Close up pastel painting of a potted palm

Pastel painting 5.5 inches x 7.5 inches $100 + shipping

Please contact me if you are interested in this artwork or a commission

The patterns that palms make fascinate me. They are so rhythmic and yet each one is very individual. For this pastel painting, i focused my attention on a single pot sitting on a restaurant deck. Sometimes zooming in a on the “micro landscapes” around us can be just as interesting as the big view scenes. And of course, the bright sun and shadows really make this piece sing!

Watercolor painting 5.5 inches x 7.5 inches $100 + shipping

Please contact me if you are interested in this artwork.

I forgot to post this last watercolor landscape from my visit to San Luis Rey Mission. I painted this study on traditional cold press paper, not the plastic-like yupo that I had used on the previous mission studies, so it has more of an evident texture. It is really interesting to use different types of paper and see how they effect the look of your watercolors.

For those who are interested….About .com explains the different types of watercolor papers this way:

1. Machine-made watercolor papers come in three surfaces: rough, hot-pressed or HP, and cold-pressed (or NOT).
2. Rough watercolor paper has a prominent tooth, or textured surface. This creates a grainy effect as pools of water collect in the indentations in the paper.
3. Hot-pressed watercolor paper has a fine-grained, smooth surface, with almost no tooth. Paint dries very quickly on it. This makes it ideal for large, even washes of color.
4. Cold-pressed watercolor paper has a slightly textured surface, somewhere in between rough and hot-pressed paper. It’s the paper used most often by watercolor artists.

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches $100 + shipping

Please contact me if you are interested in this artwork.

I painted this plein air watercolor on the last day of our California visit. I was waiting on the Club balcony as John finished the 18th hole. Although this peaceful study doesn’t show it, I was actually going crazy inside. We had found out, just a couple hours earlier, that our only child was in labor for her first baby and we were stuck across the country with no way to get home in time! Just goes to show that all those art critics who claim to know what an artist is thinking when they paint a piece are full of it!

Right, Chris?