Long time no blog

So summer got in the way. Not that I haven't been painting.  I am still painting on Tuesdays and Thursdays

So summer got in the way. Not that I haven't been painting.  I am still painting on TuesdaysandThursdays

but the rest of the week has been filled to the brim with other stuff.  Not an excuse, just a fact.  I have been excited about my latest paintings.  Focusing on landscapes that have a special mood for me.  One from a photo I took on the road last summer in North Dakota has a feeling of remoteness, yet a comfortable life.  I had the feeling, looking at it, that I do when I look at Edward Hopper's paintings.  Now I've begun another of the same mood. It's from a photo I took at least 12 years ago in Samoa, a company town in Northern California.  Having visited it many times since childhood it has a special meaning for me.  I actually did a painting from the same photo at least 10 years ago when I was just learning to paint. I still have the painting but won't look at it til I finish the current painting. Then I'll post the two paintings side by side.  Shown here, North of Bismark 18x 30  and my underpainting for the Samoa scene.