Art and Life

The Gamble House Part 2

2012-01-10T13:04:00.001-08:00

Here are the next steps of the Gamble House painting. I loosely sketched the scene

on 14" x 20" 140# Fabriano Cold Press watercolor paper using a Sanford Uniball Micro pen. I included the dramatic shadows cast by the roof overhang and the tree. This pen lines bled a little when I added the initial wash of color, but I liked the texture that created.

I started in the sky, working wet on dry, using a variety of blues: Cerulean, Ultramarine, Cobalt Turquoise, and Cobalt. I then blocked out the big shapes: shadows, walls, foreground, driveway and background trees, letting the colors wash around and mix together, and leaving little bits of white paper to help create a glow of light. I finished the session by laying in a wash along the front of the house suggesting the steps and planters.

This evening's work did not take long as I had already planned the painting and done a preliminary sketch the night before.

The Gamble House

2012-01-09T11:06:00.000-08:00

My next little project will be a painting of the Gamble House here in Pasadena. I had taken a series of photos many years ago and I will use those for my reference, although I did take another digital photo this morning on my way to work. My first step was to prepare a quick sketch in pen with watercolor in order to familiarize myself with the subject and explore composition and light/value patterns.

Scale Models

2012-01-05T16:13:00.000-08:00

I wanted to be an architect for much of my early life and I spent many hours drawing awesome house designs and making models, which I also love. Here is a series of architectural models I have built over the years. One is a cardboard kit of a Frank Lloyd Wright house; a few are for the design of an artist's cabin in the mountains; and one is a study model of an artist's community with studio space, gallery space and living space. These were stored in the attic space above my studio, collecting dust when I found them after a few years. I cleaned them up and had a friend make some acrylic museum boxes for them. Now they are on display in my studio.

The Joe Columbo Taboret

2012-01-05T14:32:00.000-08:00

I first saw the Joe Columbo Boby Taboret at the H.G. Daniels art store in Los Angeles in 1974. For those of you who don't know what that it is, it is a rolling storage cart made out of heavy-duty ABS plastic. It was designed by the Italian designer Joe Columbo in 1969. It has multiple shelves, swing-out drawers and vertical storage spaces and is perfect for the art studio, office, workshop or man cave. I have four: a grey one for my garage/framing department; a white one in my bedroom; another white one at my office; and a red one in my living room studio. They are practical as well as being very cool and designey.

Mood Sketches

2012-01-02T08:44:00.000-08:00

These sketches were done from photo reference for the purpose of exploring different moods, lighting conditions and feelings. The original photographs were taken in the middle of the day, when the light is very ordinary. After blocking out the shapes and line work with pencil and pen, I experimented with different colors to suggest early morning sun and moon light. Working small, in a sketchbook, allows me to be bold with color and not be concerned with detail, or making a final perfect painting.

On-location Sketch Book Studies

2011-12-29T09:07:00.000-08:00

Here are some recent sketchbook entries. These were all quick sketches (ten minutes or so), done on location in pen and ink and painted later in the studio. The application of paint took another ten minutes.

I was focused on the big idea: composition, value and mood, and pretty much avoided any detail. Light and shadow were important as well and I made expressing that a priority.

Using Quick Studies to Design a Painting

2011-12-29T08:39:00.000-08:00

This series of images shows the process I sometimes use in developing the composition and values for a painting. I like to have a strong value pattern of lights and darks, and preparing these small studies helps me keep on track as I work on the final painting. When I am unsure of where to go next (or what color/value to use), I consult the sketch.

I usually start small with a pencil thumbnail sketch to block out the big shapes and values, then proceed to a small color version, sometimes using pen and ink. From there I prepare a larger version, usually in color. I begin to familiarize myself with the subject and note any details I want to add. After all of this preliminary work, I tackle the final version.

Even though I have theoretically resolved everything, I still leave a lot of room for change and for the "painting to work itself out on the paper" as Robert E. Wood said.

Granada Building, Santa Barbara

2011-12-20T22:28:00.000-08:00

This quick watercolor study was done in a large Aquabee sketch pad.

Trees

2011-12-20T22:22:00.000-08:00

This is a scene at the former Ambassador College where stone steps go past a pond and climb up through thick trees.

The Green Hotel

2011-12-20T22:17:00.000-08:00

The Green Hotel in Pasadena: pen with watercolor on hot press paper.

City Hall

2011-12-20T22:10:00.000-08:00

Here is another sketch of the Pasadena City Hall, one of my favorite subjects. This was done with pencil and watercolor on hot press paper. I wanted a slightly different perspective, so I used a vertical composition.

The Langham

2011-12-20T21:51:00.000-08:00

This is a sketch of the Langham Hotel in Pasadena, from the back, where the building wraps around the wide lawn. I did the drawing with pen on hot press paper before washing it with color.

Pasadena Playhouse

2011-12-20T21:37:00.000-08:00

Here is a recent painting I did of the Pasadena Playhouse. I did a loose pencil sketch on hot press watercolor paper and painted it with bold colors, splashing and dripping paint in a casual way. I included a small value study in the lower right corner.

I mounted this sketch to a gesso'd foam core panel, and added a series of small pen and ink composition drawings and color notes below it.

The Palette

2011-10-28T16:03:00.000-07:00

I use two palettes for the majority of my work: a Winsor & Newton Cotman Field Sketch Box for my sketchbook work; and a John Pike palette for my studio work. I use Holbein transparent watercolor for both palettes.

The field sketch box comes with student grade half pans which I remove and replace with a squirt from the tube. I do not fill the Pike palette with the entire contents but rather refresh the palette before each painting session with a small amount of paint. I spray both palettes with water a few minutes before painting to make sure the paint is nice and juicy.

Here are my colors:

Permanent Alizarin Crimson

Cadmium Red Light

Permanent Yellow Orange

Gamboge Nova

Greenish Yellow

OLive Green

Cobalt turquoise Light

Cerulean Blue

Cobalt Blue

Marine Blue

Ultramarine Blue

Mineral Violet

Raw Sienna

Burnt Sienna

Burnt Umber

For the present time I no longer use Opera, or Titanium White, if I can help it, although it is shown in the above photo.

I leave out Greenish Yellow, Cobalt Turquoise Light and Mineral Violet when using the field box as it only has twelve slots.

Interpreting Photographs Part 2

2011-10-12T20:18:00.000-07:00

This is the Chinatown Metro Station.

Interpreting Photographs

2011-10-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a street in Chinatown.

My Home and Studio

2011-10-12T19:48:00.000-07:00

This is my home and studio: a 1909 California Craftsman Bungalow on a beautiful street in Bungalow Heaven.

Mission San Juan Capistrano

2011-10-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

I painted this many years ago, during the first California Art Club Mission San Juan Capistrano Paint out.

