The Royal Jester

The Royal Jester, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

Available

Giant Camera

Giant Camera, oil on canvas, 9x12 inches

Available for purchase. Message for details

I painted this scene a couple weeks back.  This is a scene at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, standing at the Cliffhouse overlooking the ocean.  In the image is a structure, and though you can't see in the painting, it says it's a "Giant Camera."

Bunny with Peach and Pink

Bunny with Peach and Pink, oil on panel, 6x6 inches
Available for purchase

Bunny on Pink Ground

Bunny on Pink Ground, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

I love this crystal bunny.  This crystal bunny is really like an inch tall, and has been sitting on the shelf in my parents house my entire life.  It actually only has one ear, and that's because of me.  I broke it as a little kid, and I got in so much trouble.  I really love the simple shapes of light it creates when light passes through it at certain angles, and I thought it'd be a really interesting thing to paint!  So I'm painting it!  Got a problem wi'that?  Wanna fight about it?

I've painted this bunny a few times before already, and I loved the results.  I was painting them at 4x4 inches, which was pretty small, so I figured I could stand to go a little bigger.  Here are a couple examples of the first passes...

Blue Crystal Bunny

Blue Crystal Bunny, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

Available

Currently on the Easel

Currently working on a 36"x36" scene of rocks in the ocean.  

"Picnic at the Rose Garden"

Today I finished another painting :).  It wasn't easy. This one gave me some trouble, but I am happy with the finished product.  If anyone out there is interested in any painting, just comment and we can get in touch.  Thank you to anyone who is staying up to date with my work.  I try to post at least a couple times a week.

Anyway, I am on track to accomplishing my goal of completing 6 paintings by Nov. 10 (one month mark).  Even with a slow start in the beginning!  Which is really encouraging to think I can make more than that in a month.  This is the first part of my goal in being a professional painter.  Next, I need to figure out how to sell my paintings.  I am lucky to already have connections with one gallery I admire a lot. That's STUDIO Gallery in San Francisco.  They are the most friendly, caring people and great business people.  I truly am lucky to be associated with them.  I do need to think about other options of sales though.  This subject isn't easy for me, but a big part of this profession, so I must embrace it.

Anyway, here is the painting I finished today!

Happy Halloween!

I have no Halloween news, but I have finished a painting today!

Sitting in the Rose Garden, 12x16 inches, oil on canvas

Update: Another painting complete!

Finished this 20x16 inch painting yesterday, and I'm pretty happy with it.  I like the path I'm on right now, and I'm excited about where I will take it.  It's not even clear to me what the future will look like, but I've decided I will paint what I have always fantasized I would make, and not what I think "everyone else" will like.  It sounds simple, but it was a pretty big mountain for me to get over.
Anyway, here is the painting I finished yesterday.

Renee in the Botanical Gardens, 20x16 inches, oil on canvas

Question

I'm kind of curious to see if anyone reading this will respond.  But I was thinking of asking my family and friends this question, and thought of asking it on my blog!  So, I was wondering.....


What kind of artwork do you envision having in your home?

Just in your general fantasy/imagination, if you were to hang artwork, what kind of artwork would you want in your home?

What's on the easel today

This is my next painting in progress.  Another one for a series of "figure in landscape" paintings.  I also want to do landscape, seascape, cityscape, figures, portraits....  but there will be time to do it all.
I'm hoping to finish (or at least get close to finishing) this one by today, so I can get the next one going.  I really like where this one is going, and I am mainly focusing on what it needs to be successful (in my eyes).  My main focus is descriptive brushwork, maintain a pleasing composition, and balanced use of colors. 

Now, time to get to work....

Moving Right Along

I wanted to post a couple of paintings that I've completed so far.  I have given myself the goal of completing at least 6 paintings a month (which I started on the 10th).  So far, so good!  I think I started off a little slow, but I'm sure I can pick up the slack before the 10th comes around!

You'll see.....  YOU'LL ALL SEE!

:)

Anyway, here are the first two completed since making this goal

I'm Back!

I'm back!  I took a short break from the small daily paintings because I wanted to focus on something bigger.  I felt the small paintings weren't overall what I wanted to dedicate myself to.  I think they're a great exercise, but I thought it was time to think about the bigger picture for myself.

I am an artist by self declaration.  I am a painter by choice.  I've never been a overly talented artist, it is just something I have always had a knack for.  I never even painted before college.  But I thought, "What do I want for myself?  What kind of life do I want to live?"  And ultimately I chose the life of an artist would be the best path for me.  I want a life where I can create and express whatever I want to.  I want a life where I can constantly learn and grow.  That is why I am a painter.  And I don't know if anyone reads this, but I am going to write in this almost as a personal journal.  (Even though I already have a personal journal).  This might be a way in which a curious person can get an insight into my life as a painter.  

