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.