Pigeon Point Lighthouse - Finished!

Oh happy day...I finally completed Pigeon Point Lighthouse.  I started this 6 months ago...but had to sideline it when I was hired to do a couple of commissions over the summer.  Then a month in Ecuador and here we are.  I really enjoyed creating this painting.  It is a combination of 3 photos I took.  In a week or so I'll have a better photograph of this work uploaded here, when I get it back from my photographer.  I'm not sure what is up next...probably something from my trip to Cuenca, Ecuador in October.  Thanks for coming by...enjoy the rain!!  mg

Shoe Trees of Park City

Just completed a very fun project.  Good friends of ours live in Park City, Utah.  It so happens Park City has a row of trees that for more than 50 years people have launched their tennis shoes, ski boots, whatever I guess they have on at the time and then walk away....why not?  So, being loyal Park City residents our friends wanted this landmark memorialized in paint....the perfect family room addition.

The difficult and fun thing with this project is that not only did the trees and shoes need to be front and center, but of course some Park City ski runs had to be included.  When I took some reference photos it is not possible to see the ski runs and the trees at the same time.  So with some artistic license I joined tree photos and ski run photos and then the fun part...painting 422 shoes.  Here you go...

Sierra Cabin - it's a wrap!

There's not much more to say about this painting than that is was a lot of fun to interpret the photos I took last month.  This place is special, and I was very pleased today when I revealed the finished work to my friend and his wife...and they loved it.  Whew...I'm always a little nervous.  Ok, here it is...

Next up is a VERY interesting piece which has been commissioned by some good friends.  I'll reveal some of it next week.  Thanks for coming by.  mg

Sierra Cabin

I've been away from this blog for a couple of months and I don't like it.  What that means is that I haven't been spending time in my studio.  The last couple of months have been full of summer stuff - travels mainly.  Hopefully it's been the same for you.  Well, I'm back now for a couple of months before I head out again, and I have a couple of painting commissions that I need and want to attend to.  The first is a sierra cabin. 

A friend of mine has had this cabin in their family for 50 years now, and I had the great fortune of going there a couple of weeks ago to take photos.  AMAZING!  Perched at the edge of a private lake this charming cabin is a most photogenic and peaceful piece of sierra that I have experienced.  My challenge is to do this place justice with my paint and brushes.  As you see below I'm underway and am working with the smallest brushes in my arsenal.  It's slow progress but that's the name of the game.  I'll probably post one more photo along the way - I don't want to reveal too much before I reveal the final product to my friend and his wife.  Thanks for coming by...mg

Pigeon Point Light House

Hello everyone!  It's been a while since I updated.  More than a month ago I finished my Art Deco Pin-up painting, which is now hanging at Gallery 9 in Los Altos.  Then my wife and I went on vacation to Ecuador.  We returned and I was slow in getting my next creation under way.  Well, here you go....Pigeon Point Light House.  If you are not familiar with this light house it is just north of Santa Cruz maybe 15-20 miles.  My excitement for this painting will be found in the water and waves.  As you can see the lighthouse itself is quite small as well as the peninsula that it sits on.  When I took the photo for this painting the drama of the waves and the different colors in the water is what spoke to me.  Hopefully when I am through it will speak to you as well.  Here's the early progress..

I am facing a couple of real busy weeks ahead where I am not going to be able to do a lot of painting so it will likely be a month or so before I can near completion on this.  Please check back toward the end of June.  Cheers, Mark.

The Figure

The art gallery that I am a member of, Gallery 9 in Los Altos, is having a group member show in the month of June.  The theme for the show is "The Figure".  If you have been following this blog you will note that I have not painted many figures and you will also note that I have never painted a female figure.  So, I went for it...and here's the result...

My goal was to produce a piece that resembled World War II pinup art.  There is a famous pinup artists from that period with the last name Vargas.  Google Vargas for a nice show of pinup artistry.  

