http://cortart.com/wp-admin/admin.php?page=wp-shopping-cart/display-log.php This is the WP E-Commerce Product List RSS feed WP E-Commerce Plugin http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/chinese-vase/ I was getting ready for a dinner party, lighting candles and stuff, when I turned around and saw this scene. In addition to the candlelight, the early evening light was streaming across that corner of the room, creating quite an evocative scene. After I painted it, I jokingly called it a Sargent, without the people. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/chinese-vase/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/upvalley-panorama/ Gouache on matboard. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/upvalley-panorama/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/good-morning-on-tubbs-lane/ Original oil painting Approximately 12 inches by 5 inches Oil on gessoed hardboard Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/good-morning-on-tubbs-lane/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/cortart-just-before-french-toast/ Approximately 5 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches, oil on gessoed hardboard Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/cortart-just-before-french-toast/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/hillside-vineyard-in-browns-valley/ Approximately 5 inches by 5 inches Gouache on colored matboard Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/hillside-vineyard-in-browns-valley/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/ticonderoga/ Approximately 5 1/2 by 7 inches Oil on gessoed hardboard Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/ticonderoga/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/in-the-heart-of-pope-valley/ 17 inches by 6 inches Oil on gessoed hardboard For those of you who've never been there, Pope Valley is directly east of the Napa Valley, but at a much higher elevation. Going there is like stepping back in time. Pope Valley is very sparsely populated, the very essence of "Californiana," albeit about a century ago. There are some vineyards there, but there are probably just as many cows grazing in the fields. I was visiting a friend there the other day and as I was driving out from his place, this scene presented itself – a big pastoral panorama right in front of me. Wow. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/in-the-heart-of-pope-valley/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/napa-valley-long-view/ Gouache on colored matboard 16 inches by 4 1/2 inches As you get up towards Calistoga the valley widens and, from the Silverado Trail, you can get quite a panorama. With the vineyards planted this way and that, the effect is kind of like a big green quilt. As you can see, the vineyards are just beginning to change color and the tall Lombardy poplars have already turned a brilliant yellow. Quite a heady time of year. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/napa-valley-long-view/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/in-a-mandarin-frame-of-mind/ Goauche on colored matboard Approximately 5 inches by 5 inches I've always liked the combination of orange and blue. Combining them in this painting seemed appropriate, as both the Mandarin orange and the blue-and-white porcelain stand are originally from the Far East (whereas the tangerine, which the Mandarin orange resembles, is originally from Tangiers--you learn something everyday!). This painting is sold matted and framed: off-white mat and a simple black, 9 1/2 inch by 9 1/2 inch frame. Good painting for the kitchen Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/in-a-mandarin-frame-of-mind/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/mt-tamalpais-from-carneros/ Mt. Tamalpais from Carneros Gouache on colored matboard Approximately 8 inches by 10 inches This may not look like the Napa Valley, but it is. At the very southernmost end of the valley – basically where the valley drains into the San Francisco Bay – is what's known as the Carneros District. The Napa River flows through it, it's a huge and important bird sanctuary, and is generally cooler and breezier than the rest of the valley. I was visiting a friend out there not long ago and driving home happened to glance to my left. I did a double-take when I realized that you could see Mt. Tamalpais – all the way in Marin County – from there. Kind of like Governor Palin being able to see Russia from her state . . . This one is sold matted and framed (off-white mat; goldleaf,13-inch by 15-inch frame). Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/mt-tamalpais-from-carneros/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/three-of-a-kind/ Three of a Kind Goauche on colored matboard Approximately 9 1/2 inches by 7 inches There's something anthropomorphic about pears. My late, dear friend, John Puscheck (a rather portly person) said he had spent years "working on the perfect pear shape." He'd sometimes add that he was "in his 32nd trimester." And the other night, I was watching "The Bank Job," when in the middle of making some complicated plans, one of the actors said, "and what's going to happen if it goes all pear-shaped?" Those English know how to turn a phrase. This was one of the first attempts of using gouache on colored matboard; it convinced to experiment further. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/three-of-a-kind/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/apples-all-in-a-row/ Apples All in a Row Oil on gessoed hardboard Approximately 5 inches by 7 inches This is another scene from a recent camping trip up on the Mattole River, near Petrolia, California. Petrolia has a current population of around 300 people and was the site of the first oil well drilled in California -- a short-lived phenomenon. After oil fever died out, the settlers who remained discovered the climate was wonderful for growing apples. I picked these apples from an ancient tree in an abandoned orchard. Back at the campground I put them on the yellow-and-white striped table cloth and was taken with the way they looked. And then I ate them . . . delicious! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/apples-all-in-a-row/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/long-light-on-trefethen-vineyards/ Long Light on Trefethen Vineyards Gouache on colored matboard Approximately 15 inches by 5 inches I was on my way to dinner at Bistro Don Giovanni with my sister last February. I guess I wasn't "in the moment," as I blew right past the restaurant. By the time I realized my mistake, I was looking at a great scene with the last of the evening light brightening up the buildings and trees of Trefethen Vineyards. The bare Lombardy poplars glowed a yellowish-orange and the grapevines were like copper. Add the flowering plums in all their glory behind the barn and you've got lot of color for February! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/long-light-on-trefethen-vineyards/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/solo-pear/ Solo Pear Oil on gessoed hardboard Approximately 5 inches by 5 inches I usually paint in the evening, while I'm waiting for dinner to be done. Considering I live by myself, I'm the only one I'm waiting for, so I can take as long as I want. When I come into the kitchen the next morning, the painting from the night before is usually still sitting on the table. Most of the time I cast a pretty critical eye on the piece, but occasionally there's a moment of "non-recognition," as in, "who the hell painted that??" This was one of those pieces. I like the way it turned out. