- Trip to Kentucky and a Christmas Painting -

I just got back from 11 days in Berea, Kentucky, visiting a new grandbaby. It is a very quaint college town and is known for it's resident arts and crafts population, as well as being the home of Berea College. Since I was sans computer (which is a good thing) I thought I'd better quickly post some art for the Christmas Season. I selected a painting called "Madonna of the Rose Bower" which was painted by Stefan Lochner (painted in the late 1440's) It was painted in oil on a wooden panel. Happy Holidays!!!

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- Trip to Cancun #3 -

This is a small watercolor sketch that I did, poolside. I'm starting to feel like I want to go back........


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- Trip to Cancun #2 -

Here is a drawing done on the west side of the main hotel building. I did a watercolor of the same view that I'll post later.
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- Trip to Cancun -

I just got back from a much needed week in Cancun, Mexico. We stayed at an all inclusive resort, so everything was provided. It's almost unreal, the hotel personel and services were wonderful. The weather had some dramatic changes and seemed to change every 20 minutes or so. Our room was 1/2 mile from the lobby and I had a knee injury, so I relied heavily on the trams. I did this sketch at a restaurant on the beach.


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- Top of The Hutch -

Here is a small painting that I did in 2004, called "Top of The Hutch". I did two variations, but I think this is the better of the two. It is done in oil on a wood panel and it measures about 3 1/2 x 9 inches.
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- An Amazing Short Film -

This is a little off the track, but it is definitely ART.
By all means, check this one out.... It's beautiful....( I just got some information on the artist and his website: The artist's name is Gregory Colbert and the video is part of his project "Ashes and Snow". His website is at http://www.ashesandsnow.org........Thank you Daniel Octavian.)

- A 1972 Watercolor of Mine -

This watercolor was done by me in 1972. I originally called it "Lynne's Farm" (using my wife's middle name) and later changed the title to "Wagon at White Sands". It was a special painting for me, in that I was juried into the National Watercolor Society with this and two other watercolors. I'll probably never let it go.......

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- Nepal Inspiration -

I found a great photo and decided to do a derivative color sketch of it. I did it on Rate My Drawings, and here is the video of it....
Click the arrow to watch it..........

- Old Man's Face -

Here's a drawing that I did yesterday using Corel Painter IX, simply using the pencil tool on a plain white background. You can see a video of the drawing in progress at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--_FqUkQD5gf

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- Having Too Much Fun - "Metal Boy" Video -

I've been playing around with video and music the last three weeks and here's one that I came up with two weeks ago.
I shot the video part in 1994. It is pretty abstract, but has a thread of activity from this little wire sculpture figure that is constantly doing aerobics. It was filmed entirely in my kitchen and living room with a very old video camera. I did the music recently, using GarageBand with it's software sounds and drum loops. Hope you enjoy it. I promise to get back to drawing
and sketching soon...................

- A Video about Scenic Art -

This video documents some of the scenic art work that I worked on from 1975 through 2000. I worked for various film, tv, stage and miscellaneous other productions over a period of 25 years. The video was made for a lecture given at the North Valley Art League in Redding, CA, last Monday. This is Part 1 and I'll post Part 2 soon.......(Click on arrow to see the video)

- MEN IN BLACK MURAL -

And now for something completely different.   Here is a shot of a mural that three of us painted for the film "Men In Black" at Sony Studios (used to be MGM). We were on a sound stage that had an extremely high cieling.  The mural was a 100 foot half circle that was 60 or 70 feet high.  We worked on it for about 10 days.    Side note:  It was painted on a freshly plastered wall and the temperature at the top of the stage was 100 degrees, but on the stage floor it was 72 degrees.....consequently the plaster at the top of the mural started to explode off of the wall and needed repair.  

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- CREATING VIDEOS -

This is really off track, but I've been having fun putting together a video honoring our troops. I used Apple's Imovie HD and took a bunch of public domain photos that I found online and topped it off with my version of "Battle Hymn of The Republic". I sequenced the music entirely with GarageBand, using a midi-keyboard with several software instruments. Here's the finished product (if it is ever finished). (Please click on the arrow to see the video)

- Less is More? -

Here's another one done a year later and in it's simplicity, I find it appealing. Again - this one was done in pen and ink.

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- SKETCHING FROM IMAGINATION -

I do a lot of sketching when I'm in restaurants. Sometimes, especially when there's nothing that interests me, I'll do something imaginary. This is one of those. The date says 2002 and I just initialed it.

