Alien Dancers

8" x 10" Acrylic on masonite.

This is another one from my "early work"

44 - "Red and Red"

A tomato and an apple together. Private collection - Seattle Washington

44 - Different Strokes 5.03.09

Acrylic on cardboard - 8 ish x 11 ish

The Different Strokes subject this time was NYC. The idea is to do a painting from the photo and this is what I came up with. I sure had lots of fun painting this and I am very pleased.

"The Sporting Life"

Another one from my "early work".

"Happy Town"

Acrylic on masonite - Private collection

43 - "Green Pear Too"

Oil on MDF 5" x 5"

I have had this ready to post for a few days already but darn it I have been pretty busy. Sheese. It seems like I should be able to get it posted sooner but that was not to be. I like all these greens on one piece and the muted reds. This pear was delicious when I got around to eating it.

Artist Quote - "All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." - Pablo Picasso

42 - "Green Pear"

Oil on muslin covered board 5" x 5"

I just love these muslin covered boards I make. I scrub the background color in a few days before I paint the pear (or anything else). I like the dappled worn look. It makes me happy.

#41 - Two Trees

Oil on board 5" x 7"

Direct from my imaginarium two coastal Cyprus trees with a plaid sky.
Private collection - San Diego, California

#40 - Oranges

Oil on board 5" x 5"

Two oranges off of our tree. I like the broken stem on the back orange.

Green Dress

Acrylic on Utrecht canvas board 8" x 10"

From my early work.

39 - "Flowers 2"

Oil on muslin covered board 5" x 5" - private collection

Same plant. I had to add some color to the flowers because of the lighter background.

38 - "Flowers 1"

Oil on hardboard 5" x 5" - private collection

"Fast and Furious", the painting! I suppose I could have named this one "The Giant Strawberry". I did this very quickly and I like the result. No muss no fuss kinda painting. I am finding that painting faster can sometimes produce a more interesting painting. Not as much detail but still manages to convey the right feeling. I think.

Artist quote - "An artist needn’t be a clergyman or a churchwarden, but he certainly must have a warm heart for his fellow men." - Vincent van Gogh

37 - "One Strawberry"

Oil on muslin covered (mdf) hardboard 5" x 5" - private collection

One Strawberry. I like this painting. Or is it a study? Anyway I was so surprised when it started looking like a strawberry!

36 - "Lime Under Glass"

Oil on mdf hardboard 5" x 7"

Okay. This is the last of the peppers. The lime is gone also. So now I can look forward to new subjects. How exciting.

#35 - "Lime and Two Peppers"

Oil on mdf 5" x 7"

The peppers are starting to get overripe. I got my moneys worth and more. So hot but also sweet. Not unlike other things in life, but I digress. I have one more day with them for sure but that will probably be the end.

#34 - "Parade Peppers"

Oil on Utrecht canvas board 5" x 7"

Naming a painting can be almost as much fun painting them, and I have found that the longer I think about it the more fun it can be. These little paintings I have been naming on impulse when I photograph them. Then I write the name and number on the the back with a Sharpie. This one is "Parade Peppers". Some other possibilities: "Pepper Parade" - "Red Mice" - "Hot to Trot" -"Line Dance" - "On the March" - "Hot Walkers"

Artist Quote - "I'm very skeptical of art criticism pro and con." - Tim Storrier

#33 - "Lime and Pepper 3"

Mixed media (oil and acrylic) on Utrecht canvas board 5" x 7"

#32 - Lime and Pepper 2

Oil on Utrecht canvas board 5" x 7"

More hot peppers.

#31 Lime and Peppers

Oil on Utrecht canvas board 5" x 7"

Habanero peppers. These little guys are hot!

#30 - "Blue Apple"

Oil on Utrecht canvas board 4" x 6"

It's not really a blue apple. It's a red apple and a blue cup!

