Fudge Brownie SOLD (Click here to see results on eBay)

Guess what my wife made for her bible study ladies. Wish they would eat more, or my wife should make less, because I end up eating what's left over. Click on the image for a larger image.

Hot Apple Pie SOLD (Click here to see results on eBay)

I was looking through old reference photos and ran across some shots I took of some pie after I had started to eat it. I tried to paint it more directly, with heavier paint to help express the creaminess of the melting icecream, but when you do that, you give away the smooth modeled look of liquid. Click on the image for a larger view.

Baguette SOLD (Click here to see results on eBay)

I did a similar piece last month, and had a chance to bring home a baguette from the resturant the other night and thought why not. I wanted to paint a darker, warmer rendition this time with an overall golden baked look. Click on the image for a larger view.

Acorn Squash SOLD (Click here to see results on eBay)

Here's a painting of a couple of acorn squash sitting in the sun. I don't remember what they taste like, but I sure like to paint them. Click on the image for a larger view.

Slippery Slide SOLD (Click here to see results on eBay)

Keeping with kidstiff this week, I decided to try to paint a scene that I remember from my childhood. This is a slippery slide in Wayne Nebraska, but I can still remember a slide in my home town of South Sioux city Nebraska, that really scared me. I always felt too high, and that I could see the curvature of the earth up there. When I slide down, I didn't always let go of the rails. This was a pretty nice one in Wayne, and no, I didn't slide down it. It was about fourty degrees this day. Click on the image for a larger view.

Jack'o lantern SOLD(Click here for auction results)

I was stuck for something to paint today, but finally settled on a jack'o lantern. What's more fun to paint than a glowing light source, and from a pumpkin yet. There have been great paintings done by the masters, of candle lit scenes, fireplace settings, and light raking in from windows, and they have always been a source of inspiration. They did those paintings without photographs too. Click on the image for a larger view.

Koi Pond SOLD(Click here for auction results)

Thanks to Luis Colan for giving me the reference for this Koi Pond. He took a trip this last summer and shot some great pics of a stream that I ask him permission to use also. They worked out great, but the Koi Pond has been sitting in my studio for 2 months now with some problems that needed to be addressed. I still need to noodle in the detail on the fish, the eyes,scales, etc, then it's done. I'll do that later tonight hopefully. Click on the image for a larger view.

Tangelos SOLD (Click here for auction results)

Here's a layout of some tangelos. Good tasting props. Click on the image for a larger view.

Corkscrew and Cork SOLD (Click here for auction results)

Well, finally something else didn't jump in front of me wanting to finsh the corkscrew. it was all alone at first without the cork so I decided to add the cork to capture some of the raking light. Click on the image for a larger view.

Lunchtime for Calf SOLD(click here for aution results)

You would think the reference for this painting was from right here in the midwest, but it happens to be from a farm outside of San Marcos California. Last summer, Dave Darrow and I were searching for things to plein air paint, and we looked into some areas out by Elfin Forrest (or something like that). I have some great creek reference that I haven't dug into yet that I also shot that day. I might be in the mood for more landscapes after this one. It was a great shady creek. Click on the image for a larger view.

Two Onions SOLD(Click here to view eBay results)

Here's a couple of onions that are amazingingly hard to paint. I've seen other artist do them quickly, and some do them in a more rendered fashion like these, and gotta say, I can really appreciate the more direct approach. The color has to be so dark and rich on the red onion, and the subtle tones on the white onion are various greys of pink yellow and green. They took alot longer than I planned. And what's even more surprising to me is that some of the simplist objects have a ton of information in them where you only need one object instaed of two to make a good painting.
Click on the image for a larger view.

Jar of Pickles SOLD(Click here to view auction results)

I think I need another half hour on this to get it to where I want it. I like the color and the directness of the paintapplication, but there are a couple of drawing issues and some value and contrast that I want to correct. It's hard to put something back on the easle when there's another painting or two already in your head. Can't explain how fun a blank canvas can be. Check back later and see the changes. Click on the image for a larger view.

Cantaloupe SOLD (Click here to view auction results)

Here's a painting that went pretty well. I tried to not kill it by over rendering. Most of the brush strokes are direct and untouched after I put them down, and I really like trhe color feel. My only regret again was not laying the paint down as thickly as I want to eventually achieve. I'll get there. Click on the image for a larger view.

Pie and Ice Cream with Coffee SOLD(Click here to view auction results)

I decided to get back into some sweeter subject matter and after leafing through my old photos, I decided on pie and coffee. I wanted to paint a little larger also so I made this one 12x16. Glad I found something in the archives instead of having to buy it, shoot it, and then eat it. Click on the image for a larger view.

Orange #4 SOLD(Click here to view auction results)

I know you think you might have seen this one before, but it is new. Last month I had one sitting on a plate, and two months ago the same orange was sitting on a window ledge. The very first painting I did for thses auctions was an orange layout on a cutting board, thus the creative title...Orange #4. Click on the image for a larger view.

Moon over Monument Valley SOLD (click here to view auction results)

I don't know if anyone else is having the same problem, but blogger is really geting frustrating. I gave up twice this week trying to post something, and just about gave up again this morning. Anyway, here is the painting I tried to post on Tuesday evening. I have a ton of Monument Valley reference, and my only regret was that we spent just an hour or so there and didn't have the time to hike around and get some shots from different angles of these scenes. It was all from right outside the car. Click on the image for a larger view.

John Lennon (Available)

I've been looking for fun portraits to paint that have a universal interest, and just by chance I heard on the news this morning that today, October 9th, is John Lennon's birthday. I can still remember how I just didn't want to believe he was killed. He was a creative genius in many ways, and the world was cheated out of many more years of his work. Click on the image for a larger view.

Yellow Rose SOLD (Click here to view auction results)

Here's a simpler rose.I took this shot a couple of years ago in Seattle. I didn't realize what I had until I decided to start a few flower paintings. The wilted petal is kind of symbolic. Click on the image for a larger view.

Pink Rose SOLD(click here to view aution results)

Flowers are harder to paint than I thought they would be. The pedals are transparent, flimsy, and strange shaped. You just about have to paint them the way you see them and try not to improvise. Click on the image for a larger view.

Rainy Day Pear SOLD (click here to see aution results)

Here's a pear that I think is going to be one of my last. I couldn't stop at just indicating the basic colors that I saw. I was compelled to try to create the speckled paterns you see only after looking closer. I don't know if it was the right choice, but that's what art is all about...making choices. Click on the image for a larger view.

Old Indian SOLD (click here to view auction nresults)

This face was also captured from the movie Hildago where I got the scene for the cowboy last week. I ended up letting the paint get too thin again. I gotta just pretend that paint is cheap. Sad thing tho and most artists know this...it isn't. Click on the image for a larger view.

Grand Canyon #2 SOLD(Click here to view auction results)

This is a bigger format for me to start using. As long as I can still get these done in a day with my other work piling up, I think it's good for a change. I need to slowly start painting larger if my technique can stay the same but only on a lrger scale.Laandscapes need bigger spaces because the elements are so small. I did take pictures of other parts of the Grand Canyon, but lost most of them in a hard drive crash. I gotta get back there for new reference. Click on the image for a larger view.

Cut Green Apple SOLD (Click here to view aution results)

I wanted to try to capture the crunchy texture of the inside of a green apple. It's a subtle warm grey on grey-green color that's so close in value that you just about have to see the original to any difference. Hopefully the larger view will show the difference. Click on the image for a larger view.