SOLD-Stock Island Triad-$100

SOLD

this was a fun one making every grayed down shape a different temperature. used a big very worn down bright style brush to "chunk in" the shapes and left em alone. very hard to leave a stroke alone for some reason. hmmmm. 

A Corner in the Keys-SOLD

SOLD

8x8

ever have a painting that you love when you get it into the studio from out in the field, and then murder it working on it "just a little more"?

 thats what i did on this one. i was very fond of it till i played with it a little too long one evening from memory. when i was done, the more i looked at it the more i hated it. what went wrong? just a few hours before it was a keeper and now i want to scrape it all off and re-gesso the board.

i decided to let it dry, tape some clear plastic over half of it, and repainted the big shapes on the plastic. this time darker on the trees, and lighter and cleaner color on the boats in shadow, and darkening the reflections in the water. you see my hand there on the right? i'm pulling back (from left to right) the plastic. see the darker trees and shadows.  when i stood back, it made a huge difference in the painting.

 putting on the plastic and painting on it lets you try out things without trashing the painting underneath. if you dont like whats on the plastic, wipe it off and try something else. when you have something you like, duplicate that on the original painting.

what i was doing mucking around in the studio was lightening (and cooling) the trees and reflection without realizing it.inadvertantly lessening the contrast to 1/3 of the painting and changing the relationship between shapes in the area of contrast, color, and temperature is not what you want happening if you have any hope of a decent painting. 

easy explanation? stuff was out of whack! i'll post it when i've got everything fixed. if i dont kill it that is  :D

$75-Red Doors-6x8

$75 plus $10 s/h

to purchase with PayPal or credit card click the "buy now" button below

while i'm standing painting these paintings the Conch Train is always going by giving the tourists the history of key west. its the key west version of the charleston carriage rides. 

as i was doing this cool two story house with red doors, the conch train goes by. he says "see that building with the red doors? that used to be the roughest bar in florida. when you went in, back then, they'd ask you, 'Do you have a gun? you'd answer no and they'd give you one!"

 i always wonder how much is true of what these guys say but that one just sounds too incredible to be true doesnt it?

SOLD- a 7x9 commission piece for the new owner of this cool house on the corner of fleming st.

SOLD-Lobster Boat and Traps-6x8

SOLD

used a number six bright on the whole thing except the thinnest of lines in the outriggers and lines in the traps.when you do this you learn how to put it down fast and chunky. and you figure out how to make small marks with just the tip of a corner. its a very good brushwork exercise.

Angela St. View-SOLD

6x8

i'm always drawn to this view to paint year after year. the pinkish house on the right that sticks out over the sidewalk, the light on the yellow building and the conch houses and bouganvillea at the end of the block are all super cool to me. in this one i tried to make every shape a different color. sorta like doing a color study but there's tons more to look at. i just take one big shape at a time to keep from getting overwhelmed. there are conch train tours, scooters, sightseers, and bicycles going past me every minute too, adding to the challenge.

Figure Study 1/24-SOLD

9.5x9.5-$30

hooray! life drawing sessions have started back up and i've been looking forward to painting the figure for months. we have about 8 or 9 regulars who show up with everything from pastel, to gouache, to ink, charcoal, and today there was another oil painter besides me. these classes are fantastic for working on your chops drawing and quickly laying down color. they hold the pose for only 30 minutes so ya gotta be quick and decisive. figure studies really help my painting, whether its plein air or still life. they say if you can draw the figure, you can draw anything.

$75-Stock Island Docks-6x8

$75 plus $10 s/h

to purchase with PayPal or credit card click the "buy now" button below

Behind KW Bait and Tackle-8x10

Diane's Bouquet-10x8

Fleming St. Corner-8x10

SOLD-Blue Shadowed House-6x8

SOLD

was wondering the other day what the attraction is with this type of scene i do so much. i think its the simplicity of the house thats so charming, and the fact that theyre literally inches away from their neighbors on the left and right. i like the abstract shapes they make.

SOLD-Crystal Blue Persuasion-8x8

$OLD

just so you dont think all i do is paint and dont have any other kind of fun, i posted this pic of a fun night of playing ukelele at the reknowned green parrot bar in key west (almost as famous as sloppy joe's).they have a uke group that meets monthly for a jam session and you can get on stage and be a rock star (was tiny tim a rock star?) for a night. at least i can scratch "play a musical instrument in front of an audience" off my bucket list. its a really cool happening because about 30 people show up with every kind of uke imaginable and you take turns on stage.and even when youre not near a mic, youre out in the crowd playing, so its like surround sound uke music. the folks not playing are singing along, dancing, and its a real hoot. cant wait to do it again next month.

SOLD-Side View-6x8

SOLD
 

i like these side yard vignettes.some bouganvillea (the red flowering bush) and purple shadowed side of a house. there's no shortage of these around KW.

upcoming workshops

february at Studios of Key West-plein air weekly classes

march at Studios of Key West-weekly knife painting classes
april- west palm beach fl. and fort pierce fl. plein air workshops

april- bald head island 

SOLD-Seven Mile Bridge-6x8

$OLD
 

went over to pidgeon key for this one. you leave marathon and walk (or ride your bike) on this bridge over there. it really looks like your own private deserted island. there are the coolest huts and houses over there. i will definately be going back with some bigger canvases.

