This was a painting I did during the semester trying to work on incorporating more figures into my scenes. This piece went through several transitions and finally found its balance when I added the green figure in last which allowed the viewer's gaze to move beyond the cyclist.

This is a commission I just completed for one of my collectors. This is of his family's Ford tractor purchased new back in the forties. It sits on his family's ranch out in Northern Colorado. I found myself painting much softer after a semester of figure painting. Skin has so many more subtle transitions that it made me see so much more when painting other subjects.

My blogs have dwindled since my enrollment at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. Between teaching art three days a week, taking two classes in the city and trying to keep up with my homework on the weekends, I have lost almost all contact with the outside world. Now I am between semesters and have a moment to reacquaint myself with old friends and my blog.

Last semester I took figure painting and have never worked so hard in a class. It is funny remembering how when I first started painting and developed "painter's vision". By "painter's vision" I mean I suddenly saw the world as a painting. Colors of fields and old twisted fence posts took on a whole new interpretation. This vision was limited to my subject matter which consisted of landscapes, old tractors and cityscapes. Now with figure painting, I get a whole new vision of people. Their faces now morph into interesting shadow patterns, color notes and cast and form shadows. Above is a painting I did for my final last semester.

This painting I started during the "The Great Petaluma Paint Out" and finished on Monday for a homework assignment. The Petaluma Mill has always been one of my favorite painting subjects.

This painting was done of Petaluma two weeks ago of my favorite French Bistro.

This fall I started my third year of grad school. I made the mistake of taking two summer classes and have to admit I got a little burned out. After submitting my midpoint review last semester, I also discovered I wanted to change my concept I submitted from rural to urban. This semester I am taking three classes including cityscape with Dean Larson, figure in painting with Randy Sexton and figure painting with Zhoa Ming Wu. The painting above is a local Penngrove scene done for my cityscape class. I started yesterday and after about an hour of sunshine they day clouded over.

I finished this in time for my class tomorrow. I really had fun painting this way. Much more sculptural.