Not every painting is a home run. In fact, Plein Air Magazine asked some of the best painters around if they paint bad paintings. All of them admitted that they are often not satisfied with their work. They went on to admit they are only happy with about 1/3 of what they produce. Another 33% of their paintings are OK , not bad, and the last 33% are failures. That's right, 1/3 of their work is destroyed, painted over or reworked. My take away from this is that I do not have to paint a great painting every time and putting that kind of pressure on myself is just foolish. I always do my best but ..read more

Sunrise After the Snow is part of the exhibition From Field to Frame: The PAC6 Shows How It's Done I have a large exhibition opening on March 9, 2024. I have been working toward this show for three years but at this point all the paintings are completed, all the images sent in and only the final varnish and framing are left to do. Having to come up with a specific number of paintings for a show helps me to be more productive and focused. I like having set goals. It motivates me but I know this is not the case for other artists. Many of my fellow artists find it stressful to have deadlines an ..read more

When I became an artist I never thought I would want to teach. It wasn't on my to-do list but I was approached by a local art school and decided to try it. My association with that first school didn't last long but I discovered I enjoyed teaching so when Cheryl Kline of Kline Academy of Fine Art asked me to join her staff as a plein air instructor I did. That was over 12 years ago. I still teach a plein air class once a month and also added an in-studio landscape class on Wednesday morning. I also teach workshops with an emphasis on the landscape. I learn so much from teaching and the comrade ..read more

Reflections Remembered Have you ever been asked to paint something that is out of your comfort zone? This recently happened to me when I was asked to paint a landscape to be used in a movie. It is an unusual request but the director of the film explained how the two main characters meet while painting plein air, and since that is my thing I immediately warmed to the project. It also helped that the reference was a scene I was familiar with along the Merced River in Yosemite Valley. I dove head first into the project and created Reflections Remembered, an Impressionistic interpretation of the ..read more

I just completed a large commission of a villa on Lake Como. I am very happy with the results and below are some of the steps in my process.  Step 1 Step 1: I block in the shapes and work out the composition. It is very important to analyze the composition with a rough layout of the main areas. In this painting there are four main shapes. 1)  the sky  2) the mountains 3) the water of the lake and 4) the villa At this stage, I don't add detail but instead work out the shapes and see how they fit together. I can see the final painting even at this early block in. Step 4 Step 4 ..read more

Artists love it when a painting sells. Success is fun. We post it on social media and enjoy putting that red dot on our website. But beyond the monetary aspect there is a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Analyzing my own feelings about sales I realize that the conversation I started when I painted that work of art has now been returned. If you think of my paintings as a message in a bottle going out into the world. The bottle is opened when a painting makes it in front of an audience but if it sells someone has not only read the message they have sent a message back. The conversation ..read more

Cool, Clear Water 11x14 Oil Cool, Clear Water and Three Dog Day will be included in the Art 2023 Tehachapi exhibition. The rugged ranches and beautiful mountains in and around Tehachapi are the inspiration for the paintings that are done both plein air and in the studio. I will be there for the opening reception on Friday, July 21 for collectors and the artists. Tickets are available at the arttehachapi.com website. On July 22 and 23 the show is open to the public. You can also view the art on the website where purchases are also encouraged.  Where: Aspen Builders Activity Center, 410 W ..read more

Grove of Trees 11x14 Oil I first learned to paint the landscape on location, plein air. I feel in love with painting on site surrounded by nature. It was exhilarating, exhausting and a lot of fun. I felt lost in the experience and was swept away by the moment. My first attempts at painting plein air were miserable failures but there was always a small glimmer of hope. The next painting will be better.  I instinctively realized that our eyes see subtleties that a photo can never capture. Recreating those nuances on canvas became my obsession and painting from life proved to be the best w ..read more

Moon Over the Sierras 24x36 Oil I was thrilled to receive The Southwest Art Magazine Award of Excellence at the California Art Club 112th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition. The show is currently at the Bowers Museum and continues until September 10, 2023. My painting, Moon Over the Sierras, was honored at the opening reception from a field of amazing work. Art is so subjective so I try to be circumspect regarding awards but I must admit it was an amazing feeling of accomplishment when my name was called. I think the trick is if you do not get an award to not take them too seriously and if yo ..read more

Little Horse on the Prairie 11x14 Oil     Still Image from the Searchers      Behind the scenes at Rebel Without a Cause The setting of a film helps to make it memorable. When the location becomes a character in the film it can elevate it to cult status. I recently painted for a show called A Toast to Hollywood. There are endless possibilities to paint but I chose two of the most well known and my personal favorite filming locations; the Griffith Observatory from Rebel Without a Cause and Monument Valley from The Searchers. Both films use location to enhance the dra ..read more