Fort Bragg Rail Yard

This is the landscape painting I just finished this morning. A few weeks ago I got up early in the morning, before the rest of the family was awake, and hiked downtown to an old rail yard in the heart of Fort Bragg. The rail yard is still in use by the Skunk Train, a local tourist ride that takes daily excursions into the redwood forest.

As I was painting I imagined what it must have been like in the glory days of the Mill. As train after train kept a constant stream of redwood logs flowing in to be cut apart and formed into lumber. What a dramatic contrast to the overgrown and peacefully still scene I had before me.

For the painting I wanted to push the color a bit to emphasize the warm morning light cascading over this once bustling rail yard. I loved the contrast between the cool blues and purples in the shadows and the warm dried grass and rusty metal.

The painting measures 24"x36". Oil on canvas.

1st Place!

I entered the cityscape of Fort Bragg in a members juried exhibit at the Mendocino Art Center and got 1st place! Not only that but the next week someone bought it. It's so nice to get recognition for all of the hard work that goes into making paintings. Here's what the piece looked like when it was finally finished.

July Paintings

It's been a while since I've updated the blog. I've been a bit preoccupied. As some of you know I've accepted a job in Scotland. It's very exciting but also terribly overwhelming. So anyway here are a few paintings from this month.

The first two are from the local figure group. They are 16x20 on canvas panel. I think I worked about 2 hours on each of them.


This one is of the street where I live in Fort Bragg. It's sort of looking back toward my house from the local children's playground. It was nice painting with the sound of kids playing in the background. 6x8 canvas panel.

I painted this one on a recent trip to visit family in Victoria BC. I just got a new pochade box from alla prima and I was eager to try it out. It worked out beautifully. 6x8 canvas panel.


And finally I did this little study on a friends property in Branscomb CA. I painted in oil on this new type of board that I ordered from Real Gesso. The 6x8 board is ABS plastic mounted to a wooden backing. Interesting stuff. I was sceptical at first but the paint stuck to it surprisingly well. The ABS has a smooth sort of satiny feel to it, almost like really thick vellum. I'll definitely be experimenting with the material more in the future.

Different Brushes

These two paintings are of the same model. Both took about 2 hours, oil on canvas panel. On the first I used only hog bristle brushes which create very pronounced strokes.


And on the second I used a mix of hog bristle and sable brushes. The sables tend to blend the strokes together creating a more unified surface.

More Plein Air

Went down to the coast yesterday morning and did a little painting. I'm kinda disappointed in the composition. Feels like a grandma painting. I was a bit apprehensive of even posting it. Oh well, I just gotta keep plugging away. They can't all be winners.

The Beach

I got a chance to hike down to the beach yesterday and do a little painting.

Plein air

I made this painting yesterday for a friend. There's a nice spot south of Mendocino where the forest gives way to grass covered hills. All sloping down into the ocean below. I really wanted to push the somewhat circular composition of the trees and small shrubs in the scene. I'm still not as confident with landscapes as I am with the figure so this was challenging but I'm quite happy with the results.