Artist Andrew Dorn

Auntie Crissy's Nephews Pendant and Earrings

2011-08-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

So i designed and fabricated this Sterling Pendant and Earrings for Crissy for our 3 year wedding anniversary. As i was trying to figure out what stones Crissy would like in the pendant, it occurred to me that she may love to see her nephews here. The photos were taken by the talented Stephanie Bailey at stephaniebaileyphotography.com These are images of Crissy's nephews Noah, Jaidan, and baby Russell set under a clear epoxy. This image is an animated gif image. Make sure you look at it in a browser window for it to animate properly. The pendant is 1 inch tall by 3/4 inch wide by 1/4 inch deep.

Auntie Crissy's Nephews Pendant - Sterling Silver

Sterling Earrings

DornAndrew - fabricated silver pendant with Austrailian matrix opal and lavender sapphires - " Crissy Running Lunar Tide " sterling silver - 2" x 2" x 1/2" - Collection Crissy Lyles Dorn

2011-03-21T14:38:00.000-07:00

Crissy Running Lunar Tide
sterling, matrix opal, lavender sapphires

Crissy runs forever inspiring me as the moon inspires the tides-

Andrew Dorn

So this pendant is the third design and second major piece I have designed and fabricated for my Crissy Running line of jewelry.

With this piece I added interactive motion and some colorful stones to the line. The Australian matrix opal has a little electric firestorm of flashes of blue and green and purple light dancing around when rotated.

A dot of the matrix material in the opal stands out like a moon juxtaposed over the sea pulling the tides. This lines up with the single most purple of the lavender sapphires.

The opal invites the wearer to reach in and touch it in order to spin the dial and watch Crissy run. The twist spin pressure grabs the thick sterling bezel while the top of the stone gets a light touch of finger oil to keep it from drying out.

I chose to use a steel nut and screw with nylon washers in place of riveting silver for the axle as this allows me to take the piece apart and make changes or repairs. This little steel nut slides into the openings underneath the opal's step bezel in the center and the axle screws into it from the back through the back plate.

Just as i did with my Crissy Runs Tahoe Bracelet I began by building an animated gif of crissy running. This time I arranged them like a flower:

layout printed on paper and contact cemented to polished sterling plate with stones and bezel stock

sawing out crissy figures and circular disc out of sterling flat sheet

this is the bottom of the step bezel for the opal with a custom fitted steel nut that slides right into place

preparing bezel parts for soldering

rough after soldering

cleaned up

drilling to set sapphires

added back plate and axle and with stones before setting

DornAndrew - studio still life - " Friday Afternoon " - Oil on canvas - 20" x 16" - private collection

2010-12-15T02:38:00.000-08:00

This is a commissioned painting meant to capture a specific moment in time. There are rose petals and orange slices in the glass. I love how the candle light contrasts the natural daylight flooding this still life.

DornAndrew - portrait painting - " A Pepper named Chihuahua " - Oil on canvas - 8" x 10" - Private Collection

2010-12-08T21:02:00.000-08:00

Pepper is the dog's name.

This was a commissioned portrait and is not for sale.

Commission me to paint your loved ones.

Give the second image a few seconds to load - it is an animated gif of the painting process.

DornAndrew - fabricated silver bracelet - " Crissy Running Tahoe " - Sterling and Reticulation Silver - 6" x 1" x 1/8"- Collection Crissy Lyles Dorn

2010-09-04T18:15:00.000-07:00

I made this bracelet for my amazing wife Crissy. She never fails to inspire me. Crissy is my muse. This bracelet celebrates our marriage by combining our individual passions into a wearable story. I am fascinated with animation and various textures of precious metals. I love to build complicated jewelry and I love the balance between art aesthetics and engineering for endurance in such a piece of wearable sculpture. Crissy loves to run and she is quite beautiful while doing so. She often runs marathons and half marathons. We both love Lake Tahoe and love to get up there whenever we can. Crissy also likes to wear jewelry which works out pretty well because I sure do love to make it.

To design this piece, I biked alongside Crissy to capture video of her running. I then broke that video down into ten frames that made up a perfect two step loop and animated that loop. I then composed the images into a wearable landscape with the mountains of Tahoe and their reflection in the lake for a background. This is the animation of the ten frames used to make this bracelet:

To build the bracelet, I began by hammer texturing a sheet of polished sterling silver and then cut out ten Crissy silhouettes from it. I then "painted" a mountainous background out of silver i had previously reticulated.

