10"x8" oil on canvas. Margaret was a great model, with her turban, hoop earrings and all. Though there was one thing that caught me off guard, Margaret doesn't have eyebrows. I went looking for them and found beautiful red makeup instead. Posted January 30, 2009 private collection beverly hills, ca
4"x6" oil on door skin. Another foray into insanity, otherwise known as painting a glass marble. Unlike most of my other dailies, this is a considerable enlargement of the subject matter. I would guesstimate that this 1/2" marble has been blown up approximately 550% — it's planetary! Marbles look simple enough until you really look at them. There are all sorts of things going on in that chaotic piece of glass. Next time, maybe I will do some soothing breathing exercises and simplify the abstractions. My current breathing pattern seems a little closer to hyperventilating. Posted January 29, 2009 private collection los angeles, ca
6"x4" oil on door skin. The glow produced by this glass of mystery juice caught my eye, so here it is. I could type in my usual diatribe on the experience of painting glass, but not this time. Let's just look at the painting, shall we? Besides, you know I'll pound you with that sermon some other time in the (near?) future. Posted January 27, 2009
6"x4" oil on door skin. It would appear impossible to keep myself from painting the head. It is the first subject that drew me into painting and here I am, once again, forcing my preference upon you. Apologies up front for any inconvenience this may cause you. Of course, that apology contains not a shred of sincerity, but there it is. Posted January 26, 2009 sold • private collection middle village, ny
4"x6" oil on door skin. This is the way to paint. Throw down the subject and throw down the paint. Mix the paint thick and just go for it. The decisions are honest and, with a little restraint, you let them be. Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 26, 2009sold • private collection monrovia, ca
6"x4" oil on door skin. Does three qualify as a series? This is one of the "Marching Joes". I wanted to paint "Crouches Talking on Radio Joe" but he has gone MIA in the DMZ on a CO that is strictly on the QT(?). In other words: He's buried somewhere in the backyard, probably underneath the lettuce I am trying to get to grow. It's like I said, these guys are great little value studies for me. Posted January 21, 2009 private collection glendale, ca
6"x4" oil on door skin. Ah, she is beauteous... The Crescent Wrench. What a useful tool. Its adjustability makes it the "go to" wrench in a pinch, from loosening or tightening odd sized nuts and bolts to banging on a sibling's toy. It belongs in the pantheon of great inventions, right next to the humble paper clip, the ever-useful saran wrap, and the venerable potato gun. As far as being a subject for a painting: this wrench is part chrome with a surface that changed drastically with the slightest movement of my head. With chrome, you just have to dive in and hope you come out okay on the other side. Painting chrome all the time would be the quickest way for an artist to become a complete basket case. Posted January 20, 2009 private collection west hollywood, ca
4"x6" oil on door skin. My son came into the studio, put these down and said, "Paint these" or was it "Eat these", I can't remember. To cover my bases, I did both. Hmm, dark chocolate — it's my favorite. Don't care much for milk chocolate and really cannot stomach white chocolate. Give me 72% (and up) cocoa and I am a happy camper! Posted January 15, 2009 private collection los angeles, ca
10"x8" oil on canvas. I painted this portrait a while ago. The session produced two paintings. The other canvas has already been sanded, gessoed and reborn as another painting. Somehow this painting survived my destructive critique and is alive today. This particular model has the propensity to fall asleep during her poses. I talked to her about it, and she told me of all the other jobs she has besides modeling and I came to the conclusion she deserves a nap every now and then. Posted January 14, 2009 private collection hollywood hills, ca
4"x6" oil on door skin. Okay, this subject matter may appear a little odd, but it was there, so I slapped the paint down. The composition drew me in at first and then it was the light. Posted January 13, 2009 collection of the artist
4"x6" oil on door skin. It is camellia blooming season. There are many varieties of this beautiful flower. The official botanical name for this specific variety translates to "Leaning Over My Neighbor's Fence". It is a rare variety that only grows along our property line. I don't think I was channeling the ghost of Manet on this one. The specter is more likely the ghost of "What the heck were you thinking?!?!" In still life painting circles this spirit is more commonly referred to as Chardin. Posted January 12, 2009 private collection arroyo grande, ca
4"x6" oil on door skin. Holding intense pigments in reserve is a practice I generally adhere to, but I let the orange and blue loose here. Don't ask me why, because I don't know why. I would have usually commingled the two complementary colors to tone things down a bit, but the peppers where just so beautifully orange that I just let it ride. Posted January 9, 2009 sold • private collection los angeles, ca
6"x4" oil on door skin. This pour guy was kidnapped from the house on my way out the back door. I consider this more of a portrait than a still life, just look at that regal profile and august nose. As you can probably tell from this bottle, we take the carpet bombing/take no prisoners approach to some of the cleaning in our abode. Whenever the question comes up, "What is that? — Honey, do you know what that stain, spill, blob, or whatever is?" or the ever scary, "I think it just moved!" it is time to break out the big guns or just abandon the house until the stain, spill, blob or whatever it is dies. Posted January 8, 2009
4"x6" oil on door skin. For some reason, it just seemed apropos to start off the new year with a fortune cookie. I was thinking of painting the cookie in its clear plastic wrapper, but there was so much crud printed all over it that you couldn't see the cookie well. So, you get it on a regal little dish with a black stripe. It is not only the beginning of a new year, but the beginning of the second year of my daily painting journey. Thanks for coming along! Posted January 7, 2009
