Einstein

How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg. ~Abraham Lincoln

There is an objective reality out there, but we view it through the spectacles of our beliefs, attitudes, and values. ~David G. Myers, Social Psychology

 There are no facts, only interpretations. ~Friedrich Nietzsche

 What is a face, really? Its own photo? Its make-up? Or is it a face as painted by such or such painter? That which is in front? Inside? Behind? And the rest? Doesn't everyone look at himself in his own particular way? Deformations simply do not exist. ~Pablo Picasso

 Reality leaves a lot to the imagination. ~John Lennon

 It must be hard to be a model, because you'd want to be like the photograph of you, and you can't ever look that way. ~Andy Warhol

 Everything you can imagine is real. ~Pablo Picasso

'nuf said

Across the Lake

Summit Lake oil on canvas 6x8

Took a trip up to the top of Donner Pass to meet with the other plein air painters... missed them all. Never did find them so I hiked on in by myself/ It was a nice refreshing hike. Met a few people on the way out ... and their dogs. Hikers are always a good group of people to meet.Never know what I will paint and I always take home lots of fotos to work with later.

Try to get out today ... even if it's just a walk around the block.

Honey Pot

Honey Pot painted on 6x8 canvas 

I've still been painting on a regular basis ... but not posting. Posting seems to take a back seat since there is little feed back. It's like talking to myself. Now talking to myself is not a bad thing because that's kinda like meditation.... and meditation is a good thing.  When you concentrate your thoughts on only good and positive thoughts, the negative disappears and your entire life moves on to a higher quality.

Quality is not an act, it is a habit." (Aristotle)

He was right. That's why we are artists. When we are painting everything else goes away. Time flies. we see nothing but our canvas and paints. We are focused on an object and color and light and shadows and shapes.
Then same is true no matter what your discipline. So relax. Slow down. Stay calm.

Carson Valley View

Oil on Canvas 6x8

Along the way trees are planted which are not expected to bear fruit in one's lifetime. The Dreamway,  

So we keep on planting and dreaming and visualizing what might be. An artist moves mountains, rocks, trees waterways... anything to create a picture that might mean more to the viewer or to draw him in or to create an interest.... or to make him dream dreams. 

Sometimes we paint in broad strokes to indicate actions and movement.

Lookout from Donnar Pass

Oil on canvas  6x8

Time waits for no one.

Treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when

You can share it with someone special.

The beauty of nature is everywhere but usually we have to go out there to see and enjoy it. Sometimes we can't ... or don't feel like it. It's good to have paintings to  take us away and remind of us of things we've seen or places we'd like to visit..... or dream a little dream. Take time to dream today... or go visit a place outdoors. You won;t be sorry your did.

Girl at the Beach

oil on canvas 6x8


We advance on our journey only when we face our goal, when we are confident and believe we are going to win out.......Orison Swett Marden

This is an interpretation of a  beautiful young lady on the beach in Florida. Another small painting, a 6x8 completed with a #6 round brush ... continuing my learning session. Tho they may be a little rough I feel I am getting there and the paintings are coming out with reasonable success.

Inspiration is very subjective. For one person inspiration may be one thing but for someone else it may come from a totally different direction. For a painter it may be a face... it may be a particular scene... or it may be a still life set up with lighting from a particular direction. No matter what the inspiration ... no matter where it comes from reflect on it while it is there. Be moved when inspiration affects you. Be inspired in life.

Tipped Over

Oil on canvas  6x8

Enjoy Your Days & Love Your Life, 
Because life is short and a journey to be savored.

Of course I savored them all. It was such an interesting set up and the grapes looked so beautiful ... how could I resist?

Now go out and enjoy life!

Genelle

Oil on Canvas 6x8

Genelle is 12 years old and has posed for us several times in the past. This little 6x8 was done with a #6 round. I will probably be using the round brush for the next month as a learning experience. It's quite different from using a flat brush. The picture may not be all that good but it was fun and a learning experience. I plan to do a series of 6x8 portraits along with a series of landscapes and still life paintings.

The baker

Oil on canvas  6x8

Thought I would take a break from food so I did a portrait on a small 6x8 today.   The Art Town Reno show is going well. I sat there today and at the last minute some folks came in. They enjoyed the show and voted for their favorite picture. that;s what it;s all about. People enjoying the art works.

"To serve is beautiful, but only if it is done with joy, a whole heart, and a free mind." (Pearl S. Buck)

Grapefruit & Plum

Oil on Canvas   6x8

Breakfast time again.... love the fruit. It's Art Town in Reno this month. We set up our show in the downtown Methodist church lobby.... it came out really nice. Someone from Gardnerville stated it was the best one they went to. That makes all the people involved very happy. The show was "Feeding Body and Soul" and consisted of paintings form the Portrait Society of Reno paintings of people who are connected with the  Ford Coop and food paintings from the Latimer Club. There will be entertainment and things going on all over town this month. Hope to see you there.

Copper Pot

Sometimes we keep things and we do not even know why.We just keep them. So I painted this which was among the things I have stashed. I will probably paint it again along with some food... probably some fruit or hot peppers.
It may be called Compulsive Hoarding Disorder. It can be passed along from one generation to the ext... or it may skip a generation. CHD can cause problems... like gathering too much stuff  to be stored in too little space. When moving time comes along  that's when a person will notice the problem. It may even cause anxiety in a person who does not normally have that problem.... but it's temporary in most cases. Just get rid of the "things" ... we just want to hang on to too many "things".... know what I mean?

Old Truckee Highway

A couple weeks ago we had a paintout up in the Truckee area. It was actually a tour of the old highway and the back roads up the mountain. Gorgeous! It was a bit chilly that day so I took pictures and explored. Finally the loop ended and I was back on highway 80,  headed East back to Reno. It was an exciting several hours but all the time I had allowed myself for the day  ... a few days before the 15th. I painted this from one of my fotos.

Oil on canvas  6x8

From Bird Island

While hiking around Point Lobos we found our way out to Bird Island via a park department bridge. On the way we watched the sea lions giving birth on the beach far below and the young one's taking their first swim in the ocean. Fascinating. Looking back at the mainland was something like this sketch.
Of course Bird Island was a small rock covered with birds.

Oil 6x8

Point at Asilomar State Park

There were about 700 artists at the convention who spread out all up and down the coast. Asilomar State Park  was one of the places we painted. There were lots of different views and scenes to be painted. I climbed down on the rocks to get this scene.

Oil on Canvas 5x7

Crashing waves at Monterey

Knife painting from Monterey Plein Air Convention

Oil on Canvas 6x8

Annie

This is Annie. Right now she is still on the easel by the ficus tree... maybe finished... maybe subject to corrections. It's great to have her around the house.

Oil  on stretched canvas16x20

Painting Buddies

The plein air convention was really a hit.... lots of friend painters sharing experiences and stories.

oil on canvas  6x8

Asilimar Beach

One day while out painting I discovered it can become very cold at the ocean. the clouds, the wind and the drop in temp got to me really fast. A kind person loaned me a jacket but it was not enough. I think this took 5 minutes and I was out of there.... packed up and gone ... but it was a long walk to catch the bus that brought us. ... didn't take the bus any more and wore more clothes than was necessary.

Oil on canvas 6x8

Ocean Drive

Ocean Drive at Pacific Grove recently. A nice warm day. Lots of other painters out there.

8x10 oil on canvas