"Neon Rain"

Slick streets and neon lights are a perfect combination for painting.
Lots of color and reflection make for a moody and dramatic
composition. It's so nice to be back in the studio! Happy Holidays
Y'all!

"Though the Looking Glass"

Winter is Still-life season in my studio. The sunlight streams through
the windows at dramatic, low angles. It's 16 degrees in Columbia MO.
No reason to go outside! I'll stay in the studio for a few more weeks
and dream of spring.

"Shanghai Skyway"

Floating to Shangri la

"Shanghai Market"

It's been great hiding out in the studio to paint for a while. Finally
I have a chance to stop moving and paint some of the inspirations from
this year's adventures. My latest are from my fantastic travels in
China.

I'll have an exhibition of my latest work on Feb 13th in Columbia MO.
Mark your calendar!

Yosemite!

My final plein air workshop this week was a great one. I finally hit
my stride and produced a really nice painting. My students took me to
lunch at the Ahwahnee hotel. What an awesome experience this event has
been!

Half Dome

Today's demo

My group today was ready to paint. I had some die-hard folks that seem
to revel in the adverse conditions and produced some awesome work.
It's not tough to be inspired to paint here!

My Yosemite studio

Frozen watercolor

We set out to paint along the Merced river this morning at 9:00. It
was so cold my paint formed ice crystals on the palette! This made
painting rather difficult, but eventually the sun came out and warmed
us up a bit.

Frozen falls

It was so cold last night the waterfall froze! Painting today was tough!

Yosemite Chapel

Painting Yosemite chapel

My workshop painted the chapel at Yosemite today. We still had
problems with getting the paint to dry and froze our tails off until
almost 1:00. Some of the high rock formations keep the valley in
shadow for most of the day. This is a tough group of plein air
painters. The worse the conditions, the happier they are!

Waterfall demo

Today's workshop was a challenge. My paper buckled from the humidity
before I even started painting on it. The cold made weilding a
paintbrush more difficult and my fingers kept wanting to retract into
my fingerless gloves. I chose a close-up view of Yosemite Falls, as
did most of my group. It was all wet-in-wet painting today. Nice for
atmospheric effects, but not so good for layering.

Painting waterfalls

The falls at Yosemite don't run unless it rains. My painters were
treated with spectacular views in a 52 degree, damp studio. We had a
tough time getting the paint to dry. A few sprinkles added that "plein
air" authenticity. We toughed it out as long as we could without a
Starbucks.

How'd he do dat?

Levitating bear

Spring loaded

Beware flying bears

The bears at Yosemite seem to defy gravity. Their agility and
resourcefulness are astounding.

Bear picking apples

I was told to be on the lookout for hungry bears, and wasn't
disappointed to see this tree-climbing teddy picking apples. He must
have eaten a few of the fermented ones on the ground first as he
appeared to be drunk climbing the tree. His descent was rather comical
and his arrival at the ground rather sudden.

Yosemite National Park

I am so lucky to be in Yosemite this time of year! The waterfalls are
gushing from the clouds. The trees are Naples yellow against a dark
green backdrop. The meadows are burnt sienna and filled with deer. For
the next week I'll be painting and teaching workshops here. Could be
worse!

My best good friend Pat

After my Hannibal workshop we made our way upriver to Quincy Illinois
for a visit with my very dear friend, Pat Surface. My first official
visit to Quincy was orchestrated by Pat years ago. I fell in love with
the place and made some great friends there. Pat ordered pizza and we
caught up on happenings in the art world. There never seems to be
enough time for these moments!

One day in Hannibal

This weekend I had a quick trip to Hannibal MO for a one-day landscape
workshop. For my demo painting I recreated one of my more notorious
pieces, the Missouri State Quarter design. This group was filled with
old friends and some new ones. We had a fast, fun Saturday and shared
some good ideas. I revisited some of the Mark Twain sights while in
town and channeled my inner Huck Finn.

Ohio watercolor artists

These are some fantastic painters that I had the pleasure of spending
a colorful weekend with. They taught me a few new painting trucks,
introduced me to some cool new music and helped me coin the phrase
"umber happens".

Fall Foliage landscape demo

The colors of the fall were in full array this weekend. It was fun to
interpret the blazing trees. My workshop artists had plenty to keep
them challenged!

Cuyahoga Valley Art Center

It's warm indoors today!

Chilly, but fun.

My workshop was out in the fall weather yesterday morning. The cold
snap made it a little tough to hold a paintbrush, but the fall colors
warmed us on the inside. We did our best to soak as much of it in as
possible. The rest of the weekend we'll be painting inside the art
center.

Fall colors!

Right on time for my workshop, the fall colors in the Cuyahoga Valley
National Park do not disappoint! I'll have to pull out my tube of
Perinone Orange.

I have a speaking engagement tonight at the Cuyahoga Valley Art
Center, then will be painting in the park with my workshop tomorrow
morning.

Italy sketchbook workshop

The jetlag of coming home from Italy has given me plenty of time to
download photos in the middle of the night. I'll have to adjust
quickly and head for a fall foilage landscape workshop in Ohio next
week.

My dreams are filled with Italy and my new friends from that
adventure. I miss them already. We'll have to get together soon for
some cappuccino, runny eggs and rock hard bread soon.