Art Gallery

2011-10-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

After exploring acrylics, oil, and collages, and being in a number of other galleries, I have returned to the thing I do best: working in transparent watercolor; and focusing my effort in one gallery: Galerie Gabrie in Pasadena. We have been together since before the beginning, when Jasminka was still at Poulson's Gallery. She gave me my start in a serious gallery, and when she left to start her own, I followed. Through the years I dabbled in other cool and exciting mediums, and explored different ways to paint, which has contributed to the way I paint today. Now it time to relax and paint in the way I paint best, doing the subjects I love most.

Wine Label

2011-10-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

I am doing a wine label for a friend. He is a small independent vintner who makes awesome wine. The scene on the label is an interpretation of his home, where he makes and bottles his wine. My son Jeremy helped me with the label design.

Colorado Street Bridge, Pasadena

2011-09-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

Here are some new paintings of the Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena.

Los Angeles River Sketch

2011-08-19T13:29:00.000-07:00

This painting is an interpretation of the Hyperion Avenue Bridge as seen from the Los Angeles River Greenway Trail, looking South.

I was hiking south along the Los Angeles River Greenway Trail taking photos of the river for reference. It was a warm Saturday morning in June and the trees in the river were bright yellow and green. The river was flowing gently and reflected the blue sky perfectly. I simplified the bridge architecture in order to communicate the pure elegance of the scene more effectively: the calm blue river, ducks flying overhead, the trees growing in the water, the graceful arches of the bridge, and the power lines. This is the essence of the Los Angeles River to me, nature coexisting with industry in an interesting juxtapositioning of unrelated elements.

This painting is going to be on the cover of the October Westways Magazine.

Recent Sketchbook Work

2011-07-29T15:02:00.000-07:00

Here is some recent sketchbook work. I have been using the facing page to do small thumbnail value sketches, pen studies, and color explorations. If I have a photo of the scene, I will paste that is as well, for later reference. Or in the case of my many relaxing afternoons sitting on my back deck, the label from a beloved cigar, as seen in the garage sketch.

Working Small and Fast

2011-07-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I was in Vermont teaching a number of watercolor classes for Holbein. One of the classes was how to paint outside, so we packed lightly, braved the August heat and humidity, left our hotel/conference center, and walked outside and across the road to this little farm. The scene was very commonplace: just a white frame house with a screen porch, a detached garage and some trees. I found a comfortable spot and did this series of scenes using my Sanford Uniball Micro pen and my 6" x 8" Aquabee sketchbook.

I was under a little pressure for two reasons: one, it was hot out; and two, I was teaching a class and I like to keep things moving and interesting. That has the advantage of forcing me to work fast and loose and intuitively. I don't have any time to massage things, I have to draw and slap on the paint quickly. The result is either a sharp little vignette, or a spectacular failure, but either way, I don't waste much time.

I am pleased with these little sketches because they express an immediacy of thought and application. Each one has a nice and simple composition. The darks are very dark, and the lights very light. Some areas are even left unpainted. There is very little detail, most everything is left to the imagination.

Rejection and Resolve

2011-07-18T21:16:00.000-07:00

I received an email this morning telling me that my submission to an art show on the west side was not accepted. I hate when that happens. I would think I would get used to it by now, but I never do. But rejection just strengthens my decision to keep doing what I am doing, and not waver from what I love.

Watercolor Cards

2011-07-18T20:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a series of cards I painted for Suzanne.

Pasadena Scenes

2011-07-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a series of small paintings of Pasadena scenes I recently completed. I had a collection of 6" x 6" cradled wooden panels that I wanted to use, so I picked six favorite images, sketched them in pen on Arches hot press paper and painted them with watercolor before mounting them to the gesso'd panels with gel medium. I applied two coats of acrylic gloss varnish and four coats of Kamar varnish to complete the paintings.

I liked the arrangement of all six in single composition so I am in the process of having some Giclee's made, which will be for sale soon.

A New Book

2011-04-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

Its finally here: The Man Cave Book. I highly recommend it for all my pals in need of an art studio or even just a personal space you can call your own.

Casual Art

2011-03-29T13:04:00.000-07:00

This art is not precious. It is rough, loose, reworked and messy. One of them even has a seam where I added a piece to the top to give the scene more sky. Most of these were sketches taken from my sketch book. I mounted them to foam core coated with gesso and glued to wooden stretcher bars. I did a number of small thumbnail studies and glued those on as well. While the glue was drying, I smeared gesso along the edges with my finger.

When that was dry, I wrote some descriptive text in pencil. I sprayed workable fixative over everything before painting two coats of acrylic gloss varnish and finished with a coat of Krylon Kamar varnish. I frame everything in a custom made acrylic box frame.

Sketching in Church

2011-03-25T10:51:00.000-07:00

I find it easier to pay attention in church if I have something to do with my hands. It was the same way in school: I needed to be doodling. I suppose that's one of the reasons I became an artist; I developed a love for drawing while I should have been studying. These are a few sketches made during the morning service at Pasadena Covenant Church. Now I want you to know that I also take notes during the sermon, so I can become a better person.

Also, I don't paint in church. That would be rude. I sketch the scene, and paint it later in my studio.

Some New Artwork

2011-03-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

Here is what I am doing now: collages that combine a primary image with a number of smaller images of different views of the same subject. This idea is an outgrowth of some of my earlier paintings where I included small study sketches and notes. Those were usually quick pen or pencil studies and typically in black and white. I wanted to create more interest with this new series and decided to explore doing these little thumbnail sketches in color, and doing more than just subtle variations on the main image. The idea is to tell more of a story. For example, one painting features a sketch of Los Angeles Union Station. Above it are small studies done from inside the train as I rode it down to San Diego on Saturday afternoon.

Another L.A. Scene

2011-03-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

There is a lot going on here in this little sketch. I was on the Pasadena Freeway heading south toward downtown near West College Street. Traffic was slow. You can see the top of the car in front of me, the structure of a freeway sign, an office building behind some thick green trees, small bungalows climbing up the hill and the gleaming skyscrapers of downtown rising up behind. It is a mixture of elements creating a colorful jumble of old and new, and something you would never notice if you weren’t looking for it.

Notice how the sketch is different from the reference photo: the buildings are larger and are the dominant feature, the foreground is downplayed and the colors enhanced. I used a Sanford Uniball pen to make the drawing before painting it with watercolor and adding white paint for some accents.

Lalo's

2011-03-03T12:28:00.000-08:00

Lalo Guerrero was a Mexican-American guitarist, singer and farm labor activist widely recognized as the father of Chicano Music. I was commissioned by the Historical Society of Southern California to do this painting as a gift to Mr. Guerrero in recognition for his contributions to music, humanity, and the history of Los Angeles.

