Dome at Dusk

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6″ x 8″ oil on primed paper

Another study of this storage tank. I don’t know where this is going but I really enjoy painting this thing.

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Grain Silos on the Wilamette PA

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10″ x 8″ oil on canvas

This is the other painting I did on Sunday. This is from the same spot I painted the Dome painting.

This is painted from the N side of the Wilamette River looking back toward the downtown business district. The large building in the distance is Portland’s closest thing to a sky scraper at 30 floors. It’s the US Bank building, locally known as “Big Pink” for it’s copper colored reflective surface.

North Page and Albina

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6″ x 8″ oil on Raymar panel

I may be a little obsessed with this dome.

Sunday was a beautiful day and I found this great site with a panoramic view of Portland, from the “ugly ” side.  This is an iteresting part of town. Although it’s filled with freeway overpasses and concrete plants and railroad yards, there has been a bit of gentrification and there are some good restaurants and music venues in the neighborhood.

I did a couple of plein air sketches, then had nice IPA and burger at the Widmer Brewpub down the block. A satisfying day.

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2nd and Taylor

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11″ x 11″ oil on canvas

All three of the pieces I had in the Town and Country show have sold, which is nice. The gallery asked me to bring a couple more pieces down and I delivered them today. Since I hadn’t really been thinking about selling, I hadn’t signed any of the work I took to the gallery and since I hadn’t decided on how to present the work, when I took it to the framer, some of the work is now difficult to sign permanently in the frame. The gallery owner asked me to sign them on the back.

I have never gotten comfortable signing work on the image. I think it can be especially distracting with these really small works. Next time, I’ll have to plan better.

I recently did some scenic backdrop painting for a local theater company and I really enjoyed painting large. I’ve painted large in the past and there are several problems it brings that I’m not eager to deal with. One is storage, and another is the cost of framing.

The painting above is a bit larger than I’ve been painting but not much. I can deal with this.

Note that the figure on the sidewalk is knee deep in concrete or, perhaps is walking on his knees.

From Sauvie Island Convenience Store

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6″ x 8″ oil on panel

Sauvie Island is popular with bicyclists, fishermen, bird watchers, hunters and plein air painters.  The easiest place to meet up is the Cracker Barrel convenience store, which is a short distance from the bridge that is the only way on and off the island. I did this little sketch of the fields across the street from the parking lot, last Saturday while waiting to meet the group I was painting with.

Portland plein air painter Celeste Bergin showed up to meet another group of painters, which she wrote about on her blog.

A couple of things are different in this painting from the others I did during this weekend. One, I didn’t use any alizarin crimson, two, I did this by myself while waiting for my painting companions to arrive. I find that I’m able to get into a sort of meditative state of mind while painting alone that seems more conducive to what I need to enjoy the process.

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Sauvie Island

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8″ x 10″ oil on canvas

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I spent 2 cold damp days painting on Sauvie Island last weekend with Eric Jacobsen. I’ve been fussing with this since I got it home and I’m going to stop now. There are some fundamental problems with it, like the fact that I cut it in half with the stream. The point was just to get out and get some PA practice and I accomplished that.

This one was painted on day one from a covered wildlife viewing stand. It rained off and on all weekend.

Town and Country: Oregon at 150

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Baoding Ball and Cayenne

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5″ x 7″ oil on gessoboard

Quick study in bright saturated color. This is the first time I’ve painted on gesso board. I like that the paint sits up on the surface and it didn’t seem too slippery, as I thought it might.

The green sphere is a Chinese Baoding Ball. I have a couple of sets of them that I enjoy rolling around in my hands but, having looked them up after I painted this, I didn’t realize I’m supposed to do it without allowing the balls to touch. That’s hard! Here’s an interesting video about using them.

Three of my urban landscapes have been accepted in the Town and Country: Oregon at 150 juried exhibition at the Froelick Gallery. The show opens June 2 with a First Thursday opening reception on June 4 from 5 – 8 pm.

still alive

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6″ x 6″ oil on canvas

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I’m still alive and another year older. Every year near my birthday I do a self portrait to document my slide into dementia. Here is this year’s.