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/solo-pear/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/meyer-lemons-in-the-kitchen/ Meyer Lemons in the Kitchen Oil on gessoed hardboard Approximately 8 inches by 8 inches I was going to post this on Friday, but it was still wet, so I couldn't scan it! This is one of those paintings that just kind of "happened." I forget what I was cooking, but the combination of the blue-and-white towel, the Meyer lemons from the garden, and the old copper pan appealed to me. The Meyers are just now beginning to ripen and will be in full force around the winter holidays. Great to have them back! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/meyer-lemons-in-the-kitchen/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/nasturtiums/ Nasturtiums Oil on gessoed hardboard Approximately 5 inches by 5 inches I don't know if these are the last of this year's nasturtiums, of the first of next year's. At any rate, with the cooler temperatures and shorter days, they're starting to bloom again after a long, hot summer. For some reason, the scanner misread the orange flowers as red, so I photographed it instead, with somewhat better results. Be assured that the nasturtiums are actually the rich orange they're supposed to be . . . I guess a photograph can lie, afterall. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/nasturtiums/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/mt-tamalpais-from-san-francisco/ Mt. Tamalpais from San Francisco Bay Oil on gessoed hardboard Approximately 15 inches by 5 inches This was one of those really wonderful fall days and I was lucky enough to be on the Vallejo Ferry, on my home from San Francisco. The view from the stern of the ferry was what could only be called "world class." If you've never ridden the Vallejo ferry, put it on your list. If the day is typically foggy, to watch the San Francisco skyline appear out of the mist is nothing short of magical. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/mt-tamalpais-from-san-francisco/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/sunflowers-in-grandpas-vase/ Last of the Sunflowers in Grandpa's Vase Oil on gessoed hardboard Approximately 8 inches by 6 inches I don't exactly know what got into me tackling this painting at a late hour tonight. Sunflowers are a rough customer, especially when van Gogh got them so right. But anyway, I attempted the last of them from my garden, in a blue-and-white Chinese porcelain ginger jar, my grandfather, the sea captain, Nels Sinnes, brought back from China in the 1940's. A couple of us got really drunk the other night and actually tried some of the, by now, completely blackened pickeled ginger in the jar. You would have thought we'd die from the almost 70-year-old ginger, but we didn't. But I did throw the rest of it away. Much better as a holder of the symbol of summer, don't you think? Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/sunflowers-in-grandpas-vase/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/a-bend-in-an-autumn-road/ A Bend in an Autumn Road Oil on gessoed hardboard Approximately 71/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches I was out in the east side of Napa the other day and rounded this bend in the road. It was so beautiful, I backed up to take a closer look. It was an overcast day and you'd expect the colors to be less intense than on a sunny day, but it's just the opposite. Without the highlights and shadows produced by intense sunlight, it's just the colors the that shine through the autumn air. The colors were as intense as I've ever seen in the valley. Add the fragrance of grapes being crushed and it's a pretty heady experience! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/a-bend-in-an-autumn-road/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/view-from-the-top-of-spring-mountain/ View from the Top of Spring Mountain Oil on gessoed hardboard Approximately 15 inches by 5 inches Friends of mine have a family winery at the very top of Spring Mountain, basically where Napa County meets Sonoma County. It's way up there. There was a party there the other evening and I went wandering around and came on this view of Mt. St. Helena as seen from the top of Spring Mountain. It was a perfect fall evening – warm and without a breath of wind. Made me realize, for like the umpteenth time, why I love living here. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/view-from-the-top-of-spring-mountain/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/three-pomegranates/ Three Pomegranates Oil on gessoed hardboard Approximately 5 inches by 7 inches For some reason, pomegranates have always reminded me that time of year known as "back-to-school" days. Probably because I walked past plenty of them on my way to school, back in the day. They've always fascinated me; they really are different from any other fruit, both outside and inside. My late mother-in-law used to make a classic California salad every Thanksgiving: slices of avocado, persimmon, and sections of ruby grapefruit on a bed of baby greens, sprinkled all over with pomegranate seeds and topped with a little vinaigrette. Very tasty! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/three-pomegranates/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/white-oleanders/ White Oleanders Oil on gessoed hardboard Approximately 8 inches by 5 inches The fact that oleanders in California are ubiquitous (even used as dividers between freeways) doesn't make them any less beautiful. They're very Mediterranean and, for me, remind me of Matisse, an open window, and a view of the ocean. There: That's a far cry from being a highway divider! The apple fell off a tree of a friend of mine's tree in St. Helena yesterday as we were walking through her garden. I'm afraid it's about to be eaten, but at least it got painted first. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/white-oleanders/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/fuyu-persimmons/ 'Fuyu' Persimmons Oil on gessoed hardboard Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches It's the time of year for persimmons. These are the short, squat 'Fuyu' persimmons, sweet and ready-to-eat. The more common 'Hachiya' variety, which is larger and pointed at one end, are very astringent (very) until they are dead ripe – as in soft. We had our first real rain this weekend which knocked a lot of leaves off the trees. The bare persimmon trees hang on to their fruit for some time, looking for all the world like a Christmas tree hung with orange ornaments; it's one of the most arresting sights of the season. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/fuyu-persimmons/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/fuyu-persimmons1/ Oil on gessoed hardboard Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches It's the time of year for persimmons. These are the short, squat 'Fuyu' persimmons, sweet and ready-to-eat. The more common 'Hachiya' variety, which is larger and pointed at one end, are very astringent (very) until they are dead ripe – as in soft. We had our first real rain this weekend which knocked a lot of leaves off the trees. The bare persimmon trees hang on to their fruit for some time, looking for all the world like a Christmas tree hung with orange ornaments; it's one of the most arresting sights of the season. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/fuyu-persimmons1/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/heirloom-tomato/ Oil on Gessoed Hardboard Approximately 5 inches by 5 inches Every summer I make sure to eat enough tomato sandwiches for their memory to last through the winter and following spring – just bread, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and Best Foods mayonnaise, nothing else! I think this big 'Marvel Stripe" tomato may make the last sandwich of the season. The late Warren Zevon summed it up well with his advice: "Enjoy every sandwich." I'll second that. That's a 'Green Zebra' tomato next to the 'Marvel Stripe,' another really good tomato. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/heirloom-tomato/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/california-the-beautiful/ Oil on gessoed hardboard Approximately 15 inches by 5 inches This one is a little far afield (basically looking west to the Lost Coast region in Humboldt County) but it's such a classic California landscape, I couldn't help myself. I was lucky to go camping in Petrolia (the nearest town) last summer. When I happened upon this scene, it took my breath away and made me very proud to be a Californian. It's quite a state we have here. I got so excited, I poured myself a whisky (it was after 5 p.m. and, hey, I was camping!). Good memories. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/california-the-beautiful/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/stormy-sunrise/ Oil on gessoed hardboard Approximately 11 inches by 5 inches This view is from the old Tannery building in Napa, looking east across the Napa River. Both my grandfather and father were sea captains and I grew up with the saying: "red skies in the morning, sailors take warning." As warnings go, this was a pretty dramatic one. The little lights are from cars on Soscol Avenue on the other side of the river. Yes, it did storm later that day, but it didn't quite live up to it's preamble – thank goodness. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/stormy-sunrise/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/after-vuillard/ Oil on gessoed hardboard Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches For years I've hung on to a reproduction of an Edouard Vuillard still life of a vase of viburnums (snowballs) on a marble mantlepiece. I really liked the composition and execution of the painting, so I decided to try and recreate it (somewhat) in my own living room. Kind of slim pickings in the garden right now, but I managed to put a bouquet together of lavender asters, some 'Iceberg' roses (which bloom just about year 'round around here), and the last of the hydrangeas which, by now, have turned this strange cranberry color. My living room faces west, so at this time of year, the late afternoon light streams in almost horizontally just before the sun sets. It's no Vuillard, but it captures a particular moment in an evocative season. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/after-vuillard/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/a-pair-of-red-bartletts/ Oil on gessoed hardboard Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches This is another painting from my living room. I decided to set up the still life next to an old Chinese Imari vase and in front of an abstract painting I did almost 30 years ago, when I was in my "I want to paint like Richard Diebenkorn phase." I like the way the colors go together, even though the objects are very disparate. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/a-pair-of-red-bartletts/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/down-valley-view/ Oil on gessoed hardboard Approximately 8 inches by 8 inches I was out and about the other day and had a quick errand to do in Oakville at Gargiulo Vineyards. It's been an absolutely beautiful November here with daytime temperatures in the 70's. The vineyards are taking their time turning from green to gold and orange. I wandered down a path at the winery and caught this scene. Wow! It's looking south and slightly east, down valley. What a place, this Napa Valley. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/down-valley-view/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/hachiya-persimmons/ Oil on gessoed hardboard Approximately 6 1/2 inches by 6 inches I painted the flat 'Fuyu' persimmons last week, so I thought I'd better paint the bigger, pointed 'Hachiya' persimmons this week, before they fade away. They are really beautiful fruit, but unless they are dead ripe they are so astringent and bitter that they are basically inedible. You can "speed ripen" them by simply putting the whole, unpeeled fruit in the freezer for 24 hours. Here's how to make one of the most delicious, easiest desserts you've ever eaten: Freeze whole persimmons for 24 hours or longer. Remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for a few minutes. Remove the peel (it will slip off easily). Place a small pool of vanilla yogurt on a dessert plate and place the persimmon on top, flat side down. Sprinkle chopped pistachios over the top. Instant persimmon gelato – eccezionale! The blue bowl is from California potter Kathy Kearns. Visit her website at www.crockettpottery.com. I'm a big fan of her work. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/hachiya-persimmons/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/duchesse-de-nemours/ Oil on gessoed hardboard Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches I met Patty when we were both in the 10th grade at Napa High School. We've remained friends ever since. She has a cottage a few blocks from my place here in Old Town. I walked into her kitchen the other day and she had this great bouquet of 'Duchesse de Nemours' camellias on her kitchen table. I liked the contrast of the orange table lamp and the pink-and-white striped flowers. Outside her back porch she has a couple of ancient camellias that are about nine feet tall, just filled with blossoms. Really beautiful. The Duchesse de Nemours was Queen Victoria's cousin, by the way, and has a number of flowers named after her, for what reason I have yet to find out. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/duchesse-de-nemours/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/the-palisades/ Oil on gessoed card Approximately 10 inches by 5 inches This is another scene from on top of Spring Mountain looking northeast, towards Calistoga. The unique rock formations are know as the Palisades (I had to look it up: the historical meaning is a row of pointed sticks meant as defensive enclosure). Late in the year, owing to the position of the setting sun, a beautiful phenomenon occurs, namely the Palisades are lit up with this coral-colored light from the setting sun, while the rest of the valley is in deep shadow. It's almost as if the tops of the mountains were lit from within. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/the-palisades/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/three-day-eggs/ Oil on gessoed card Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches We've all heard of soft-boiled eggs, 7-minute eggs, and hard-boiled eggs. But three-day eggs? When I put this scene together, I thought it was pretty straightforward. I had no idea eggs were so hard to paint . . . when it was all said and done, the painting had taken three days to paint. I think it's going to be a while before I tackle eggs again. Click on image to enlarge. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/three-day-eggs/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/iceberg-roses/ Oil on gessoed card Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches Here it is almost Thanksgiving and the 'Iceberg' roses are still blooming. They're practically ubiquitous in these parts, but for good reason! They're more or less disease-free, bloom almost year 'round and, to top it off, are wonderfully fragrant. I recently learned a pink 'Iceberg' rose and a burgundy 'Iceberg' have been introduced. Something to try for next year's garden. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/iceberg-roses/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/view-from-lodi-lane/ Oil on gessoed card Approximately 8 inches by 8 inches I was driving down Silverado Trail the other day, just south of Lodi Lane, when this scene came into view. Sometimes, especially at this time of year, the acres and acres of vineyards resemble a huge, living quilt all laid out in contrasting fall colors. Add to it, the bright green grass brought on almost instantly by the rain in early November, and it's another example of the handiwork of someone or something unbelievably talented. