Gouache study with a very limited palette. I was taking inspiration from 17th century Dutch Landscape painters and a bit of the Constable/ Isabey storm obession they score their paintings with. I am also combining Chinese White (Holbein), Zinc White, and Titanium Goauche (from M.Graham). The Daler-Rowney Zinc White is super stiff and not so good, but could be interesting for weak glaze mixtures. I also coated the paper with a prepared sizing from W&N. They don't make it any more though.

Watercolor / Gouache sketches - very small 2.5 x 4.5 inches and one that is 3 x 6 inches. The darker tree themed one was inspired by my trip to Yale- British Museum of Art in New Haven, CT. A small but nice collection of Turners, Constable and Bonningtons among others. A couple of the other sketches are very rapid along the shoreline in CT and Nantucket, Mass.

Recent watercolor near Pt.Reyes, California.

This is an experimental landscape from imagination using rough fabriano (Aristico) paper with watercolor and gouache. I reworked the clouds a number of times. The surface stood up to repeated washes and scumbles. An Australian landscape comes to mind. I have seen a number of excellent water media artists that come from down under via art books.

An old school bus yellow crane floating on a dark oil soaked barge. Hints of russet pink on the island in the distance.

French Broom in the foreground (yellow flowers) is pretty profuse in Northern California at springtime. Having just a small amount of time in the late afternoon I went for a small format - 5"x7" - using a Fabriano watercolor block. I was interested in capturing the dappled light on the ivy growing up the smaller trees. This was at a point in Belvedere, very quiet with just the daydream like sounds of the surf below undulating between the rocks.

With the fog dissolving the view of Baker Beach in San Francisco, the focus was more on the twisted pine trees in the foreground dressed with dying vines on the left side of the picture. I sketched the white tee-off as this was one of the sections of the Lincoln park golf course. It was interesting to see every other set of players drive home a shot into the Pacific Ocean before they took aim at the green, is that cool for sea life? I am trying out more Holbein watercolors with Winsor and Newton perm. white and Holbein chinese white as opaque additions.

Today's gouache sketch (6"x9") on cold press water color paper. The block in was created using transparent watercolors, then chinese white was added to mixtures to make more opaque passages. Really a nice day with perfect spring weather.

I'm posting some more gouache studies, painted this past week. One outdoor, the other painted at home. I am using watercolors as a base and then introducing more opaque colors as I complete the pieces. I am using Holbein Zinc white gouache along with other colors on top of the more transparent washes of traditional watercolors. I am also using a cheaper student grade Montval watercolor block (10x14") which is really nice for reworking the surface. It seems to take a lot of rough brush work while building up a luminous patina.

Nice cloud day to sketch in gouache. Rapid studies of clouds and their cast shadows on the distant hills. The fence study was from the living room. A small oak takes form against the sky with hungry birds to the sides.

Gouache and watercolor fog study of Angel Island. 9"x21"

Private Collection

I'm posting today's gouache study painted in my car. It is rare that I work inside like that, but I needed to listen to some music and relax a bit, after the work week. As things progressed the wet painting fell on the floor because I wedged the watercolor block just inside the steering wheel and it was precarious at best. Of course it popped out, and while it was sliding down between my feet, my brush made a mark across the surface on the left side. I ended up making a plant out of the main errant mark.

I'm calling this piece the Crepe Maker. It is inspired by the Sonian Forest in Belgium, near Brussels. Many painters in the 1600's were attracted to the landscape. In particular the painter Lodewijk (or Lodewyk) de Vadder, who worked in the period. He was granted the privilege to make taperstry cartoons for the city of Brussels in 1644. He and others were influenced by Rubens' technique with oils. Also the contrast between the vast size of the forest vs. the small scale of humans is a common theme around that time.

Study after Lorrain. An imagined roman country side with figures. I'm interested in studying invented landscapes. For example many dutch artists traveled to Italy in the 1600's. They made sketches then came back to create finished paintings of the low lands with hills and Italian atmosphere.

An experienced seaman lost at sea as a theme. 1640's? off the coast of Spain - perhaps.

Recent sketches from life. I was using a bottle of sepia ink with watercolors and gouache. Unfortunatley I had a major spill, what a mess. A few minutes later though I saw a bobcat. Random events you can say.

Old California

Today I saw an oil tanker leaving the bay, riding up high and showing the rust red of the hull. The journey back to exotic lands. I'm interested in pushing the range of green grays, like in the clouds while introducing hints of the ship colors too.

This is a gouache sketch of mountian tops above Lake Como I made earlier this year. It started to rain a bit so I had to work fast before the raindrops did their damage.

A study of the seashore with the last touch of sunlight on the clouds and sailing ships.