I’m   working on a large landscape this week and experimenting with surfaces.   I love the winter months because they allow for this kind of play.   I just finished up a series of small pastels (see below) that are available and will be framed up soon.  This is one of the images that has been haunting me for so long that I finally painted it.   An old winery building.   I loved the play of light color against the rustling texture of the grasses and the feeling of solitude.

"Old Winery"

Moving into the winter landscape I am revisiting the local area.   This piece is derived from the visual landscape of the area not far from where I live.   I love the way the fall and winter rains bring in streams of light filled water on the earthy landscape and the hazy yet beautiful coloration of the hills and trees.  I see variations of this every day!

In August I started a regular morning walking regime with my dear friend and artist Kathryn Stotler .    Its a good thing we started in  in the warmer months because its definitely more challenging in the cold and the rain.  We are very committed though and will do anything not to miss our walks.    We usually make a 4 to 4 1/2 mile jaunt all over our town maxing out at 5 miles once last week.    Its the best feeling getting out in the air every day and even better with a trusted friend who has shared interests.   We use the  time to talk about business so its well used time even if we are roaming around like kids.    Kathy works in found objects so she’s usually spying small specks of metal for her collages.    Nothing like combining work with your exercise routine.    Last week to started taking my camera with me to shoot for my visual library.    It is amazing how inspiring the alleys of Eureka can be.

We usually end our walks by winding through Sequoia Park.   I’ve had some pretty amazing experiences walking through those trees on that path.   Walking and breathing in the stillness of those trees reminds me of our humanity and of the blessing of being in the moment.

Thanks for visiting.   I’ll be posting new work soon.   Please contact me if you’re interested in purchasing originals or prints!!   Or check with my list of galleries fur current exhibitions.

Kathy taking a call

Cool alley

End of the Walk at Sequoia Park

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Choosing the substrate to work on is not always a straightforward proposition.  In this case I knew I wanted to build soft layers of color incorporating a soft yet controlled touch as the composition drifted into the distance.  I could not have been happier with the outcome.