Look, See

Opportunities 19, 20

Opportunities, 2005, HTML, 220 x 260 pixels each

Opportunities 17, 18

Opportunities, 2005, HTML, 220 x 260 pixels each

Opportunities 15, 16

Opportunities, 2005, HTML, 220 x 260 pixels each

French Trail, Albums 1-3

French Trail Album 1, 1-5, 2005, Pencil, watercolor & ink on paper, approx. 8.75 x 6.75" each (scanned)

French Trail Album 2, 1-5, 2005, Pencil, watercolor & ink on paper, approx. 8.75 x 6.75" each (scanned)

French Trail Album 3, 1-5, 2005, Pencil, watercolor & ink on paper, approx. 8.75 x 6.75" each (scanned)

The French Trail is a narrow, steep trail in the Oakland Hills near where I live. We often walk a 3.5 mile loop with our dog that begins at the Skyline Gate Staging Area The FT is probably much less than one quarter of the distance in the total loop, branching off from a fire road in a meandering, tree-covered downhill descent, much of what looks like a Cezanne forest painting until one reaches a long stretch of creek that is lined with more recent generations of redwoods crowning the remaining cut or burnt out stumps of old growth redwood. At this time there are lots of flowers, but I'm lousy at flower names, so I can only name irises.

These are an attempt to get a direct image out that is light and that floats. I didn't want to work them too much. In each set there is contrasting use of lined and scribbled line. Lines are underneath washes, go over washes, or stop and start on either side of a wash. There is framing and unframing, deep and shallow spaces. Set 1 is the most place-specific. Set 2 is about openness. Set 3 is about looking up close.

All three sets came out of some thinking I've been carrying around for months about a small watercolor (below) I posted on 20040630 where I wrote, "I like the clear character of each stroke, the supporting straight line, the modesty of means and lack of presumption, the sense of air and breath, the pace of the eye through the five figures, and how the structure is not far from the grid I've been using so much for three years now but not overbearingly present. This is not a finished work, but I think there is an idea in here that I can use."

Opportunities 13, 14

Opportunities, 2005, HTML, 220 x 260 pixels each

Opportunities 11, 12

Opportunities, 2005, HTML, 220 x 260 pixels each

Opportunities 9, 10

Opportunities, 2005, HTML, 220 x 260 pixels each

Opportunities 7, 8

Opportunities, 2005, HTML, 220 x 260 pixels each