Here's an old painting of a downtown storefront that has changed a bunch of times since. I'm glad I got it done when I did, since it's still been my favourite look. Something about a hand scrawled sign on the aged building of the halal meat shop struck me as little forlorn.

It's actually a very small 8x10 painting, done in oil in a couple of hours. I enjoy the sketchy quality of it, as something I always struggle with on larger canvasses is to keep the brushwork and colour spontaneous and not get hooked in on details.

It's good to use up bits of random illustration board and paper scraps instead of throwing them away. In fact, sometimes it even turns into something useful. Here are a few portraits I painted in oil, over top of some collage leftovers, and on oddly cut boards. One of my favourite things about oil paint is the ability to carve back into it before it dries. I find working outside of the box and the normal frame dimensions can add a new perspective or generate fresh ideas when least expected.

The appearance of Spring means it's time to think about getting your garden underway. Whether it's filled with inspiring blooms or tasty vegetables, gardens go with spring like snow and Far West jackets in the 90's go with winter...the natural world never stops its cycle.

Gardening brings to mind an old self-portrait I painted of myself as a carrot. Sometimes enough is enough with self-portraits and a differerent take is needed. Carrot Top was done in oil on a large discarded roof shingle of some sort. Roof shingles and expensive paintbrushes surprisingly do not get along so well together.

All artist's have a favourite medium to work with. A special bond with a creative material or process, that is guaranteed to bring out cool ideas or great work. For me, oil paint is my best friend. I've been missing it lately, since I've been weighed down in a longer-term acrylic project, but I know whenever we meet, good things happen.

Oil is the paint of all paints, and the preferred medium of most modern masters. It is an amazing medium for several reasons. First, the dry-time makes painting more relaxing and more of an exploration. You can mix paints on your palette, that are good for several days which allows for less wasted paint and the ability to have a second sitting if you need it. On the canvas as well, you have time to apply paint and blend later, or even blend colours directly on your surface. Either way it provides for a nice, loose painterly effect. Secondly, the ability to thin out or go thick impasto makes for a powerful choice. Using some thicker paint in spots can literally add a third dimension to your work. All of these benefits apply as well to water mixable oil paints...same great smell but less chemical brain damage!

Here's a new painting of a couple of buildings in San Fran's Chinatown. There are some unique buildings throughout the city, especially in Chinatown with its strange mix of architectural styles and periods.
This painting is done on a 24x36 canvas, larger than I usually work, but the direction I'm going in. The process began with a built-up, textured surface. After that, to keep the underdrawing intentionally loose, I airbrushed in a rough sketch of the buildings, allowing me to cover the large surface area quickly and use a few grey values without having to mix paint. Once ready, the painting was completed in oils, working gradually towards more detail. Typically I prefer to paint all in one sitting, but due to the scale, it was done over a period of a few weeks.