This is an imagined scene of his night club from the 1960's and is one of my favorite paintings. I only had a scanned photo of poor quality taken in the daytime to work with, so I turned it into a rainy night scene and added cars and people. When I presented this to him, he burst into tears.

Studio Workshop

2011-03-01T13:17:00.000-08:00

This is the reconfigured studio workshop space in my garage. It will be used for framing and organizing work. Painting will still be done in the living room of the main house.

The Evolving Painting

2011-02-26T11:47:00.000-08:00

This is another scene of downtown Los Angeles from a little pocket park just north of Sunset Boulevard. It started out last year as a quick demonstration for a class I was teaching. I sketched the scene in pen and then applied a wash of yellow, orange, red, purple and blue over the whole sheet. I pulled out the building shapes in contrasting colors and added in the tree shapes in the foreground. It was a competent but uninspired effort.

A few months later, I pulled it out of the pile and reworked it, adding some detail in pen and ink and sketching in the little studies in the lower right corner. It was better, but not yet what I had in mind, so it sat to the side once again.

Recently I decided to finish it off, one way or another. I tackled the sky with dark colors, deepened the building shadows, expanded the tree's presence and put in some more white paint accents. Some of these moves were scary, particularly in the sky, but I plowed ahead with boldness, as it is better to fail spectacularly then to crank out yet another average painting.

I'm Retiring My Moleskine Sketchbooks

2011-02-25T14:37:00.000-08:00

After many great years of writing, drawing and painting in my Moleskine pocket sketchbook, I have decided to move on. I mentioned this a few posts ago and indicated that I was going back to my Aquabee 808, which is shown above, along with my Letts journal. The last straw was an email I got the other day from Moleskine wherein they shared about their latest passion series that includes the following subjects: babies, gardening, dogs, cats, travel, and "style".

I used to be their most ardent supporter and told all my friends how cool Moleskine was and that they could be cool too if they got one (and used it). Moleskine really had a handle on the mystery and romance of the lonely writer jotting notes from a sidewalk cafe. It has gotten completely out of hand now. I supported the city notebooks. I even liked the concept of the food, wine, book, music and movie passion notebooks, (although I still think a cigar journal is just crying for consideration). But now, everyone has a Moleskine. They are everywhere and no longer the esoteric and obscure secret for those on the edge.

I learned much from my Moleskine days: how not to treat my sketchbook so preciously; how to use it for photos, writing, and designing as well as sketching; and how to incorporate it into all aspects of my daily life not just the art ones. And for that, I am grateful to them. They created a market from nothing, and did it with style and ultimate coolness, and I wish them well.

Sketch Wrap

2011-02-18T14:29:00.000-08:00

I was going to give a present to Suzanne the other day and I was fresh out of wrapping paper. I solved that problem by taking a page of my sketchbook and enlarging it 200% on the color copier, and printing it out on tabloid sized paper. The image became an exciting abstract watercolor wash that worked beautifully for designer paper. Not having any ribbon either, I found some heavy duty cord in the tool cabinet and did a Christo tie job.

The Aquabee Sketchbook

2011-02-18T14:17:00.000-08:00

After years of using the beloved Moleskine pocket sketchbook, I have finally gone back to my old friend the Aquabee Super Deluxe 808. Here's why I like it: the paper has a little tooth to it and it is perfect for pencil, pen and watercolor. It even accepts gesso on those occasions where I want to undo or redo a part of a sketch. It is also a little bigger (I use the 6" x 9" size). Finally, it lays flat so it is easier to paint on. Here are a few casual sketches I did of my backyard, while sitting on the deck, enjoying a cool Sunday afternoon and a nice cigar.

Los Angeles Interpreted

2011-02-12T07:57:00.000-08:00

I have stopped working on my Los Angeles Sketchbook project for the time being as I can't find a publisher. It will happen some day. In the meantime, I have an opportunity to paint what I want, without having any commissions or official large projects that I am working on. Using some existing photos I had taken a while ago, I painted these two 14" x 20" Los Angeles scenes. The top view is from the observation floor of the City Hall building. The bottom view is from inside a train as it pulled into Union Station.

Every once in a while I try to do a painting without using pen and ink. The Union Station view started out that way, and after laboring for three hours on it (while watching the Super Bowl on a micro-sized digital television that fuzzed out if I so much as moved six inched either way), I gave up. Although I was ready to jettison this failure right then and there, I try never to throw anything away until I have had a chance to see it in the light of a new day. It looked like it had potential on Monday.

Usually I draw with pen first, but not being able to do it here for obvious reasons I took my pen to the almost-completed painting, treating it like a loose sketch. I also wasn't overly pleased with the composition so exaggerated the cars parked in the foreground as a distraction. There are still a few more details to finalize: some suggested architectural accents, and some more white paint touches, but overall I am pleased with this retro pen and ink redo.

Workshop

2011-01-16T17:16:00.000-08:00

And here is the new revised workshop. I relocated the tools to the pegboard space above the workbench. All of my painting gear is now inside in my new studio. This is my framing department. My collection of Christo posters is stacked in the lower right.

Working

2011-01-01T13:03:00.000-08:00

It is the first day of the new year and I am working in my new studio while I watch the Rose Parade on a tiny television. It is the perfect set-up and I like it much more than my garage. I have a view that looks out the front window to the tree-lined street of Bungalow Heaven, my son Tyler plays video games while I work, a fire burns in the fireplace at the other end of the room and a cool breeze blows in.

This painting started as a detailed pen and ink drawing. I am slowly adding watercolor in light washes and heavier multi-color applications and accenting everything with little bits of white paint. The scene doesn't really have a center of interest, instead it is a busy array of every color in my palette and looks very much like the original view.

My New Studio

2010-12-28T13:39:00.000-08:00

A few years ago, I moved my studio out to the garage and created a sort of Man Cave. I posted some photos a few months ago. Last night I decided to move back inside the house, for a number of reasons: I miss my boys and all the action and noise they provide; I wanted to be a part of things and still be able to paint; and it was cold out there.

Here is the new set up. It is very sparse and organized. All of my art supplies are in my red taboret; notebooks and reference books, reference photos are on the shelves, and in-progress paintings are against the wall. I will use my garage to make a nice framing department, and of course a hang out space for smoking cigars and talking with my boys.

Sketchbooks and Journals

2010-12-28T13:25:00.001-08:00

I have a large collection of sketchbooks and journals beginning in 1979. Back then I used an A4 Architect's and Designer's Diary. Now I use a Lett's weekly planner for my scheduling and journal entries, a Aquabee spiral sketchbook for drawing and a pocket Moleskine sketchbook for both. This photo also shows my Canson Montval watercolor sketchbooks and my collection of Canson All-Media sketchbooks.