Beach Babe

Oil on cardboard 5" x 6 1/4"

Karin Jurick has the "Different Strokes from Different Folks" blog. Every two weeks she posts a subject and artists from all over send in there interpretation of it. It's a great learning tool and a lot of fun too. There is a link to both of her blogs on the right.

#29 - "Yellow Pepper"

Oil on mdf covered with unbleached muslin 5" x 5"

This is painted on one of my homemade surfaces. I have mdf that I have cut into various sizes. MDF is similar to particle board only it is denser. Unbleached muslin has a tight weave and a smooth texture. I glue it onto the mdf then trim of the excess and gesso it. It makes a very nice surface.

Artist Quote - "I hope that I may always desire more than I can accomplish." - Michelangelo

#28 - "Orange Slices"

Oil on Utrecht canvas board 5" x 7"

Orange slices off of our tree. They are so delicious right now. Just quarter them and enjoy! Very tasty. I once read that almost all oranges come from trees that have been grafted onto lemon tree roots because it makes them more hardy and the root system is more efficient.

#27 - "Pismo Pier"

Acrylic on medium density fiberboard 5" x 7"

The pier as seen from a distance. It rained before and after but not while I was painting. I miss those raindrops! Usually when we go on this trip I like to paint the sunset on rolled canvas but I forgot to pack the canvas. I felt lucky that I had some of these small surfaces to paint on.

What did I learn? - Make a list of what to bring on vacations.

Artist Quote - "They'll sell you thousands of greens. Veronese green and emerald green and cadmium green and any sort of green you like; but that particular green, never." - Pablo Picasso

#26 - "Sunset with Palms"

Acrylic on Utrecht canvas board 4" x 6" - private collection

So there I was painting again and it stated to rain again. It's a good thing I was almost finished. I could have painted over the drops but I like them.

#25 - "Pismo Sunset 2"

Acrylic on MDF - 5" x 5" - private collection

We spent the weekend at Pismo Beach. It started to rain and you can see the raindrops on the painting. I like them.

What did I learn? - It can start raining when you are painting, especially if you are out side.

Artist Quote - " I think art is good at looking back and looking forward. I don't think art is good at looking head-on. At the end of the day, people are more important than paintings." - Damien Hirst

24 - "Red Pear and White Pitcher"

Oil on Utrecht canvas board 5 x 7 - Private Collection

This red pear was really red. It tasted so good but I almost waited to long to eat it. Pears can go quick. The white pitcher I grabbed off of a knick knack shelf.

Artist Quote - "Poor is the pupil who does not surpass his master." - Henri Matisse

Sushi Entry

Sushi Entry at Karin Jurick's website - mixed media on copy paper

It took me awhile.

23 - "Carrot Soup"

Oil on Utrecht canvas board 5" x 7"

I really like this one and had a lot of fun painting it. Some other people, my wife included, saw something different than what I saw.

What did I learn? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Artist Quote - "I do not literally paint that table, but the emotion it produces upon me." - Henri Matisse

22 - "Cup with Apple"

Oil on Utrecht canvas board 5" x 7"

I like this cup. Hand thrown by my cousin. I bought the apple at the Armenian market close to home. This painting makes me happy!

What did I learn? - I forget.

Artist Quote - "Seek the strongest color effect possible.. the content is of no importance." - Henri Matisse

21 - "Sideways Apple"

Oil on Utrecht canvas board 4" x 6"

An apple. On it's side. I have two lights on it and one is much stronger than the other. It makes for an interesting shadow that seems to work. Doing these quick paintings really does help to accelerate some of the learning process.

Artist Quote -"The moment you cheat for the sake of beauty, you know you're an artist." - David Hockney"

#20 - "Pepper Three"

Oil on Utrecht canvas board 4" x 6"

Another day and another pepper. The shapes are so interesting I could probably paint just this pepper every day for a month. Except it would be kinda rotten towards the end.

What did I learn? - Peppers don't last forever.

