La Seine from the BHV cafeteria, Paris, watercolor

La Seine from the BHV Cafeteria, Paris, France. Watercolor, 4x6" . Available.
I painted this small watercolor sketch last week, from the 5th floor window of the BHV store, on the Rue de Rivoli. Now I am painting the mountains, the beautiful Pyrénnés , in the south-west.
I like to look at my paintings the next day, do a little touch up maybe, before taking the picture and publishing something I may be sorry later. Usually I photograph my work later, that way I allow some time between the painting and my looking at it again, with "fresh" eyes, before final approval. Final? Occassionally I have changed my mind again, later, too!

Location:Place Maréchal Foch,Cauterets,France

Card Game by the Pool

Card Game by the Pool, watercolor, 6x4. My daughter's home, a week ago, in California. Fun with the kids, fun with the adults, a little watercolor sketch, wonderful memories to carry with me to France. Life is good, painting is a necessity.

Paris, La Concergerie

Paris, La Concergerie, watercolor, 8x10, available. I arrived yesterday. Paris is a city of lights, of art, of music, and more than anything else, of dreams. My feet may hurt from walking so much, but my heart....ah! my heart is singing! Paris, je t'aime!
On the plane, I saw a video titled: "Picasso, influence on the development of Modern Art in England". It was very interesting. They said that Picasso visited England only once in his life, for several months, and he left vowing never to return, and he didn't. He found Brittish art "pretty",  Yet, his influence in Brittish Modern Art has been enormous, particularly his influence on Henry Moore, Francis Bacon, and Sutherland, who took the theme of crucificion after Picasso's style. Picasso's 1st major retrospective in the 1960's in London brought major visitors, including David Hockney, who loved Picasso's works.

Cassius in June

Cassius in June, watercolor, 6x4". Painted plein-air in my daughter's backyard yesterday, while Cassius was playing, laughing, drinking lemonade, and jumping in the pool. Cassius is 5 years old, and has recently graduated from Kindergarten. Yesterday Sunday was Father's Day in California. It was very warm in the San Fernando Valley, and about 20 degrees Farenheit less in Los Angeles and San Diego, near the beaches. It is amazing that in just an hour or two drive you can have such a difference in temperature.

Hotel del Coronado over map of Europe

Hotel del Coronado over map of Europe, acrylic over map of Europe, 8x10" (20x25cm.) available at Petrini's Restaurant, corner of Ash and India Sts. Little Italy, San Diego, California.
Will Barnett, now 100 years old, continues to seek the arrangement of forms in a harmonious way. He has watched John Singer Sargent work on murals,  later he taught printmaking to Mark Rothko. Will Barnett paints three or four hours a day. So...what's your excuse?

Feeling Good

Feeling Good, acrylic on canvas, 28x22, available.
This painting is in exhibition and for sale at the FOREVER JAZZ show at the Agency for the Arts gallery in downtown San Diego during the month of June. The gallery is above the Mo'olelo Theatre, where the play "Hoodo Love" is performing during this month. This play has to do with love and jazz, therefore the theme of the art show, Wednesday through Sunday,  930 10th St., in San Diego. Come on over! Great play, and  great art show!

Balboa Park Skyline, watercolor

Balboa Park Skyline, watercolor, 6x4, available. Painted plein-air a couple of days ago, this is the view from the sidewalk in front of  SDAI, San Diego Art Institute, Museum of the Living Artist, where I am exhibiting some paintings. Tomorrow morning  I will be doing a demonstration for the San Diego Watercolor Society in the Alcazar Garden, next  to SDAI, from 9-10 am. Then everybody paints on their own, and we get together again at 12:00 noon for a critique of our work. Come paint with us!

Spanish Village, Balboa Park I

Spanish Village, Balboa Park I, acrylic on canvas, 6x6. Available. Painted plein-air, in front of Gallery 21, during my two week show in May.
This is where the Women's Museum Annual Festival of Wine, Cheese and Chocolate will take place on Friday, June 15th, 6:30 to 9:30 pm. There will be music and dancing. They will auction my painting "Wine and Tango", published in my previous blog, yesterday.

Wine and Tango

Wine and Tango, acrylic on canvas, 20x16". Available for auction at the San Diego Women's Museum upcoming festival. More information in my next blog. Stay tuned!
Renoir said: "Black and white are  not colors." Even today, many art schools frown upon the use of black.Yet black has existed in paintings since Altamira and Lascaux, to contemporary work. Near the end of his life, Renoir admitted: "It took me forty years to discover that the queen of all colors is black." Better late than never..I say.

Falling Stones

Falling Stones, acrylic on paper, 24x19, available. This painting won an Honorable Mention at the San Diego Watercolor Society in 2011, and has been selected for publication in the Blaze Hill Press book: EYES ON: ABSTRACT, 2012.  Editor: Joe Guimera.

This is the following page of the sketchbook: "Travel With Minnie", you can see "Falling Stones" on top of the page, on the right hand side. After suffering several hours of pain passing a kidney stone, I was inspired to paint this picture.