The Cover Crop

9” x 12”  acrylic on canvas

NFS

I painted this for The Virtual Paintout, which is in Napa Valley, California, this month. Using the Google Street View, we create artworks as if we were there. Although everyone thinks of grapevines and wine when they think of Napa Valley, there is a second crop - a cover crop -which is also important, mustard.

When the grape harvest is in and winter is almost finished, the mustard is in full bloom. Mustard flowers carpet the area between the vines, their yellow hue stretching as far as the eye can see. Not only beautiful, the mustard plant is beneficial as well. It helps to prevent erosion, adds nitrogen to the soil and prevents the soil from compacting as workers move about the fields. And of course, the mustard seed itself is used in making mustard, another product of the region. Tourists come from all around for the Mustard Festival.

This piece is painted on all sides of the canvas. It can be framed, but you could hang it up just as it is.

To see more of my work, please visit my Gallery page at the Daily Paintworks.  Thanks for looking!

 View From A Parking Lot

9" x 12"  oil on linen panel

The Daily Paintworks    $75

I didn’t expect to find a spot so quickly, but when I got out of the car at Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve, this scene really called out to me. The layers of trees and hills just seemed to roll into each other and present the eye with a pleasing path all the way up into the low hanging clouds. This is a plein air painting, started on location but finished in the studio.


To see more of my work, please visit my Gallery page at the Daily Paintworks. If you follow the link, you can see how it would look. Thanks for looking!

The Wild Woods

Monterey, California

9" x 12"   oil

The Daily Paintworks 

$75

The Virtual Paintout has gone to the Monterey Peninsula to do some drawing and painting. Using Google Street View, we select a scene that appeals to us and try and capture it - via the magic of the internet and our artistic efforts!

I love the Virtual Paintout because it gives me a chance to experiment with different styles and colors,  to paint pieces I might normally never think to do. While I doubt very much I would stand in this little woods and paint this scene like I have here, it was fun to try it, and play around a bit! (You can see what it really looks like by clinking on the link here.)

This piece is painted on all sides of the canvas,  it can be framed nicely, or hung up just as it is.

To see more of my work, please visit my Gallery page at the Daily Paintworks. Thanks for looking!

Here for Now

9" x 12"  oil on canvas

$75.

This is another of the vanishing trees of Mountain View, where big development is running rampant. I didn't even see this tall, gangly tree until the old Tropicana Motel was torn down. There it was, standing solitary in the morning sun - a little island of nature in a sea of broken concrete. Those other trees (beside the big-box Western Appliance store, now gone) seemed to stand by, providing a little quiet company. These trees are are the last of many on these lots, and I wanted to document them before they are gone.

This painting was painted on all sides, it can be framed or hung  just as it is.

To see more of my work, you can visit my Gallery page at The Daily Paintworks, or find me on Facebook.

To purchase this painting, simply click on the Paypal "Buy Now" logo on your left. Thank you.

Saying  Good-bye

11" x  14"   oil on canvas

 $75

Adieu to this nice tree. It, and the many trees behind the fence are slated for demolition. This is where a new apartment complex is going in and the tree-lined parking lot is on its way out. Sadly, this guy is in an especially bad place - a new turn lane is desperately needed here. So everybody can agree: it's a good tree in a bad place. It seemed important somehow to capture its likeness and to quietly celebrate its life. It's been here a long time.

This piece is painted on all sides of the canvas. It can be framed or hung as it is.

See more of my work - please visit my Gallery page at the Daily Paintworks, or at the Plein Air Artists, a website devoted exclusively to Plein-air paintings done by a variety of artists. 

To purchase this painting, email me, or simply click on the Paypal button below.