The sketchbooks were awesome and hold a wealth of ideas for a lifetime
of painting and memories. We filled our time with some really great
experiences! I can't wait to paint!

Final dinner in Venice

Great views in every direction!

Sketching on the go

Last day in Italy

We painted on the smaller canals in Venice today. Some of my workshop
artists have incredible sketchbooks from this trip! I am incredibly
pleased with the work they did.

Today was our last full day in Venice. We fly home tomorrow by way of
Frankfurt Germany.

"Sunrise St Marks"

"Rain Bonnets"

Gondolas

What symbolizes Venice more than it's gondolas? These cool boats are
inefficient, expensive and as romantic as you'd imagine. They sure
make Marla smile!

"Prima Luce"

For those brave enough to venture out at sunrise, you can find Piazza
San Marco without people and cafe chairs.

The columns

The columns in Piazza San Marco are my favorite feature. I love the
griffin symbol on the top of the left "swizzlestick".

"Floating Palace"

If you visit Venice in November or December you will get the floods of
high tide that frequently turn Piazza San Marco into a lake. Visitors
walk on tabletops to get around the square. It provided a nice
reflection for my watercolor, "Floating Palace".

St Mark's Basillica

One of the heavily detailed buildings that makes Piazza San Marco so
incredible is the Basillica. It's a daunting task to paint but many of
my students tackled it with great success.

Murano

The glass factories on the island of Murano are fun, but a tourist
trap. I've practiced blowing glass with some of the best here, but for
most visitors it is a show and then straight to the showroom. It feels
a bit like a timeshare sales pitch. With the inflated Euro, the
treasures here are far too expensive presently. I always get at least
one awesome piece to bring home though.

Sunrise on the Grand Canal

Chilly in Venice this morning, but the light is hauntingly beautiful.
My workshop artists have gone in two groups this morning; one to tour
the Doges Palace and another to Murano. We'll meet up this afternoon
in Piazza San Marco for sunset painting in one of the world's most
interesting outdoor studios!

Venice!

No matter how many times I come to Venice, it still grabs my
attention. The charm doesn't change.

We arrived this afternoon with only enough daylight remaining to walk
to piazza San Marco. It was overcast today and no dramatic sunset.

Tomorrow we'll go out to Murano and visit a friend who owns a glass
factory. We'll also paint in Piazza San Marco all afternoon. There
will be plenty to keep is occupied!

Gelato

Gelato is far too good to call ice cream. I have no idea what the
difference is, and I probably don't want to! My guess is that it means
lots of extra walking! Fortunately we are getting plenty of walking in
between gelato shops. With presentation like this, who could resist?
Yum!

Painting on the Ponte Vecchio

Great morning for painting on the bridge! Chilly though! Still must
have gggggelato! Bbbbrrrrr!

"Luce di Firenze"

This is my painting of the light in Florence. Not a bad view, but a
marathon of painting to complete!

The best view

The best view in Florence is from the top of Giotto's tower. It's 441
torturous steps to the top, but worth the effort if you can navigate
the tiny spiral stairs with people flowing down as you squeeze your
way up. If you are slightly claustrophobic, acrophobic or agorophobic,
maybe this isn't a good idea!

Sunset Firenze

How can you resist this view? Our watercolor sketches captured the
moment and the feeling of this incredible place. I'll probably have to
revisit my sketches when I have some studio time at home. This view
deserves a more in-depth painting as well.

Tomorrow we'll go out early to catch the sunrise along the Arno river
and paint near the Ponte Vecchio.

My sketchbook is filling up. Some of my students are already on a
second book. One is on a third!

Painting the sunset over Firenze

Some of my workshop folks weren't totally worn out yet, so we climbed
to the top of the hill at Piazza San Michelangelo to catch the sunset
over the city. What fun we had! We even attracted a few other
traveling painters who just couldn't resist.

David

Michelangelo's "David" is one of the must-see stops in Florence. It is
impossible to fully appreciate unless you see it in person. Wow!

Lights on the Arno

The Arno River snakes through the center of Florence and is a romantic
place to watch the sunset. For the full experience, grab a gelato at
the Ponte Vecchio and stroll along the river as the sun fades and the
city lights take over.

Blessing the Chianti

As my workshop gathered around the duomo to draw this afternoon we
were treated with an annual spectacle as the local winemakers brought
the Chianti to be blessed. Two giant cows pulled a wagonload of the
potent juice around the cobblestone streets encircling the cathedral.
The party that followed was a colorful sight that lasted way beyond
sundown.

"Ascension"

I've been hooked on Florence since my first visit decades ago. The
ornate detail of the Duomo seems like an overwhelming challenge to
paint, but offers so many possibilities for dramatic composition. It
took nearly three months to complete this watercolor of the face if
the Duomo after my last visit here.

Firenze!

Florence is perhaps the greatest city on the planet for an artist. It
has a charm that has captivated the creative spirit for centuries.

The massive cathedral in the center of the city is a masterpiece of
ornate detail and a great place for painting and people watching.

My workshop artists were quick to immerse themselves in the crowd and
sketched around the Duomo this afternoon.

The Oarsman

Another favorite painting from a different trip. Recognize the dome?

My group was lucky to have a kayaker to pass by. Sorry, I couldn't
arrange for a racing scull this time!

Familiar places

I love revisiting these spectacular views I fell in love with many
years ago! We sketched along the Tiber river this afternoon.