Blue Songbird

More birds and another paint over.  This time I painted over Pink Candy.

"Where are the children?"

Two crows discuss the change in nest contents.  Repainted oil on canvas 12" x 16" originally posted here.  For better or worse, I'm adding birds to a lot of older paintings. 

Four New Caledonia Lorikeets

New oil on canvas 16x20

In the City

Final 7x10 pen & ink and watercolor of a 4 part series.  City is loosely based on memories of Palm Beach, Florida

Woodpecker

New 16x20 oil on stretched canvas.  This Pileated woodpecker is based on a fun photo found on the internet at http://cristinasarno.blogspot.com (link is here) set against a photo of trees I took around San Geronimo.  Although, on occasion, I have noticed acorn woodpeckers in my backyard , I haven't yet been graced with a Pileated woodpecker.  Some cool acorn woodpecker photos can be found at www.roysephotos.com (link is here)

Calla Lily

Silver point and egg tempera on marble dust on board 5x7.  New technique learned in Chester Arnold's art class.

Witching Hour

New oil on stretched linen 28x22

In the Forest

Pen & ink and watercolor 7x10

At The Beach

Pen & ink and watercolor 7x10

In the Garden

Pen and ink and watercolor.  Question is - should I do this as a large oil or paint more birds?

Portrait of Lucy by B.J.

B.J. Thrailkill did a much nicer job painting me than I did painting myself.  Portrait done as part of an assignment in Chester Arnold's painting class 3/2012.

Self Portrait Pink and Green

#6 of 6 self portraits done for Chester Arnold's painting class at College of Marin.

Self Portrait in Blue

Oil paint and mixed media on marble dust gesso on board (above) based on digital painted over photo composite (below).  #5 of 6 self portraits done for my art class.

Girl at the Window

Latest large oil painting - 36"x36" on stretched canvas.  Mendocino ocean, Greek windows, and a very altered Amber portrait.  I got creative with the shadow.

Self Portrait Red Background

#4 of 6 self portraits - this time in a "realistic" mode.  8x10 on canvas board

Gold and Green Self Portrait

#3 of 6 attempts at Self Portrait.  Each one looks like a different person with some resemblance to myself.  This effort was supposed to be an abstract but, for some reason, a picture insisted on emerging of a more youthful me.  Mixed media (acrylic, Schmincke Bronze pigment, ink, watercolor and oil on marble dust gesso on birch board) 8x10

The Autrey Look

E.A. Autrey and his five daughters looking at the world through blue-green tinted lenses. 

Barn Window With Flowers

Photo taken in 2012 at Olompali State Park, printed on fabric, rabbit skin glued onto 10x8 birch board with oil painted flowers added

Suburbia

Fruit Nest With Petroglyphs

Meyer lemon, other (unknown) type lemon, and winter orange from my garden, rest in a nest of pruned apple tree branches with North America Native Petroglyphs running across the Robert Ryman-esque sky.  Oil on canvas 12" x 16" painted February 2012.

Red Parrot

Frustration resolved?  After painting over "Two Eggs" with "Balloon Seeking Marble," I was still unhappy with the result so painted over the piece again with this "Red Parrot."  I like it enough to leave it alone now.

Self Portrait in Green

Second in a series of self portraits done as an assignment for my painting class. Final is 8x10 oil on canvas board.  Also shown is the underpainting.

Ibiza Beach Paddle Ball

Recent 8x10 oil on canvas, of a beach paddle ball scene, based on a quick sketch done in 2005 in Ibiza

Susan with Boat

Newest version of sister Susan, from a photo taken by E.A. Autrey in Paradise, California in 1956.

8x10 oil paint and charcoal on photo-printed fabric, rabbit skin glued onto birch board.  

The original photo is here, and the first version, a digital painting of "Susan is Blue," is here

Zero Plastic Surgery

Self Portrait made with silver point and Copic marker on marble gesso on board 8x10

Frustration

The earlier version of "Two Eggs" (posted 2/3/2012) needed more work, so I black lined it  and added more colored inks over a gel medium in the background.  Now the beauty of the original silverpoint was totally lost.  Frustrated, I glued a red paper house over the entire drawing, added silver stars and an image of young Elsa with a bed balloon, then drew/threw in some additional trees and flowers using Copic markers.  The final collage is called "Balloon Seeking Marble."  Experimentation with new mediums can be fun, and not so fun when the experiment doesn't work out as planned!

Birds On The Fence

Two Eggs

My art class, taught by Chester Arnold, has started up.  We're working with marble dust rabbit glued onto birch board, among many other new materials.  I thought I'd try silver point (drawing with a piece of silver wire instead of a pencil or pen).   So I drew two Easter eggs I painted a few years ago.  The eggs are sitting in a Sam Wilson ceramic bowl to which I had glued snails, small plastic jewels and turquoise pieces.  The bowl is next to a marble I've had since I was ten.  But, once the drawing was done,  I thought it needed more - so started to add watercolor.  Then I experimented with a new Golden gel medium and added some globs of gold.  All of this made the silver line art disappear.  Hopefully in a few weeks the silver will tarnish and get darker.  If not, I might have to go over the drawing again with ink.