On the one above i had about 20 minutes before sundown (and a two mile ride back across the bridge) no time for thinking on this one. just sketch quickly and throw quick color in. why is it every time you work super quick, they look so cool? i like this one!

Truman Street in the Morning-8x10
SOLD

Pidgeon Key Front Yard-8x10

SOLD

this was one of the houses over there on pidgeon key. how cool right?

SOLD-Overcast Harmony-6x8

$OLD

this day was very overcast so i went out looking for the color in it. mixing the right color notes will give you the light key with its coolish harmonies, compressed values, and landscape objects silouetted against a shimmery sky.

Shotgun House-SOLD

5x6

well it happened again. everytime i'm in key west painting plein air i'm mistaken for a homeless guy! its because here, anybody scruffy looking, riding a bike with all kinds of crap in the front basket and/or having a backpack is homeless. guess what thats me. all my painting stuff is in the basket and i'm loaded like a pack mule with a backpack. paint all over me, beard and hairs getting shaggy (the wife's in NC, no need to snazz up) All i do is paint, paint, paint and backpack painting on a bike is the best way to get around town, and the side streets. anybody that plein air paints knows you tend to look scruffy on a good day after painting a few in 80 degree heat.

so i'm at the convenient store getting lunch today, and as i reach for my wallet in my backpack the lady says "sorry! we dont take food stamps here".  i'm like... "i dont have food stamps, i've got a job"  OH she says, surprised looking!

honest mistake, i think to myself snacking on a jamaican pie out on the curb with the roosters and chickens. the way painting sales have been the past few years, i would probably qualify for food stamps!  :D

SOLD-Overcast Arrangement-7x9

SOLD

left this one juicy, loose and did it fast. compare the difference to below

Goya Bouquet-12x16

sold

this is knifed and brushed, bigger, tighter and took longer. the key to my excitement about painting is that i dont paint the same way every day. one day i'm using bold bright colors and brush strokes, the next i'm toying with subtle tighter color and strokes. i tend to get bored easily so i shake it up all the time. if you paint for a living, it could keep you from feeling like you have a real job (God forbid)

Near Whitehead St.-SOLD

7x9

a knifed street scene done in the morning. i love the simplicity of that little house in the background to the right. 

when ever i'm painting around the edges of a painting (away from the focal point) i make sure to keep value and color changes close together and do everything very simply. this keeps from dragging the viewers eye over there. basically its two colors and values whose shapes make a building.

$75-Pink and Lavendar Morning-6x8

$OLD

this was a demo for a lesson this morning. pretty light on a cool house!

Stock Island Contre Jour- 8x10

email me for price and availability

Conch Republic Two Story-SOLD

6x6

tried to keep the semi abstract feel of these shapes. they just happen to make a house set in some lush tropical vegetation. everywhere you look in old towne this is what you see rising above the picket fences and motor scooters.

Workshop Update

ive added a two day workshop to the schedule on the right sidebar. it'll be a two day (half day plein air/half day still life) in West Palm Beach April 9 and 10 (tentatively) . if you'd like to sign up it will be an intimate little group and we'd love to have you. just email me for more details and to get your spot.

SOLD-Lavendar and Awnings

SOLD

more metal awnings!

rene and i during a one-on-one plein air class

after simplifying the scene i showed rene how to block in the scene quickly using blue for the shadows and yellow ochre for the light shapes. then we added the real colors where they went. he was having a ball as you can see from that big smile on his face and his painting came out great!

SOLD- Caroline St. Sunshine-5x7

SOLD

there are no buildings up or down the east coast that look like these stuccoed houses with the old style metal window awnings. i love em! then throw in low humidity (= clarity of light) and then a little afternoon sun on em and theyre irresistable. 

today i taught the second of a three day workshop on knife painting. i used the  hensche method of having them paint colored blocks and stressed how everything in the shadow family MUST be darker than everything in the light family. this will guarantee that the objects have form and you dont have a mamby-pamby middle value mess! they did great. as always i took my camera but forgot to get a shot of them slaving away. tomorrow i'll do it for sure. yeah, right!

Fort Zach View-SOLD

6x8

Palms are a tricky tree to paint. too loose and it doesnt look finished. too tight and it doesnt look like it sways in the breeze or that a bird could land in it.

SOLD-Near Fleming St.-5x7

SOLD

the hardest part of painting these street scenes is there's so much your mind says needs to go in that doesnt. simplifying shapes, editing out things and only allowing in only the most necessary shapes, is the best plan of attack. if not you'll get frustrated and the sun will taunt you as it streaks across the sky confounding the light and shadow pattern you already have on the canvas. work fast and do lots of  these street scenes and they wont seem so scary and will get easier and easier. you'll soon be ignoring the crowds, traffic, and your umbrella falling into the busy street every time you turn around. shoot that's what keeps plein air painting in crowded urban areas so challenging and fun. anybody could paint a cow in a deserted field out in the country!

South Florida Abode-SOLD

6x6

so many tropical houses to paint. so little time!