Prickly Pear Blossom

8x6 oil on cotton covered panel
$75 (email me if interested)
I enjoy painting cactus pads. I can achieve their green color by using cerulean blue, ultramarine blue, viridian, yellow ochre and/or cad yellow. It just depends on how the light hits the pad on which I use.

First Snow

6x8 oil on cotton canvas panel
$75 (email me if interested)

My first plein aire using my new "Cigar Box" by Guerrilla. Jim and I took our first RV trip to Taos, New Mexico this past week. We woke up to an early snow. This is what was left by the afternoon.

Mission Gardens

8x10 oil on cotton canvas panel
$250 (email me if interested)
The next best thing to painting plein aire is coming home and being able to paint from your photos. It takes me back to being at that location and what a good time I had with my Mom and daughter.

bougainvillea

8x10 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$150 (email me if interested)
Another painting of the Mission San Juan Capistrano.

Mission San Juan Capistrano

20x24 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$600 (email me if interested)
I have a hard time photographing my work. This one seems to be washed out and the previous post you can see dull reflections. I have tried different times of the day and different locations. Anyway, while in California taking Robin Hall's workshop, we visited the mission in San Capistrano. What a beautiful place! Every corner you turn is a photo op or in my case a painting op. I would love to spend many hours there painting on location. Unfortunately I live many miles away and I have to settle painting from photos. One day I want to be able to paint plein aire every where I go. Its going to happen soon.

Salsa Bowl 4

6x6 oil on cotton canvas panel
$75 (email me if interested)

Salsa Bowl with lime and lemon

6x6 oil on cotton canvas panel
$75 (email me if interested)
I enjoyed painting my little Mexican bowls so much I decided to paint one again.

Waterloo Icehouse Austin

8x8x3 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$75 (email me if interested)

I'm finally back. So many things in my life have been going on. I was kinda in a painting slump for awhile. It just seemed as though I couldn't paint anything I was happy with. Then I got the opportunity to take Robin Hall's Color Theory workshop in San Clemente, Ca. If you haven't ever seen Robin's work,take a look at her web site. Her use of colors are amazing. In fact, that is the reason I jumped at taking her class. We spent four days talking, mixing and painting colors. I was so pumped to get home and try out my new knowledge of color. I am working on a 20x24 painting of a photo I took at the Mission San Juan in San Capistrano. I am taking my time and thinking a lot about values and tones.
This painting is number 9 of my series of Austin Landmarks.

Willows in the Wetlands

11x14 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$300 unframed (email me if interested)
I need some advice. Do you think I need to go back and lighten up the value of the mountains to make them look like they are more in the distance? I feel as though I painted everything too much in the same value. I would appreciate any input. This is from a photo I took in the Rocky Mountain National Park. What a beautiful place. I love how there are so many different kinds of terrains. It is a painters paradise.

Frio River Reflections

16x20 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$600 (email me if interested)
This was another photo I took when Jim and I went camping back in October, hence the fall colors. I think this painting is more intense with color than I am use to painting. When painting water you have to look at the water surface and reflections as just shapes and color not what you know it to be. I struggled but I do like the end result.

Sidewalk Parking

8x8x1.5 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$75 (email me if interested)
This is number 8 in my series of Austin Landmarks.

Whole Foods Blackbirds

8x8x1.5 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$75 unframed (email me if interested)
I have been gone for a week and it has taken me another week to get back in the swing of things. I had started this painting before I left for the Rocky Mountains. It is #7 in my series of Austin Landmarks. I wanted to finish it before I started a new painting from my photographs of the mountains. Anyone that lives in Austin knows there are thousands of blackbirds around the parking area at Whole Foods and up and down the street. The noise is deafening but fascinating.

After the Rain- Canyon Lake

24x36 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$650 (email me if interested)
While my son was home on leave, Jim, Justin and I took him to the lake to do some fishing. I cooked hamburgers and took pictures. The day was very overcast and it was late in the evening. They didn't get a bite but I got some interesting pics. When I am painting I have to remind myself to use stronger highlights. Because of the late evening and overcast there were no strong shadows. I wanted to keep that overcast feeling.

San Jose Mission courtyard

20x24 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$600 (email me if interested)
The hardest part was making sure I had the arches correct. I still have a tendency to paint shadows the same violet color no matter what they are cast on. I am taking a workshop in August from Robin Hall on color theory. I am excited about learning how to work with my coloring. All and all I am happy with the painting.

Magnolia Cafe

8x8 oil on stretched cotton canvas
$75 unframed (email me if interested)
Another painting in my series of Austin Landmarks. Magnolia Cafe is located on South Congress (SoCo). It is open 24 hours with a massive menu and wonderful food made with fresh ingredients. Last time I was there my daughter and I shared the best Queso dip topped with avocado slices that I have ever tasted and I have eaten a lot of Queso dip.
I have also started a larger painting so the Austin paintings are on hold for a few days or maybe weeks, depending.