I recently discovered the very large Moleskine sketchbook, shown at the top. It is 12" x 16.5" and is perfect for capturing large landscapes and nice horizontal vistas. You can see its size as compared to my pocket version. I usually keep this one in my car and just pull it out when there is something big to sketch.

Waiting Sketches

2010-12-28T13:09:00.000-08:00

One of the advantages of having a sketchbook with you at all times is those times when you are waiting for someone. Time passes quickly when you are doing something else and it is much more interesting to draw than just sit and wait. These sketches were done fairly quickly, 10 minutes each. I used a Sanford Uniball Micro pen, with some of the lines enhanced with a Sharpie fine point. I painted them later in the quiet of my studio.

My Daily Journal

2010-12-25T06:59:00.000-08:00

I carry a Lett's daily diary in addition to a sketchbook. I use it to plan my year, schedule meetings, and note significant events. I also use it as a sketchbook, design notebook and photo album. My journal and my sketchbook tend to influence each other: I write in my sketchbook and draw in my journal. By the end of the year, the book is thick with photos and watercolor- crinkled pages. And it seems to weigh more than a new, unused book, but that could be my imagination.

By the way, I know its Christmas morning, and yes, I do have a life. I woke up early to do this post, and soon will be cooking breakfast for my three boys (and my middle son's girlfriend), opening presents by the fire and celebrating the day with Suzanne.

I Love Los Angeles

2010-12-13T20:35:00.000-08:00

I grew up in Colorado, in Denver for many years and then in a small town in the northwest corner of the state. I loved it of course, but always dreamed of moving to California, which I finally did after I graduated from art school. Here are a few sketches of life in L.A., a night time drive down the Harbor Freeway in the rain, and a view of the subway.

Where I Live

2010-12-08T21:59:00.000-08:00

I live in Pasadena, a beautiful city at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. I have lived here since 1980 (and on a few occasions before that). It is where I started to paint.

This is one of my favorite subjects: the Pasadena City Hall. I have sketched it many times. These are a few choice views, both done with pencil, pen, ink and watercolor.

Where I work

2010-12-08T21:53:00.001-08:00

I work in South Pasadena, California, in the top floor of a two story brick building that was built by a ceramicist many years ago. South Pasadena is a great little town, full of restored craftsman houses and historic architecture.

The top sketch is the Rialto Theater. Above is the Fair Oaks Pharmacy, just north of the theater.

Design Sketches

2010-12-04T20:21:00.000-08:00

I carry a small Moleskine sketchbook with me to project meetings as well. I am a partner at SKA Design, an environmental graphics firm in South Pasadena. We are currently doing a wayfinding and signage project for Griffith Park and I used my sketchbook to develop some design concepts while we were touring the facility. We are also developing a signage program for the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. We fleshed out some ideas at lunch after the project meeting. We are also proposing a citywide signage program for the Town of Danville, California. Here are some preliminary thoughts.

Everyday Sketchbooks

2010-12-04T20:00:00.001-08:00

I use different sketchbooks for different phases of my life. I used to use the Aquabee Super Deluxe 808 all the time, and while I still love them, I like the Moleskine pocket sketchbooks more these days. I like to travel light, and the pocket sketchbook fits in my jacket pocket very easily. The top photo shows a row of completed ones.

Chris and I had to travel to Sacramento last month, and while we were waiting in the terminal to board our plane, I had a chance to sketch it. I painted it later in the studio.

Z and I went to La Costa for a weekend getaway. This quick sketch is the view outside the patio door.

Simplify

2010-11-15T21:48:00.000-08:00

For many years we had a large couch and a chair in the living room. It had fallen into hard times and showed its 20+ years of use and abuse from three boys, two dogs and three cats rather badly. We seldom used it. We were also paying for satellite TV that no one was watching. Finally it was time to move on. We cancelled the satellite service and gave away the furniture and in its place put an IKEA wood and canvas chair and two director's chairs. Now we have a simple little living room for relaxing by the fire, reading and watching the occasional DVD. It a nice sanctuary.

At the other end of the room is a low book case full of my art and architecture books and my collection of Christo books. Sitting atop the shelves is a wooden tripod table lamp I found on sale at a hardware store. Across the back wall is a series of six drawings I took from my sketchbook and mounted to gessoed hardboard panels.

Building a Model

2010-11-03T22:58:00.000-07:00

I love scale models, particularly architectural ones. Back in 1974, when I was in art school, I designed and built a model of an artist's community that consisted of a series of triangular shaped gallery spaces, studios and loft living spaces. I don't know what happened to the original model but fortunately I had taken a number of photos that I could reference in rebuilding it. Beginning with a 12" x 12" x 2" gessoed hardboard panel as a base, I cut 1" squares and triangles out of mat board and assembled the miniature complex using white glue. I finished it with some dried yarrow weeds to represent trees. This was a nice break from my usual painting time.

Back to Work

2010-11-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

After a little break from my normal routine of painting to do some teaching, exploring acrylic abstracts and building a model, I am back doing urban scenes in pen and ink and watercolor. I found a slide I had taken a number of years ago of the Chinatown district in San Fransisco that has everything: buildings, signs, people, cars, and the Bay Bridge beyond. This is an overwhelming scene. To keep myself organized, I started from the center and worked outward, taking my time and enjoying the drawing process, not thinking yet about how I am going to paint it.

I decided to use the sketch I did of Chinatown in Los Angeles (top) as inspiration. It started as a detailed pen and ink sketch to which I added bright colors, splatters and white paint. I left a large part of the sketch unpainted.

Refining an Earlier Series

2010-10-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

The other evening I returned to this series of abstract washes and started playing around with color, shape and composition until each one started to look like something. I still had my Reno trip in mind and all I could see were aerial landscapes, so I added some roads and fields and lights. The upper right one is a winter scene in Colorado. These studies become nice little 5.5" x 7.5" paintings.

Dividing Up Space

2010-10-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

Tonight I concentrated non-objective paintings that consisted of dividing up space with shape, color and line. Each of these went through a number of iterations before I decided that I was through.

Abstract

2010-10-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

This started out as a landscape but ended up a pure abstract.

Finishing Last Week's Sketches

2010-10-11T22:48:00.000-07:00

I went back to the paintings I did last week and tuned them up a bit, adding some clarification, detail and contrast. While they started out as non objective abstracts, they now look like small landscapes.

Aerial Landscapes

2010-10-11T22:45:00.000-07:00

Here is a series of twelve 5.5" x 7.5" acrylic sketches.

More Exploration

2010-10-11T22:43:00.001-07:00

Here are the last four from this evening's session.