The Letter S

The rooster took Cole to the Sand at the Surf's edge near a Sepia-colored S and left him there.  Very Soon a Seahorse came to See him.  "You can Skip to V from here," the odd little fish said.  Your brother is visiting T and U so you don't have to go there too in order to finish the alphabet.

The Letter R

Cole followed one of the queen bees, and arrived in the land of the Red-colored R, where he caught a ride on a Rooster strutting by.  In the distance, he heard the katydid's song, which sounded like "Kate-she-did," and knew he was on the Right Road.

The Letter Q

Laughing, Wilson and Cole pointed up into the sky near a Quiet-blue-colored Q.  The small dots they had seen flying towards them in N, O and P were finally clear enough to identify.  "It's a bunch of king bees!" Cole exclaimed.  "No, those are Queen bees." Wilson corrected his brother.   "If we follow them, I wonder if they will lead us home?"  Cole Questioned.

The Letter P

The bench moved further, taking the twins to the land of the Purple-colored P.  There the two boys were joined by a Pair of Pelicans.  Unlike the frog and owl, these birds were more Preoccupied with each other than in what Cole and Wilson were looking at.

The Letter O

The landscape changed as the twins' bench moved nearer to an Orange-colored O.  Cole and Wilson kept their eyes Open and continued to look Out.  Soon an Owl flew down to join them.  "Hoooo do you see?" the bird asked.  But like the frog before him, the owl didn't wait for an answer before he, too, exited.

The Letter N

Relieved to have come to the right Next place, Wilson and Cole ended up together in a Nice patch of ice plant.  They decided to rest near a Navy-blue colored N.  Looking up the boys spotted something in the sky just as a Narrow-mouthed frog jumped into Wilson's lap.  "What are you two looking at?" the amphibian asked but left before he got an answer.

Tired of Love

The woman is from a pen & ink drawing done on a ferry going to Paros, Greece in 2010; the man is a life guard drawn in Costa Rica in 2003; the red glass vase was one of several given to me for my 60th birthday and the ocean view is a photo taken in Solana Beach, California in 2011.  I'm not tired of love but the title seemed to work for this composite.

The Letter M

Cole and Wilson Met again on a tree-lined road near some Morning glories.  They were stopped by a Monkey balancing on a Melon-colored M.  "Mind you don't miss N," the monkey hollered.  "I guess we have to go through the whole alphabet in the right order before we can leave," Cole said to his brother.  "I think you are right," Wilson agreed.  Rather than travel past the Mammal down the Middle of the road, the twins took off in two different directions, not sure where they were going next.

The Letter L

Soon after his encounter with the Katydid, Cole sat down to rest near a Lemon-yellow-colored Letter L.  Two Lizards immediately ran up to him.  "Have you seen a green grasshopper?" the Racerunners asked as they crawled closer to hear Cole's answer.  But Cole did not give the Katydid's Location away.

The Letter K

Cole wandered past a tree covered with Kingfishers then stopped near a King-blue-colored K.  A giant insect jumped in front of him.  "If you see any lizards," the Katydid begged the boy,  "Don't let them know where I am."  "What will you do for me if I help you?" Cole asked. "I'll be Kind and sing you a song to help you find your way out of Alphabet World," the long-horned grasshopper replied.

The Letter J

Wilson Joined his brother and the two boys Jogged up and down a hillside marked by a Jay-blue-colored J.  A giant Jackrabbit watched the twins, ready to flee at any moment.  "That's some Jumpy rabbit," Cole Joked.  "Just so you know," the Jackrabbit called out to the twins.  "You'd be Jangly too if someone wanted you for their dinner."

Last Night

The Letter I

Instead of opening his eyes and finding himself back home, Wilson found himself surrounded by more Insects near a field marked with an Indian-red-colored I.  Then he noticed it was the Irises that were attracting the bugs, and not him, so he Inched safely away.

The Letter H

"Help!" Wilson cried as he came to a fence marked 'private property.'  The Hot-pink-colored H was witness to the Horse flies buzzing around Wilson's head, as the young boy Hurried to get past.  Annoyed by the insects, Wilson complained.  "I want to go Home."  So he closed His eyes, hoping to leave Alphabet World.

The Letter G

Getting together again, the twins rode onto a Grassy field perched on top of a Giant Grass-colored Green G balanced on the back of a Gecko.  A Goose and her Goslings honked hello.  "I like it here!" Cole said to Wilson.  "So do I," Wilson replied but his pleasure was Going to be short lived.

The Letter F

While Cole was saving one Fish in E, Wilson arrived in the land of the Forest-green-colored F.  He was enchanted to Find a whole school of Fishes Flying by.  "We are going to help our Friend," the fishes cried out to Wilson as they Flew Past.

The Letter E

In the land of the Electric-lime-colored E, a European anchovy jumped into Cole's hands.  "Help," the fish cried.  "Save me from the Eagle and the Egret.  They want to Eat me!"  "Hmm," Cole said to himself as he held tight to the fish.  "Everyone seems to be on Edge here."