The City of Los Angeles

I am continuing to work on sketches of Los Angeles for my Los Angeles Sketchbook, which will be published some day. This is a series I just completed of the skyscrapers of downtown. The top painting is very loose, with little regard for detail. I was trying to express shapes and forms through the use of color, value, and shadow.

The next three are very tight, and done with a series of background glazing washes with small bits of detail selectively located through the paintings, giving the illusion that there is more detail than there really is.

The bottom two images are of my studio(s): my inside one, and when the weather permits, my outside one, on the patio table in the back yard.

Studio Upgrades for 2015

For 2015 I am making a few adjustments to my studio. It is quite small as you can see in the photos, so space is at a premium. Because of that, I designed a workshop table that I will use for storage and for staging of upcoming projects. Right now I am using my camera tripod with a portable table top on which I have placed a piece of Gator board. It will have a 22"x 30" work surface and a shelf below. It will be on lockable casters so I can move it wherever I need it. My friend Yung is making it for me.

I also hung a series of sketches on the wall behind the door: sketches of the palette box, paints and brushes I use. These were done on Canson paper, and mounted to cradled hardboard panels which I had previously gessoed. I sprayed Krylon Crystal Clear on them for protection.

Workspaces

Top: outside studio using the patio table and my portable paint set.

Bottom: inside studio/work table with John Pike Palette and all of my tools.

Reworking More Paintings

Lately I have been going through my stack of previously done paintings and reworking them in the studio. I have been adding gouache, pastel and colored pencil as needed to enhance and add energy to paintings that I feel were still lacking. Here are a few examples.

The top sketch is of the Athenaeum at Caltech; the middle one is a view from under the Colorado Street Bridge; and the bottom one is a of a collection of cottages at Crystal Cove.

My Studio Tools

These are some of the tools I use in my studio. They are organized both in a Joe Columbo taboret and in a collection of wooden cigar boxes.

My First California Studio

Here are some archive photos of my original studio that I set up in a one bedroom Southern California apartment back in the mid 1970's. The top two are when I first moved in. Later, my art took over the entire living room as shown in the bottom image.

I had a similar studio in my one room apartment in Denver while I went to art school in the early 1970's. That place was tiny, only one room, and I slept on a fold out couch. When I started art school, I did art in the bedroom. When I was through with art school, I was sleeping in the studio.

My New/Old Studio

Well, I'm back in the garage again. A year and a half ago I moved my primary studio from the garage into the living room. That was somewhat of a success and I enjoyed the time there, but it wasn't ideal. It wasn't cozy enough. I realized this when I would take my painting gear out there and paint on Saturday mornings. I loved the vibe: the glow from the warm wood of the pegboard, the open garage door, the relaxed hang out feeling. I finally made the switch. Everything is now back where it belongs.

And the living room studio? It now contains my collection of art and architecture books, and my model of Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House.

My Studio(s) on a Typical Evening

Here are some recent views of my studio spaces: my garage in the top three photos and my living room on the bottom. I am a man richly blessed with two places to work.

My New Studio

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.