Sunday, February 19, 2012

Futility


















"303 S. Pacific #1"
watercolor on illus. board, 2012
12" x 16" (30.48cmx 40.64cm)
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE


Here is another watercolor in the same style or technique as this Vincent Thomas Bridge painting, a landmark that will remain.

This painting is named for the address in San Pedro California. I felt it was important to show a local scene, the little story, one of our constantly changing urban landscape.

An unassuming tire and automotive repair shop, but on the other side of the facing wall... proudly marking our city of San Pedro is (was) a painted sign on the brick wall, one that seemed to be a fixture of sorts and stamped its place in a time when signs were painted on brick walls more often.
I've often wondered who painted it, was it the first owner of the business? Proud of his business' location, his own civic pride?















I was both sad to see it go and fascinated watching the CAT so effortlessly but indiscriminately chewing away, without prejudice, at the carcass of someones formal livelihood, taking with it all it's stories. Wiping the slate clean.

Perhaps being an artist helps me reconcile this sort of emotional conflict by recording it in paint.

I like the arm of the excavator against the stark sky, which I painted with a certain amount of upheaval.
The worker washing down the excavator and wetting the debris to keep dust down really emphasizes the scale and power of our machinery as well as our own self-imposed futility of preserving everything for posterity.170

See other paintings with similar themes here (Villa Riviera) , here (Acres of books)

Cat excavator model 320B

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Thursday, February 9, 2012

OMA #6














"OMA #6"
oil on panel, 2011
6" x 10" (15.24cm x 25.4cm)
For Sale at Daily Paintworks, CLICK HERE

A simple frontal view of the Oceanside Museum of Art. To compliment the straight lines of the architecture I set the museum against the organic shape of shifting clouds sweeping overhead dropping soft shadows across it’s facade.169


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Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Urban River 4

















"Santa Ana River #4"
watercolor on paper, 2012
8" x 11" (20.32cm x 27.94cm)

Number 4 in this series. This view looking north shows more of the power corridor that runs along the river and the straight vertical concrete walls instead of the sloping walls of previous versions.

This is the time of day, late afternoon, when the light is blue looking east and that certain pale green and yellow looking west, just before the golds, oranges, reds, pinks and purples take over at sunset.
Much more peaceful and introspective than the fiery finish of sunset I think.168

#3 here
#2 here
#1 here

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