Desert Moon

Evening time on the desert offers some beautiful scenery. This one shows the desert at days end with a sliver of the moon above. When I see images like this I am reminded of how blasted hot it is even after the sun disappears. Watercolor.

West Of Lincoln

Last spring, I travelled west about 15 miles to the little town of Nicolaus. Not much there but I did see this interesting rugged old facility which has seen its better days. I found an isolated old road near the structure and was able to do a nice sketch. I ate my lunch, had a cool soda and really enjoyed myself. There is a lot to be said to be out alone sketching with no one to bother you. Ink and watercolor.

Three Sisters

I sketched this image from a photo in a magazine.

The article told about three sisters who would continuously do things together like traveling all over the country. Even though they lived in different areas of the country, they made it a point to get together to travel together during the year.

Sometimes the bond between siblings disappears unless you make the effort to keep the bond connected. Ink and watercolor.

Majestic Oak

A majestic oak tree in February looks strong and healthy even though it has no leaves in the midst of winter. The day was gray with the sun showing through slightly which was enough to give some shadows. Winter has expired. The warmth of spring is about to begin. Soon, this huge oak will sprout in brilliant green leaves and will be ready for the long, warm part of the year. Ink and watercolor.

Flower Box

A flower box is positioned conveniently and subdued near a window in this building scene. If you look closely, you might see a figure in the window probably preparing to water the flowers. Ink and watercolor.

Thunder Valley Journal

The day was clear and I had a unobstructed view of the new high-rise hotel and parking structure which has been added to the Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln, California.

Over 500 new jobs are planned to man this new hotel so that is great news for the economy that is "hurting" in this area. Ink and watercolor.

Galleria Mall

A part of the design at the Westfield Galleria mall in Roseville incorporates structures with panels and colorful designs to give more interest to its overall appeal. The designers wanted to show some artistic interest to de-emphasize the concrete box look.

This structure fooled me. When I first looked at it, I thought the drawing would be simple. But as I got into it, I discovered there were more beams and supports than I first thought. Even the abstract color designs were more intricate than I first thought. While this outside view was very quiet, the subterranean activity beneath this structure was crazy since it was the week before Christmas.

This art journal entry was done from the top of a nearby parking structure. Ink and watercolor.

High Profile Tug

I began sketching this tug boat during some idle time on my hands. I was not concentrating on format but just sketching in a small watercolor booklet.

I lightly sketched each element with pencil--the upper mast, the small top cabin, the larger cabin, the under structure, then the platform. I painted in the major lines with a rigger and Paynes Gray. I added more color washes as needed and fine ink lines with a Micron #1.

This was an exercise in just having fun and trying to make my sketch look like a tug. Can't get much simpler than that. Ink and watercolor.

Cabin In Color

This scene shows a bright autumn view of people enjoying the balcony and view from their cabin high in the Sierra Nevada mountains. This was done last autumn when the color in the trees was maxed out. Ink and watercolor.

Brave Little Dog

A crowded mall shows the hustle and bustle of people crammed into a small area. This happened to be a street fair where artists were showing and selling their work. I jammed as many people in the scene to show lots of activity. The little dog is about to be stepped on. Ink and watercolor.

Hot Summer Field

After painting a large country scene on location early AM, I decided to paint a small scene of an oak tree in the middle of a dry field north of Lincoln. When I look at this scene I am reminded of how hot it was that summer day. It was about 11 AM and the temperature was already at 95. The day's high temperature was 106. But by the time it reached 106, I was home enjoying the comforts of air conditioning. Ink and watercolor.

Red And Yellow

When I have 15 to 20 minutes of idle time, I like to grab a pen or pull out the watercolors and do some "quickies". This is one of those "quickies" that came out well. Believe me there are many that go in the "crappy" art file.

I like this because of the simple strokes of color and the simple nature of the image. Makes a very nice note card. Ink and watercolor.