Looking through my reference photos last night, I can across photos of China Town, here in San Francisco. I did paint a plein air piece there a few months ago, but wasn’t that happy with it. It can be difficult for me to simplify while out doors (the distractions: weather, tourists, pressure for time with the changing light, etc).  Being able to simplify and absorb the essence of a city scene is a critical skill.

One artist that does this particularly well is William Wray (see here, here and here). Like William, I’m a fan of the Russian painters, particularly Nicolai Fechin. His brushwork is amazing. Maybe, someday, I’ll paint with that level of confidence. He combines that with his ability to see the beauty in any urban scene.

In any case, this painting is one step towards my goals to be a better painter. In light of that, I’m happy with it.  Enjoy!

China Town Market - Oil on Linen - 8×10

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Even with David (the artist I share models with) out of the country, I decided to continue my painting of model Manuel–without him present. Of course normally, this is a huge “no-no”, but I was focused on the background, so I think it’s looking good. Might just call it done, and work on something else next time I paint him. To compare, this is the original image, and here’s another study completely.

Manuel (Front) - Oil on Linen

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that I often study with Camille Przewodek, a fantastic plein air colorist painter from Northern California. I recently chronicled my workshop experience with her in Kauai (1, 2, 3, 4, 5). She’s a great teacher, and has such a unique perspective on color, I can highly recommend her. You’ll learn things about color you just won’t learn in a typical workshop.

There are still spaces remaining in Camille Przewodek’s final 2008 workshops — Sept 15-19 and Sept 29-Oct 3, in Petaluma CA.

Click here for the flyer.

Enjoy! Let me know if you sign up.

It’s been a while since I last painted Pinnacles Monument. This was done from a digitally projected image in my studio. Kind of a warm up piece for painting the rest of the week (which I have off!). Enjoy!

Pinnacles - Oil on Linen - 11×14

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