"California Beach Kids" (oil on stretched canvas; 18" x 24")

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The family vacation to California back in 2007 concluded with a few days spent in San Francisco.  This trip led to so many paintings; "California Beach Kids" is the latest.  The setting is the beach at the Maritime National Historical Park, which includes a fleet of historic vessels, a visitor center, and a maritime museum.

After checking out the historic ships, we were people-watching.  Some brave souls swam in the cold water.  This group of kids, all decked in bandanas, were testing out how cold the Pacific Ocean water was.  A couple of boys were a bit more adventurous than the others. I hope you feel the fun atmosphere of the day.

"Happy Days" (oil on stretched canvas; 18" x 18") nfs

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I worked on this painting of my daughter, at the age of nine, on and off for several years; I finally feel satisfied.  The reference photo was taken during my family's vacation in northern California.  At Glass Beach, we scavenged the beach for pretty sea glasses as the sun set and the place became bathed in the golden light.

Whenever I look at this painting, my heart is filled with tenderness.  She is now a high-school senior, about to go off to college.  In my mind's eye, she is always about this big, or even younger; she is full of joy and innocence, ready to sit on my lap for a big hug.  These were the happiest days of my life.

Girl with a Straw Hat (oil on linen; 12" X 12") sold

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A glimpse of a girl in a blue dress with a straw hat on a sand dune in Prince Edward Island, Canada led to this painting.  I have always been attracted to landscape paintings with figure as the main interest.  Now my skills have improved to such a level that I feel confident in trying out my own vision onto canvas.  What do you think of my efforts?

Watercolor sketch for the painting

Transparent underpainting

I often develop a landscape from the faraway things first.

Developing the middle ground and foreground.  Do you get the feeling that I am avoiding the figure?  It's partly that, but it's also because I want to create a believable and livable environment for the figure first.  

"Newman" (oil on linen; 12" x 9") sold

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"Newman" is for Jennifer, who commissioned the painting for her husband.  Newman is a 14-month-old fun dog of an unknown breed.  Jennifer and her husband were told that he was a border collie/lab mix, but in order to get to the bottom of things, they got a DNA test done.  As it turns out, Newman is a true mutt mix--collie, American Staffordshire terrier, German spitz, Portuguese water dog, and a few other things!

The young couple adopted Newman one year ago from an animal shelter in the tiny town of Newman, CA.  He and his 9 siblings were abandoned on the side of the road.  He was filthy and smelly, but the cutest filthy smelly puppy ever!  Jennifer knew he was her dog the moment she saw him.

Newman is super smart, which, I am sure, you can tell from his portrait.  He has never met another dog/cat/person he doesn't like.  He is the biggest lovebug and is quite possibly the most snuggly dog on the planet.  Jennifer and Newman go running almost everyday.  They also hike in a state park by their house, where he gets to run around the forest and in the creeks. Newman is basically the happiest dog ever.

I must say something about how the painting was born.  There was a good head/shoulder shot I was going to use for the commission.  Then I learned about his "Michael Jackson paw".  Only one of his pictures (puppy picture at that) showed his one white paw.  I also found out that he loves the beach.  So I pasted his handsome face on the puppy body and put him on a beach.  I also invented the outdoorsy shadows.  I sincerely hope I pulled it off.  What do you say?

"Pucci" (oil on linen; 8" x 10") sold

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"Pucci" is for Tammy, whom I met last April during the workshop with Dreama Tolle Perry.  She has been following me ever since and asked me to paint "Pucci" for her husband for Christmas.  I was thrilled with such a request by a fellow artist.  Thank you, Tammy.

Before I go on talking about Pucci's special qualities, I have to mention something else.  Before this "beach dog" painting was born, there was the "Christmas dog" painting that I had in mind, as one of the initial pictures Tammy sent me had a photo of Pucci sitting in front of a Christmas tree and presents.  Perfect!  As soon as I printed out a Photoshopped image and drew a grid on it for the painting project, she sent me another picture of Pucci walking on a beach.  The moment I saw it, I threw out the "Christmas dog" painting out of the window.  Look at the finished painting.  If I may say so, isn't it awesome!

Pucci was a shelter rescue at the age of two.  She was possibly a Chow mixed with Shetland Sheepdog.  She expressed her love and gratitude everyday.  She went to work with Tammy and her husband, slept by their side, and followed their every footstep.

Tammy's family live in a rural area with a big yard near a pond.  Pucci loved to lie in the shade of a maple tree, "overlooking her kingdom."  They also have a house on the East Coast, where she loved the beach.  People stopped them on their walks to tell them how beautiful she was. She especially enjoyed that!  You see, I had to paint Pucci walking on the beach.  She would be happy in the dog heaven.