I’ve allowed myself to become consumed with stress over losing my job, of late. I work for a huge tech company that has, despite remarkably good results in these dire economic times, continued to lay off employees. Actually in this case, they are offshoring the jobs. As they layoff employees in North America, they are hiring in Asia. I seem to be safe for now, I’m sure, in part, because my job involves training the new Asian employees. But, as anyone knows who works in the corporate, short term profit driven world, you’re never really safe and you don’t know you’re in danger until it’s too late, not that you can really do anything about it anyway. I think it may be that last part that’s most stressful. Working harder and producing better results makes no difference.

Whenever I get into this kind of mindset, I start planning how I’m going to re-invent myself this time. I’ve done it many times before, having spent many years climbing trees, digging holes, slinging hash, tending bridges, pushing paint, knocking on doors, etc. for a living. I’m sure that something will appear when I need it. It always has.

It occurs to me that stressing over something that hasn’t happened is an affliction of living in an affluent society. By comparison with most people on this planet today, my problems are non-existent. Why can’t I remember that?

Despite all my whining and gnashing of teeth, my life is very good and will likely continue to be. I’m still pissed about the “corporate, short term profit driven world” thing, though.

I’m wishing health, happiness and relative prosperity and, most of all, peace of mind to anyone who happens to read this.

medicine bottles with geranium macrorrhizum

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9″ x 9″ oil on canvas

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Last Year’s Hydrangea and Pear

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6″ x 6″ oil on canvas

After completing this I wonder if it’s better cropped as below.

6″ x 5 1/2″

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View from Broadway Bridge

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8″ x 10″ oil on canvas

Although the sun is shining today, it has been pretty stormy here lately. I’m looking forward to seeing the sun and getting outside to paint.

This scene is looking west across the Broadway Bridge to downtown Portland. The two prominent buildings are the US bank tower and the train station.

Along Highway 30

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6″ x 8″ oil on canvas

Here’s another dreary scene along a highway in the NW industrial area of Portland. In the background is the old Montgomer Ward that is now Montgomer Park, an office and event facility.

North Portland

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6″ x 8″ oil on canvas

This is from a sketch I did a while back and posted on my other blog, here.

I start these studies with the intention of not fussing with it, then, somehow, get drawn into it. After I notice that I’ve succumbed, once again, to fussiness, I often resolve to do another one immediately after and, now that I’ve made a lot of the decisions, be more succinct. I don’t recall now whether I’ve ever followed through on that. Painting time is precious and I become fascinated by another image, like a shiny rock, and start on another one.

I think that if I had more time, I’d slow down and explore an image or idea thoroughly. I’d do lots of studies and versions of paintings. I’d try them in different media.

That may be a pipe dream. (What is the pipe referred to in that saying?)

This is not such a bad little piece. There are things I like about it but I feel I didn’t achieve the freshness I was after.

I’m always looking at other paintings for inspiration and ideas on how to solve problems. One I’ve been looking at lately is Michael Pieczonka. I particularly like this one – View of the F Mack from Queen’s Quay.

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Abandoned Car

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9″ x 9″ oil on canvas

Bill Wray inspired burned out car along the side of the road.

Trying to get more paint on the canvas so I can paint into it rather than onto it. I’m always afraid of making the looseness too studied, too self conscious, too much about looseness.

As always the way through is to paint more. I need longer days.

Studies

I’ve posted a few sketches on my other blog but I’ve been so busy trying to keep my job and take care of other personal things that I have not had time to paint.

I read a post by Armand Cabrera on his blog Art and Influence about the value of doing studies. Here are a couple of studies I’ve done recently trying to get the hang of gouache.

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Andrew Wyeth 1917 – 2009

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I was shocked to learn that Andrew Wyeth died this morning. I suppose I thought he would live forever and, of course he will through his work.

I grew up in Delaware not far from his Chadds Ford, PA farm. Although, as an art student in the 1970s, I thought of him as out of date and irrelevant, I’ve come to revere him as a master not only of technique but especially of composition.

My sister worked as a personal assistant to his son Jamie’s wife and has met Andrew. She described him as lovable but ornery.

He was an American National Treasure.

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Goodbye 2008

My painting has been spotty lately. Personal events have taken a toll on my ability to focus.

I hate to be negative but 2008 was a terrible year for me, on a personal level. I lost both my parents. My Dad in June, on their 61st wedding anniversary and my Mom just before Christmas.

