Princeton on a winter morning

Two days past winter solstice and it is cold and overcast. We're painting at Princeton Harbor in Half Moon Bay. The sky is dramatic, the water reflecting it.

10"x20" acrylic on masonite.  This photo is too dark and lacking color compared to the actual original, but can't seem to get it better just yet.

Down on the "Farm" - Stanford

Small group of Burlingame Plein Air Painters today at Stanford campus, but we had excellent weather and got good paintings.

Ceracolor on Bockingford tinted paper, 6"x8". Rodin's "Burghers of Calais" installation on the main quad.

Plump Pumpkin Perambulate

Good day, sunshine, bump bump de dump... Fun time at R Road pumpkin fields in Half Moon Bay with my painting group. First one is a Ceracolor, second is a pastel using my new DIY pastel box/easel setup.

Portola Vineyards in the Fall Sunshine!

Painting at Portola Vineyards. Gorgeous day and not so smoky as to kill the experience. Some wine tasting with lunch. Really like this place! This is Ceracolors (cold water soluble wax paint) 9x12 on Canson Artboard. May not be quite finished, but finished enough for now.

Bodega Bay 2017

Great weekend up at Bodega Bay. 

Painted two pix, but didn't like the other one. This is the one I do like. Watercolor 5.5"x8.5" on paper. It depicts some of the beautiful rock formations on the beach and in the background the mouth of Tomales Bay and the Point Reyes headlands. It was crystal clear and the tide was way out.

Europe 2002

Michael's Most Excellent Bar Mitzvah Adventure!

Good Day Painting in Pescadero

Lands End in San Francisco

A rare truly HOT day at Lands End in San Francisco with the painting group. Knocked off an acrylic that is actually lighter and more colorful than I'm able to get in the photo; then a quick watercolor sketch.

Foggy Fun at Montara

We were socked in with fog and chilly the whole time at Montara State Beach, but all 18 of us had a blast on the beach painting. This is where Alex and Jamie were married. I got two out of the day: a large acrylic on masonite and a small pastel on sanded paper.

Geyserville

Love it up in western Sonoma County, and for two days we were in Geyserville (Anderson Valley) for a wedding, Quick in and out, but I managed to paint this small one while awaiting the rest of the group to wake up early morning. Have to laugh at how classic the scene was; would have been contrived had I not seen it in the flesh. 5"x7" watercolor and ink on watercolor paper. Came out very well!

Open Air - our first group show!

Show had a month run with lots of attendance. Great opening night, very good demonstration day. We took it all down today. Hope to do this again sometime.

Great day on the coast at Potrero Nuevo Farm

We brought the sunshine to the foggy coast with us to paint again at Potrero Nuevo Farm in Half Moon Bay/Pescadero.  Large turnout, lots to paint. Lovely owners devoting their time and land to proving that sustainable farming is real and economical.

First one is OK acrylic on masonite 12"x9".

Second one is pastel on paper, 12"x16".

"July Gone August"

Pastel remake of the last painting at the Sanchez Art Demo Day. That one didn't do what I wanted. This one captures more of it. A feeling of the heat and light on the last day of July turning into August. A summer fantasy or memory patterned together from several different vistas.

This was my first foray into pastel in probably years and it was fun. Turned out pretty good, too!

Demo Day at Sanchez

We had a great time doing our painting demonstrations at Sanchez Art Center for our group exhibition. Lots of folks came by to watch and learn.

Painted this one Impressionist piece in acrylic:

Two Paintings at Twin Pines

Burlingame Plein Air Painters out in force again painting at Twin Pines Park in Belmont. Fun in the sun! First is of the Manor House in acrylic. Second is of the ancient oak in Ceracolor dry brush.

Charlows Retake Italy 2017

Ah Italia!

Had a great trip to Italy. Milano, Bergamo, Padua, Verona, Venezia, Burano, Cagliari, Bosa, Alghero, Pietrasanta, Monterosso. Painted my heart out and that's the best part:

The Place I Missed Before

Hard to believe that in 42 years here I had never visited the SF Botanical Gardens in GG Park. What a beautiful space in a crowded city.

Today's weather was drop dead gorgeous there. Good company.

Painted this one Ceracolor ditty. Last painting here before Italy.

On Point

Not my best nor my best scan, but we had fun today painting at Point Richmond. Spectacular wide views all over, but difficult to pin down compositions.

DIY pochade in action at Golden Gate Bridget

We were out to see the Monet exhibit at the Legion of Honor in SF today, then painting overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. New DIY pochade fully completed and in action. Works like a charm! Can't say as much for my painting, though. Ceracolors on tinted Bockingford paper (from England). I never seem to do that well with the GG Bridge. Ah well....

My DIY Pochade

My love of tinkering and my painting have come together in my little DIY pochade box for plein air work.

I have an expensive larger Guerrilla Painter box that I use for my main acrylic work outdoors. In this case I wanted something smaller, simpler and far less expensive for use with my Ceracolors.

Enter a local simpatico cigar store (yes, the do still exist and they all sell empty boxes to hobbyists), 3 boxes, some ordinary hardware, stuff from around the house, some simple tools - and I have a masterpiece!

Take a look at this:

Not red redwoods

Painting in the deep forest at Purissima Creek Redwoods today with the gang (or at least those who found the right place!) Gorgeous day, so-so painting. But Nancy can't complain that it's all green and brown this time.

Carmel & Monterey

Got a couple of decent paintings in this weekend, while attending a work conference in Monterey. One is of Carmel Mission, the other a fanciful one of a Monterey cypress and scene.
Mission is acrylic 9x12; tree is Ceracolor 3x5.

Going Dutch

Great morning painting at the Queen Wilhelmina Windmill and Tulip Garden in Golden Gate Park.

Mussel Rock Beach

Had a great time painting with the group today in Pacifica. Foggy to start, but warm and then clearing. We had 25 painters all line up in a long row on the cliffs.

A giggle

So the Burlingame Plein Air Painters were out in force to paint the tall ships docked at Redwood City Harbor. Great day of painting.

Mine was a laugh.

I realized afterwards that I had inadvertently painted a complete illusion. Since I paint sitting down, I was peering first over, then under and sometimes through the fence at the end of a pier. Not the best way to view the subject. The end result was that I fooled myself into seeing more deck layers of the two ships than actually existed, while I thought I was painting what I "saw"!

What a joke.

Rained out again

We got effectively rained out of our outing in Golden Gate Park at the windmill. A couple made it between the showers, but not me. I met some others in San Mateo's Central Park and did a 10 minute ink sketch in the Japanese Garden instead. Then it drizzled!

On a Mission

Burlingame Plein Air Painters on another mission mission yesterday. Warm sunshine, good company, great subject: San Rafael Arcangel mission in Marin County. The lovely building I believe is actually the newer structure, while the smaller plain building on the right is the original mission itself.

Great day on the coast!

Bright sunshine, unseasonably warm after all, and wildflowers everywhere. Great views too. Lots of painters out this time.
Not thrilled with the scans below, as they are not accurate, but the painting (acrylic) and the quick sketch both were pleasing to do.