Now that I've vented a little bit, I want to share what I am working on currently.  

This is a painting I have in progress.  I am using an image I have taken of my girlfriend, Renee, at the rose garden.  We spent a day together doing a, sort of, photoshoot for both hers and my purposes.  Also, I just got this new camera! (Fujifilm XE-2) And I was really excited to use it.  I bought it ,using the money I earned from a commission, specifically for taking reference photos for paintings.  It was one of a few recommended cameras from my studio mate, Hiroshi Sato, who is a very good painter himself.  (He's taught me a lot.)  So I settled on the Fujifilm and I am very happy with it. 

Exploring

I am very inspired by how many great artists have painted the figure in the landscape.  Painters like Monet, Sargent, Sorolla, just to name a few, have been big influences for this.  So I am working on different ideas I've had using this subject.

What I love about it

There is a special power in nature that we tend to forget by being separated from it.  I believe it has a special connection to the soul and has a healing capability for much of what modern society suffers from.  Since I grew up in the city, I would fantasize about a life living in nature.  When I think of peaceful places like trees in the forest, or sitting on a river bank listening to bugs and bird sounds, or overlooking the ocean on a cliff, it just makes me feel better.  I get a similar feeling from paintings that have captured those types of scenes as well.  A beautifully painted field gives you both the sense of awe of nature and the awe of a beautiful painting.  So this is part of why I have chosen this subject to explore.

Taking a Break

Hey all!  I am going to be taking a short break from these daily paintings, so I can spend time figuring out my path and goals in life and with painting.  I am feeling like I'm at a bit of a crossroads, but I am exited to figure out my path and share it with you in the days to come! So stay tuned.. the future will be exciting

Finished!

Boat at Fort Mason, oil on panel, 9x12 inches

Moving up to a slightly bigger size panel, I wanted to see if I could use what I learned with the smaller paintings and apply it here.  And it was a success!  The main thing I was focused on was staying as loose as possible, not getting too detail oriented and "tight."  I wanted to make sure that the boat was the focal point so I tried to organize my values to let the boat sort of pop.

What drew me to this image was really the warm yellows that were all through the image, reflected off the water from the building, and how the sun made the boat shine.  I wanted to show the warmth of the setting sun, and the have the feel of serenity as one might have sitting by the dock of the bay.  Watching the time roll away.

New painting: Boat at Fort Mason

Starting a new painting today.  This is as far as I've gotten, but I thought it would be interesting to post some progress pics.  This is from a photo I took walking around Fort Mason in San Francisco.  I love all the boats in the harbor and all their reflections.  It reminds me of paintings of water and boats by the impressionists, or of the beautiful colors Sorolla used in his paintings of boats on the water where you could just feel the sunlight.  That is really my goal with this painting.  Though it may take a couple more sessions to complete.

White, Blue, and Orange

White, Blue, and Orange, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

Yellow Flowers on Green Plate #3

Yellow Flowers on Green Plate #3, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

Third painting of these flowers to really try and capture the light.

Manhattan Skyline

Manhattan Skyline, oil on panel, 5x7 inches

This little painting was done by request from my mother.  She has a friend who recently took a trip to Manhattan, and took the beautiful photo which I used for reference.  ​It was a good exercise to work simply trying to get the qualities of reflected light on the skyscrapers, and also the beauty of the sky, in quick simple marks.

Blue Sunglasses

Blue Sunglasses, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

I got the idea of painting my sunglasses from my talented painter friend, Franklin Lei. I thought there was an interesting light and atmosphere with them standing on the table.  I may try it again, and try to use different colors to make the composition a bit more dramatic.  

Weekend Painting with the Plein Air Buds

Kim Painting on the Rocks, oil on panel, 9x12 inches

Went to Treasure Island this morning bright and early to get some outdoor painting in with the Plein Air Buds!  These are a group of friends that organize painting outings.  They even have their own Instagram @pleinairbuds.  My buddy Franklin Lei (another skilled painter to check out) invited me to paint with them, and it's a great way to get outside and paint in a totally different way and environment than when you're painting in the studio or at home.

I was lucky, the very talented Kim Herbst set up to paint close to the water right in the middle of these big rocks, which gave me plenty of time to paint her while she was painting.  It was too tempting the way the sun was hitting her and the rocks surrounding.  I was happy with the way this painting came out.

Orange Scissors on Blue Paper

Orange Scissors on Blue Paper, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

Another small painting of these orange scissors.  I'm finding them to be a very interesting subject to paint and to look at!  

Curvy Vase

Curvy Vase, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

This beautiful vase I got from home.  I used it for the painting of tulips I did just before this one.  I really love how the vase opens up at the top and flows as if it were a flower itself.

