Reflecting on 2006

Watercolor on Arches paper, 11×8
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I like to spend New Years Eve quietly reflecting on the past year and the new one. This year Michael’s home sick and I’m spending the evening more quietly than usual, alone in the studio thinking about life and art. I decided to make a [...]

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Stage Fright (Dream)

Ink & Watercolor in Aquabee 9×12 sketchbook
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I woke this morning at the apex of a terrible anxiety dream…but with a slightly different take than usual. First I should say that I have terrible stage fright and cannot sing to save my life. My family used to slam doors shut [...]

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The Impressionists – Great DVD!

Ink line and wash in Moleskine large watercolor notebook
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While I was out doing errands today I stopped at Silver Screen, my local video shop, and found this wonderful, new BBC mini-series, The Impressionists, about Monet (and Manet, Renoir, Degas, Bazille and others). The story ties right in to [...]

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From Sea Turtle to Swan

Monotype 2: Swan. Ink & watercolor on Arches 88 printmaking paper
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Monotype 2: Sea Turtle, Ink on Arches 88
(Same monotype as above but in original orientation and scanned before painting)

Monotype 1 – Massage Dream. Ink & watercolor on Arches 88
(Click to enlarge)
I was working without too much of a [...]

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Peace on Earth

Watercolor in Moleskine watercolor notebook (plus a little salt)
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For most people, today was all about celebrating Christmas. For me it was a luxuriously quiet and spacious day. I did this little painting of a glass dove candle holder that my mother gave me as a first year anniversary present [...]

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Monotype – Larkspur Landing

Monotype and colored pencil on Arches 88 paper 6″x8″
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This is the second monotype I made of this scene  from this sketch. Monotypes are one of a kind, so if you goof it up, you start over from scratch. With this kind of “reductive” monotype, you spread the ink on [...]

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Subway Drawings (BART)

I first sat behind her and was sure she was holding a can of Budweiser. It seemed so sad at 8:30 a.m. I couldn’t stop thinking about her sad life, dressed in business attire and having to drink a can of beer on her way to work so I moved to a seat to [...]

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Watery dream

Ink & watercolor in HandBook Co square sketchbook
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For years I used to get up every morning and sketch my dreams before I did anything else. I have volumes of dream journals full of weird, amusing or x-rated drawings, depending on what the night had in store for me. I [...]

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Cold morning

Watercolor, then Micron Pigma Brush Pen in Moleskine large watercolor notebook
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I did this quick little painting this morning of the view out my living room window (more than slightly imaginated) (imaginate is my word for imagine and exaggerate). Even with the color in the sky, everything looked so cold, [...]

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Cody’s Books & the Absent-Minded Artist

Micron Pigma ink & watercolor in large Moleskine watercolor notebook
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After I saw Martha’s rendition of the Christmas lights on Berkeley’s 4th Street shopping area I decided to make my way there one evening to sketch. I hadn’t really planned on going there tonight though. I’d gone to the Blick [...]

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A Gift: Everyday Matters #97

Micron Pigma ink and watercolor in large Moleskine watercolor notebook
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This week’s EDM Challenge is to draw and write about a gift we’ve received.

On the last day of a watercolor class I was teaching, Donna brought this cute little Santa as a gift for me (along with some yummy [...]

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My little cow glass is broken

Watercolor in 5×5″ Hand Book Journal
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I found this little glass at a thirft shop and really liked it. I’d been leaving it on the kitchen counter where it’s handy to grab for a quick glass of water. Yesterday when I came home from work I found it in the [...]

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Subway Drawings (BART)

All are Micron Pigma ink in small Moleskine sketchbook
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Here’s this week’s assortment of sketches in my always with me little Moleskine sketchbook. I’m experimenting with trying to capture more of the scene than just tiny pictures of peoples’ faces.

(Above) She played a game on her cell phone [...]

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Judith (and Fiona) in the Night Studio

Ink drawing with watercolor Raffine 6×9 sketchbook
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Tonight my painting group came by for our usual Tuesday (or sometimes Wednesday) painting session. Judith offered to pose for me while she was working on a painting and she was a perfect model. She actually was an artist’s model back in her [...]

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Sorry Cody

Ink & watercolor in Raffine 6×9 sketchbook
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My son Cody is an excellent car mechanic, specializing in customizing 60s and 70s muscle cars like his 1970 Firebird. He wanted to put a drawing of his car on his new business cards. I said I’d give it a try but somehow [...]

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