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- Lost Drawing -

Here's that drawing of the trees next door that I couldn't find early in the month. I only have a dozen or so sketchbooks and you would think I could keep track of them. These old oak trees are starting to drop their leaves. This one was done with a .005 Micron pen with black waterproof ink. Thanks for looking................(please click on image to see a larger version)

- Music Replaces Art -

Well, for a week anyway. I just got set up with my midi system on the Mac and I've been playing around with it a lot this week. So instead of a drawing, I'll have to post some music. I've been using GarageBand as a sequencer and an Edirol M80, 60 key midi keyboard. My music is mostly improvisation and I throw out more than I keep. Here is an MP3 called Guitar Waltz #1. I used a guitar sound rather than my usual piano sound, fluctuating between classical and steel guitar voicings. CLICK HERE TO HEAR IT.

HERE IS ANOTHER ONE-DONE TODAY.


Thanks for listening..................

- Sketchbook Video -

I couldn't remember whether or not I put this video on the blog or not. I don't think so.

- A Happy Coincidence -

I was looking for a drawing of the oak trees next door that I made a couple of days ago and couldn't find that sketchbook. I found another sketchbook with this drawing that was similar, but done over a year and 1/2 ago. I need a better filing system.
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- Another Brandywine Sketch -

Here's another sketch that I made on the grounds of the Brandywine Museum in Pennsylvania. Gorgeous spot.
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Here's another sketch that I made on the grounds of the Brandywine Museum in Pennsylvania. I love the old stone work there.

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- Some Nice Illustration -

Every once in awhile I run across an artist's website where the art blows me away. In this case it is an illustrator named Roger Xavier who specializes in an adaptation of scratchboard/engraving technique. If you'll click on the illustration below you will be wisked off to his portfolio..........have fun.

A couple of years ago we took a trip to Haggerstown, Maryland after lending a painting to a Moran Family exhibit. Thomas, Edward, Thomas's wife Anna, his brother Peter, and Edward's son Loran. I hope I'm not leaving anybody out. The exhitit was at The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (WCMFA) which was in an idyllic landscape and whose building reflected in a lake full of various waterfowl. The architecture was old, but nicely brought up to snuff. Here's a link to their website:WCMFA Link.   While we were there we drove up to Pennsylvania and visited the Wyeth family museum called The Brandywine Museum. The museum itself is a modern building that is built into the old original architecture. The sketches below were done there - again an incredibly beautiful setting along the Brandywine River. Click here to see their website


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Oahu again. I sketched this from the back porch of Willie's home, where we were staying. I did it with a .005 Micron pen. .......(please click on image to see a larger version)

Here is another sketch that I did in 2003 during the same vacation on Oahu. This was of some trees that were along the road, .......(please click on image to see a larger version)

Here is a sketch that I did in 2003 during a Hawaiian vacation on Oahu. We were renting an apartment in the home of a guy named Willie and he had planted some unusual plants.....this was one of them........(please click on image to see a larger version)

- My YouTube Video -

The video posting that I put on a couple of days ago wasn't working properly, so here is another attempt. This video shows my watercolors and has some music that I was creating on a multi-track synth a few years ago. (Please click the arrow)

- A Ball Point Pen Drawing -

I was going through one of my old sketchbooks yesterday and found this ball point pen drawing of a vase and plant. It was pretty small, about 5 x 7 inches and I probably did it at a restaurant.


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- Exploding Flower -

Back in the 1970s I did four watercolors for a print series. This is one of them. I titled them "Abstract Florals" and this is the only original that I have left. It's listed on my eBay store. I had fun painting them and they were done on a full watercolor sheet. .......(Please click on image to see a larger one)

- Whose Face is It? -

I found this in the same sketchbook as the last two drawings. It is an imaginary face, probably inspired by a local Ferndale resident. I used an Eagle draughting pencil. I find that when I draw from imagination, I tend to fall back on certain habitual drawing styles, and that is probably the signature of an artist - as we all seem to do that.....

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- A Ferndale California Drawing -

It was my turn to sit on the gallery for our little art group and I sketched the view from the northern window. This was done a few years ago.

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- Weaverville, California Sketch -

I was sitting in the corner of Noel's Garden Cafe back in 2000 and was sketching the view outside of the window. (I think it was the front yard of a doctor's office) I used a fine pointed black pen on a richly textured paper.


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- A Reoccuring Face -

Over the years a face has been reoccurring in my work, in drawings and paintings. I'm not sure who it is, but it's probably a composite of my grandfather, father and someone else. I stuck this one in a beautiful old frame that I found in an antique shop.