Tulips in Vase with Water Jar

Tulips in Vase with Water Jar, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

I bought tulips yesterday. I have always found painting flowers to be difficult.  Maybe because they are so delicate and organic, it's hard for me to paint without those hard lines.  But I want to get good at painting them because I find flowers so beautiful and a great subject in paintings.

Yellow Flowers on Green Plate #2

Yellow Flowers on Green Plate #2, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

Here is the same set up of flowers, only I wanted to center them in the picture frame.

Yellow Flowers on Green Plate

Yellow Flowers on Green Plate, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

I've always had trouble painting flowers, but I love seeing them beautifully painted.  Herein lies the dilemma. I want to be able to paint flowers in a way that translates the beauty of the flower using the beauty of the paint. So now is as good a time to start as any I think.

Coat Hanger

Coat Hanger, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

Another object that was in my studio that I thought would be interesting to paint.  Some things just look like that make good shadows, and that's really what does it for me.  I look at something and if it looks interesting to me at that moment...boom. Inception.  And I will paint it.

Coffee Cup

Coffee Cup, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

Impression of Glass Swan

Impression of Glass Swan, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

Single swan swims silent and sweet.

Silver sun shines a slight silver sheet.

Settled smooth stream stands so still.

Spots shone silver as silk stars spill.

Nothing on my Plate

Nothing on my Plate, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

A still life using my super reflective silver plate.  Even though you can barely tell it's silver because the light is shining directly above it and the plate is reflecting darkness!  The jar of water was in the shadowy background which made a great addition to the composition, I thought.

Self Portrait: What Have I Become

Self Portrait: What Have I Become, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

I was very excited to give this a try.  I had a very reflective plate in my studio, and it was basically begging to be used in a painting somehow.  It was a bit difficult to get everything set up so that I could see myself clear enough to paint, and that I at least looked kind of like a human in the reflection.

I haven't done a self portrait in a while, and this wasn't the most straightforward way to do one, but I thought it was such a cool idea, and I'm very proud of the result.  I do believe it has room for improvement, but I am still very happy with it.  Maybe I won't sell this one.. 

Eclipse

Eclipse, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

What started out as a simple subject turned into a very..... not..simple subject.  I just happened upon this when I placed the glass of water on my foreground and the light pointed behind it.  The values were soft, simple, and beautiful!  I thought it would be easy, but I ended up working almost 2 hours trying to get my value relationships correct.  But all the while it was a fun process because I just thought it was so beautiful, and I love the colors that came out.

All on the Table

All on the Table, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

This little scene just so happened to be this exact way, and I thought, "There's a still life right there!  All set up and everything."

I'm using more drawing as I paint, whereas, before I was doing the drawing in the beginning and then trying to fill in the color/values.  

Orange Scissors Everyone Has

Orange Scissors Everyone Has, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

Here's a pair of orange scissors I had in the studio.  I'm sure many of you have a pair just like these.  I have seen other artists paint these scissors and they always turn out interesting.  They must just be a very well designed pair of scissors!  I liked painting it because of the different shapes and colors it has in it.  It's round and sharp.  It's orange but creates a deep reddish orange shadow.  And the metal is sharp, simple, and reflective.  I enjoyed painting this 

There is No Spoon

There is No Spoon, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

I loved working with this single, simple object.  It has a power or an attraction to it, I think.  I definitely want to do more of this with other simple objects.

Spool of Gold

Spool of Gold, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

I've been sick the past couple of days, but I'm able to get to the studio and keep up my daily painting at least.  Here is one I painted yesterday.  I bought little spools of ribbon that I found at the dollar store that I thought would be fun to paint.  The start of this painting was terrible, and really looked like it was going to fail really quickly.  But luckily I still had the vision of how it could succeed, so I made the adjustments and took it from bad to rad.  Or maybe from terrible to bearable haha

Glass Water and Two Sidekicks

Glass Water and Two Sidekicks, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

Expanding beyond the single glass of water, adding two elements into the image.  Tried to play with light and depth.  Though I like the results I think a bit more emphasis on the distance would have helped show the glass is in front.

Glass Half Full

Glass Half Full, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

I really wanted to get back to basics on this one, and I felt great about it!  I was trying to use only a few colors (Ultramarine Blue, Burnt sienna, Yellow Ochre, and Titanium White), but I snuck a little Cobalt Blue in there ;).  Anyway, the goal was to work loose, only record the truly important elements of what I was seeing, and to keep a balanced composition.  And I feel like I accomplished that!

I tend to fuss over brush marks, even when I tell myself to work loose, so one of my goals was to put a mark down and leave it.