Artist Quote - "Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone." - Pablo Picasso

# 19 - "Pepper Too"

Oil on Utrecht canvas board 4" x 6"

This is the same pepper, different day, different light. I am starting to notice that using a higher quality paint is a good thing. It lays down nicer and mixes smoother. I had some really cheap paints that came with the Costco easel I have and I will probably throw them away. Or maybe I will use them to paint on cardboard. It's so hard for me to throw stuff away!

What did I learn? - Use better paints.

Artist quote - "Anything simple always interests me. " - David Hockney

18 - Squished Pepper

Oil on Utrecht canvas board 4" x 6"

I am trying to loosen up a little. I also drop this when it was still wet and there is a little dust on it. I think I managed to get all the dog hair off!

What did I learn? - Don't drop wet paintings.

Artist quote - No, the thing to do is try to make a painting that will be alive in your own lifetime... Marcel Duchamp

"In the Woods"

Acrylic on Canvas 8" x 10" - private collection
From my "early work".

17 - "Yellow Apple"

Oil on Utrecht canvas board 5" x 7"

A yellow apple on a red stool. It was kinda dark (surprise!) so the colors are interesting to say the least. I forget why I was in a hurry but I was and I just slammed this out. It is a fun way to paint that I don't do very often. Fast fast fast. Maybe I will try is more often.

What did I learn? - I learned that even a painting done quickly can have redeeming qualities.

Artist quote - I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by. - Douglas Adams

"Blue Nude"

Acrylic on masonite 8" x 10"

One from my "early work".

16 - "Pumpkin and Orange"

Oil on Utrecht canvas board 5" x 7"

That's a pumpkin nic nac. Or is that knic knac? My lovely spouse was going to donate it to the Glendale Assistance League, an organization that I highly recommend. Anyway I thought I should paint it first and I may paint it again so we kept it. I ate the orange. Yum.

What did I learn? - An orange doesn't always look like orange, especially if you paint in the dark.

Artist Quote - What I discover while I'm painting is all-important to me. - Martha Clark

15 - "Pill Bottle with Flowers"

Oil on Utrecht canvas board 4" x 6"

An empty pill bottle with two flowers from Trader Joe's. I had fun painting this one. It is my first transparent setup and I like the way it came out.

What did I learn? - I still like flowers!

Artist Quote - To be sure an artist wishes to raise his standard intellectually as much as possible, but the man must remain in obscurity. Pleasure must be found in the studying. - Paul Cezanne

Sherry's Painting

An acrylic from February 2008. Cousin Sherry has it now. I am thinking of doing an oil version of this but not as a daily painting. I think it would be nice big. Very big!

14 - Radish

Oil on Utrecht canvas board 4" x 6"

Simple pleasures. Radishes are so beautiful. They taste great too!

13 - Blue Cup and Swan

Oil on Utrecht canvas board - 4" x 6" - private collection

This little swan was sitting on shelf begging me to paint it along with the blue cup. I thought it was a little aggressive for my skill level but I thought "nothing ventured nothing gained". Go figure.

What did I learn - "Rome wasn't built in a day."

Artist quote - "The aim of our studies is to prove that color is the most relative means of artistic expression." - Josef Albers

12 - Blue Cup and White Pitcher

Oil on Utrecht canvas board 4" x 6"

More from the Blue Cup series. I am still working on those shadows! It seems that here I have the concept backwards.

What did I learn? - The shadow is supposed to be DARKER that the surface it falls upon...right?

Artist Quote - All my compatriots are asses compared to me. - Paul Cezanne

Valentine 2005

An ATC Valentine I made in 2005.

11 - "Blue Cup and Lime"

Oil on Utrecht canvas board 4" x 6" - Private collection

I really enjoyed painting this. The blue came out the way I had hoped and the lime is looking a little better too.

What did I learn? - Learning something new is hard but rewarding.

Artist Quote - I dare affirm that any artist... who has nothing singular, eccentric, or at least reputed to be so, in his person, will never become a superior talent. - Michelangelo