Jetty at Fowey

"Jetty at Fowey", 8" x 10", Oil on Museum Board
The seaside town of Fowey (pronounced something like Foy) was about four miles from the house we stayed at in Cornwall--four miles of narrow two lanes, often only one lane, lined on both sides by tall hedgerows and traveled on frequently by rather fast drivers. The sky was what was most amazing in this view of the river harbor. I'm going to try to post these Cornwall paintings more or less in order of execution. They are all vignettes.  I paint fast to try to capture the essence of how I feel about a place.

I got back yesterday from Cornwall, a four hour train ride from Cornwall to London and a nine hour flight from London to Seattle. Thank you to everybody who commented on my portrait series--I really appreciate your support! I hope to do more portraits this fall and winter.

Naxi Woman -- NFS

"Naxi Woman", 9" x 7", Oil on Museum Board
The ethnic minority in the Lijiang and Yuhu Village areas in Yunnan Province were the Naxi people.  Most afternoons at our guest house, a group of people would gather in the courtyard to play mahjong.  Some of them agreed to models for us--but it was always clear that their interest was with the mahjong table.  It was March and still cold, so they had cement bowls filled with hot coals around the group for heat.  We just wore a lot of clothes! This painting is from a photo of one of the women watching the game.

Peach Suit - NFS

"Peach Suit", 9" x 7", Oil on Museum Board
This was a well-dressed man in Lijiang.  We spent a half a day when we first arrived wandering through the old city and the outdoor market. 

Man from Yuhu Village - NFS

"Man from Yuhu Village", 9" x 7", Oil on Museum Board
There were hardly any western tourists in Yuhu Village--I think we saw one American.  But the people were not keen on having their photos taken, so we had to be careful.  This man, sitting on a doorstep with another old guy and a child didn't seem to mind. Although the buildings and houses were made of stone, the doors were sometimes painted a orangish brown. It was about a mile from the village up to the base of 18,000 foot Snow Dragon Jade Mountain, and we hiked up a little ways on the trail late one afternoon, along with some Chinese tourists in high heels.

Man with Pink Shirt - NFS

"Man with Pink Shirt", 9" x 7", Oil on Museum Board
This painting was really about getting the plastic quality of the planes of the face with just a few strokes.  Every painting for me is an experiment in color.

Small Boy

"Small Boy", 8" x 6", Oil on Museum Board
With this painting I went back to a 30 minute time limit.  Sometimes this is the best way to change the dynamic of the painting experience--to be less obsessive about "getting it right" and to be more spontaneous.

Woman with Baby

"Woman with Baby", 9" x 9", Oil on Museum Board
Of all the portraits I did last week, this one I struggled with the most.  It made me realize that having a clear idea of the contrasts in the painting when I start is key.  When the contrasts, whether value or color or shape are not definite, then there is the tendency to keep re-doing it and sometimes it is impossible to get it right.

Red Collar - NFS

"Red Collar", 7" x 6", Oil on Museum Board
This funky little painting is of my other daughter--the one who plays the guitar and sings.  In June she recorded her song Daybreak with a professor at her college who has a home recording studio.  Its one of my favorites of her songs.