Pucci passed away in May unexpectedly, and she is in Tammy and her husband's thoughts everyday.

"Sunset Beach" (oil on linen; 9" x 12")

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I did four pet portraits in a row for my Facebook fans and am now totally out of pictures.  While waiting for more pictures to arrive in my inbox, I thought I would go on an artistic vacation.  This is a sandy beach in Kauai, where my family vacationed in early 2012.  We saw several sunsets there, all of which were spectacular.  The sunset doesn't last long, but what a golden moment it is!

"Summer Reading" (mixed media on paper; 10" x 14") sold

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Summer is the time to take a vacation, sunbathe on the beach, and catch up on reading. Not for me, unfortunately.  This is the second year without a summer vacation, thanks to my daughter's busy camp schedule.  I am in a way taking a break from my everyday painting routine by photoshopping many images of my artwork, updating my website and blog, and mulling about how to keep growing as an artist.

During my "break" last week, I found the above image among my portfolio.  It's an old painting that I did after a family vacation to Maui many years ago. A couple in swimsuits lean back comfortably in beach chairs, probably reading something light.  The sunlight coming down in rays of warm-toned dots envelope the figures.

What kinds of mixed media did I use?  The toned ground and figures were painted in watercolor; the dots were created with Prismacolor colored pencil.  Without the pointillist effect of dots, the painting would have been unremarkable.  With the dots, it pulsates with brilliant sunlight, which brings on the associated feelings of warmth, idleness, relaxation, and happiness.

A successful painting makes the viewer linger and feel something profound.  It may be longing, nostalgia, joy, passion, sorrow, inspiration, etc.  I endeavor to create that kind of art--emotional, powerful, and unforgettable.

Oregon Trip Sketchbook Pages (watercolor and pen; 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" each)

"Multnomah Falls on the Historic Columbia Gorge Highway"
Hard to look up (620 feet) and draw!

Twelve summers ago, when my daughter was three and I could still pass as a "young lady," my family took a two-week vacation in Oregon.  I loved the place so much that I suggested we should retire there.  My husband, being pragmatic as always, scoffed at the idea: "Two months of sun, ten months of dreary weather. No, thanks."

Another reason why Oregon will always remain one of my favorite places on earth is because of my intense sketching activities during the trip.  I sketched while my husband and daughter took a hike or a nap.  I sketched in the car. I sketched at a busy market.  I sketched at a zoo and at tidal pools.  I sketched while getting eaten alive by mosquitoes.  I was unstoppable.  Alas, I no longer have that kind of energy level.

Here are some of the sketchbook pages. Please enjoy.  If you have any questions about my procedure, don't hesitate to ask!

"John Martin and His Band at the Saturday Market, Portland, OR"
Great music and dance, a fantastic weather!

"At the Thai E-San Cuisine in Portland"
Excellent food; I ate stir-fried Thai eggplant with shrimp.

"Sunrise Point (6,100 ft), Mt. Rainier National Park, WA"
Snow-capped in July, I felt like I landed in Switzerland.

"Alpine Wildflowers at Sunrise Point"
I sketched them in the car.

"Chanticleer Point, Columbia River Gorge"
We picked wild raspberries--intense, sweet taste. Hot!

"Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area"
Elk were too far, we couldn't see them very well.

"West Coast Game Park in Bandon"
We went to this zoo because our daughter slept through the entire Oregon Zoo in Portland and was sad about missing the animals. Honestly, I sketched these animals on location!

"Sunset Bay"
We went back at sunset. There were a lot of people to enjoy the view.

"Myself Sketching at North Jetty Beach with My Daughter"
She was a very patient child!

"View from the Whale Cove Inn Restaurant, Depoe Bay"
My daughter was tired from the hike down to Sea Lion Caves, so she again slept through the entire lunch. The  restaurant people kindly made her a PJ sandwich to go.

"Yaquina Head Lighthouse"
The first cloudy day during the trip! Windy and cold.

"Tidal Pools at Quarry Cove"
At low tide, Yaquina Head

"Depoe Bay; the World's Smallest Harbor"
We all sat in the car; I sketched, while my family waited patiently.

"Surfers at Cape Kiwanda"
We leave the coast now. Bye!

"At the Chateau Benoit Winery"
The journey has come to an end. The exhausted, but happy, artist with her daughter.

"At the Portland Airport"
Waiting for boarding. Bye, Oregon!