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/view-from-lodi-lane/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/all-gone/ Oil on gessoed card Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches After Thanksgiving dinner for six, two really good turkey sandwiches, a huge pot of turkey soup (with Swiss chard and barley), and tonight's turkey enchiladas, it's finally all gone. Except for this. Think of it as a good luck icon for your kitchen. And a lot of good food. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/all-gone/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/pear-pair/ Oil on gessoed card Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches These are 'Seckel' pears, the smallest and probably the sweetest of all commercially grown pears. Seckels are believed by many to be the only truly American variety of pear in commercial production. Unlike other varieties developed in America from a cross of other European cultivars, Seckels are thought to have originated as a wild seedling near Philadelphia. They were discovered in the early 1800's. This may or may not be true, however. It is possible that German imigrants travelling westward through the area dropped fruit or left seeds behind. Whatever their story, they are one of the true, sweet treats of the season. Click on image to enlarge. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/pear-pair/ http://cortart.com/products-page/single-product/after-the-rain/ Oil on gessoed card Approximately 8 inches by 8 inches This was one of those "big wow" scenes I happened across, driving north on Silverado Trail. We had had a rain the night before and I guess the tail-end clouds from the coast were trailing across the valley. They were nothing short of monumental, like a bunch of white trains, heading east. I think the multifarious colors of the valley beneath were upstaged, as resplendent as they were, at that moment. A wonderful conflict of "upstairs and downstairs." Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/single-product/after-the-rain/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/meyer-lemons-in-a-very-blue-bowl/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches It's that time of year again, when the 'Meyer' lemons begin to ripen. They are very widely grown in home gardens here and they provide an almost embarrassment of riches, considering how coveted they are in other areas of the country. The original variety, brought to America from China by Frank Meyer (a U.S.D.A. employee) in 1908, is thought to be a cross between a true lemon and a Mandarin orange. For anyone who hasn't tasted the 'Meyer' lemon, they are less acidic and sweeter than a standard lemon with a wonderful perfume and an edible orangish-yellow thin skin. Interestingly, just as they're ripening, they are also in flower, so there are double riches: flavor and fragrance, each in abundance. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/meyer-lemons-in-a-very-blue-bowl/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/country-crossroads/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches A friend of mine lives on the east side of Napa, an area a little more rural than other parts of Napa proper, known as much for horses as it is vineyards. On the way home I was struck by this scene, with a lot of depth: from the English walnut trees on the right side of the road, to the dip in the road in the middle, to the Lombardy poplars in full color on the hillside next to a rather Tuscan-looking house. Yes, there are places where the Napa Valley looks very much like Tuscany, but those of us who know it well, know it has its own peculiar charms. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/country-crossroads/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/winter-sunset/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 7 inches by 7 inches This was one of those sunsets that had friends and neighbors calling each other, saying "did you see that sunset?" I like that about my friends and neighbors, that they'd call to alert me to some wonderful accident of nature, that in ways earthbound and heavenly, make folks come together in some kind of miracle that none of us can really understand. Except for the fact of its beauty. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/winter-sunset/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/paper-whites/ Oil on gessoed hardboard Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches When I was painting this still life, my kitchen, which has 11-foot ceilings, was perfumed with the scent of narcissus. All y'all know the ancient story of Narcissus viewing his reflection in the stream and falling in love with himself and not being able to scoop into the water and revive his thirst because he was afraid to refract his image into bits of reflections. It's a story I've never been able to really understand, but I guess that says something about me. I put the rose hips into the picture to have bookends to the season: The 'Iceberg' roses have finally stopped blooming and have started to produce "hips," whilst the narcissus have begun blooming – a sure sign of another spring. Can the solstice be far behind? Oh, please . . . longer days and shorter nights, please? Click on image to enlarge. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/paper-whites/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/low-hanging-grapefruite/ Oil on gessoed card Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches I can understand why parsnips, rutabagas, turnips and the rest of the root crops are associated with winter, but citrus? With all their tropical associations, bright colors, and snappy flavors, it just seems odd that they're ripening just now. My neighbor has a gigantic grapefruit tree (the biggest I've ever seen . . . maybe 30 feet tall and as wide), some of the branches of which hang over into my backyard, and they're just laden with fruit. Low-hanging beauties, just right for painting and eating. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/low-hanging-grapefruite/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/rain-on-rutherford-road/ Oil on gessoed card Approximately 7 inches by 7 inches We're finally getting the rain we so desperately need and, considering last night ushered in the first day of winter, I guess it's "season-appropriate" weather. That said, I just don't do cold and dark well, let alone wet. But it does make for some soft landscape scenes, with all the edges blurred, and the coaxing of first very green grasses and the brilliant mustard in the vineyards. If it has to be dark, cold, and wet, at least it comes with some visual benefits. Here's to the season! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/rain-on-rutherford-road/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/pear-and-a-half/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches It's getting to be slim-pickings (literally) in the fruit department, this time of year. Thank goodness for pears! My friend Patty moseys over to my place on Sunday nights for dinner and pinochle; she's on a winning streak, which is something of a bitter pill to swallow, but dinner definitely wasn't: pork chops, steamed new potatoes, and peas, along with some "pear sauce" (think apple sauce, only different) I made from mashed canned pears we put up last year, a little balsamic vinegar and sea salt, and chunks of fresh pear from the half missing in this painting. Gone, but not forgotten, as they say, and good eatin'. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/pear-and-a-half/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/pink-iceberg-roses/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches I keep thinking that the 'Iceberg' roses in my garden have produced the last of the season and I think I can say that these are, indeed, the last. We've had some really cold weather recently (down to 22 degrees at night) which, for some reason, causes the normally white 'Iceberg' roses to turn pink. You'd think they'd turn blue! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/pink-iceberg-roses/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/frog-pond/ Oil on gessoed card Approximately 8 inches by 8 inches I was up at Schramsberg Vineyards in Calistoga the other day, the second oldest winery in the valley and a very beautiful spot. It was a dark, cold, and rainy day which, somehow, made this scene even more appealing to me. There was quite a bit of sound associated with the site: rain dropping on the pond, on the dry leaves on the hillside and the lily pads floating on the water, the wind in the tops of the pines, all of it very evocative. It's strange how what looks like a very dreary day from inside the house can sometimes be anything but, once you get out in it. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/frog-pond/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/winter-mandarin/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 7 inches by 4.5 inches I was definitely in the mood for a little light and bright today, especially given a spate of dark and dreary days around here. I have a Mandarin tree that surprises me every year at how good the fruit is, given that Napa's climate isn't exactly ideal for citrus. The perfume of the split peel informed this painting – pretty sweet! The pencil cup is from a long-ago trip to St. Bart's; the crest signifies absolutely nothing, other than wonderful warm, sunny memories. Click on image to enlarge. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/winter-mandarin/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/forecast-overcast/ Gouache on 100% rag paper Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches Visitors to the valley are often surprised with how green it is during the winter. We usually get our first rain at the end of October and within a few days, the hills and fields magically turn green and stay that way until it starts to warm up in July. That green is an interesting complement to the gray skies so typical of our winters, with drifts of fog hanging on the hills like so many shifting veils, alternately obscuring and then revealing what lies behind. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/forecast-overcast/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/shadow-land/ Gouache on 100% rag paper Approximately 7 inches by 7 inches When the weather is unsettled, with a storm blowing in from the coast, things tends to change fast, particularly after the storm. This was one of those days, with huge cumulus clouds racing south down the valley. As they move, things move in and out of shadow rapidly. I happened to catch this scene just as it lit up a stripe of yellow mustard plants, making it look like it had just been plugged into an electrical socket. And yes, in these conditions, the hills really are that blue! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:53 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/shadow-land/ http://cortart.com/products-page/single-product/blue-and-white-and-yellow/ Watercolor on 100% rag paper Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches I walked over to my friend Patty's house today and cadged some 'Meyer' lemons and a great piece of blue and white porcelain – a platter that's been in her family forever, or almost. Last time we used it at her house, it was over a wicked game of pinochle and the platter was laden with Hungarian stuffed cabbage. No wonder I like that platter so much. But I'm an even bigger sucker for that intense yellow of 'Meyer' lemons in combination with the colors blue and white. It's been so spring-like around here, I wanted to do something that reflected the radiance of the past few days. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/single-product/blue-and-white-and-yellow/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/bread-and-camellias/ Oil on gessoed cardstock Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches Well, Edouard Manet painted this really great painting of a big brioche with pink and rose peonies kind of hanging over the brioche. I've always been fascinated with the painting, but had to do with what was at hand: namely, a sourdough batard from the Model Bakery (which, dangerously, I can walk to) and camellias from my backyard. I added a little a butter because, why not? Small pleasures in hard times suddenly become more acute. In the main, aren't we lucky? Click on image to enlarge. If you’d like to be added to “A Painting a Day from the Napa Valley,” just click on the “Contact” button (above right) and I’ll happily add you to my list. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/bread-and-camellias/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/days-of-wine-and-dungeness/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches There are two seasonal items I simply have to have my fill of before they disappear for the year: home-grown tomatoes (usually as a tomato sandwich with mayonnaise and salt and pepper only); the other is Dungeness crab. If I don't get enough of either one while they're in season, I feel bad for the rest of the year. Really. Funny that neither of them really requires any "preparation;" they're best enjoyed just as they were made. A wedge of iceberg lettuce with good blue cheese dressing, a few lemons, and some sourdough french bread, a cracked Dungeness crab, a cold bottle of beer or a glass of dry white wine . . . well it just doesn't get much better. Cheers! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/days-of-wine-and-dungeness/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/danjou-pears/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches No, these pears aren't from my backyard, but at least they're still available in the market. I fished a book out of my library the other day on the still lifes of Manet and I was really taken with one he did of pears in a basket. Well, at least I tried . . . Here's a good trick for your next dinner party: Take however many just-ripe pears you need and take a small vertical slice out of the pear from stem-end to stern; reserve. Using a melon-baller or a teaspoon, remove the core and seed cavity. Fill the cavity with good Gorgonzola cheese and put the cut slice back in place. Stand the pear up on a dessert plate with a couple of cookies or biscuits of your choice, along with a fork and a sharp knife. Cheese-fruit-and-dessert course all in one! And really delicious. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/danjou-pears/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/blood-oranges/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 7 inches by 4 inches The sun streamed in through my kitchen window this morning, making these blood oranges look more like big jewels rather than fruit. Kind of took my breath away. Their skins are a combination of rich orange and deep rust color and the insides really are red. Yes, things are bad but they're also still beautiful. I guess it's a matter of where you turn your attention. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/blood-oranges/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/meyer-lemon-on-a-thai-plate/ Watercolor on tinted watercolor paper Approximately 7 inches by 7 inches The other day my friend Tony emailed me from Kansas City, where I used to live, saying that he was suffering from the monochromatic gray-ness of that city in mid-winter. "Would it be possible for you to send me some 'Meyer' lemons?" he asked. "We need more than a plate of beef." I sent them off – a box of sunshine from California, and even after it was wrapped, you could smell the perfume from the lemons. Powerful, those 'Meyer' lemons! This painting is a little different – it's painted on tinted watercolor paper, so the white highlights have to be added at the end, and the shadow pattern across the white canvas tablecloth gave it an abstract, almost Asian quality. Click on image to enlarge. If you’d like to receive “A Painting a Day from the Napa Valley” emails, just click on the “Contact” button (above right) and I’ll add you to the list. Thanks! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/meyer-lemon-on-a-thai-plate/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/white-onion-and-blue-willow/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 8.5 inches by 5 inches When I started this painting, it was a little like the proverbial "polar bear in a snow storm;" I wasn't sure whether or not there would really be anything to paint . . . turns out that white onions aren't really so white, afterall. When it was finished and propped up on the kitchen table, I caught it out of the corner of my eye and it reminded me of Vermeer's "Woman with a Pearl," albeit a mighty large pearl! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/white-onion-and-blue-willow/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/blood-orange-redux/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 9 inches by 6 inches I painted these Blood Oranges last week and was about to eat them (gulp) when I looked at them again on this blue plate yesterday and granted them a reprieve. They were just too beautiful. So I painted them again. My kitchen faces east, so there's really strong light coming through the windows in the morning. And even though I've got a separate studio, I somehow always wind up painting at the kitchen table where the light seems to illuminate everything. Beautifully. Click on image to enlarge. If you’d like to be added to the “A Painting a Day from the Napa Valley” just click on the contact button (above right) and I’ll add you to the list. Thanks! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/blood-orange-redux/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/reflections-on-a-cup-of-coffee/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 9 inches by 6 inches I painted this scene basically just to see if I could. For all its substance, it's practically all light and reflection. I've always thought there's a big difference between "looking" and "seeing." I had to look pretty hard to see what was there on this one; the reflection of the creamer on the surface of thermos surprised me. The thermos is from the 1920's, something I found in a secondhand store years ago in Kansas City. It used to have a mirrored glass stopper that was very cool which, unfortunately, broke a long time ago. The coffee now stays hot with the aid of a champagne cork. Hey, it works! Click on image to enlarge. If you’d like to receive “A Painting a Day from the Napa Valley,” just click on the “Contact” button (above right) and I’ll add you to the list. Thanks! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/reflections-on-a-cup-of-coffee/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/king-alfred/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 8.5 inches by 7 inches Finally, something besides camellias to paint! It was so warm last week a bunch of stuff practically popped into bloom: the 'Bradford' pears look like they have snow on them, the star magnolias are magnificent, along with flowering plums that are used as street trees in my neighborhood. And then there was this clump of daffodils next to my driveway, which seemed a rather pedestrian location for such perfection. I'm guessing they were planted a long time ago because the clump is so large and that they are that old-fashioned variety, 'King Alfred.' Long live the king! Click on image to enlarge. If you like to receive “A Painting a Day from the Napa Valley” just click on the “Contact” button (above right) and I’ll add you name to the list. Thanks! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/king-alfred/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/the-answer-is-yellow/ Watercolor on 100% rag paper Approximately 8.5 inches by 7 inches Normally I shy away from cliche images of the valley but, at this time of year, there's simply no getting away from the mustard. It's so incredibly vibrant, it almost vibrates. Combined with the blue of the hills, it's quite the combination. By the way, that's the trunk of an ancient Washington palm at left, growing rather incongruously in the middle of the old vineyard. This painting reminded me of late friend, artist John Puscheck and one of his more enigmatic pronouncements: "No matter what the question, the answer is yellow. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/the-answer-is-yellow/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/meyer-lemon-on-a-thai-plate1/ Watercolor on 100% rag paper Approximately 7 inches by 7 inches I originally painted (and posted) this painting couple of weeks ago. As soon as I did, I realized that it wasn't quite "right," but what was done was done. As it turned out, it didn't sell and I continued to look at it to see what was missing. I went back in and fixed what I felt was wrong (not easy with a watercolor!) and I like it better now. Click on image to enlarge. If you’d like to be added to “A Painting a Day From the Napa Valley” just click on the “Contact” button (above right) and I’ll be happy to add you to the list. Thanks! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/meyer-lemon-on-a-thai-plate1/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/acacia-explosion/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 10 inches by 8 inches It occurs to me that there's a lot of yellow around this time of year. First of all, the brilliant mustard blooming in the vineyards, then there's the rich yellow of the 'Meyer' lemons, and as I look out my kitchen window there are grapefruits hanging in the huge tree that almost look like big clusters of yellow grapes – no kidding. And then there's the acacia trees, which are at their peak of bloom right now, dotting the hillsides and lining the country roads, drooping with a jillion star-like flowers, releasing their sweet scent to passersby. It really is like an explosion of color and exuberance. Click on image to enlarge. If you’d like to receive “A Painting a Day from the Napa Valley,” just click on the “Contact” button (above right) and I’ll add you to the list. Thanks! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/acacia-explosion/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/oranges-and-blue-willow/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches I'm not quite sure what I was thinking when I embarked on this one; I do know I'll probably need new glasses tomorrow. It did, however, give me a new respect for pattern. And working with good light! Click on image to enlarge. If you’d like to be added to “A Painting a Day from the Napa Valley,” just click on the “Contact” button (above right) and I’ll be happy to add you to the list. Thanks! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/oranges-and-blue-willow/ http://cortart.com/products-page/single-product/green-peas-french-blue/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 7 inches by 4 inches I deliberately kept this one simple because I was so blown away by the perfection in front of me. It's like a narrow green envelope that you open, only to be surprised by finding a necklace of perfect apple green jade beads inside. Even though it may not look like it on your screen, the background is French blue – a strange combination of pale turquoise and gray – the one that looks so good when combined with the warmth of a lot goopy, Louis golden gilt. Come to think of it, maybe that's the kind of frame this one should have. Click on image to enlarge. If you like to receive “A Painting a Day from the Napa Valley,” just click on the “Contact” button (above right) and I’ll be happy to add you to the list. Thanks! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/single-product/green-peas-french-blue/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/california-trio/ Goauche on 100% rag paper Approximately 12 inches by 8 inches I was visiting my friend Susan yesterday, whose office is located on an old ranch in south Napa. Right at the entrance I was struck by a classic combination of California trees: the native acacia in full yellow bloom, a grove of giant eucalyptus (though not a native, it certainly acts like one), and a Canary Island palm, probably planted when they were all the rage in the late 1800's. Story has it that the eucalyptus arrived in California from Australia, intended as a fast-growing source of railroad timbers in the mid 1850's, when the Transcontinental Railroad was being constructed. Turned out whoever imported the trees chose the wrong species; the lumber from these eucalyptus twists as it dries, making it totally unusable for railroad ties. Lot a history in that little corner! Click on image to enlarge. If you’d like to receive “A Painting a Day from the Napa Valley” just click on the “Contact” button (upper right) and I’ll be happy to add you to the list. Thanks! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/california-trio/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/yountville-crossroad/ Gouache on 100% rag paper Approximately 9 inches by 7 inches I was upvalley the other day and it was raining like crazy. I turned off of Silverado Trail onto the Yountville Crossroad, heading west, when I happened on to this scene. The clouds were scudding low over the western hills, moving fast. What made it almost surreal was, as gloomy and wet as it was, there was also mustard yellow glowing at ground level – a strange and wonderful combination. Click on image to enlarge. If you like to receive “A Painting a Day from the Napa Valley,” just click on the “Contact” button (above right) and I’ll be happy to add you to the list. Thanks! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/yountville-crossroad/ http://cortart.com/products-page/single-product/snowflakes-and-crystal-ball/ Oil on gessoed card Approximately 7 inches by 6 inches Another clump of spring bulbs that sprouted up next to my driveway – this time it was snowflakes (Leucojum aestivum). Pretty elegant plant for being so tough. Each flowering stem produces three individual blossoms on incredibly thin, arching stems. Once I put them in the vase, I was struck at the way some of the foliage curved, making them look like strokes of green calligraphy. Click on image to enlarge. If you’d like to receive “A Painting a Day from the Napa Valley,” just click on the the “Contact” button (above right) and I’ll be happy to add you to the list. Thanks! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/single-product/snowflakes-and-crystal-ball/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/tangerines-on-a-pedestal/ Tangerines on a Pedestal Oil on gessoed card Approximately 8 inches by 6 inches I walked into my friend Lisa's kitchen the other day and was struck by this black pedestal platter filled with tangerines in front the black and white tile. There's always something good going on in that kitchen, but this was too good not to paint. Click on image to enlarge. If you’d like to receive “A Painting a Day from the Napa Valley,” just click on the “Contact” button (above right) and I’ll add you to the list. Thanks! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/tangerines-on-a-pedestal/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/mt-st-helena-in-winter/ Oil on gessoed card Approximately 10 inches by 8 inches I've lived in the valley for a long time and I've looked at Mt. St. Helena – which anchors the north end of the valley – for an equally long time. What really amazes me is that for something that must, in reality, weigh a gejillion tons of stone and soil, at some times of the year, at some times of the day, looks like a weightless scrim, lit a pale blue or lavender. I think it's something of a magical, natural, theatrical trick of some kind. Or maybe it's just the nature of light. I've actually seen that big thing shimmer in its lightness of being. One recent rainy day in February, it looked to me like it could have been blown away with the clouds. Click on image to enlarge. If you’d like to receive “A Painting a Day from the Napa Valley,” just click on the “Contact” button (above right) and I’ll be happy to add you to the list. Thanks! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/mt-st-helena-in-winter/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/spring-onions/ Oil on gessoed card Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches Did you grow up with "spring onions?" I certainly didn't, but I really like the way they taste and the way they look. Basically they're somewhere between a scallion and a full-fledged onion. They can be any variety of regular, big onion -- planted from seedlings in the early fall -- and then harvested in late winter or early spring, before they have a chance to mature. Had these been left in the ground, they would have become purple 'Bermuda' onions, so popular on hamburgers. I think gardeners of old were so hungry for something fresh at this time of year they just pulled them out of the garden as soon as there was something down there in the dirt to eat. Click on image to enlarge. If you’d like to receive “A Painting a Day from the Napa Valley,” just click on the “Contact” button (above right) and I’ll be happy to add you to the list. Thanks! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/spring-onions/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/white-camellias/ Oil on gessoed card Approximately 11 inches by 7.5 inches One of the many great things about our climate is that even on the dreariest, darkest, wettest days of winter, there's still something in the garden that makes one think of brighter, warmer days to come. The red and pink camellias in my garden started blooming around Thanksgiving and they're still blooming! This Camellia japonica 'White Waves' just started blooming this weekend. The large petals and yellow stamens make them look almost like water lilies. Given the amount of rain we had today, they probably felt like water lilies. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/white-camellias/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/artichokes-and-copper-pot/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches Sorry for the absence! I had a big illustration job and it didn't take long for me to figure out there are only so many hours in the day. Don't ask me why but, for me, there's something "right" about artichokes and a French copper pot. The scissors are there because I cut the ends off of each leaf to get rid of the those sharp little thorns (obviously this is a "before" painting). Artichokes were introduced to California in the late 1800's by Italian farmers. They do best in mild coastal climates, frost-free and fairly mild summers. Technically, they're a thistle and classified as a flower, rather than a vegetable. And here's a little known fact: No less than Marilyn Monroe was the first official "Artichoke Queen of Castroville," the purported artichoke capitol of the world. Who knew? I'll never look at an artichoke the same way again . . . Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/artichokes-and-copper-pot/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/navel-oranges/ Oil on gessoed card Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches My friend Ellen came for dinner the other night; she showed up the next day with a bag full of Navel oranges off her tree as a thank-you. Nice thank-you! The oranges were very large and, well, very orange. I put a couple of them on one of my favorite platters – a Catalina Island gem – from the turn of the last century, glazed in that strange bluish-green, so emblematic of the California pottery of that era. I really liked the combination of colors Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/navel-oranges/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/silverado-trail-walnut-orchard/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches We've had some warm spring rains here recently, the kind that makes everything appear very lush and fresh, very fast. I was driving up Silverado Trail the other afternoon and caught this scene. I particularly liked the juxtaposition of the gnarly walnut trees against all the new, very green grass and that band of yellow mustard in the background. The cumulus clouds were very puffy and coming in from the west, signaling more rain to come, but that's okay, because we need it. For those who might not know, the short black areas at the base of the walnut trees are black walnuts, and the lighter trunks above, are English walnuts. They are grafted together in their youth because black walnuts have great root systems (which the English walnuts do not) and the English walnuts have great, meaty, easy-to-crack walnuts, which the black walnuts definitely don't. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/silverado-trail-walnut-orchard/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/korean-lilacs/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 7 inches by 7 inches I have this rather scrawny lilac bush growing next to my house but, despite it's rather weak appearance, it sure puts out the blossoms. Specifically, it's a Korean lilac (Syringa meyeri) introduced to this country from Korea in the very early 1900's by Frank N. Meyer, a plant explorer for the U.S.D.A. Interestingly, he was also the person who introduced the wonderful 'Meyer' lemon to this country in 1908. Meyer was quite the character, described as "a fanatic walker, natural traveler, trained botanist and gardener, and Buddhist." He also introduced a bunch of soybean varieties to American farmers and was the first to suggest that tofu could be a viable food product for the American market. Lot of history in the garden! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/korean-lilacs/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/yount-mill-road/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches Just south of Mustard's restaurant on Highway 29 there's a road called "Yount Mill Road." It's a dog-legged detour around what are known as the Yountville Hills; it's a step back in time if there ever was one. The current owner inherited it from his grandfather and it's one of the few tracts of land in the entire Napa Valley where the owner runs cattle – long-horned cattle at that – simply because that's what his grandfather used to raise. I have a feeling, as the ad says on television – they're "contented California cows." Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/yount-mill-road/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/asparagus-and-copper-pot/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 10 inches by 5 inches I bought this beautiful bunch of organic asparagus yesterday and decided to paint it's portrait before the asparagus went into the copper pot. Somehow, rereading that line, it sounds a little like a plot line from a Grimm's fairy tale . . . anyway, it's done now and they were, indeed, delicious. The light was coming head-on in this one, which makes it feel different from what I usually paint. Not that there's any comparison, but it reminds me a little of the feeling you get from many of Lucien Freud's paintings. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/asparagus-and-copper-pot/ http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/stewart-ranch/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 16 inches by 6 inches This must be my bovine week . . . some people call these "Oreo cows," but they're really Dutch Belted dairy cattle. They're great-looking cows; not so great was my idea for painting advertisements on their white stripes. Hey, these are tough economic times! Ads or not, I've never seen them anywhere else but on the Stewart Ranch, just south of the town of Napa. The property has been in the family for over 100 years and it really gives you a sense of what the valley was like a century ago. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/landscapes/stewart-ranch/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/manet-and-the-duchess/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 10 inches by 8 inches This one is kind of weird: I took a vase painted by Manet, and combined it with a bunch of "Duchess de Nemours" camellias from my backyard. I guess the operative word is "took." You see I really liked Manet's vase, so I guess I stole it, and just put my own flowers in it. Should I ever meet him, I hope he forgives me . . . and gives me some painting lessons. Click on image to enlarge. If you’d like to receive “A Painting a Day from the Napa Valley, just click on the “Contact” button (above right) and I’ll be happy to add you to the list. Thanks! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/manet-and-the-duchess/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/apple-blossom-time/ Oil on gessoed board Approximately 7 inches by 5 inches My friend, Patty, lives just a few blocks from me here in Old Town Napa. She inherited the house she grew up in, along with its garden. Back in the 50's her father planted an apple tree in the backyard and it's still there. I helped prune it this winter and even though it's old, it's still plenty vital. I was there yesterday, which was darn near the perfect spring day, and tree was in full bloom – a beautiful and fragile emblem of spring from one generation to the next. Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/apple-blossom-time/ http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/meyer-lemons-on-an-argyle-platter/ Watercolor on 100% rag paper Approximately 10.5 inches by 6.5 inches I live within walking distance to the Oxbow Market, which just celebrated its first anniversary last weekend. If you don't know it, it's a collection of restaurants and food-related shops where you can get the best the region has to offer, like local grass-fed beef, oysters from Hog Island, the fantastic Model Bakery, a charcuterie that smokes its own sausages, hams and even makes its own mortadella, the best I've ever tasted. It also is home to Lisa Minucci's shop, Heritage Culinary Artifacts, filled with really wonderful pieces, mostly related to serving food and drink. It's a very tempting place; if I could, I'd wipe out half her stock with one shopping spree. When I saw this black-and-white English porcelain platter (one of five in graduated sizes), I knew I wanted to put some 'Meyer' lemons on it and paint it. Lisa graciously loaned it to me and this is the result. The platters are in the "Argyle" pattern and are from the 1920's. The set of five platters is $450. Lisa can be reached at www.heritageartifacts.com. Click on image to enlarge. If you’d like to receive “A Painting a Day from the Napa Valley,” just click on the “Contact” button (above right) and I’ll be happy to add you to the list. Thanks! Mon, 21 May 2012 00:39:54 -0700 http://cortart.com/products-page/still-lifes/meyer-lemons-on-an-argyle-platter/