Excerpts from my Journal: Part 6. Written November 9, 2018; edited 2021. Kathryn and I, on the east ramp. We knew it was going to get hot—86 degrees—but we did not know the winds would be so fierce, up to 77 miles per hour! Kathryn insisted we get there before sunrise, but there was a… Continue reading The Day of Fire and Wind
Echo Pier
ECHO PIER: Excerpts from my Journal, Part 7. Written April 20, 2019; edited 2021. The image above shows Kathryn under the structure of our imploded tent. From mid-December to mid-March we took a break. Holidays first, then weather. An unusually cold and wet winter, much needed rain but not conducive to outdoor painting. Echo Pier,… Continue reading Echo Pier
During the Coronavirus
DURING THE CORONAVIRUS: Excerpts from my Journal, Part 8. I stopped going to the bridge sometime in the last half of 2019 and began to compose large images based on the observational sketches completed on location. When we went into the first lockdown for Covid19 on March 17, 2020, I began an imaginative painting… Continue reading During the Coronavirus
Memories, Dreams, and Reflections
During the Coronavirus, 2020. Oil on canvas. 48 x 72 inches. Unlike the other paintings in this harbor series, “Memories, Dreams, and Reflections” focuses on emotion and ignores the actual perspective and construction of the bridge. I wanted to paint a night scene, so William and I drove to the harbor to refresh my memory… Continue reading Memories, Dreams, and Reflections
Foggy Morning
House paints on paper, 2019. 55 x 98 inches. This is the top of the new Long Beach bridge while it was being built. It reminds me of the old clipper ships. When I mentioned this to one of the engineers, he replied, “Well, the laws of physics do not change.”
The Harbor Meets Mondrian
Charcoal and pastel on paper, 2019. 55 x 76 inches. This image depicts ironworkers on the new Long Beach bridge as they construct the framework for the roadway of the bridge. This framework will be covered with wood, set on the scaffolding, and filled with cement. The wood is then removed and the cement is… Continue reading The Harbor Meets Mondrian
Millennials Series
Hayden Reclining. Oil on canvas, 2019. 46″ x 60″ Jason in the Mirror. Oil on canvas, 2019. 48″ x 48″ Jasen wanted to explore his masculine and feminine selves in our collaborative painting. Originally he wanted to make a costume that was literally half male and half female, but that never materialized. So we decided… Continue reading Millennials Series
Tunnel Book: Looking East
Watercolor, tempera, string, on a wood base with a plexiglass cover, 2019. 14″ x 19″ x 8.5″ deep. (See blog for more detail.)
Tunnel Books
Tunnel books originated in the 1700’s and were inspired by stage sets. However, its name has a surprising source. In England, this form of book was used extensively to advertise the newly built tunnel that went under the Thames River. The tunnel itself was a joke. It had cost more than 500,000 pounds (a considerable… Continue reading Tunnel Books
The Bridge Project Series, On Location
All of these images were begun–and often finished–on location; a couple were completed in the studio. Old and New Bridges at the Harbor. Pastel over tempera, 2017. 20″ x 25″ View From the West Deck. Inktense and tempera, 2018. 16 x 12″ (sold) Orange Scaffolding. Walnut ink, watercolor, 2018. 16 x 12″ Cranes and Columns… Continue reading The Bridge Project Series, On Location