June was also when my wife began radiation treatment for a recurrence of breast cancer that we now have learned has metastasized and spread to her lung. She’s still got treatment options but, after fighting so hard for ten years to avoid it, it was really hard to hear that news.

On the brighter side of 2008, I did make a lot of progress with painting. I think my work improved a lot and I was thinking of perhaps showing some this year. It’s difficult to get there but, when I can get to the easel, I like what I’ve been doing. I think that spending more time drawing has been good for my painting as well. In 2009, perhaps I’ll spend more time developing my drawings as well as paintings.

I really enjoyed following the thoughts and progress of other painters and appreciated the continued support of folks who dropped by my blog to see what I was up to.

I’m hoping that some kind of normal will emerge that will allow me to return more attention to painting.

I am hopeful for 2009.

Happy Holidays

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. I have no new work to post. We’ve been in the snow/ice storm of the century here in Portland and I’ve hardly been able to get out except to get to the grocery store. A house guest, who’s been stranded with us, occupied my studio as his bedroom.

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I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who’s visited my blog over the past year. Especially those of you who’ve left comments and criticisms. I feel that I’ve grown a lot as a painter this year and your visits have contributed greatly.

Here’s to a Happy Holiday and a much more peaceful New Year.

Broadway Bridge – palette changes

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10″ x 8″ oil on canvas

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I was thinking a lot about using color or temperature changes to depict plane change rather than using white, in this painting.

I’ve added a few colors to my palette lately, partly out of boredom and partly because it seems wasteful to buy more paint before I used up what I have.

The bridge was painted with a color called perylene red. It’s described as a transparent, cool red with yellow undertones. I’m not sure how a red with yellow undertones can be considered cool but temperature is relative. I’ve also added cad orange for mixing greys. I’m using cobalt blue some, in addition to ultramarine and pthalo.  Mixing the cobalt blue with perylene red made some interesting shadow colors for the bridge. I’ve added indian yellow to my normal cad lemon and cad yellow medium for a change as well.

My current palette is Tit white, Cad Lemon, Cad Yellow Med, Indian Yellow, Cad Orange, Cad Red Med, Aliz Crimson, Burnt Sienna, Cobalt Blue, Ult Blue, Pthalo Blue, Sap Green and Ivory Black. I’ve been switching back and forth from titanium white to flake white replacement. The flake has more body and makes the paint stickier. I’d say that I used primarily perylene red, ult, pthalo and cobalt blues, cad lemon, and titanium white on this one. Adding colors to my palette doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll use them but I’m lazy and once  color runs out on the palette, I tend to grab another color that’s already out rather than squeeze fresh paint from the tube. Sometimes laziness pays off.

NW 1st and Everett

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6″ x 8″ oil on canvas

The thing that drew me to this scene was the circular hole formed by the traffic ramps, and, of course the power lines. I like the patterns created in the sky by power lines.

I was also reminded of this painting by Laine Bennion on his blog Studies in Oil. I like how Laine simplifies a scene and, although I’m satisfied with this painting, I think it could stand more simplification.

I often think, as I finish a painting, that, for the next one, I’m just going to slam it out and not fuss with it at all. That’s how I started on this one, in fact, I taped a larger piece of canvas to a board and started into it. When I felt myself starting to bog down in the details, I started it again in another corner of the same piece of canvas. This is the result of the restart, but it’s still a lot more fussy than I wanted it to be. Of course the subject is kind of busy but all the more reason to simplify it further.

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Foggy Sunday Morning Sketchcrawl and Tagged

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The Steel Bridge

5″ x 8″ ink and watercolor in Sketchbook

Click here to visit this site on Google Maps

I went on another solo sketchcrawl today in foggy Old Town Portland. This is the top of the Steel Bridge, (the same bridge I painted from below, a couple of posts ago).

I started the morning with breakfast at one of my favorite spots, the Bijou Cafe, where I did the sketch below.

Inside the Bijou Cafe

3 1/2″ x 10″ ink and watercolor

Click here to see this site on Google Maps

I usually get down there pretty early in the morning and sketch as the vendors setup for Saturday Market for a while then head across the river to SE Main near Water Ave for one more sketch from my truck (it’s a little cold sitting outside).

I5, the Hawthorne Bridge and KOIN Tower

5″ x 8″ ink and watercolor

Click here to visit this site on Google maps

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Tagged

I was tagged recently by Celeste Bergin, check out her blog at Celeste Paints. Celeste is a founder and one of the primary organizers of the Portland Plein Air & Studio Painters. Unfortunately for me, their paint outs are on weekdays when I’m working.