Hens and Chicks and Green

Hens and Chicks and Green, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

On my third painting of the hens and chicks outside my studio and I'm starting to understand it a little better each time.  I like these subjects because it's a simple exercise of light and shadow.  The only thing I need to figure out is how to photograph my work immediately after without getting so much glare!  

Hens and Chicks and Gold

Hens and Chicks and Gold, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

2nd Hens and Chick succulent plant painting.  I'm really starting to enjoy painting these!  From start to finish, I feel like I have a good plan and it and it goes pretty smoothly.  I really like the way they turn out too.  I'm not too sure about the decorative additions around the flower (the little white flowers).  Maybe it would be better without it, or maybe I rushed them.  

Little Green Plant

Little Green Plant, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

This little green plant was outside my studio building and I really loved the way it looks with the sun shining on it, so I took a bunch of pictures!  This is one of them.  They are really small.  My painting is probably bigger than the real flower.  Unfortunately I don't know the real name of it so I'm just calling it Little Green Plant.  

Blue Gold and Red

Blue, Gold, and Red, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

Quick still life today. Thought I would compose the colors and I was really happy with the result.  Though, I have a tough time working within a short time frame.  I didn't stick to my time limit because it was not going to look finished at all.  So, I think I need to commit to a time limit next time and really try to have it finished by that time.  

Oh and I thought I would try these Ampersand gesso panels, and I really am liking them!  They are smooth and consistent.  The first time I used it was weird because I wasn't used to the smoothness.  The panels I gessoed for myself all had a bit of a rough texture, but I was thinking it might end up damaging my delicate brushes, so these Ampersand ones are a nice change up, and I think I will stick with them for a while, and also experiment with other surfaces when I can.  

White Flowers

White Flower, oil on panel, 6x6

Today I really wanted to get loose and draw as I went.  I took some photos of my mother's flowers she has in the kitchen.  I experimented a bit with the color again.. Actually everything was just an experiment, really.  The color, the composition, and the way I painted (quick and loose).  I wanted to work within a time frame, too, because I heard that is a good way to improve: give yourself a time frame and try to finish within that time, which forces you to think fast and paint fast.  I will definitely try the time limit again.

Boat on the Bay

Boat on the Bay, oil on panel, 6x6 inches

Back at it again with the daily painting! I'm learning more about color and composition so I thought I'd play around a little with both.  This was done from a photo I took a couple years ago.  Since the photo was a relatively simple composition of light and depth because of the strong light of the sunset shining through the fog and sparkling on top of the water, it made clear and strong values to work from.

It looks like a simple little painting, but I must admit I probably spent way more time on it than I should have.  The water turned into a much more complicated subject than I originally thought.

Opening Reception at Studio Gallery

I took the day off yesterday to spend time with my girlfriend, Renee.  We don't get to spend a lot of time together since we both have a lot going on in our daily lives, but yesterday we went to the Millbrae Art and Wine festival, and we had a great time.  We've been last year, and we both agree that this year was way better.  They had so many booths, games, musicians, food, and we had to try some of the wine!  Anyway we had a great time, even though it was so hot we ended up taking a break to walk through Safeway just for the AC.

Today is the opening reception of the show, Delicious, at STUDIO Gallery in San Francisco.  It's from 2-6pm if you read this in time and have a chance to stop by.  I have a painting in the show (shown below) and there are a lot more beautiful paintings there as well. 

Green Fridge, oil on canvas, 20x16 inches

Blue Bowl

I liked how this little blue bowl turned out, and I enjoyed the process of painting it.  I think I was fussing with it a bit too much at times, and my original drawing wasn't perfect when I started, but I feel like I am learning little things with every daily painting I do.

"Paint as you like and die happy."  --Henry Miller

Pink and White with Cup and Spoon

I recently went to dollar tree to buy a variety of items to use for still life.  This simple white coffee cup and tea spoon were obviously part of the mix.  Even the white surface is a nice White Vinyl "Top Liner"  whatever that is, but it's a nice, non-slip texture, and I can use it if I want a simple white area in a still life.

Painting this still life wasn't a smooth process.  Maybe because I have been painting from reference images for the past week or so, so I am warming back up for painting from life.  But I also used a viewfinder to isolate my composition.  I find it is easier to see and identify value and color this way, but also feels like an extra step between looking and painting.  It feels like looking, thinking, then painting.  Not that thinking is bad, but it adds that extra bit of time between what my mind sees and then making the marks.  It feels less of a natural reaction of seeing, and more of a copy down what I see exactly how I saw it, kind of action.  Anyway... it was only the first time I used the viewfinder in still life.  It was a big help in identifying my composition.  I probably used it too much throughout the whole painting which is why I had some issues.  

"Paint as you like and die happy."  --Henry Miller