gibson ranch walk

August 31,09
morning walk with Sparky

this would have been my father's 66th birthday if he were still here...

An unusually open view of Dry Creek, most of the way the trees are too thick to get this type of view.

Sun sparkles on the water, Sparky wants to get down to the creek but I didn't wear shoes I want to get wet today.

Sparky waits while I take a photo.
(I always keep her on a leash on our walks but used digital magic to take it out - beware the "truth" of photographs.)

Oaks provide cool shade over most of the trail here, making it one of my favorite places to walk in the summer.

Young oaks staking out their own ground.

Well established oaks and the remains of an old ranch fence - this was a privately owned ranch at one point - still a working ranch with cattle & horse boarding & riding. (Sparky is slowly learning what I want her to stay out of on the bridal path.)

We walked around the perimeter of part of the ranch today instead of heading back up the creek trail - this live oak has a cage around it's trunk to protect it from marauding cattle.


Then we cut across to the pond, causing a great stir amongst the ducks and geese, who fussed loudly but avoided us by heading into the pond. Sparky was only moderately interested in them, but nearly found rolling in their droppings irresistible. A good hold on the leash kept her clean -

Several fishing docks jut into the pond, only a couple didn't host fishermen this morning.

The trees planted in the park picnic area create an interesting pattern of light and shadow.

Spent flowers still stand strong beneath oaks back along the bridal path.

Sentinels along the fence-line of the ranch.

capitol park

August 26, 09
Capitol Park
morning w/Phil C.
sunny, warm, clear skies, slight breeze



busy city morning - working w/new student on journaling - noise of landscaping buzzing machines - brought Sparky, who seems quite happy to be out

(These are my actual journal pages, click on them to see them bigger.)







(This was a strange tree nearby that looked like a giant fern, no name on it like many here, but the id tag had a number I can look up later when/if I'm sufficiently motivated...)

studio tables

I've been working on four new 12x12" canvases, trying to work in a blue-ish palette for a change of pace. Sometimes I work at my midtown studio in the Kennedy Gallery Art Center (20th & K Streets in Sacramento.)


I took this shot at the end of the day on Saturday at the Kennedy, but I couldn't leave them down there for days before I will be back.


So I brought them home & worked on them off and on yesterday; I generally take Sundays off from working, but painting is as much play as work... ;) I'll work on them more today, too - maybe even get them finished before the day is over.

(Both of these shots are click-able, so you can see more detail.)

new little canvases

Here are some of those little canvases that I've been working on - all three are black & white photos collaged onto 8x8" canvases with mixed media -


"Peace"


"Comfort"


"Beauty"

now showing in auburn

 

Got my work on the wall at the Auburn Old Town Gallery today. Started getting familiar with the whole computer system there and met a few more of the artists. I'm coming in already knowing a few, so I don't feel like I'm amongst total strangers and everyone new I've met seems pretty nice.

I'll be up there at least a couple times a month - and this Thursday evening is the Artwalk up in Auburn, so I'll be up there for that & meet more of the other artists then, too, I'm sure.

more studio time

Getting some time in at the home studio before heading to the Kennedy Gallery studio for 2nd Saturday artwalk - a couple 12x12" canvases on the wall with a little pencil work so far...

A couple 12x12" canvases on the small work table waiting for pencils...

And half a dozen 8x8" canvases with pencil coloring and the first layer of glazes.

Time to get cleaned up and head to midtown!

studio time

Working on the big 3x3' canvas, here's how it looked at the start of the day.

Poor Sparky had to lie around and wait for me to play with her...



And the final piece, I'm calling it "Late Afternoon" not for the time I finished it but the time of day the photograph was taken. (you can click on it to see it bigger)

art cards

Instead of watching paint dry, I'm posting something I meant to post a couple weeks ago.

I've been taken by the idea of artists' cards, trading or otherwise, maybe because I was always one of those kids that liked tiny things, or maybe just because. So a couple weeks ago I planned an art card session with one of my students and my 15 year old daughter, Deidre, wanted to tag along for that particular session. Knowing that particular student wouldn't mind (would probably enjoy the company for a day) I agreed.

Here's what Dee & I accomplished, she did her two that day, my cards were produced over more time, mostly because I was having trouble staying focused...

Deidre's cards both are two-sided, this is the front of her first one.

The back side of an artist's card generally has information about the artist.

The front of Deidre's second card.

The back, where she might one day put at least her name. ;)


And all of my cards, which have my signature and are dated on the back.

Some purists call these artists' trading cards, which should only ever be traded, others call them artists editions and originals, or something like that, and have no trouble selling them at all. You could put me in the second category, likely selling in the $10-$15 range & easily shipped. Email me if you're interested...

canvases in progress

I've been working on several canvases at once, something I do now and again. I tend to work in fits and spurts at different stages of my artworks. Sometimes going out and journaling and shooting alot, then needing to do alot of work in the darkroom (I'm due for a darkroom day in a big way right now) and other times working on the final stages of several pieces at once, like I am now.

Not that it ever seems to even out, I always seem to have a huge backlog of negatives that need printing, so that sometimes it can be literally years before I get to printing a particular neg. (Other times I'll take an image from camera to final piece in a matter of weeks, sort of depends on the moving of the Spirit.)

This is the biggie I'm working on right now - 36x36" - I'd like to have it done for this Saturday's Artwalk, but we'll see if it cooperates or not - this was yesterday morning.

Also in progress are these smaller canvases, this lot is all 8x8", collaged with contact prints that were printed with overlays and thicker black borders.

Accompanied by a smaller group of 12x12" canvases - ever since the years I shot with a Mamiya 6 (which created 6cm square negs) I've had a love of the square format for artwork.

The big canvas this morning, you can see the pencil work I added yesterday, just working on the texture I had already put there. Today I'll start with acrylic glazes, I could potentially make my self-imposed Saturday deadline, if I can get enough studio time. Looking forward to the week's schedule, it's a definite possibility.

Poor little Sparky dog, just waiting for me to take a break and get in some physical activity. (Typical behavior: she jumped up into my lap, tried to chew on my hands as I typed this, then jumped back down to take a toy down the hall, then run back with a different one.) We'll get in a trip to the dogpark before the day is over, I promise. ;)