Red-winged Blackbird

I'm going to be off-line for a week. I'm taking the family to the little farm we just bought in Georgia. I hope you have a Happy Independence Day, and that you pause for a moment or two while you're at it, and think about our Independence - how it was won at the cost of some of the most brilliant lives in history, and how it has been maintained at the cost of even more.

Rattlesnake Country

YES! Thanks for the comments. Now I know that at least two people are looking at these paintings. What a relief!

Hillside

Yes, it's a hillside. I guess I'm running short on snappy titles.

Near Ginger's Place

Here's the latest. It's from a photo I took on a friend's property along Chualar Canyon, which is along the Salinas Valley.

Experiment

Here's an experiment I've been working on. I'm looking for ways to depict the morning light as it filters through the Monterey pines I see on my way to work. What do you think?

Horse and Hillside

Half-finished Horse

Here's the horse that appears in a study below. Tomorrow I'll add more texture to the grass and maybe darken the hilltop toward the right hand side just a little, so that the storm clouds don't come so far forward on that side. I'll also add some detail to the horse's face and deepen some of the shading on him so that he looks more rounded.

By the way, here's some exciting news: A couple days ago I signed a contract with Lyonshead Gallery, which is a prominent gallery in Carmel Valley. They have about six of my paintings now, but I'm working toward August, which will be more like my official arrival there. Visit www.lyonsheadgallery.com to see the other painters they represent.

Study, Horse on Hillside

Here's a study I did of a horse grazing along a hillside. I like the way it worked out, so I'll incorporate what I learned in a larger version, which will include a darkening sky beyond the top of the hill in the background.

This painting sold the first night it went on display, so I'm even happier with it than I was already.

Mountains and Vineyard

Here's one I just finished. It's hanging at "A Taste of Monterey" in Salinas, which is right across the street from the Steinbeck Center. Tonight was First Friday, in which local shops and galleries stay open late and invite guests to look at art and talk to the people who made it. We sold 3 paintings, so it was a great night.