Reticulation is a process of depletion gilding. It involves removing the copper alloy near the surface of a sheet of silver by repeatedly heating, quenching, and scrubbing the sheet until most of the copper has been oxidized to the surface and removed leaving the surface nearly pure silver. Then the sheet is carefully heated with a torch to the point that the interior melts while the exterior does not and therefore wrinkles up like a skin around the molten center. The wrinkles can be "painted" to some degree. The wrinkles tend to follow the torch flame but the control is very limited and dangerous as the metal is on the verge of melting entirely. If the metal survives this - the results can be a wrinkled fine silver finish that has been likened to a topographical map of the Sierra Nevada Mountains by Ganoksin:

http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/ajm-reticulation.htm

After I soldered these reticulated silver mountains down onto flat sterling square sheets, soldered the hinge parts to each piece of landscape, and assembled the hinges to form the bracelet

The bracelet really comes together when I carefully soldered the Crissy silhouettes down directly onto the hinges. This adds strength to the hinge joints but is very tricky to NOT flow the delicate original solder seams of the hinges themselves. The finish is done with a graver to the water and sky backgrounds and a high polish for the whole bracelet. The silver will most likely oxidize over time, I can't wait to see how it "antiques" naturally. Hopefully Crissy and I will antique together just as well.

DornAndrew - portrait painting - " Play Nice Sarah " - Oil on Panel - 6" x 6" - Private Collection

2010-07-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

This is our good friend Sarah Howell playing "not so nice" with her little friend. I made this painting last year and only recently delivered it to Brook and Scott as they move to Florida. Good luck and hope you all enjoy living near family.

This painting is in a private collection and is not for sale. Please feel free to contact me to commission one like this of your loved ones.

DornAndrew - portrait painting - " Jaidan " - Oil on Panel - 8" x 10" - Private Collection

2010-07-09T19:37:00.000-07:00

This is my nephew Jaidan. He is 12 months old now but i believe he is closer to 6 months in this picture. He sure is adorable. This small portrait is 8" x 10" He is framed in a beautiful green barnwood style frame courtesy of "The Paint Chip" in Davis. This painting is not for sale but i do take commissions for portraits like this one.

DornAndrew - Rominger West Winery Art Show 2010 and Review in Davis Enterprise

2010-07-09T19:22:00.000-07:00

This is my show at Rominger West Winery. It was part of the Davis Second Friday Art Opening Event for June 2010. Hanging paintings directly on wine barrels was a new treat for me. I was thrilled to find the Enterprise had Reviewed the show.

DornAndrew - daily painting - " Malinoff Garden " - Oil on Canvas - 14" x 11" - for sale

2010-07-02T03:23:00.000-07:00

This was a plein air painting i made out at the Malinoff's property on the Pence Gallery's Garden Tour this year. The day was beautiful and sunny and a bit windy but after this year's Natsoulas Landscape Conference where my easel blew over twice, i was prepared this time. I wanted to capture the waterfall and table and chairs while the beautiful wood fence acts like a backdrop curtain to the whole scene.

DornAndrew - silkscreen print - "Espressoed" - 8 x 10"

2010-05-11T23:58:00.000-07:00

I had a lesson in silkscreen printing today thanks to my friend Katie Cramer. I created this original artwork yesterday with ink on paper and a little photoshop eraser. This is my first print: "Espressoed" on paper - 8" x 10" I liked the print so much i printed my tee shirt too. I absolutely loved this process. We used a photo emulsion and a light/vacuum table to transfer the artwork. I can't wait to work with multiple colored layers. Thanks Katie.

DornAndrew - daily painting - " Moving the Pumphouse Again " - Oil on canvas - 14" x 11" - $300

2010-04-24T19:52:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day in Davis. Perfect 70 degree weather with no wind. I planned to paint the gardens at Community Park and yet on the way there i saw this and had to paint it. This pumphouse is from the 1800s and has already been moved once before. You are looking at a building supported by steel I - beams on lumber. The base of the building has been carefully cut away and they are planning to move this around the corner and restore it from the inside out. A new 2 story building is going in here to house the new Mishka's Cafe and offer office space on the second floor.

DornAndrew - daily painting - " Plein Air Arboretum 2010 " - Oil on Canvas - 14" x 11" - for sale

2010-04-18T15:36:00.000-07:00

This is my fourth year in the John Natsoulas California Landscape Conference. I painted plein air along with some wonderful painters.
http://natsoulas.com/html/landscape/index.html

After wrestling with the wind and the cloud cover for a few hours and losing my easel twice to the wind -

I was able to begin a plein air oil sketch and finish it in my studio later. Here is the finished painting. It will be available for sale through the

John Natsoulas Gallery: 530.756.3938
http://natsoulas.com/index.html

DornAndrew - daily painting - " Gilmer Vinyard " - Oil on Canvas - 10" x 8"

2010-04-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

This is a plein air painting i did recently. It is a study for a larger studio commission in progress. Plein air is a such a great way for the artist to really study the landscape. Painting directly on location like that forces me to create quickly and spontaneously. This is west Davis out by the Yolo County airport looking West towards Berrysessa.

This painting is not for sale.

