San Francisco Street 4 (in progress)

I'm working on a larger version of the painting I posted last week.  I liked the painting so much, I decided to paint a larger version 16"x20."  I started the painting by laying in the values using transparent red oxide as an underpainting.  I'm about half way done. So far I really like the painting.  It can be a love/hate relationship when I'm working on a painting. We'll see how it comes out when it's finished.  I'll post the finished painting.

San Francisco Street 3

 
San Francisco Street 3
8x10 original oil painting
SOLD

Finally, I'm back to painting after the holidays.  The sun is moving higher in the sky and I'm getting direct sunlight in my studio again. 

The painting above is a street scene with a cable car line.  I don't always know the exact location of my photographs, because I'm often taking pictures as I'm driving around San Francisco in my car.  (I do wait until I'm at a stop sign or stop light.)  I like to include cable cars because they give the paintings a sense of place and they make a nice focal point for my paintings.

O'Farrell and Jones, San Francisco

O'Farrell and Jones, San Francisco
8x10 original oil painting
SOLD

I'm back to painting the City.  October is a beautiful time in San Francisco.  After a long foggy summer, the sun is shining in San Francisco.

When painting scenes of San Francisco it can be a little tricky to capture the sun on the streets.  It depends upon the height of the buildings and the time of the day.  Usually artists prefer to paint in early morning or late afternoon light because the long shadows create drama in compositions.  But in San Francisco, it can be better to paint and photograph at noon with the sun directly overhead. On some streets, midday is the only time the sunlight can break through the tall buildings.

The cable car in the painting above is a replica of the old car on the O'Farrell and Jones Street line. I like the red color that the cable car brings to the composition.  I also like the warmth in the street where the sun hits, I've added a little yellow to the cool gray to warm up the color on the street.

Endless Summer Show

 

Endless Summer Show
50-50 III, Sanchez Arts Center

The fifty 6"x6" paintings are finished and the show is installed at the Sanchez Arts Center.  I painted beach scenes, beach volleyball games, surfers, sailboats, cyclists, motorcycles and a few vintage cars.  My theme expanded to include things that I came across or happened upon while painting for fifty days.

Two days before I began to paint, I picked up 50 6"x6" small wood panels for my artwork.  I chose to paint on gessoed canvas rather than the wood.  Each painting started with a transparent red oxide tonal underpainting to help me with value.  I really have to think about value while I'm painting, it doesn't come naturally to me. (Value is defined as the relative lightness or darkness of a color.)   

After each painting dried, I glued the finished paintings to the wood panel.  At the end of July I was getting behind schedule when my brother and his family visited.  My niece Ann helped me glue many of the paintings to the panels.

To see more of my paintings in the show visit my website on the available paintings page.

Below is a photograph of the installation of the fifty paintings.  The show runs through October 2nd at the Sanchez Art Center.

On the Beach

On the Beach
6x6 original oil painting
50-50 Show, Sanchez Art Center

As the sun angle gets lower in the sky, it signals the end of summer.  The light is brighter, the shadows longer and the days are starting to shorten.  But sometimes, this is the warmest time of the year to be at the beach in California.  I like the composition of this painting because it makes me feel like I'm sitting on the beach people watching and soaking up the sun.

Cadel Evans, Tour de France 2011

Cycling 3
6x6 original oil painting
50-50 Show, Sanchez Art Center

On Sunday, Cadel Evans became the first Australian to win the Tour de France. Two days prior, Andy Schleck launched a staggering 60km attack on two of the toughest mountain climbs in the Alps.  The aggressive ride put Andy in the lead by 57 seconds and he claimed the yellow jersey for the stage.  But on Saturday during the individual time trial Cadel Evans ended the day over a minute and a half ahead of Andy Schleck to win first place in the Tour de France.

I hoped that Andy Schleck would win this year.  As brothers, Andy and Frank Schleck execute some great tactical maneuvers that keep the race interesting.  I believe they are coming to the US for the Tour of California next year.

Above is another painting of cyclists.  I like the contrast of the dark background with the brightly lit foreground.  I used ultramarine blue and alizarin crimson for the asphalt under the cyclists.  I think it works well in the composition.

Cycling, Tour de France

 

Cycling

6x6 original oil painting

50-50 Show, Sanchez Art Center

The Tour de France is in it's third and final week.  On Sunday July 24^th, the cyclist wearing the yellow jersey (maillot jaune) will ride the final stage along the Champs-Élysées in Paris escorted by his teammates.  The tour typically has 21 days of racing and covers approximately 2,000 miles.

 

This year's race has been unpredictable and exciting to watch.  There have been many crashes. Spanish rider Juan Antonio Flecha was clipped by a car during a breakaway in Stage 9. Before tumbling over his handlebars, Juan slid into Johnny Hoogerland, who flew into a barbed wire fence along the small country road. The duo managed to finish the stage despite their injuries.  Hoogerland went to the hospital in Saint-Flour on Sunday night where doctors used 33 stitches to close the deep wounds in his leg. These guys are incredibly tough athletes.

Woodside is a very popular cycling spot. On the weekends along Canada Road, it often looks like the peloton from the Tour de France. I've been wanting to paint some cyclists, so here's my painting that was inspired by the Tour de France.