"Oregon Trip Sketchbook Covers"; I had them bound at Staples.

"Seagulls at Sunrise Sea" (oil on linen; 12" x 8") sold

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Wake up early in the morning.  Take a walk at the beach.  The sun rises.  Its glow envelopes the world.  The moment doesn't last long.  While it lasts, you feel warm, safe, and hopeful.  "Seagulls at Sunrise Sea" would have been the perfect painting to greet the dawn of the new year.  But, hey, I wasn't well then and nobody's perfect.  So here we go belatedly.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

"Piping Plover" (oil on linen; 7" x 5") sold

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While taking a little break from my California series, I did a bird painting.  According to Wikipedia, the piping plover is a small sand-colored, sparrow-sized shorebird that nests and feeds along coastal sand and gravel beaches in North America.  The bird I painted must be a baby since it doesn't  have a black band across the forehead from eye to eye and a black ring around the neck.  If you are a beach goer, you must have seen it running in short starts and stops.

It was fun to paint the lovely avian creature.

"Kids at Sunset Beach" (oil on linen; 11" x 14") sold

"Kids at Sunset Beach"
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"Moonrise" (oil, 8" x 10")
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"Central Park Reflections" (oil, 12" x 9")
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I am fascinated by water's ability for reflecting things above and around it.  Especially when there is no strong breeze, water acts as a lovely mirror.  At sunrise and sunset, when the sky takes on those ineffable hues of pale yellows, oranges, pinks, mauves, subtle blues and violets, water becomes the enchanting bridesmaid who accompanies the beautiful bride--the sky.  Throw in some magnificent clouds to the mix, we are in heaven on earth!

"Golden Girl" (oil on canvas; 18" x 18") nfs

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Some paintings I do to sell; others for entering juried shows.  And there are paintings just for myself.  "Golden Girl" belongs to the last category.  The girl who is holding something in her right hand is my daughter when she was ten.  She had just found a piece of sea glass and was showing it off.  We were at Glass Beach in northern California.  Yes, Glass Beach--I didn't make it up.  Apparently, there used to be a bottling factory nearby and lots of broken glass made into the beach, hence the name.  The time of the day was obviously the sunset.

Reference photo

I had this girl when I was almost 40.  She was my dream child come true--healthy, happy, affectionate, and bright.  She just became a teenager this summer, and well....  She has changed quite a bit since I took the picture above.  Although I wouldn't change anything about her for the world, I still miss her when she could sit on my lap, be a flower girl, and pose for the camera gladly.  I miss those days. 


So I painted "Golden Girl" to remember my daughter at the age of ten, just as I painted her when she was a preschooler.  She was about three when she posed for a photo in a rose garden in Portland, Oregon. Of all the beauties I saw that day, she was the prettiest in my eye.

"Pretty in Pink" (watercolor, 17" x 12") nfs

I will probably do more portraits of my daughter, perhaps as a young lady, definitely as a bride, and hopefully as a new mother with her baby.  I am thankful for my family and my ability to immortalize their likeness in paintings.

"Dangers of the Sun Block" (comic strip; marker)

"I don't know where you are going with this," my husband said about my cartooning adventure.  I don't intend to become a cartoonist.  The field seems already crowded enough.  It's about thinking outside of the box, as the popular saying goes.  My "box" has always been drawing what I see as best as I possibly can.  Drawing from imagination, out of my head, was impossible, not alone desirable. 

As I become older (past 50, gulp!), I find myself less and less adventurous.  In my 20's, I used to be absolutely fearless, perhaps too fearless.  Now it's becoming harder to try new things.  The comfort zone is so well-defined, the calculating mind always busily figuring out what's doable without much risk to my self-esteem and public reputation.

So I decided to do something about it by taking a cartooning class.  I was in a mild state of shock when I first found myself surrounded by a bunch of kids (mostly boys), aged between eight and thirteen.  The teacher, Dana Yang, at The Art League School, is young enough to be my daughter.

The two-page comic strip I am sharing today is the most ambitious project I have ever done.  I even colored them with markers.  The T-Rex motif came from my recent discovery of James Gurney's Dinotopia series.  By the way, this amazing illustrator/writer is also a terrific fine artist.  Check out his latest book--Color and Light--as well as his blog, which is rated one of the top ten art blogs in the world.  I had a hard time getting some of the T-Rex poses right.  I can't get over the mind block of thinking as a realist painter, worrying about the anatomy.  Your getting a small laugh out of my first serious attempt at cartooning is my sincere hope.

Have a great Memorial Day!