The Pie Maker

This was a quick sketch of my daughter's friend, Bambino.  He was the pizza maker and I sketched him while we waited for ours.

More train stuff - Durango & Silverton

This sketch kept me busy and distracted a few years back while I waited for my truck to be repaired.  It is of a another narrow gauge train.  This one is the Durango and Silverton Line out of Durango, Colorado.  Until the steam engine was invented no one traveled faster than anyone else for a millennia or more.  Traveling on horse back was your only option for ground transport.  Then the steam engine could have you traveling consistently at at least 30 mph.

Happy Thanksgiving!! Wild Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving!  This is a colored pencil sketch of a wild turkey.   The real McCoy.  I keep a journal of all the birds I have seen and identified.  My count is at 235, I have sketched or photographed about 1/3 of them.  So enjoy your food coma and the holiday.

Pre-Thanksgiving Travel

Ok, so this is not from Thanksgiving travel.. I am staying home.  This is for all the hardy souls battling the weather and the delays.  I sketched this on a flight back from Florida.  Happy Thankgiving and travel safe.

Rio Grande Narrow Gauge steam engine Oil Painting

This is an oil painting of a Denver Rio Grande Steam engine in southern Colorado.  It is a narrow gauge train, which the company used initially because it was easier and cheaper to build in the mountains.  Some of these still operate as tourist lines independent from the big railroads.  A small piece of the past still chugging along.   This particular line is gone but the mountain remains and just down the valley is the Cumbres and Toltec railroad.  It is definitely worth the trip to ride and see.

Capt Tom Tug boat

There is not a lot of boat traffic on the Potomac River, but do get an occasional tug pushing a sand barge.  I saw thew Capt Tom pushing one and though he would make a good pen and ink drawing.

Bear and Staff Pub - London

Since it is the weekend and I really don't want to go to work, I will keep with the Bar theme.  Last year, I went to London for work and managed to slip out for one evening for some pub and sketch time.  This was the bar at the Bear and Staff, I had to massively simplify and sketch quickly.  The bar maid was the hardest to capture since she was a whirlwind of activity, as all good bar tenders are in a busy evening.  This sketch was accomplished with the help of 40 Shilling Ale and Strong Bow cider.

Bar Fly - W Bar in NYC

I don't usually hang out in a Hotel Bar but, I did like the looks of W Hotel's Bar in Manhattan, NY, a few years back.  A fun quick sketch and if you don't like it - I can blame the Single Malt Whiskey.

Eye Doctor's Office Equipment

Have you ever noticed the equipment at the Doctor's Office is always the most intriguing?  I visited the Eye Doctor and sketched the eye test machine while I waited.  It was a longer wait than I expected and I got to finish up more of the device.  Great use of time.

Delicate Arch, Utah - Oil Painting study

I did this small oil painting study when we lived in Utah.  This is of Delicate Arch in Arches National Park.   The family and I have hiked up to it many times and it has been a treat each time.  The arch and surrounding terrain is beautiful and the light is always changing.  One of the best shows in nature. 

Rehohobeth Beach Watercolor

Barb loves the beach, so I try to get her there, unfortunately it is not as often as I would like.  I did get to Rehohobeth beach in Delaware and enjoyed a little watercolor while she beachcomber.

Catch and Release - Trout Sketch

I enjoy an occasional fishing expedition.  This is a sketch of a friend's trout before release back to the river in Colorado.  Fishing is another activity to help preserve sanity.  Pretty much anything outside is good.  SO get away from the TV and get outside.

Airplane - EA-3B Skywarrior

This is a quick sketch about 15 minutes of an aircraft parked outside the NSA.  You can see this if you go to their museum.  I think they have four aircraft but this one was the most interesting to me for a sketch.

This was Veterans Day

So I had a peaceful Veteran's Day.  I went to Sky Meadow State Park in VA.  I did a Plein Air painting with professional artist and all round great guy, Armand Cabrera.  This was some of the last foliage still surviving November.  I will use this outdoor study for a studio piece.  I have a few things I want to change and improve.