Landscapes Exploration

2010-10-11T22:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some additional explorations I did tonight. I used 140# Arches cold press watercolor paper, gessoed on one side, and began with a color wash over each sheet. I added colors intuitively without thinking, just to see what would happen.

Repainting Some Earlier Images

2010-10-03T21:23:00.000-07:00

The next thing I did was to dig out some earlier paintings I did of downtown Los Angeles to see if I could improve them. The original paintings were pen and ink with watercolor done on sketchbook paper and mounted to gesso'd panels. I tackled them with some thick acrylic paint, ignoring the foreground sketch and trying to simplify the composition, and make it more exciting.

Abstract Landscapes

2010-10-03T21:04:00.000-07:00

The next thing I did was to choose a theme: landscape; three colors: green gold, phthalo blue and cadmium red (+ white); and a composition format: horizontal. Using the same gesso'd sheets, I prepared these quick studies.

Compositions Number Two

2010-10-03T21:01:00.000-07:00

These are the last six: uneasy, golden section, spiritual, diagonal, meandering and constellation.

Composition Studies

2010-10-03T20:51:00.001-07:00

The next thing I did was to review the basic composition formats. These are quick black and white studies illustrating six of the twelve composition styles used in most abstract paintings. They are: vertical, circular, overlapping squares, horizontal, cantilever and cruciform. Following Robert's technique, I painted gesso on one side of a 140# Arches Cold Press watercolor paper, cut up into 5.5" x 7.5" rectangles. Then using black and white acrylic paint, I quickly painted the exercises.

A Review of Some Basics

2010-10-03T20:44:00.001-07:00

I am going through Robert Burridge's book Loosen Up, with the hope that it will not only give me some good pointers on abstract painting but also will inspire me. The first step was to get some additional acrylic paint at the art store and prepare a color wheel.

A New Start

2010-09-23T22:12:00.000-07:00

So I am doing something different, at least for a while: exploring abstracts and abstract landscapes in oil, pencil and mixed media. Here is my visioning board, some preliminary pencil sketches and some early oil painting studies.

Time For A Change

2010-09-23T21:13:00.001-07:00

I had a bit of a crisis the other day. I was scheduled to go paint at an event where patrons could come and watch the artists at work, eat some food and drink some wine, and hopefully buy a painting. I have been to a number of these and for some reason, while I always have a good time, I seldom if ever sell anything. This fact usually does not bother me, but for some reason, this time it did. I just couldn't do it, so I didn't go.

I have been painting the same subjects the same way for many years now. Yes, my style has evolved and become more colorful, but I seem to have lost the spark of originality and uniqueness that some of my earlier work possessed. I must have painted the Colorado Street Bridge over 200 times by now. I can do it in my sleep. Is that good? People love it as a subject and I have made a fair amount of money from it, but is that good? I don't know. In any event, I need a change.

One of my heroes is Miles Davis, the jazz musician. He once said that he stopped playing ballads because he loved them so much. He was always changing, innovating and trying new things and consequently, he invented entirely new forms of music. He would try something new and his fans would rebel, hating the new and wishing he would go back to the old. He didn't. He kept pushing and finally his fans would follow too. I loved that about him.

So I decided to work on my Visioning Board. I started it years ago and I grows and changes as I do. It has pictures of Christo, paintings by Robert Burridge, a photo of Alexander Calder in his studio, and some of my own art. Working on it helps me get a grasp on what I want to do, and how I want to change.

I worked on it again this week. This time, I covered up some old images and added some new ones: images of works by Richard Diebenkorn and Franz Kline; a panoramic photo of my studio, a written narrative of what I want to do, and some new abstract paintings of my own.

The Train Station

2010-05-12T08:17:00.000-07:00

Many years ago I was looking for a hobby. This was before I re-discovered painting. I had already built a tiny model train layout and spend a year and a half building a model wooden ship and I needed something new. While perusing the local public library I happened upon the book David Gentlemen's Britain and decided to get a sketchbook and draw my city, Pasadena, California.

My original intent was to document the changes I saw every day as buildings were built and others torn down. One of my first subjects was the train station. At that time, back in the late 80's, it was quite active, serving four Amtrak trains a day. Freight trains passed every few hours and there was even a freight station and a siding for deliveries. If I was out with my boys in the evening, we would sometimes stop at the station and wait for the evening long haul Amtrak to pull in for its first stop after departing from Los Angeles Union Station on its way east. We would look in at the dark and cozy sleeping compartments and wish we were on board.

I have drawn the station many times since that first sketch, and have seen it through many changes. One day as I was coming to work, the Santa Fe Super Chief was there for a movie shoot. That was the height of its modern life. Eventually, Amtrak moved out and the freight trains stopped coming. The signs were taken down and the station fell into disrepair.

One day they took it apart and moved it across the street to the park before building a new mixed use retail residential transportation development on the site. Then they completely restored it and moved it back to its original location and turned it into an excellent restaurant. Now it lives on, better than before.

This view is my favorite however: on a quiet summer day, with passengers waiting patiently for the afternoon train.

Urban Sketching Redux

2010-04-24T06:38:00.000-07:00

This is a sketch of another famous eatery: Philippe's - Home of the French Dipped Sandwich. It has been there for many years and hasn't changed one bit. The food is fantastic and the parking is free.

I have sketched and painted this scene many times and in many different ways: pen and ink; watercolor with pencil; pen with watercolor; I have mounted a version to a hard board panel, done it in mixed media and painted it as a demonstration for the workshops I teach. I really enjoy the image because it has a lot of texture, it is gritty and full of stuff, it has good darks and lights and it has a lot of colorful signage.

This version was completed last week and is my new favorite. This is slightly ironic because I had done it as a demo last year for the Learning and Product Expo here in Pasadena and was unable to complete it during the class time, so I filed it away. It was an acceptable painting at the time and had done a good job of illustrating my teaching lesson but finding it again and looking at it with fresh eyes, I found it lacking. I decided to try to fix it. What did I have to lose right?

I had done it as a pen and ink sketch on Arches hot press watercolor paper. I liked the original line work and the initial wash of color was not so strong as to prevent me from adding more, so I tackled it with fresh eyes and renewed enthusiasm. (I find that easier to do with a painting that has seasoned for a while; I am not so worried that I am going to ruin it so I am very relaxed and feel free to take more chances.)

I started by redrawing it with my Sanford Uniball Micro pen. (Please note that the pen acts very differently drawing over painted areas.) Looking back at my original reference photo I noticed that I had mis-drawn the awning, so I just drew it again, correctly this time, ignoring the painted awning underneath. I also drew in a third vehicle and left it unpainted as well, giving the painting a very casual sketchy feeling. I added some narrative copy along the bottom edge and made a few color notes right on the painting.

