9x11 watercolor 2012

Ok, I'm in full baby mode. My best friend is having a baby and as due date gets near, I have to say, I am Soooo excited! So much so, I'm even painting newborn's!! :) I dove right into this painting with no sketch so I got into a little trouble here and there because, as most of you may not know, watercolor is very unforgiving. Reworking can be scary and extremely tricky. Painting all these delicious little wrinkles was good practice for all the paintings of our little Sophia that are surely to follow in the near future. I can't wait!

Paris in Shayenes room

12x12 Paris Mural painted in teen bedroom

Sally's room-Cherry Tree Mural

acrylic wall mural - cherry tree and moon

The Lion King Mural in progress

The Lion King mural in progress, Acrylic on smooth wall

Believe it or not, this mural is in a 19yr old girls room. I will eventually be painting the entire room with the Lion King theme. The rest of this wall and the other 3 walls are still in the planing stages. I am looking forward to continuing this sky in these  rich, fiery reds and yellows. I don't remember if I have ever mentioned before that I do not buy pre-mixed paint colors. I rarely purchase  any other paint besides Black, White, Red, Yellow and Blue for any project, be it Large or small. I am auto-didactic so I of course was not taught this way. I do remember hearing or reading somewhere, that all any artist should need are the primary colors to make EVERY color that exist. So I guess I took that pretty seriously. I later learned this in only true if you start out with true or good quality primaries. If you are going to try this, make sure to look for true red, true blue etc. The same is true for choosing your black and white.

Geraldine Reaves

partial photo of 36'x36' portrait
acrylic on canvas

This is a portrait I painted recently of/for Geraldine Reaves. Geraldine is the founder of Open Arms Make a Difference. Open Arms is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to helping children of low income families in the Riverside Ca. area, providing them with food, clothing and school supplies. I worked from several photos for this painting. I will try to get a photo of the other half soon.

Mural in progress

Reaves bedroom mural-day 2

This is a very crude photo of one of my murals in progress. The reference for this mural is a Tuscan lake where many weddings are held. I hope it conveys the idea for you, but I do I have much more detail to work out.  I also plan to paint the arch and two pillars to resemble stone or marble with the look of relief work (or carving) in my clients initials, I hope to be finished within a week, so I will keep you all posted.

"the easy life"

79'x30' acrylic on canvas

This is a large portable mural painted on canvas. It could be fixed to a interior wall or a standard door to become your new ocean view. I was inspired to paint this scene while flipping through Architectural Digest. There was of course this gorgeous home but the easy looking evening ocean view made more of an impression on me. I added the torch, it is not original to the scene but I think it works well. Whenever I look at this mural, I picture my family and friends a little further down on the beach, picking up shells and roasting marshmallows around the fire pit, streaming in and out of the house with bare feet to stock up on snacks and drinks...the easy life.

18x24 mixed media on 140lb cold press paper/canvas

I am starting to go through paintings I have had stored away, this is a watercolor/charcoal painting.

"MISS NICKI"

11'x15' watercolor/digital  original on 140lbs cold press canvas

Continuing the musician inspired series. Nicki Minaj. An interesting performer, with an interesting look. This photo of this piece has some digital enhancements so it slightly differs from the actual painting,  This is the first time I have altered a painting digitally, many artist are taking advantage of this technique, what it allows us do is try somethings out without permanently altering our painting or drawing. It is actually liberating in a way. I can see how it can free an artist up to mess up and go totally nuts with no worries. I am almost finished with this painting, I will post the finished painting (however different it may be) as soon as it is finished.

My Pet Portrait Poster

"Sun Child"

8'x8' Watercolor 140lb coldpress canvas
July 2011

Back to my roots. I have mentioned my love for watercolor, but what I have not mentioned is the inspiration behind my interest which was Fashion Photography. Patrick Demarchelier and Peter Lindbergh in particular.
I think it was the striking, bold, high contrast and sometimes backlit scenes that captured a moment that I found irresistible to paint. There was no other vehicle I wanted to use for this exploration of photography than watercolor. Using the white of the watercolor canvas, the way the clean sharp lines also complement its transparency...watercolor just lends itself so naturaly to these references. It was where I lived. I was/am so hooked. Patrick Nagel inspired me to draw, Demarchelier and Lindbergh inspired me to paint.

"Bull Dog Pup"

9'x11' graphite on paper