Falcon Strike

Silver beak extended, eye intent on its prey, facing west and the Pacific. Feathers fly.  This is the direction I painted this painting for the most part.  I always rotate canvases to take advantage of my right handed painting style, so I saw all the angles, but only recognised this one after the first layer of silver.  Silver started this painting, and I did not add any silver shapes after the first sitting.

Falcon Strike, acrylic painting

Antlers

Caribou antlers splashing through icy waters.  Silver eye, brown nose facing east. A sense of urgent flight.

Caribou Flight

Terrier on the Scent

Coppery brown fur, windblown, ears alert, facing east.  This small, loyal dog is clearly tracking a scent in the currents of the sky.

Terrier on the Scent

Islands in the Sea

Volcanic peaks reach up from the blue ocean, reflections wavering in the waves. Or an osprey emerging with its prey. The motion in this direction is definitely up, up and away.

Islands in the Sea, acrylic painting

Tree Series: Madrone in Spring

This painting is 4 feet high and 3 feet wide and vibrates with color. It is almost completed, except for final layers of green and details. Each green shape has at least 4 layers of acrylic paint on it, which have to dry before the next layer. Green is the most fiddly color to work with, in my opinion, but looks great once I commit to smoothing it out. I see lots of birds and frogs in the leaves and undergrowth. The irises bloomed as well!

Mama Madrone - work in progress

As I work on this piece the rains have finally come to the San Francisco Peninsula and the whole world is greening. I am recording a lot of photos and video to accompany the finished artwork ---visiting the old mama madrones on the hilltop, feeling embraced by the circles of trunks, watching the bark peel way from the spring green wood beneath--- it's so beautiful. Of all the trees the madrone is my favorite.

Already I see birds in the wind and wild irises leaves sprouting below the branches in this painting. I foresee purple as a color in the lower reaches. And more green --- much more green.

Madrone - a Beginning

I have begun the third in a series of abstract tree paintings: a madrone my favorite tree colors. I broke with my usual process and chose the main symbol before I started. Browns are my first focus of color harmony. I added copper in a reddish tone to highlight the sunlight filtering through the leaves.

Once I had made this much progress I went out to take photos of madrones to help with color choices. There are many times during a painting that I wonder how I will ever balance the color choices to satisfy my need for harmony.

Dragon Spring - Lunar New Year 2012

In tune with the lunar new year, I have painted this triptych that I have been imagining for quite some time. The dragons I see in running water, flower vines and wisps of fog appear here in startling colors, popping from the gold background. This may be still a work in progress, because spring has barely begun here and I may be impelled to add more colorful swirls!! The question is: Are they separate dragons or one long dragon?