On my way to Pt Reyes and a new class on Saturday, Feb 23rd: California Impressionism.
Here is an oil that follows in this tradition. It has strong dark and light values but is colorful, with warms and cools, for maximum "light". American painters in the 1920's used this method and only today do we appreciate their efforts. Their paintings are powerful.

I will travel to Pt Reyes next week and will teach a class-join in and learn about California painters who lived for beauty and truth in paint and were very successful! I put distance, with warm and cool colors into my landscape to replicate the breadth of scenes that blow our socks off.

Here is an oil of Mt. Hood. I will be there to ski in ten days but before this I will teach a class-Painting Blossoms, Feb 14th with OLLI at OU in Portland. In addition, on Feb 13th I will give a talk, "History of American Landscape Painting, National Parks and Public Lands," all with OLLI at OU. Join the fun!

"Crystalline Pines" oil 12" x 16" $550

Come join my Sorensen's Painting Retreat Dec 10-13th
www.sorensensresort.com
We will paint together at Sorensen's Resort(in doors) and practice outdoor painting techniques. What makes this tree alive and glowing and gives it that hard to take your eyes off it, feel?
Under painting-it is a classical technique that contemporary painters and impressionist painters like myself can use. The under painting in sepia tones also compliment the cool snow. lets go paint.

"Avocet" woodblock Print 8"x16" $390

Come join my Pt. Reyes Field Institute Class this December 8th! www.ptreyes.org
This is a woodblock print. I use the grains of the wood to express the image.
Habitat is as much a part of a bird as its silhouette. Create a great composition by choosing three shapes and placing one in front of the other: avocet, reeds(one shape) and water(the grains of wood). Have fun with woodblocks-and use wood not lino blocks!

Painting in Petaluma offers so many outdoor choices and we went up on a hill surrounded by vineyards. We were overlooking the Live Oak Ranch.  The "golden" hills looked flat in the noon day sunlight but by 3pm the light was beautiful. Learn to start an outdoor painting and wait for the light!

"Fulton Corrals" oil 11"x 14"

I am teaching a workshop with the New Hampshire State Conference on Arts Education, "Painting Connections-Painting Habitats.
This painting from Hayden Heritage Days is about connections and community. Its not a portrait of any one object. Portrait and Landscape paintings are two approaches that painters use to create what they see: objects or space.