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- A Practical Application -

I was asked to do a "Mural" for Shasta College over Spring break. They knew what they wanted and I wanted to do something a little more creative. So I came up with a design with a lot of color, texture and design elements. It was design by committee and this is what happened..............welcome to the real world................

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- Women in Art Video -

I stumbled onto this video today and wanted to share it with you.............

- How They Used to Do It -

I sent away for a sample of Dover Electronic Clip Art and wanted to share a sample of it with you. These are very old designs, some of which I recognize from Racinet's "History of Ornament", published in the 1800's. So some of these are real Antiquities.
You can visit the Dover website by clicking HERE. There were 660 designs in the book and accompanying CD in several file formats. The Tiff files are in 600 dpi resolution, high enough for any project. The price was also reasonable at $14.95 plus shipping. .......(Please click on image to see a larger one)

- Sketch of a Girl Sitting on a Rock -

A friend needed a drawing to go onto a brochure for a women's retreat and this is what I came up with. I used Corel Painter IX, using the flat drawing pencil tool.........(Please click on image to see a larger one)

Plein Air in an Over the Top Frame -

I'm not sure about the date on this one but I painted it at Laguna Beach (California). I bought this antique frame and it was missing a lot of the ornament, so I rebuilt it and re guilded it. It could be considered to be a little detracting, but I really liked the frame. It sold several years ago. The painting has a happy memory since I painted it with a couple of artist's that I used to hang around with, and we had a great day of painting, looking at art, and, of course, eating at Laguna's wonderful restaurants. Good times..............

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- A BLOGGING NIGHTMARE! -

About an hour ago I was trying to put some Yahoo ads on my blog and my whole blog suddenly disappeared. Everything was gone, except for the Yahoo ad. I would rather use Google Ads, but they cancelled my account a year ago and said that I was using artificial means for getting traffic. At the time I was advertising my site on several other sites, so I was getting lots of hits. Anyway once Google cancels you, I guess it's for life. Maybe there is a Supreme Google Court where I can plead my case.....
I was able to get my blog back by going to Googles Beta Blogger and picking a new scheme......and magically everything came back, except for a lot of custom code that I didn't back-up, so the blog will be in a state of flux for awhile until I restore everything.......and maybe I can even put my Yahoo ads back on............(hmmmmm)

- The Last Candlelight Sketch, For Now -

This is the same model in another 20 minute sketch by candlelight. It's always a shock to the system when they turn on the lights again.............(Please click on image to see a larger one)

- Another Candlelight Drawing -

Here's another in the 'Drawing in the Dark' series, done by candlelight. This one was a 20 minute pose and the paper size is about 16 x 20 inches. Again, the only light source was the candles and we were drawing in almost total darkness. It's amazing what the eye can see under these conditions ........(Please click on image to see a larger one)

- Las Brisas, Laguna Beach -

This is a really beautiful spot in Laguna Beach, California. Another 24 x 48 canvas, I painted this view a couple of times. There were lots of tourists walking down that path in the painting and occasionally they would have a comment or two. I like that kind of interraction with people while I'm working...........(Please click on image to see a larger one)

- Malibu Canyon -

Here's a plein air painting that I did of a spot near a highway to Malibu Beach in Southern California (circa 1994). It was a large piece for plein air (24 x 48 inches) and a wind came up and the painting flew across the highway. I rescued it, touched it up, and took it home to finish in the studio. The colors were a little more intense in the original than this photo. I sold it to a fellow on the East Coast who collected California art...............(Please click on image to see a larger one)

- Model plus Projection -

In this session we had a projection of a Edward Hopper painting on the wall behind the model and did a 20 minute drawing with heavy concerns regarding composition. .......(Please click on image to see a larger one)

- Another Drawing in The Dark -

Here's another drawing by candlelight done in the same session. The limitations were the same as the last one, no lines, just masses, and moving from dark to light by picking out the lighter areas with a kneaded eraser.........(Please click on image to see a larger one)

- Drawing in The Dark -

We've had a couple of sessions of drawing in the dark in life drawing this week. We each brought in a candle and used some Rivas BFK paper, and some willow and compressed charcoal. First we covered the paper with rubbed in charcoal and without using distinct lines, but rather masses of value, we proceeded to draw the model. The model was lit with 8 or 10 candles and we were in the dark. We used a kneaded eraser to lighten the drawing where needed. It was a great lesson in seeing values. We did two 45 minute poses; each different. I'll post a couple of drawings from these sessions. .....(Please click on image to see a larger one)

