Lots has happened since I last wrote.

Mustard View from my Petaluma Studio

I hung my show at Stanford, started taking some painting classes from another artist and also started teaching painting classes in my studio. The show at Stanford went well. It was a great motivation to paint. I completed over six large new works for the show. Four of which are a series of Sonoma County barns titled "Sonoma County Winter Series". I used a new technique I have been learning about where you paint an abstract then paint over it trying to encompass elements of it. I like the depth I have been able to get from it.
Mid February I began to teach in my Studio. Even though I have been teaching art to children for years, I was nervous about teaching adults. It turns out to be very rewarding and I am enjoying every minute of it. I offer two sessions on Saturdays; a morning class from 10-12:30 and an afternoon class from 1:30-4:00.

January Flies By

I have not been keeping up on current blogging. On January 9th I delivered 20 paintings to Standford University. I spent every spare second of December painting then dragging my wet paintings from my cold studio to home at night to be placed around heater vents. I managed to finish five large new paintings for the show. Four of them are from a new series of Sonoma County barns in various stages of retirement. Then I spent the rest of January cleaning up my country studio, getting ready to start teaching small classes. Yesterday I celebrated the last day of the month by inviting painters out to the studio to paint the views. The weather was amazing! About fifteen painters showed up, brought potluck dishes and painted the the emerald fields sprinkled in Mustard Flowers.

Bodega Bay

We had great weather last weekend and I was able to go paint at the ocean. I just finished the last touches of this painting yesterday at the studio.

Painting in Progress

I had a wonderful day at the studio yesterday. I did a warm up painting of the view from my studio and started a large tractor painting for my series. Usually I carefully sketch large paintings before then grid and transfer. I feel sometimes the composition looses some of its magic as it gets overworked. Lately I have been sketching onto the black canvas then rearranging lines on it until it feels right. Here is the one I started yesterday. I am trying to capture some of the great clouds I have been seeing.

More Amazing Sunsets

There was another amazing sunset this evening. I spent six hours painting at the studio working on the edges of the commission piece. It rained off and on. The clouds would occasionally break to reveal golden edges and glimpses of blue beyond. Just like magic the hills have already began to turn green. I have the best view from my studio doorway. My studio sits on a hill and looks across smaller hills towards the Sonoma Mountains.

Purple Cow

I am in the process of finishing a commission I earned over the summer. It was a large painting divided into four canvases. I am going to finish the last details today and spend the rest of the day organizing my much neglected studio. This month I will start offering classes to small groups in my rural Petaluma Studio. I am also preparing for a show at Stanford University this January. I am hoping to create one very large piece to include in that show.

Amazing Sunsets

The last few rainy days have brought the most inspiring sunsets. There is something magical about this time of year. The air feels so clean after the rain and I wait with anticipation for the brown Sonoma Hills to become green.