San Pasqual Stables and Chicago

'Brown Barn'.........7x9 inches........oil on panel
Visited the San Pasqual stables and painted this rugged and spacious, old brown barn shortly after my brief stay in Chicago. Jose De Juan, who joined me on this excursion, pointed out this wonderfully quaint and pastoral area located just south of the Arroyo in Pasadena.

:: CHICAGO ::

A few weeks ago Ben and I took a five day sojourn to Chicago. We lodged in a charming and cozy bed and breakfast situated in the historic district of Oak Park, Illinois (only a five-minute walk from the Frank Lloyd Wright Homes and Studio).
Sightseeing, museum visits and family gatherings were some of the many activities we crammed into our brief yet overwhelmingly satisfying respite.


Frank Lloyd Wright house







Frank Lloyd Wright house










Downtown Chicago

































:: CHICAGO ART INSTITUTE ::

While in Chicago, we caught the 'Cezanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde' exhibition which runs through May 12th. Unfortunately, I was unable to take photographs of the current exhibition, however, I added a few pix of my faves from their permanent collection.


John Singer Sargent
















Elizabeth Sparhawk-Jones
















George Bellows














........satiated yet satisfied from two days of museum viewing.........

Red Bucket

'Red Bucket'..........oil on canvas panel...........7x9 inches
Revisited the Verdant Stables with an enthusiastic and talented painting posse a few weeks ago. While meandering my way throughout the grounds, I came across this little cranny between two horse stables. What caught my eye was the brilliant red bucket gleaming radiantly against the rich cast shadow on the cinderblock wall. The discarded green chair immersed in shade balanced befittingly with the warm, red color of the bucket. Overall, the arrangement of the randomly placed objects in this scene created a dynamic and amusing 'rural' still life.



Joining me on this plein air excursion were Joseph Stoddard and Jose De Juan, two wonderful artists who both produced deliciously delightful paintings of Verdant terrain.


Painting by Joe Stoddard






Painting by Jose De Juan

Green Trailer

'Green Trailer'.........oil on canvas panel.........7x9 inches
Embarked on another voyage to Verdant with painting companion Bill Moore last week and did this little plein air study of the Griffith Park Metro Region parking lot across from the equestrian center entrance. Bill opted for the red truck bed (see Bill's dandy painting on his previous post by clicking on his link) >>>>>>>>>>>>
What compelled me to paint this scene were the two unoccupied and slightly skewed trailers that looked somewhat out of place. The cool and overcast weather conditions accentuated the soothing and pale mint-green color of the foreground trailer.