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Eucalyptus near Lake Hodges, painted in gouache. Another piece drawn from the semi-dry, temperate landscape of Southern California.

Hodges Eucalyptus | 10”x6.2”

Above Hollywood Plein Air | 5” × 7” | Gouache

Plein air study from the Hollywood Hills, painted a few weeks ago with Danny Folkman. I meant to post this, got caught up with work.

Here I focused on Southern California’s color relationships: muted greens, warm earth, low chroma, and blue-violet distance.

I forgot to snap a on-scene picture, but luckily Danny got it in frame with his shot.

#PleinAirPainting #GouachePainting #HollywoodHills #CaliforniaLandscape #LandscapePainting

Above Hollywood Plein Air | 5” × 7” | Gouache

Plein air study from the Hollywood Hills, painted a few weeks ago with Danny Folkman. I meant to post this, got caught up with work.

Here I focused on Southern California’s color relationships: muted greens, warm earth, low chroma, and blue-violet distance.

Plein air gouache study painted yesterday along the trail at Elfin Forest Reserve.

I'm becoming increasingly interested in the temperate climate of Southern California as a body of work: dry vegetation, muted greens, warm earth, blue-violet distance, and the atmospheric compression that ties it together. I have resisted the urge to revise in the studio as I feel it is a direct record of the decisions, color notes, and conditions of the field.

Plein air gouache study painted yesterday along the trail at Elfin Forest Reserve.

I'm becoming increasingly interested in the temperate climate of Southern California as a body of work: dry vegetation, muted greens, warm earth, blue-violet distance, and the atmospheric compression that ties it together. I have resisted the urge to revise in the studio as I feel it is a direct record of the decisions, color notes, and conditions of the field.

Plein air gouache study painted yesterday along the trail at Elfin Forest Reserve.

I'm becoming increasingly interested in the temperate climate of Southern California as a body of work: dry vegetation, muted greens, warm earth, blue-violet distance, and the atmospheric compression that ties it together. I have resisted the urge to revise in the studio as I feel it is a direct record of the decisions, color notes, and conditions of the field.

Finished this 12” × 12” acrylic gouache painting of the rocks along La Jolla’s coastline on a cradled wood panel.

I had a heck of a time balancing texture, color, values, and keeping the light unique but believable.

I’ve been spending a lot of time pushing color farther than I normally would while staying disciplined with value. It teeters a line between chaos and control, and while I’m painting this way I can actually say my heart rate is elevated. Watch yells at me about my stress level being too high.

Coastal Color Study: Spanish Bay | 6”x6” Acrylic Gouache on Artist Panel less

I’ve been spending a lot of time pushing color farther than I normally would while staying disciplined with value. It teeters a line between chaos and control, and while I’m painting this way I can actually say my heart rate is elevated. Watch yells at me about my stress level being too high.

Coastal Color Study: Spanish Bay | 6”x6” Acrylic Gouache on Artist Panel

I’ve been making a series of small 4” × 4” coastal studies, paying closer attention to smaller moments. This is a continuation of that effort.

This scene was painted from a reference I took along 17 Mile Drive at sunset.

Acrylic Gouache on Artist Panel | 4”x4”

With this one, I was drawn to the colors, the groupings, and the atmospheric perspective, and approached the painting through that lens.

“A Brief Arrangement” | Acrylic gouache on artist panel | 4” × 4”.

Another small painting from my ongoing Coastal Moments series, focused on the La Jolla coastline.
My goal wasn’t to document every rock or palm exactly as it exists. I was more interested in capturing the feeling of that bright Southern California afternoon. I kept the values compressed and let warm oranges and pinks in the bluff play against the cooler blues and greens of the Pacific. I kept the brushwork loose so that the painting still feels alive up close while resolving from a distance.

Acrylic Gouache on Wood

I’ve been building a series of small Acrylic gouache studies from the coastline around La Jolla and Pacific Beach. Each painting isolates a single observation, whether it’s the movement of a wave, the geometry of a shoreline, or the way light settles across wet stone. Collectively, these studies are becoming a catalog of the California coast.

I was driving past this stand of eucalyptus trees and the way they clustered together immediately grabbed my attention. I had a choice: head back to the studio and paint in a controlled, predictable environment, or pull over and respond to what was right in front of me. I chose the latter, and I’m glad I did. Every plein air session teaches me something I couldn’t have learned indoors. The constant decisions about light, color, atmosphere, and design force you to grow.

Finished this plein air gouache from the Hollywood Hills overlooking downtown Los Angeles.

The goal wasn’t to describe every building. I was much more interested in simplifying everything into large connected shapes. As the light changed, the city started to dissolve into broad masses which was very challenging to describe without being fussy.

I was also painting alongside Danny Falkman. I’d forgotten how much another painter can influence your own work in a positive way.

12”x9” | Gouache on paper