Alaskan Fjord studies

Sometimes a painting comes together easily, some times it takes some work, the artist's abilities do not always meet the requirements of the vision.  So I experiment on small canvases to get my colors and design right.  Later, I will complete a larger more detailed painting.  So enjoy the pre-work.

Have a Great Weekend!!

So when I worked downtown, I would commute on the Metro and I would sketch my fellow travelers. These two wait for the train.

Arizona Desert -colored pencil study

I have always loved sunsets and the Arizona desert produces spectacular ones.  I experimented with colored pencils to try to capture the colds.  

Co-workers - Models or Victims?

I have a fair amount of training to attend at the 9 to 5 job.  Some is great,  some good, and some only fair.  The left side of my brain listens and the right side sketches my co-workers, i.e. free models.  These worked out pretty good.  The victim drawings (bad ones) will never see the light of day.

Totem Pole study

This is a study of a totem pole, similar to some we saw in September in Southeastern Alaska.  This was done on grey paper with tempera paint. I plan to alter this and re-desig it for a full painting.  Enjoy!

Osprey on Channel Marker

This is a watercolor on a Channel Marker on the Tappannock River in Virginia.  The wife and I went on a drive to "shake the dust off" and saw this marker and ospreys flying around. Enjoy!

Kemode Bear - Spirit Bear study

This is a "Spirit Bear" or Kermode Bear.  About 400 of these exist in the wilds of British Columbia.  This is a pencil, white chalk and sepia on grey paper.  I enjoy playing with these media on this paper.  I plan to vary the stance and add back ground on an oil painting.  Thx

Glenwood Canyon Motorcycle Ride

This is an Oil Painting of the Glenwood Canyon in Colorado.   I saw this view from the Amtrak train from the opposite shore.  This is how the canyon highway looked before the expansion was put in 15 years ago.  So this painting is partially from memory.  This is another place worth seeing.

Yellow Headed Blackbird

We use to live in Salt Lake City and one spring the wife and I drove to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refugee.  We probably saw more new birds in one afternoon than we had in any other day of our lives since.  This oil painting is of one of the birds we saw then.   Enjoy!

Puget Sound Quick Sketch

In September, I was on a ship in the Puget Sound during the "Golden Hour" near sunset.  It was especially beautiful and relaxing.   I took many photos and did this quick sketch as the islands rode by.  If you get the chance to go; GO, I will definitely go back.  Enjoy!

Ruby Throated Hummingbird and Trumpet Vine

Today's post is an Oil Painting of a Ruby Throated Hummingbird drinking from a Trumpet Vine Flower.  We had these vines and birds in our yard in Salt Lake City, Utah and I decided to capture it in this painting.  Enjoy!

Early Colored Pencil New Mexico Landscape Study

This is an early colored pencil drawing from 1996.  It is a New Mexico study.  I like the Malcolm Gladwell "10,000 hour" theory to mastering skills.  I strive to sketch and paint everyday to reach those "10,000 hours."  So enjoy, while I work on those hours.

Chicago Skyline quick sketch

I take a small sketchbook with me most days.  I try to sneak  little sketches or ideas.  This was a quick sketch during a break at a conference in Chicago.  I definitely want to go back and see more of this great city.

Happy Birthday, Son

This is Radar, he is my son's Teddybear.  He has kept James company thru think and thin.  James did this piece on a Mother's Day card last year.   

Battery Point Lighthouse

Today's piece is a pastel study of Battery Point Lighthouse in California.  I might play with this some more and paint it in oil.  Enjoy! 

Day of the Dead - Pumpkin King

Happy Day of the Dead - This is a pencil sketch of the Pumpkin King.  He reigns over the pumpkin patch till Halloween and the Day of the Dead.  He then hibernates till the next fall.