As the original was lacking in color and contrast, I enhanced the darks, but I did it with color: the shadows are a mixture of blue, red and burnt umber. I exaggerated the color shifts: look at the phone pole - it is dark at the top and very light at the bottom. I also boosted the colors and white paint in the signage. Finally, I painted a stormy sky and put some loose reflections in the foreground to suggest a rainy afternoon.

What started as an average painting is now something I like very much. I encourage you to dig through some of your earlier mediocre pieces and see if you can improve them.

Little Abstract Landscapes

2010-04-02T08:17:00.001-07:00

Here is an interesting exercise you can try: paint a series of non-objective abstract studies on a single sheet of paper, all at the same time. I discovered this by accident. I was commissioned to do a watercolor landscape of no place in particular and I didn't know quite where to start. So I took a full sheet of 140# Fabriano cold press paper and divided it up into squares. I used 1/2 white tape to make clean a clean edge between images.

Then, without planning anything or having a pre-conceived idea of what I wanted, I started laying down color. I painted large areas of solid color, small shapes, wet paint on dry paper, colors mixing on wet paper, gradated washes, everything. I painted all of the squares, one after the other, all at once, without stopping to evaluate or ponder. I was bold with color, and bold with mixing unusual and illogical colors. I was free to paint like a child who doesn't know all the rules he isn't supposed to break.

As the washes started to dry, I started to sculpt each little image, adding an accent color, scraping out some whites, throwing in a complimentary color, and splattering, still with no idea what I was making, just having fun and playing around.

Gradually, each painting started to look like something: a dramatic storm on a distant plain, a sunset, a beautiful valley in late afternoon, a brilliant sun peaking out from behind a cloud. It was then that I started to add shapes and colors to help describe and clarify the vision: furrowed rows of a farm field, a grove of trees on a hillside, a distant lake. I finished by adding some strokes and spots of white paint on a few of the scenes for some added interest.

White Paint

2010-04-01T07:28:00.000-07:00

There are two kinds of water-color artists: those who use white paint and those who are going to use white paint. Just kidding. Actually, there are quite a few watercolor artists who absolutely refuse to use it, and I support them. I even, on occasion, refrain from the good old Titainium. There is an unusual beauty to the clean, pure expression of a transparent watercolor. It's what attracts most people to the medium, both painters and patrons.

On rare occasions however, the judicious use of white paint can be the perfect accent to a watercolor painting. It can clarify branches in the midst of a thick dark mass of trees, create window mullions on a deep blue pane of glass, suggest subtle complexity in the background of a city scene and provide the interesting graphic accent of signage on a street corner.

The key is restraint. Be delicate with your brush. I use a rigger or a swordliner (a long, skinny brush with a good tip). I wait until I have completed the painting and done all I can without white paint, and then I add the little spots and accents. I like to continue a dark painted stroke (let's say, in a tree) with white paint, so the line goes from dark suddenly to white. It is unexpected, illogical and very exciting.

This is a scene of people waiting in line to eat at the Pantry in Los Angeles. It is a classic diner that is always open, and has been since 1924. You don't leave hungry. For this painting, I used Arches 140# hot press watercolor paper. I did a loose in sketch in pen and ink before applying bright colors of thick, juicy paint. I wanted this to have lots of color in the buildings, people and the cafe awnings so I really laid it on. I painted reflections in the foreground to create interest but in reality, it wasn't raining. I also left plenty of white space though out the piece: the door frames, window mullions, random little areas along the street, and the architectural detailing in the skyscrapers.

After all that, I came back in with white paint for a few little touches: the pantry sign, the street sign, a few window details and a little splattering here and there. Not much, but enough to give everything some sparkle and energy.

Collage

2010-03-30T08:02:00.000-07:00

Christo, the artist, really inspires me. Not only is he incredibly creative in his environmental art, but he is also a skilled painter and a draftsman. He can really draw. (He is the fellow who did The Gates in Central Park, The Umbrellas in California and Japan and is planning the Over The River project in Colorado, among many other things.) He designs his projects by producing hundreds of drawings, sketches, paintings and collages as he visualizes the end result. I find his collages particularly inspiring. He combines drawings, plans, notes and photos into a cohesive art piece. And they are beautiful.

This is a collage I did of the Vista del Arroyo in Pasadena. First, I painted the building at night in watercolor. After the painting was dry, I mounted it to a cradled hardboard panel that I had covered with two coats of white gesso. I used acrylic matte medium for mounting, applying it liberally to the hardboard panel with a palette knife, positioning the painting over the board and gently rolling it smooth.

I then applied a photograph I had taken at night of a slightly different view, and a color print of a Google Earth image of the area from above. I sized and located the images with an eye toward composition and design. I drew horizontal and vertical lines across the painting to help find alignment points and to create graphic interest, and I stenciled in ARROYO, loosely painting it with diluted white paint. The finishing touch was to emphasize some of the pencil lines with dots and globs of more white paint. I wrote the title and date in pencil along the bottom edge, and signed it.

I framed it with a clear acrylic box frame, attached to the sides of the hardboard cradle with countersunk screws.

I love this piece. It has the romance of a watercolor, the drama of a night scene, the structure of a technical drawing and the interest of alternate views and mediums. I encourage you to explore this as another way to express yourself.

A Balanced Life

2010-03-29T16:16:00.000-07:00

For me, art is about life. That means that my art expressions are a natural outgrowth of what I am experiencing. Or to put it another way, I find myself being more creative when I have a lot going on in my life: work, my boys, my girlfriend, my pals and of course, music. These things even me out and provide a wonderful combination of seasonings that flavor my life.

Music has always played a big part. It's what I did when I wasn't doing art. And that's the way it was ever since I was in Jr. high school: music and art were equal interests. Now I wasn't an actual student of music, I was a self-taught enthusiast of the garage band circuit, learning the craft while ducking beer bottles and dodging cowboy fights in Colorado bars, and later refining my skills playing in church worship bands in Southern California since 1982. I am still doing it and I love it as much as painting. The image above is from a concert we performed last Friday. My friend Tim is on the right. I usually play the drum set, but in this band I play congas, bongos, a djembe and other percussion instruments. It is the perfect counter-discipline to painting and drawing, and it's what helps give me a balanced life.

I encourage you to paint as much as you can, but just as importantly, indulge in your other passions: model trains, golf, skiing, writing, reading, needle point, movies, collecting Coca Cola memorabilia, whatever it is. It helps you be you, and helps you be a better, more honest, and expressive artist.

