LET'S PAINT TV!

This show makes life happier!

payless shoes

Yesterday I took a previous failure to a new spot to see if I can turn it into a success! I don't know why this scene caught my eye, but I felt it was an interestingly bland part of Glendale. I'm leaving it really raw and easy but with a certain 'right'ness... you never know what you're going to paint on top next! ;) oil on canvas, 36 by 24

teaching

I gave a lecture and demo to the San Gabriel Fine Art Association tonight. I think I got referred to them by the San Fernando Valley Art Club where I recently gave a similar talk. It was pouring rain and there was a low turnout, but for the people who showed up I think they really enjoyed watching and learning. I didn't get a great photo of the portrait demo, but here's how it came out. The club held a raffle and I drew a winning ticket out of a hat, who then sat for the portrait and got to take it home as their prize! oil on canvas, 16 by 12

p.s. I'm in a show this Saturday Jan 23rd from 6 to 10 p.m. at La Galeria Gitana in San Fernando. It's called Urban Spaces: the San Fernando Valley and since I have some nice plein air paintings of 'the Valley', I'm a good fit for this show. Click here for gallery info

EXERCISE with Mr Lets Paint TV

This video has made me laugh so hard over the past couple days that I had to post a blog about it to try and give it some wider exposure. This is talented plein air painter John Kilduff aka Mr. Lets Paint TV working the exercise ball. For years I have been a big fan of trying to stay physically fit, as was Matisse! Your body is the the chariot your soul rides on its journey through this physical dimension, so keep it in good shape. Mental happiness is related to physical health, so move your body! As Mr Let's Paint says, "As long as you're not hurting your body, your body is loving it!" If anything just dance more!

motel plein air

I'm in a group art show in DC opening Feb 6th. I'm showing a blast from the past,a motel room interior that I painted in 1997! In fact it might be the first or second one I did in the series, and was still one of the "plein air" motel interiors. I later started painting them in the studio from drawing studies made on location. It's so funny how I got into this show. First off it's titled "Empty Time: the lovely banality" and it's at the Fridge gallery curated by talented artist Trevor Young We met recently through Let's Paint TV, the best creativity show on the web! But the funny thing was that Trevor had met my painting years before either of us had even heard of LPTV. Stumbled across it on the internet, liked it, printed it out, hung it on their studio wall as I'm sure most artists you know are prone to do. Then all this time later through mutual friend and genius John Kilduff we have e-met and we'll get to really meet at the opening! fun times. It's either a bunch of cool coincidences or the spirit of painting moving in mysterious ways to bring us all together. And fitting the theme of the show, here is the painting Griffith Park Motel, oil on canvas, 35 by 27

Faster Donuts

About a year ago I painted a landscape of Faster Donuts (click here for the old one) but I never really was thrilled with the painting. I didn't like the backlight because it didn't make the sign stand out. I got around to going back and giving the painting another coat, this time earlier in the day than the first time, and it was just what it needed, a bright, frontal blast of sunshine! I'm having more and more fun going back to previous landscape locations where the first attempt was a dud. It makes me realize how much I can really be rough and loose the first time around at a landscape, it doesn't need to start off perfect, just close enough and painted with a lot of dash and flavor. Plus I really like the more complex paint surface that happens when you work wet over dry. Here's the painting and a location shot from my camera phone. oil on canvas, 30 by 24

the flaying of marsyas

I've always loved Titian's painting the Flaying of Marsyas. And the more I've learned about this mythological episode the more I've wanted to paint MY Flaying of Marsyas. So here is my slap-dash lay-in which I executed on an unrecorded, late night episode of Let's Paint TV. oil on canvas, 38 by 24 (work in progress)

FOX NEWS AUSTIN

this is too funny! The Fox New crew from Austin that filmed me painting the Colorado Bridge yesterday ended up using the footage on their newscast! Here you can see it from their website:

The Colorado Bridge

The past two days I've been painting the Colorado Bridge in Pasadena. I started it yesterday and went back today to keep working on it. That's something I'm trying these days, going back and continuing to work on a painting, and it's been fun! I got filmed twice by FOX news crews for stuff to broadcast because of the big game at the Rose Bowl tomorrow, Texas versus Alabama for the National Championship. If you're watching the game in Austin, you'll see cut-away footage of me painting! ahahahaha! I come in around 1 minute into the video. I'll post how the painting looked yesterday and how it looks today. oil on canvas, 18 by 36

Shows I'm in January

January 9th @ 7pm: THE BIRD SHOW at Cactus Gallery: http://www.eclecticcactus.com/

January 9th @ 9pm: Bee Here Now 2 group show at the Hive gallery: http://www.hivegallery.com/

January 23rd: URBAN SPACES: The San Fernando Valley at La Galeria Gitana: http://www.galeriagitana.com/