Plein-air Studies

Westpoint Hill (After the Morning Rain)

Galena Creek Forest

Two quick plein-air studies done in oil on illustration boards, 10" x 8".  Sometimes it is challenging to do an outdoor painting during winter months, especially when you have to fight the bitter cold temperature, but hard to resist the beautiful winter palette.

The New Work, "Christmas Wish"

Oil on Masonite board, 14"x 11".

Happy Holidays, everyone!

The New Work, "Summer Days 2"

2012, oil on linen, 36”x 24”.


For sometime I’ve been looking for a background scene which has a vivid blue lake amidst dark trees.  I finally found almost exactly what I had in mind at Jackson Meadows reservoir.  Although nothing beats the majestic view of Lake Tahoe (at least around in my neck of the woods), Jackson Meadows was quite attractive.

I don’t mind if the pine cone staff was interpreted as a fertility symbol; I just enjoyed the message it implied.

Preliminary Drawing & Color Study

Here are the images of a preliminary drawing and color study for my upcoming piece titled “Summer Days 2”.

I felt the drawing was a bit over-rendered, since its primary purpose was for the painting.  But this time, I felt inspired to do a full rendition.  I don’t think it’s a loss by any means. (If I solved more problems in the drawing stage, I would be a step ahead of the game.)

I’m also pleased with the color study I did.  Each time I do it, I’m grasping the concept of this exercise better and better.  It is not a process for detailed rendering or finding to develop small forms.  It’s an exercise to identify the overall color and value relationships of the piece.  Therefore, it is best to execute this process with bold brush strokes and in an abstract manner.

Rough Rafu 8

Twist

Twist Drawing

Rough Rafu number 8!, along with a preliminary drawing for the painting.  Enjoy!

Rough: unpolished, coarse, sketchy
Rafu (裸婦): female nude

Rough Rafu 7

The Girl from Zephyr

Oil on a double acrylic primed illustration board. (Bainbridge 2200, cold press, textured.)  16"x 8".

I broke the rule of Rough Rafu for this piece; it was just too small (8"x 10") to render a whole figure.  There are a lot of detailed elements, such as jewelry, a wine glass, etc.  Although it is still a Rough Rafu category, it took more than 24 hours to complete.
  
Rough: unpolished, coarse, sketchy
Rafu (裸婦): female nude

Rough Rafu 5 & 6

Stare

Bart's Stool

Oil on a double acrylic primed illustration board (Bainbridge 4000). 10"x 8".

A boarder line work between a study piece and a finished painting. This category of my work (Rough Rafu) was produced within a 16 to 24 hour time range.

Enjoy the world of 8 x 10!

Rough: unpolished, coarse, sketchy
Rafu (裸婦): female nude