1000 Island Lake

On a backpack trip with my daughter Megan a couple of summers ago we hiked up to 1000 Island Lake in the eastern Sierras.  One day I took a photo of the lake just prior to an afternoon rain shower.  I like the reflected clouds and the sense of peace that you experience when you have a place to yourself.

Here's my interpretation....

Santa Cruz Boardwalk in two panels

So I finished the two paintings of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.  I wish this blog allowed for side by side photos but I haven't figured out how to do that.  Here's the results...

I have just started a nice sierra lake painting..I'll update in a day or so.

1st Santa Cruz Boardwalk panel just about completed

Just about to start on the 2nd panel.  I'll make tweaks to this first panel over the next couple of days, but basically this is it...

Santa Cruz Boardwalk

For maybe a year now I've been wanting to paint the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.   In my head there is this masterpiece of colors and shapes and memories that go back almost 50 years.  Last month I went over to Santa Cruz to take my reference photos.  This was my 3rd trip to do so.  It was a beautiful day and I walked out to the end of the Santa Cruz pier, and Bingo!  I shoot 8 great photos in a panarama that is the boardwalk. 

Now the fun part - how do I render all those great buildings and roller coasters and colors - holy cow!  I need to do a painting 6 feet wide, there's so much there!  Well 6 feet is out of the question, but how about two 3 footers?  OK, I'm in the early stages of my first two pane painting.  And this is tough.  Today I almost pulled the plug - I wasn't sure it was working or that I could make it work.  I am painting in a smaller scale than my reference photos.  My reference photos stretch out to about 7 feet - I'm painting with my smallest brushes - the tip of the brush is the same size as this letter "l".

I'm posting both panels.  I had to paint the sky and the base layer of ocean on both panels at the same time so as to have the same colors.  It would have been impossible to mix the colors for the second panel and have the sky match.

So here you go, the top photo is getting rendered.  I'm working left to right as you face the boardwalk.  I will complete this panel including all the water and beach.  Then I'll move on to the lower panel and hopefully work some magic on that one.  I hope this works - hopefully I'll have the top panel completed by a week from now - please check back to see.  Thanks - Mark

Ted and Fiona

This was a very fun painting.  As mentioned previously this was my first horse painting as well as a rare human portrait.  The setting brings back fond memories of a wonderful hike Elke and I took with our friends Suzanne and Ted.  This work accomplishes one of my main purposes in creating paintings...memorialize a memorable time with friends.

Friend and horse

Over new years Elke and I spent a couple of days with some friends down in San Luis Obispo.  They own a beautiful property just north of there in the foothills - it's fabulous.  On their ranch they have some beautiful horses, a donkey, a goat, chickens, and a bunch of very cool very relaxed dogs.  Anyhow we took a great walk in the hills on their property and I took some photos.  I really liked one photo I took of our friend Ted walking one of their new horses.  I particularly like they way they were looking in opposite directions and just the wonderful setting.  Since I've never painted a horse and I don't do many paintings of people this was even more incentive to try to render this scene.  So, I'm in the early stages of this thing and I am basically working in reverse to the way I normally attack a painting.  As you know from seeing paintings develop on this blog I usually paint the background first top to bottom then whatever is in the front.  With this painting the whole purpose is to get Ted's face and the horses head just right.  So I painted those first.  I would hate to work for two weeks on the background then mess up the faces.  So, here you go, I'll update again next week.  Thanks. mg

Half Dome Reflection

Finally completed my Half Dome painting.   This was more of a challenge than I anticipated.  Combined with the Christmas holiday and being a bit lazy for the last half of December this painting was on my table for a month longer than I expected.  It's all good though...sometimes I just have to stop hurrying.  Well, regarding Half Dome Reflection...all the foliage was a real challenge to depict.  Sometimes it's hard to know when to stop, such was the case with some of the trees both right and left.  When it came to the water and the reflection of the trees, stones, and Half Dome the fun was on.  I love the color nuances of the greens, blues, golds.  I hope you enjoy.

I just started a new painting of a friend walking his horse.  I'll post something soon.  Thanks for coming by.  mg