- An Old Promotional Piece -

About twelve or so years ago I came up with this promotional poster to show some of the projects that I had done in the entertainment industry. It's kind of fun for me to look back on. You might recognize a couple of actors and a pop singer. The medical illustration was done for the "Quincy" TV series, and three of the paintings were done for "The Addams Family". I probably worked on 400 or so different projects from 1975 until I retired in 2000. Looking back, it was an interesting and varied type of work and we didn't have the benefits of computers......(Please click on image to see a larger one)

- THANKS!!! -

Just wanted to post a note of thanks to viewers of this blog. We are heading towards 150 visitors today and that is a new record. A special thanks for looking at my work and for your overall interest in art. Warmest regards, John Stewart

- A TRYPTIC -

Here is a tryptic (three panels) painting that I did in Corel Painter IX. If you examine it carefully you'll see that I used the same design with alterations for each panel. Corel Painter lets you do a lot of things that would be impossible with traditional media.
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- A Very Special Classical Painting -

Every once in awhile I like to post a piece of art that speaks to me with color, detail, composition or one that blows me away with it's technical qualities. Here is one by Pieter Brueghel the Elder. He was a Flemish/Dutch Renaissance painter and printmaker that lived in the 1500's. Click here to find out more about him........(Please click on image to see a larger one)

- FROG ROCK WATERCOLOR -

I didn't see the frog until halfway through this watercolor. I've been working on it for awhile, so I haven't posted anything for a week, but I was able to finish it today. Let me know if you can't find the frog. I'll be happy to give you it's location..........(Please click on image to see a larger one)

- Early Computer Graphics Piece -

This is a computer graphics piece that I did in 1992. The basic framework was done in "Luminarium", which was an experimental program that I wrote in Quick Basic on the old IBM PC. Then I added the balls etc. in Photoshop later. ........(Please click on image to see a larger one)

- More Fun with RateMyDrawing.com -

Here is another RateMyDrawing animated sketch that was done from a scratchboard piece that I did several years ago. Click on the red arrow to see it........

- Desert Ghost Town -

This is a watercolor that I did about 20 years ago. It was inspired from an old book that I had on desert ghost towns, but I can't remember the title..........(Please click on image to see a larger one)

- SURF'S UP -

This is a seascape that I painted in the early 90's. It's one of the loosest oils that I've been able to do, since I tend to tighten up very quickly........(Please click on image to see a larger one)

- LAGUNA CANYON, 1999 -

Here is a landscape that I did in 1999. I sold it to a well known artist in Southern California. The subject is Laguna Canyon right after some heavy rains. The image size was around 9 x 12 inches. Everything was as green as 'Ireland' and there were some really large and interesting rock outcroppings there.........(Please click on image to see a larger one)

- Somewhere Near Highway Five -

I really like the expansive landscapes that you see in Northern California farm country. I decided to explore a little and found this interesting cluster of buildings. I did a drawing in my sketchbook with pen and ink and several months later, I decided to do a watercolor of it. I thought I had taken some digital photos, but couldn't find them, so I had to do it from my sketch and from what I could remember. It's pretty close to finished as shown here:........(Please click on image to see a larger one)

- Guy Island -

And now for something completely different........in the 90's, I was approached to design some titles for a TV pilot called 'Guy Island', sort of a throwback to Beach Blanket Bingo or Beach Party kind of series. I bought and used a new, at the time, Windows graphics program that had an image hose that was similar to Fractal Painter except that it spit out variations of images, so that it looked more hand drawn. This was used for the palm trees on the island and the rest was Photoshop. Anyway, the show never happened, but here is the design. The file size was huge and the camera was to pan over the image as the titles were happening..........Please click on image to see larger image.......

- My Surreal Watercolor -

This was done a few years back. It was a very small watercolor (probably 5 x 7 inches) and it was kind of a 'stream of conciousness' painting that developed on it's own. So you can do the interpretation and let me know............Please click on image to see larger image.......

- Another Squares Abstract Watercolor -

This is another jpeg that I found of a watercolor that I did in the late 1990's. I liked the simplicity and the challenge of finding fresh variations in color and pattern. I think that the paper size was about 11 x 14 inches. ........Please click on image to see larger image.......

- Life Drawing in Transition -

Here is another picture of the drawing of the young black man that I posted a couple of days ago. It has gone through some subtle changes and is close to being finished.



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