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The rules are:

1. Link to person who tagged you
2. Mention the rules
3. List 6 or 7 unusual things about yourself or quirky but boring, unspectacular details about yourself
4. Tag 6 or 7 other bloggers at the end of your post and comment on their blogs to let them know they’ve been tagged

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The 7 unusual things I’ll list here are jobs I’ve had over the years:

1. For 2 summers, while in college, I worked as a drawbridge tender on 2 railroad bridges. It was pretty spooky leaving there at 11 PM at the end of my shift.

2. I completed the first year of a 2 year Machinist Apprenticeship.

3. I worked for several years as a cook in restaurants in Delaware, Pennsylvania and Eastern Long Island, NY

4. I apprenticed as a Handmade Papermaker with Douglass Morse Howell, who made paper for lots of famous artists.

5. I worked for oil paint manufacturer Robert Gamblin of Gamblin Artist Colors.

6. I had a landscape contracting business for 16 years.

7. I once worked for a day tuning waterfalls at a convent in the Columbia River Gorge.

OK, at Frank Gardner’s urging, I lied about one of the jobs I had. See if you can catch my lie.

I really don’t think anyone is left untagged at this point so I’ll just list 7 artist blogs that I find especially enjoyable and inspiring.

Juilan Merrow Smith

Steven Goodman

Frank Edwards

Eric Jacobsen

Donald Yatomi

Lli Wliburn

Nico Muhly (composer)

Scott Conary

OK, that’s eight, I can’t help myself. Here’re some more artists whose work I love:

Timothy Horn

Alex Kanevsky

Jennifer Balkan

Heather Horton

Marc Bohne

Kate Lehman

David Shelvino

Christine Lefuente

Connie Hayes

Sauvie Island Tree

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10″ x 8″ oil on canvas

This is a rework of a plein air study I did this summer. I posted the original HERE .

Under the Steele Bridge (oil)

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8″ x 6″ oil on paper

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Under the Steele Bridge

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8″ x 5″ ink and watercolor

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Camera Color Problem

It was a gorgeous weekend and I enjoyed a walk through Old Town Portland with my sketchbook. You can see a couple of my sketches at my other blog – HERE.

This painting has been on my easel for weeks and I’m frankly bored with it. I’m posting it because of a problem I’ve noticed with my camera that I wonder if anyone can help me with. My camera will not photograph turquoise. It comes out blue. The top photo was taken in RAW mode and then the green was pumped up as far as it would go. It reads pretty close to what the actual background is but it greyed out that bottom. The bottom photo is more representative of what the bottom half of the painting really looks like. I wonder if anyone who wanders by here has had, and hopefully solved, a similar problem. My camera, btw, is a Canon Powershot G9. It takes great photos except for this problem.

These are also different states of the painting, btw.

Centennial Mills Water Tower

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5″ x 8″ ink and watercolor

Inspired by the Urban Sketchers.

This is an old Landmark on Portland’s waterfront. It’s scheduled for redevelopment and, although I’ve been told that the developers are committed to preserving it’s character,  I’m afraid of what it might become. I really love it in it’s decrepitness (is that a word?)

The covered area in the right foreground is used by the horses of the Portland Mounted police.

Urban Sketchers

Although, lately, I’ve used this blog to document my love of oil painting, I started the blog out of my love of sketching. I always carry a sketchbook with me and draw whenever I have a minute or two, waiting for an appointment, at reataurants, on public transport, at meetings, etc.

Recently, I was really excited to find that a group of artists from around the world who love to sketch in urban settings, have banded together to contribute to a new blog titled Urban Sketchers. I’ve followed the blogs of some of these artists for years and some of them inspired me to start my blog. There are others who are new to me. I’m really looking forward to seeing what appears there.

Check it out, maybe you’ll get inspired to grab that sketchbook and hop on a bus downtown.

Ear Protectors

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10″ x 8″ oil on masonite

Ninety minute study of me old noggin.

Lemon and Crockery

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6″ x 6″ oil on canvas

This is my first oil painting in over 2 months and, as you can see, I mean business. The pot in the back is a very wobbly vase that my daughter made when she was little.