Moleskine

2010-03-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

I know, Moleskine is the new Starbucks for artists. Everyone has one and it is the latest thing. When they started many years ago, they were cool and obscure and known by only a few people. Carrying one around and sitting in a sidewalk cafe sketching and writing made me feel so hip and with it. Now, if you check out their website you can see that they have every kind of book for every kind of need you may have, or may think you have, or haven't even thought of yet. There are journals for wine lovers, movie lovers, food lovers, music lovers, book lovers, and fitness lovers. And in spite of how popular they are, I still love them, and still feel like I am the genius, tortured, lonely artist/writer when I carry mine around. (If you go to their website: http://www.moleskineus.com/ you can see one of my sketches on the home page, and more in the customer submission section.)

I used to use the Aquabee Super Deluxe 6" x 9" spiral-bound sketchbook. I still use it actually, but in my continuing quest to carry less, I only use it when I am sure I am going to be sketching. For my day-to-day needs, I now use the Moleskine Pocket Sketchbook. I use it for a multitude of things: pen and ink sketching, painting, pencil drawing, writing, and the pasting in of images. It is a completely portable art studio, diary, travel companion and photo album. (For photos, I print contact images from iPhoto and glue them in with spray adhesive.) It is small, light weight and fits in my pocket. The above photo shows some sample pages from a few of my completed books.

Painting on the paper takes a little getting used to. I think they must use a lot of sizing in the manufacturing process so watercolor tends to resist the paper, but if you apply it boldly with juicy color, you can make it work.

And in a complete departure for my Zen-Simplicity-Travel-Light philosophy, I recently purchased a huge Moleskine Artist Journal that is approximately 11" x 17" when closed and weighs in at around four pounds. I keep it in my car for those occasions when I absolutely have to sketch and paint something really big.

A Cluttered Space

2010-03-01T13:31:00.000-08:00

When I went to art school in Denver, I lived in a studio apartment. It was very small, basically one room, with a couch that folded out into a bed. I used a bookshelf to section part of it into an art area and it was there that I did all my projects. That first little studio was about 6 feet square and consisted of my bookshelf, a drafting table and an old steamer trunk my dad gave me that served as a low side table for misc. tools and my beloved Rototray.

I would go to school from 9 in the morning until 3:30 in the afternoon, then come home and take a nap from 4 to 6. At 6 my favorite radio station, KHOW would change from regular music to commercial-free jazz with host Larry Vanore so after tuning that in I would start on my art school homework. I began by straightening the mess from the previous night which looked a bit like this photo. Stuff was strewn all over the apartment: illustration board, paper, paint tubes, pens and pencils, markers, x-acto knives, spray mount, and of course, the art itself. My main area of study was graphic design so my art at that time consisted of posters, brochures, exhibit models and logo designs. After 30 minutes of organizing I would begin my project for the night.

I would work straight through until 1 or 2 in the morning, stopping only for a snack dinner. Soon my apartment was once again a disaster.

Now here's the deal: when my space (from my first apartment/studio to my current garage studio lair mancave retreat) is at it's most cluttered and disorganized state, it is then that it has the most energy. The space creates it's own force of creativity and actually spurs me on with increasing enthusiasm and greater ideas. The idea of stopping to go to sleep is unthinkable, and when I do finally fall into bed in the early morning hours, completely exhausted, it is with an incredible sense of peace and contentment.

Sketch Anywhere

2010-02-26T15:30:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest places to go in Los Angeles is the Hollywood Bowl. Pack a picnic supper, take the Park and Ride bus, arrive early so you have time to eat, find your seat and relax for a great evening of jazz or classical music. Of course you will want to bring your sketchbook in order to do some drawing before the concert begins. And there are many things to capture your attention. This is the view from our seats. I did a quick sketch in pen and ink while waiting for the show to begin, and I took a flash-off digital photo with my pocket camera for later reference. I did a location sketch at the event, but I painted it later in my studio.

Light glowing from the stage illuminates the first few rows where the patrons are indicated by dots of color that become silhouetted shapes as the brightness fades. I painted a series of gradated washes beginning at the center with Gamboge Nova and added Alizarin Crimson and Ultramarine Deep as I moved away from the stage. After these washes had dried, I added loosely rendered splashes of color and shapes suggesting the architecture and people and finished it off with a dark wash for the trees in the background.

Pen and Ink

2010-02-26T13:09:00.000-08:00

Many times I enjoy working with just a pen, without watercolor. Most of my sketchbook sketches start out that way - just a pen drawing. Because of time constraints I will usually add color later. And sometimes I will leave the sketch as is.

I actually started my art career with the goal of drawing Pasadena with pen in my sketchbook. Gradually I started adding color accents and pale color washes, basically tricking myself into learning how to paint. I found it much easier to add color to an interesting drawing than to face a faint pencil drawing on a sheet of watercolor paper with a loaded brush. The pen sketch gave me confidence to try anything. Consequently, it has become my favorite way to start a painting and as I said, sometimes its how I finish it too.

I usually don't use a pencil either. I start with a pen right away. If I make an errant line, I just correct it with another in the right place. I find that the mistake lines add life and energy to the sketch, and it keeps me interested in seeing what's going to happen next. The times when I block out the sketch with a pencil first, the drawing ends up looking forced and fussy.

This is a scene of downtown Los Angeles from a little pocket park just north of the city.

Painting Night Scenes

2010-02-12T21:23:00.000-08:00

Night scenes are moody and dramatic. Everyday subjects become exciting, unexpected and unusual when the time of day changes. This is a painting of the Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles before a summer evening performance. Crowds mingle on the plaza in front of the glowing concert hall. While this is a convincing night scene, I actually used a daytime photo as my research.

I started with a pen and ink sketch done on Arches hot press watercolor paper. Then, starting from the center of the paper (where the people are entering the building), I paint a series of gradated washes moving toward the outer edge beginning with light yellow and continuing with light red, crimson, purple and finally blue. I am trying to paint the fluid qualities of light with a smooth transition of color.

With the gradated wash as a background I can then add building details, tree shapes and abstract touches of color suggesting the crowd.

Working From Life

2010-02-11T04:59:00.000-08:00

I think it is important (for me at least) to draw, sketch and paint from life whenever possible. There is something about translating a subject from 3-D to 2-D that engages the brain and develops eye hand coordination better than working from a photo, where I am just going from one 2-D image to another 2-D image.

One of my goals as an artist is to work from life whenever I can, but when I have to use photo reference, I want to make the sketch look like it was painted from life.

I have no idea how to technically do this, other than to say that I do it all the time. My sketchbooks are filled with real images: 3-D images captured from real life. In fact, that was one of my rules: if it was in my sketchbook, I had to actually be looking at it - no working from photos. Consequently, the majority of my entries are quite commonplace: my art supplies; my lunch; the dashboard of my car while stopped in rush hour; my seat on an airplane. . . all very ordinary. And yet, as I document these things, I am practicing my skills as a draughtsman and developing my ability to see and capture the 3-D and express it in 2.

