November 4 - Full Moon (SOLD)

"Full Moon" Did you see the moonrise tonight? The crispness in the air and the autumn breezes coming in....OK, it's 73 degrees right now, and no hint of fall in the air, but this is California, I can dream, right? I decided to do a study of that moonrise with a distant farmhouse and hillside with a flash of the evening light on the pasture near the farm. Fun to do! This complimentary color scheme of lavender and yellow green is a common one for the art deco crowd, and I like it for depicting the mystique of an autumn evening. Hope you enjoy it!
Just Sold to Cats in the Cradle Publications of Murrieta, California.

November 3 - Memories (My grandmother Bessie Dale Thomas )

"Memories" I just don't know WHAT is going on in my head. I have commissions to do, and yet here I am picking up old photo albums and finding images that just MUST be painted! Go figure. The end results are sort of astonishing to me, however; as they come off the brushes with incredible facility and strength. Something going on here. This image is an oil on masonite, and is of my paternal grandmother Bessie Dale Thomas. The source photo was taken in 1911 at Glenwood Springs, Colorado. I love the dressand hat and the pose is pure Thomas. I've been told I look like her. This is a 12 x 9 inch image, and is for sale with all that thick paint, for $250 from my Daily Paintings Website.

November 2 - "Paths" (Autumn Leaves)

"Paths" Doing a demonstration painting for the Canyon Lake Art Association tonight, I spent a good amount of time talking about the daily paintings and how much it has meant to me to have people write back after seeing some of the words and works. I told of how I am so grateful to be able to share my love of art with all of the wonderful people receiving these paintings. Then I did this oil of a pathway into sunshine, in autumn. It symbolizes in many ways my own life, at almost 60 years--approaching autumn, and the gift of people who write to me, warming my day like the light on this path. Original oil, 12 x 12. Just Sold to the collection of Fay Bohlayer of Dawsonville, Georgia.

November 1 - Rain Forest on the Big Island Volcanoes National Park

"Rain Forest" I guess I'm not mentally back yet from Hawaii, as the images that percolate to the surface continue to reflect that recent trip. This is an acrylic on textured board that reflects the moisture and diffused light of the trail by the lava tube in Vocanoes Naitonal Park. I took a picture of my sister and her husband walking on the path, and thought about including them. But then the idea that we all walk paths that take us to different destinations came to mind, and I left the figures out. Perhaps they have already gone on. Original acrylic, 12 x 9. $200 from my Daily Paintings Website with a Paypal click.

October 31 - Paniolo in Hawaii (Cowboys)

Back at our "ranch" now, and yet I'm still thinking about the ride on the sides of Haleakela, and those paniolo cowboys with their rich traditions and history. This is an acrylic, OH! Did I mention that my pill boxes came through the trip just fine, including being in checked baggage? I had some minor leakage around the lids, but all-in-all, the one set of pill boxes lasted me 10 days with refills only on the white and ultramarine blue. Even painting every day! Now I know (and you do too!) that you can travel without tubes of paint!

 Now where was I?  Oh, yes, cowboys and color. One thing I mentioned about Haleakela and the clarity of the air in Hawaii is the brilliant sunshine. I've tried to capture it in this painting, simple in design, with a complementary color scheme of yellow green and red violet, and pushing the values so that the lights are lighter and the darks are darker. That creates more drama which I'm hoping creates that feel of brilliant light.
 The painting is 10 x 20 on board, over handmade paper, and I might hold it for the Hawaiian market. There's a gallery there that wants to carry any paniolo paintings I do. This is the first.

October 30 - Last Sunset in Hawaii

"Final Sunset" Hard to say farewell to the Islands where we have spent our last ten days, and fly back to the mainland to continue with the routine and cadence of our ordinary lives, but how better to convey the feeling of leaving than by painting a gorgeous sunset? I write to you from my living room in Riverside now, having made it safely back after an uneventful flight. Very tired now, and managed to acquire a head cold (my own fault, I rubbed my eyes--I KNOW better than to do that!) so I'm going to toddle off to bed and hope the morning will bring the beginning of routines and reuniting with our animals. Seiko (the "watch" dog) estacically ran around in circles when we drove up!
Original acrylic, 5 x 7 inches, available for $100 from the Daily Paintings Website for this date.

October 29 - Kaua'i Coastal Sunset

"Kaua'i Coast" Our last evening on the voyage was just about as poignant as it is possible to be. The day dawned cloudy and rainy, which continued throughout the day. We sailed from Kaua'i at 2 pm, and went completely around the island. Around 5 pm, we came to the Pali coast of the island, with vertical cliffs rising right from the sea, an area totally inaccessible except by boat. The sun was setting as the six of us came together for our final dinner, and my brother proposed a memorable toast to our parents for creating this moment, and to us for completing their wishes. As the sun slipped away, we had the second of only two spectacular sunsets for our trip. 
 Here is the painting, a 10 x 8 acrylic done from the memory of those cliffs and that sunset. Our bags are packed and the painting rests within the checked luggage, and our arrival tomorrow in Oahu. Available for $200 from the Daily Paintings Web Site for this date.