Her Majesty

(oil on gessobord; 6"x6")

I've always wanted to paint the Golden Gate, and found a great reference photo picturing the bridge from this interesting angle.

"Cuban Dancer at Rehearsal"

(oil on gessobord; 8"x8")

I painted this from a photo I took in Cuba.  It is a dancer who was sitting on the edge of the stage at a rehearsal I was watching and he was listening intently to the choreographer's instructions.  With all the talk about Cuba opening up, I was reminiscing about my 2013 art trip and started looking through my photos.   It's really difficult to paint figures from life so I am practicing using photos, but my rule is that it has to be from a photo I took myself.

"Temptation"

(oil on gessobord; 6"x6")


This painting explains why I am now on a post holiday healthy eating program:)

Sunnyside

(oil on gessobord; 6"x6")

I am really loving these little still life exercises.  They are challenging but so satisfying!

Jenny

(oil on gessoboard; 8"x 8")


I always said I would not paint pets - too cliche.  But I broke down and painted Jenny as a present for Jake.  He loves Jenny!   This is a typical pose of him carrying Jenny around on his shoulder.

Holiday Ladies

(oil on gessoboard; 6"x 6")


This is from a photo I took of a downtown Mill Valley holiday window.  I liked the way the sun was partially lighting up the 'ladies' and making them glow. 

Pom Pom

(oil on gessoboard; 6"x 6")

This started out as a realistic value study, but half way through I started pushing the boundaries and having more fun with it.  This painting style is more characteristic of the way I generally paint with acrylics rather than oils.  For some reason I think of oils as serious and acrylics as fun, so it was interesting to cross over.