July

oil on canvas

18" x 24"

oil on canvas

16" x 12"

I've been so busy with the teaching schedule that I only now have started to paint. Here are two recent pieces. More to follow.

Saturday after class

oil on canvas

6" x 6"

We had a good class on Saturday. several college students came back to draw and give encouragement to the seniors who are leaving town shortly. 

After they left I went out on the roof to paint.

middle of June

oil on canvas panel

7" x 5"

I really have to do some more work 

:(

The end of May, almost

I got painting recently. After Mia graduated and we got back from the festivities in New York it took me a while to get reoriented. I got out on the deck with a student and did the cityscape on Saturday. It's a view I've done before but it's still hard to simplify and make the space work. It was windy and while the rest of the city was warm, it was very chilly on the 14th floor.

oil on canvas 

6" x 6"

Then I started back into a painting that I started two years ago. It wasn't quite right when I worked on it before and I just had it hanging in the studio until now. I'm not sure I am even finished now but I want to enter it in the Tarfest competition in Koreatown, unless I've missed the deadline.

oil on canvas 

30" x 40"

And finally I did this floral from a photograph I took at Susan Frommer's house in Murrieta. She has a native garden that is spectacular and we painted there several Thursdays ago. 

oil on canvas 

16" x 12"

Wednesday

I am painting today but just not the usual. I have a commission to copy a Cezanne painting and I'm using the clients print as a reference. I did this a whole lot in school and it's fun to go back and get into the artists head. It's harder that you would think. Will post photos at the end of the day. I've been working on it all week.

week end painting

Things were very slow in the saturday afternoon class- just ne student who was working on a floral still life. I did one too

10" x 8"

oil on canvas

Signal Control Boxes at First and the Promenade are all finished!!

I finished these last sunday and got on a plane to fly to New York to work with Mia for a week. She has a ton of work to do and I didn't get around to posting these. I'm really pleased with the project and wish I could do more.

wednesday night

I got to Long Beach and fixed a couple things and I guess I'm okay with this now. Where are the booms on the boats. I'm thinking of going out to the Gondola Getaway dock in the odd chance that these boats are still there.

I'm soooo tired of working on the sidewalk. My knees hurt and I have a sunburn. But the third side turned out fine.

Tuesday night

The first photo is from the morning and I worked all day on side two and I am not at all sure I didn't screw it up. I think the green in the distant water probably works better. This is the worst, changing around a painting this big takes too much time. I'm hoping that I'm just tired and will wake up in the morning and know exactly what to do. 

The first box is all done

I just put the graffiti coat on these. There is supposed to be a rain storm this afternoon but I'm sitting in starbucks where I submitted my invoice on mylaptop. So nice to be off the sidewalk for a few minutes. I've had a cold so I'm fighting the temptation to go home.  Better not.

Rain Rain Go Away!!

Saturday I had to teach all day so it didn't matter that a big rainstorm was forecast. Today I started out an had a class at 9 and was thinking I could just go right down to Long Beach and get side three finished. I loaded the car and called Sarah Arnold who lives in LB and is the only person I trust to tell me if the weather is really too bad to go out. She said it probably was too wet so I stayed home and I'm soo glad I did. It's really a mess. The garage flooded- because our rain gutters were clogged. I had to go on the roof in a torrential downpour to clean them out. It took all afternoon to get warm again. I'm working on a blog for my class in Murrieta. Should also do major work on my website. An enforced day inside is almost a good thing.

Friday night

Drove down to LB and finished side 2. Got a good start at side 3 except there is work going on in the new bike station which looks very modern and cool. Apparently some spray paint might get on the box this week end and I just didn't have time to leave and go to Ace for a plastic drop cloth. I had to get back to LA to teach. so I hope all is well.

First Street and the Promenade

Now I'm working on two boxes at the new bike station in downtown. one side done and the other will be today

Long Beach and 47th Street is Finished!!

I taught in Murrieta this morning then had two cancellations this afternoon. It gave me the chance to rest a bit even thought I'll be out a little at the end of the month. Not good. But I do have lots of good signal box work.

On Monday I finished the box at 47th and Long Beach Blvd. I just love this neighborhood. People are freindly and interested and universally positive about having public art in on their streets.
These are photos from my iphone. The staff fro the insurance office were hospitable and I had visits from our public officials, Councilmember Rae Gabelich visited and another man from public works that said a recent national meeting on signal boxes concluded that murals such as these actually save the city money because they tend not to get defaced. Who knew?

and one more from far away

Long Beach Blvd and 47th Street

this is day 3 in Long Beach. the weather was perfect for painting and nice people all day. people honk their horns and give me the thumbs up. 

not the best photo tomorrow but I will do an underpainting on the next side, then I have to go to Murreita to teach then back on Friday morning.

first post in february yikes

oil on canvas

10" x 8"

One of my students asked how I'm doing on daily painting and this week I had to say not so good. Too many other distractions and lots of teaching. I am working on another commission for my friend in Murrieta and will post it when it's closer to completion. And still waiting on the paperwork to get started in Long Beach. 

Tuesday

oil on canvas

6" x 6"

I went out on Sunday with Sarah and Karen to Echo Park. It was hard to believe how beautiful it was. Warm sun, perfect light. I did some other paintings that were so, so but I liked this little bungalow with the pink gate. Alvarado and Fargo, if you're in the neighborhood.

I'm getting ready to start some more signal boxes and that's what I've been painting for the last few weeks. There's a new supervisor in LB who feels that if there is any empty space on the box, it will be tagged. I'm not exactly onboard with this because I put graffiti coat on the boxes and eventually they will probably get something but it can just be wiped off. I'll post the new images but here is one with the snowy egrets added to fill up the sky. This box will be at Long Beach Boulevard and 47th Street and I'm starting on two at The Promenade and 1st Street. 

Figure painting on saturday

oil on canvas 8" x 10"

we had a model in the studio on Saturday. I ended up having a little time to paint too. 

limited palette

Last week Sarah brought in some vegetables to paint because it was too rainy outside.Those of you who know Sarah will appreciate that it was pouring otherwise she would have been outside. I had a few little 4" x 5" canvases around so I did a limited palette exercise. The first painting is with an unlimited palette. The middle is phalo blue, cadmuim red light, yellow ochre, black and white. The painting on the left is burnt sienna, phalo green, yellow ochre, black and white. The last painting really demanded attention to value.

New images for the signal boxes

       

  

 Here are 8 more signal box studies. I submittedthe last ones then found out that the design team wanted an aquatic theme. I didn't get the email-rgggggh. So these are my substitutes. First and The Promenade is a great address. Lots of improvements going on with a new bike station and highly designed bus stops so it's worth the effort to fit in.