Casa Buitoni Fireplace

Sketched this using sepia water soluble pens. Used a brush and water to get the ink to flow and create the wash tone. It was cold outside and the fire in the fireplace made for a cosy place to sit. The fine pen was dried out the the thick pen was too thick, but it was still fun. The Casa Buitoni is an old villa bought by Nestle when they purchased several food brands and was once owned by the Buitoni family, who were the first to make durham semolina pasta. The Casa overlooks the medieval town of Sansepolcro, Tuscany, Italy.

St. Paulus Kirche, Munich, Germany

This watercolor was done on 9 x 12 Arches 140 lb. cold pressed block. I took my painting stuff on my latest business trip to Europe and
managed to get just one water color sketch done. I got plenty of good photos for inspiration for further painting.

My son Craig prevailed upon me to post these. I had done them earlier in the year and had not put them up. The Hidden Valley sketch was done sitting on the side of the road with Craig sitting on the other side as I painted him in the post from last May.

The Duck Creek meadow was done on our Smith Family reunion trip this last July. I sat on the dam with the lake behind me.

Both are water colors done on 140 pound Arches cold pressed block. There are parts of the sketches I like and some I was less happy with but here they are.

Singapore Roadside

I had a few hours before I had to leave for the airport, so I walked a few blocks south of the Hilton and found these cool trees near a private school. Everything is tropical and the trees have ferns and vines growing on them.

I did this in 15 minutes with water soluble pens on a 6x9 sketchpad

Singapore construction site

I sketch-painted this construction site while I was in Singapore. There aren't many wood frame buildings there and much of the old stuff has been replaced by new high rise construction.

7x10 on 140 Arches cold pressed WC block

Broken Wagon, Paramount Ranch

Craig qnd I went to Paramount Ranch and did sketchpainting in Gouache. I tried two, but the first wqs too ambitious in size and detail and I ran out of time and didn't want to post it as it was not really finished enough. I did a quick painting of an old broken wagon in front of a barn. It was about 30 minutes and painted pretty directly. Not too large, about 5 x 7 inches. Painted on cold press illustration board.

Great day to sit outside! Paramount Ranch was an inspiration an we plan on going back soon.

Christmastime in Utah

These water color sketches were done looking out of the back door at my inlaw's house in Taylorsville Utah. The paper in my sketchbook did not hold water well and the wet-in-wet techniquesdid not come off well. I think next time I will go back to a Arches block with 140lb paper.

Deer in a field at Villa Panna, Tuscany

This was a quick sketch done in water soluble ink in about 15 minutes. Cold afternoon, sun was going down.

Another water soluble pen and water wash drawing. Tuscan hills from garden below Casa Buitoni in Sansepulcro, Italy. Done in my ring bound notebook in about 15 minutes. I was looking for a break from my normal water colors and these mateials were really easy to bring on this trip, no clean up to speak of, easy to break out and put away.

Hotel Privilege, Florence Italy

water soluble pen with water wash, 15 minutes in my ring bound sketchbook.

Huerta Pioneros Barn, Colonia Pacheco, Mexico 6-23-07

This water color was done in about 1.5 hours on 12x16 cold pressed 140 lb. Arches block. The clouds were building and we eventually had thunder and lightening and a few showers. A wonderful Saturday afternoon. The barn is an old log structure that was reconditioned recently to hold bags of fertilizer and orchard irrigation tubing. We slept for two nights in an old ranch house about 200 yards to the right of this scene. No electricity, only a solar panel with batteries. Water from a spring, hot showers by propane water heater. Not extreme roughing it, but pretty remote. 1.5 hours from the nearest small town (Colonia Juarez, Chihuahua) up a dirt road into the mountains.

Craig Painting

This is a quick 20 minute watercolor sketch of my son Craig who was sitting across the road from me painting. My first painting was muddy and not well composed, so I decided a vignette of Craig would be a better subject than what I had been painting.

He moved while I was painting, so I didn't try to fix the anatomy problems, I just finished it up. The whole painting is around 5"x7". Water color on Arches cold pressed 140 lb. block.

Malibu Hills with a knife 12-28-06

I had a few minutes while my son Craig was finishing his painting, so I decided to try a quick sketch with water colors, but only using a palette knife to apply the paint. In the end I did use a little brush work, but the knife made some interesting effects that I would like to explore on future painting outings. Took about 15 minutes, 9x12 140 lb. cold press Arches paper.

Storage shed at Soka University grounds, Malibu, CA

This is a quick 9x12 water color on 140 lb. Arches cold pressed. Nice windy day but bright, low winter sun. Just a little storage shed. The bird actually did land there for a few moments, so I included him in the sketch. About 90 minutes painted all on site.

Peter Strauss Ranch 10-7-06

I painted this on site at Peter Strauss Ranch in the Morning. Spent a couple of hours on it and finished it on site. Actual size is 12x16 inches painted on Arches 140 lb cold press block.

Kanab Bluffs 6-3-06

This is a watercolor sketch done from the front porch of the Goodfellow house. We stayed in this house for a family reunion about 9 miles East of Kanab, Utah. The color of the cliffs and the expansive view was amazing.

I don't usually use white opaque gouache on my water colors, but I thought I would try a little to indicate the ranch houses in the distance and the dead branches on the near junipers.

I didn't spend much time improving the composition and I think it shows. I pretty much painted what I saw in about two hours start to finish in one setting. If I ever do a studio version, I would design a more dynamic composition.

Finished size is 12"x16" on D'Arches 140 lb. cold pressed paper (WC block).

Soka University Abandoned House 5-13-06

Watercolor done on site Soka University grounds 5-13-06 (12x16)

This watercolor was a bit large for a quick on site painting. I started paying too much attention to detail considering I had 3 hours or so to start and finish the painting. It was a good exercise for me with a wide range of values to deal with. The location was great and I had several other inspirations for paintings that I would love to go back and paint sometime.

I went with my son Craig again, who starts back up at Art Center this week, so it may be some time until we have a chance to go together again. Hr has a digital landscape painting class this semester and I hope to be able to learn from him as he experiences this class.

Our family has a trip scheduled to Kanab, Utah on Memorial day and I will be bringing my painting equipment, so I hope I will be able to post some additional work that will get done on that trip.

Malibu Creek State Park 5-6-06

Gouache painted on site (8x10)

Gouache painted on site (8x10)

Gouache painted on site (13x10)

These sketches were done at Malibu Creek State Park on the same day in the order shown. You can see how the light changed from overcast to sunny as the day progressed. It was a beautiful day with a breeze. Sitting under an oak tree in the shade and enjoying the view was really relaxing.

I went with my son Craig who was on break between semesters at Art Center College of Design. The spot we chose was opposite the old MASH set across Malibu Creek. We saw many families, hikers and equestrians coming down the road as we sat and painted.

Charmlee 4-29-06

Watercolor sketch done on site (12x16)

Water color sketch painted on site (12x16)

Gouache sketch done above Point Dume (5x8)

These three paintings were done on the same day at Charmlee Park above Malibu. It was a great day starting out a bit overcast and then getting sunnier.