Sketching larger

I am trying to keep some of the loose quality from the smaller forest sketches below in this 50"x72" painting. So much harder to do at this scale! This is about eight hours of painting over three days.

Plant sketches

More quick sketches. Sometimes i just choose the hardest thing I can think of to paint and then see if I can pull it off. The reference images for these paintings come from hikes at Point Reyes. They're so fun and sloppy to make, and they inspired the large painting in the post above.

Magic

Here's the progress in one day on a little (22"x34") painting of the highway in Oakland.  It's so magical when the paint starts to look like more than just paint.

Some sketches from the studio

With several large paintings nearing completion and requiring detailing with smaller brushes, I get restless. I want to be messy and fast, and usually end up working on lots of little paintings like these. Because they are small and quick, they have a freshness to them that I am working to keep as I start larger work, but it's so hard. Still I try. Meantime, the studio is littered with little experiments.