This experience of producing thousands of life sketches has the ultimate result of giving me confidence when working with photos, being able to make them say what I want them to say, and make it look like I was actually there.

Remember, you don't have to wait to go to the Grand Canyon to be inspired to work from life. Do it today. Set up a still life with the stuff on your studio table or ask your cat to pose for you.

The Mancave

2010-02-05T15:03:00.001-08:00

Now, of course we want, and need, a place to paint. It should be a dedi-cated area where we can set up all our art supplies, lay out our brushes and paint tubes, and do some real work. (My original garage studio was shown in the last post.) Every now and then however, the serious artist needs to relax and spend some time not painting. Remember, everything in moderation, including moderation. That's where the Mancave comes in.

Here is mine. It is still my garage, and still my studio, but now it is better organized and is dedicated to an additional purpose: savoring life, taking it easy and spending time with my boys and my friends (and my girlfriend). A bunch of us can gather in the center area and in the off chance that we might want to smoke a cigar or two, the garage doors open wide to allow for maximum ventilation. It looks crowded but it easily seats five on director's chairs.

To the left you can see my primary work area consisting of an Ikea work table with a small hand made shelf on the end to house my collection of watercolor boxes. I built the large workbench at the far left. It was originally for wood working but it got readapted for art. Peg board panels line the walls and are used to display sketches and paintings.

My dad gave me the green steamer trunk that I mounted to a wooden wheeled cradle. Industrial shelving holds my art books, notebooks, records, micro sound system and cabin models. My friend Dennis gave me the saw horse table along the far wall which I use for framing and other tasks.

My Studio

2010-02-05T14:05:00.000-08:00

When I am not painting outside, I am working in my studio. I live in a 1909 California Bungalow and the detached garage makes a perfect painting retreat. It is a short five-second walk from my house and is one of the centering vortexes of my life.

The inside is unfinished: open studs and black tar paper with peg board on the walls. The floor is concrete with area rugs. The space is dedicated to comfortable utility. Director's chairs, sawhorse tables, Ikea tables, industrial shelving and some handmade wooden shelves provide an excellent workspace for minimal expense.

It is important to have a space in your life dedicated to your art. For years I worked on the dining room table in my house, and while I still had to clean-up when I was finished with a painting session, it served the emotional function of being my art place. From the dining table I moved to take over a part of the living room, and was able to finally set everything up permanently.

After a couple of years I out grew that space and moved out to the garage. It was a little intimidating at first: it was cold, dark, cluttered and dusty. But I started in one corner and made it my own. Soon it was clean, well organized and well-lit thanks to a few clip-on lights from the hardware store and a couple of used Luxo's. Gradually, I cleaned out the rest of the garage, getting rid of everything I hadn't used in a year. I was striving for Zen simplicity and that mindset helped me say goodbye to a lot of useless items.

Now it is a fully functioning art studio, man cave, lair, cigar hangout, and retreat.

My Sketchbook

2010-02-05T12:59:00.000-08:00

I hold a new sketch-book in my hands. It is wrapped in clear plastic that stretches tight along the spiral spine. I unwrap it and leaf through its pages. They are crisp and new and feel expectant. I write my name on the cover and stamp my address in the inside. Then I paint a series of color swatches on the inside front cover: usually the twelve colors from my small paint box.

I am outside now, walking the streets of Santa Barbara, California. The air is warm and the place bustles with shoppers and tourists. The first marks are the hardest. I draw a large border just inside the edges of the paper and divide it into nine squares: two horizontal and two vertical. The pen makes a scratching sound as it moves across the page.

The big shapes are drawn first: the cool blue and purple shadow angling across the wall and onto the ground; and the bright white wall. I suggest people, umbrellas, flags and trees, all with loose scribbly strokes. It is an abstract drawing.

I get out my paint box and brush and pour some water into the cup. I mix up some blue and touch it to the page and sky appears. Ultramarine Blue with a touch of Alizarin Crimson makes the shadows. Tiny spots of red, yellow, green and blue suggest a busy market scene. Trees appear when I add Gamboge to Thalo Blue. The colors mix together and creep down the page, causing the pen lines to bleed and smear. The page is suddenly full of moving colors trying to find their place. I nudge them along but mostly try to stay out of the way.

As the warm breeze dries the paint, the paper flattens out again.

The Sketch

2010-02-05T12:34:00.001-08:00

I have always liked looking at an artist's sketch more than their finished work. To me there is an essence of spirit that occurs when the artist first commits something to paper: colors are fresh and pure, the line work is rough and unresolved, and the image is full of energy.

That is my goal as an artist: to communicate what I see with simple raw clarity. I see the sketch as the purist form of artistic expression. It is what I want to see framed beautifully and hanging on the wall in someone's den, loose and sloppy with notes in the margins and pencil lines showing through. You can see into the mind of the artist and see the real show. It is like a live concert with all the audience noises, chord mistakes and guitar feedback between songs.

It is like a short story compared to a novel. There is no room to waste words. The author has to get to the point quickly. The ironic thing is that it sometimes takes me four or five times to get a painting that looks fresh and unplanned.

The Paint Box

2010-01-27T08:58:00.000-08:00

I have a number of paint boxes that I use. This one is a heavy metal black enamel version made by Winsor & Newton. It comes with a built-in water container and a metal water cup that attaches to the side. The lid acts as a small mixing area.

I have modified it in a couple of ways: First, I removed the metal brackets that go between the paint rows. I had a friend make some metal spacer bars to take up the extra room. (After a while, paint and water spilling out beyond the pans acts as an adhesive to keep the pans in place.)

The next modification was to take out the half pans that come with the set and put in my own paint. I use Holbein tube paint. I squirt it into the now empty half pans and let it dry for a few hours. My colors are as follows: Permanent Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Red Light, Permanent Yellow Orange, Gamboge Nova, Raw Sienna, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Greenish Yellow, Cerulean Blue, Colbalt Turquoise Light, Marine Blue and Ultramarine Deep.

It is a perfect small paint set and suitable for doing casual sketches as well as large paintings.

Art and Life

2010-01-21T10:00:00.000-08:00

This is my first post. I will be writing about art and life. My sketchbooks will play a large part in this blog because it is where I put my ideas, photos and narratives of my little adventures.

I use many things to document my life: I have a Letts yearly diary where I keep all of my appointments, along with little sketches, hand drawn maps and photos; I have a Moleskine pocket sketchbook where I write, draw and paste small photos; I have a series of larger sketchbooks that I use for art adventures; and finally I keep a journal on my laptop.

On my desk at work I have a small Winsor & Newton paint box, where I can sometimes squeeze in a sketch or two on my lunch hour. A Moleskine sketchbook sits nearby, shown here with a sketch almost completed. There are few things as relaxing in the middle of a busy workday as taking a few minutes to draw and write.