Winter Sycamores

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This painting measures 19x26 and is painted with soft pastels on pastel card.  This location in the Laguna Wilderness area is rich with great Sycamore trees.  As I work through this series of paintings I find myself leaning towards painting these trees without leaves.  I am facinated by the crazy structure of the branches and the individuality and character of these trees.  I will be showing some of my recent work from the last 2 months at the Village Art Center in Fullerton California on Harbor blvd. from 11/5/2010 through the new year.  The opening is on 11/5/2010 at 6pm.



Chino Hills at Sunrise

This painting is done on La Carte pastel card.  It is done with soft pastels and measures 23"x29".  This painting was inspired by a hike I took in mid August.  As I entered the Chino Hills State Park from its south east border the sun lit everything up through a haze.

Black Star Canyon Road

This pastel painting is done on La Carte pastel card and is done with soft pastels.  It measures 23"x29".  This road winds through old ranch lands in the Cleveland National Forest.  Some of the ranches are still active.

Eucalyptus on the Hill

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This painting is done on velour paper and measures 23"x29" and is done with soft pastel.

The shadows against the dry grass and the almost lavender color of the bark grabbed my attention as I walked through the park.

Through the Hills

 

This painting is done on velour paper and measures 14"x19".  It is done with soft pastels.  This view is from the southern edge of the Chino Hills State Park facing the Cleveland National Forest.  This view is before the fire ripped through the park and came within several hundred yards of my house.  Most of the trees and vegetation are gone although there are still pockets that were untouched by the fire.

Sunset Cliffs at Twilight

This painting is done on colorfix paper with soft pastels and measures 22"x29".  It is done with soft pastels.  This is one of those paintings that is a near miss.  The colors in the painting are close to the ones I experienced on that fall evening in San Diego but I feel I missed the depth and the rocks in the water.  The subject is so amazing that I know I will revisit this area and try again.  This subject may be better served as an oil painting.

Hazy Morning in the Canyons

This painting is done on velour paper with soft pastels and measures 14"x19".  This painting like my two previous posts has been sitting in my studio for well over a year waiting for that final touch.  I would say that about 99% of the time I work start to finish on a painting without starting anything else until it is done.  Even if I become stuck in the execution of an idea or technique, I generally just do the best I can.  I may rework a section a couple of times to get it right but if that doesn't work, I just move on anyway.  There are times when I realize I am just not good enough yet to complete some of my ideas as I see them.  So anyway, back to this painting.  I did not do anything more to it.  I thought about lightening it up and working on the atmospheric perspective.  Sometimes enough is enough.

Morning in the Orange Hills

This painting is done on velour paper with soft pastels and measures 14"x18".  This is the second painting that kept hanging around.  I knew it needed something but I was not sure until the day I finished the painting I did before this one.  This one was flat and needed more color and to be lightened up.  The morning I was hiking on the edge of the Cleveland National Forest the fog was just burning off and the sun was rising over the edge of the hills making the dry grass and cactus light up.  Village Art Center Art Walk 11/10-3/11

Chino Hills Twilight Revisted

This painting is done on velour paper and measures 12"x15" and is done with various soft pastels.  This is one of a few paintings that I liked but always thought it could be more.  It was too dark and void of any real color.  It sat around for about a year before I picked it up again and reworked it.  I spent about 2 hours on a total of 2 paintings that I thought had the same issues. 

Laguna HIlls

This painting is done on velour paper and measures 23"X29".  The hills in the distance were amazing because of the atmospheric perspective.  Beyond the hills is the city of Laguna Beach.