The inspiration for this painting was a photograph that my grandfather took of me years ago. I suppose it would be considered a self portrait. The photograph won an award at Berkeley Camera Club.

I am exploring portraits with my new ideas. I'm finding the human face a compelling subject. The subtle nuances of expression are endless. 

An invitation to exhibit a self portrait in Chicago inspired me to consider something entirely new. In my adult life, I can't recall ever painting a self portrait yet the idea has completely captivated me. I paint primarily abstractly so I thought doing an abstract portrait would be the perfect place to begin. Now I can see that I have been launched in an entirely new direction and I am excited to explore. ​

It was a fun surprise to see that Sergio Gomez used my photo for the logo for the exhibition.

Thanks to Julie MacCray, the owner of SHOH, for her mastery in displaying our art in her gallery.

After seeing Raimomds Staprans exhibition at the Crocker Museum in Sacramento last summer, I wanted to create cityscapes. I loved the slightly elevated view that Staprans was using and wanted to use this perspective myself. 

I created a series of maquettes and took photos so I could find a relationship between the buildings that was not only visually pleasing, but I wanted to convey a feeling of connection and community. 

After they are lightly sanded they are ready for paint. In these photos I am showing both the smooth areas and the the subtle texture. The transitions have been sanded. They can be left unsanded so they will reveal the dark edges more easily for a different look. In some areas the paste is very thin so the wood grain is shows. 

The Raimonds Staprans show captivated me with the strong compositions and the luscious color fields. The paintings have an underlying loose painterly quality that is revealed in the transition areas between the colors. These small transition strips of varied colors give the that art depth and interest. Staprans perspective of viewing the scene from above made me feel that I was in an imagined world based on pure geometric design. Most of the paintings have a quality of radiant light that is amplified by the simplicity of the painting. The deep rich color of the paintings must be viewed in person to fully appreciate this great artwork.

Click on the photos to see enlargements.  
The museum allowed photos of the entire exhibit.    
Crocker Museum - Full Spectrum Exhibition 

Dog hair brushes I made over 30 years ago came to life in my studio today were some of best brushes ever!!
One of our dogs hair had a slight curl so it made brushes with great personality, but I needed to use the other dogs fluffy hair underneath so that it would hold more paint. I used these for many years during my clay years so they are stained with red from the iron oxide. Today for the first time I used them with acrylic paints and then quickly washed them since they are my treasures. They make great strokes!
To make them I carefully held the hair in place at the end of a chop stick while I wrapped it securely with dental floss. When I was done I covered the floss end with clear nail polish. I probably used these thousands of times in the 80's.
Thanks, Mountain and Chemisa, your hair still lives on in my art still. 

I have three videos of using the brush so if you want to see more let me know.