DornAndrew - daily painting - " Magic Bean Espresso " - Oil on panel - 5" x 7"

2010-04-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

" Magic Bean Espresso "

oil on panel

5 x 7"

2010

This painting is for sale at the Pence Gallery in their " Tiny Show"

contact the Pence Gallery in Davis for purchase info: (530) 758-3370

DornAndrew - daily painting - " Canvas Sale at The Paint Chip " - Oil on panel - 10" x 8"

2010-03-28T14:34:00.001-07:00

Early one morning as i walked by The Paint Chip i noticed the sunny morning light. I had been wanting to do a painting of this particular scene and was just looking for the right time of day. So i packed up my easel that night and early the next morning i went out and captured it in oil colors. I set up around 7:40am and the low lying haze on the horizon was blocking the sun so i had to hope and wish that it would fade sooner than later. I began to mix my colors from a digital pic i had taken the day before- when sure enough the sun broke free of the clouds and bathed my scene in warm morning light just as it had a day earlier. I ripped this little gem out in an hour and a half. I would have loved to finish, but had to get to my day-job....framing for The Paint Chip. I went back to the studio and finished this up from photo reference with another couple hours attention.

DornAndrew - daily painting - " Davis Tower " - Oil on Canvas - 12" x 9" - for sale

2010-03-01T22:20:00.000-08:00

This painting I began en plein air early one morning back in the spring of 2009. I have been dying to get back to finish it. well this week I pulled out some reference pics I took that day and finished the painting.

" Davis Tower "
oil on canvas
12" x 9"
2010

DornAndrew - Jazz Festival Performance Painting - " Interpretation of Adam Jenkins and Ganbare Spirits Ensemble " - Oil on Canvas - 48" x 36"

2009-10-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

October 10 2009

I performed a performance painting in Davis Jazz Festival. I performed along with Adam Jenkins and Ganbare Spirits Ensemble in the Davis Commons. It was a great time.

DornAndrew - daily painting - " Gold Tooth " - Oil on Canvas - 10" x 10" - $149

2009-08-13T22:14:00.000-07:00

I actually guilded 18k Gold leaf on this painting to make its "Gold Tooth". A Playful Impression of a skull.

DornAndrew - daily painting - " Lake Solano Summer Afternoon " - oil on board - 8" x 10" - NFS

2009-06-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

This was a plein air painting i began last summer. I just now finished it in my studio from photo reference.

Dornandrew - daily painting - " de Luna Jewelers Davis CA" - oil on canvas - 10" x 10" - SOLD

2009-05-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

This was a fun little plein air oil sketch i did about a month ago. I decided to update the greenery to today's leafage as it was a little sparse last month. So here it is.

SOLD

Dornandrew - daily painting - " Three bananas " - oil on panel - 8" x 6" - $99

2009-05-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

"Three Bananas" I love the cold hard light on this trio.

DORNANDREW - daily painting : " A lemon, a lime, and a clementine " - oil on panel - 7" x 5" - NFS

2009-04-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

This painting i did alongside the Orange/Tomato painting. I made these to fit into my "Citrus Series" which seems to be very popular.

DORNANDREW - daily painting : " Orange you glad I didn't say Tomato? " - oil on panel - 6" x 6" - $99

2009-04-19T00:49:00.001-07:00

Doodled in the thick paint on these.

DORNANDREW - daily painting - E at 2nd - oil on canvas - 10"x 10" - SOLD

2009-03-25T00:02:00.000-07:00

Now that we have moved the clocks forward I have enough time between sunrise and work to paint plein air. I made this painting today of DeLuna Jewelers at E and 2nd st. I love this tree in the background and the way the morning light hits it.

SOLD

The Del II

2009-02-12T23:15:00.000-08:00

This was a painting i made back in June of the Hotel Del Coronado. I sold that original and was recently commissioned to make another. While i would love to go back and paint another plein air, I tried to make this as close as I could to the original and was curious to see what differences would come.
This was a commissioned painting and is not for sale.

Dornandrew - daily painting - Camilo Plays - oil on canvas - 12" x 12" - not for sale

2009-01-10T12:03:00.000-08:00

This is a painting i have been planning for some time now. Made from a photograph, Camilo was playing at Mastercraft. I am really enjoying the abstract sound interpretation.

This painting is not for sale.

Dornandrew - daily painting - Bowl of Citrus - oil on panel - 7" x 5" - SOLD

2008-12-18T19:52:00.000-08:00

So i sold that last citrus painting so quickly i decided to paint another. I am really enjoying these. For this painting i attempted to render a peeled clementine with some citrus segments scattered about the bowl. This was more difficult than i anticipated however I am quite pleased with the results.
SOLD

Dornandrew - daily painting - California Citrus - oil on panel - 7" x 5" - SOLD

2008-12-08T19:58:00.000-08:00

California has such wonderful citrus. This painting revisits of one of the earliest paintings i did for this blog back in January 2007. You can scroll back through the blog to see the original or click this link to jump straight to it.

SOLD

Dornandrew - Commissioned Painting - Good Friends - oil on canvas - 9" x 12"

2008-11-30T23:49:00.000-08:00

Good Friends is a commissioned double portrait.

This painting is not for sale.

Dornandrew - Daily Painting - Waikoloa Morning - oil on panel - 14" x 11" - SOLD

2008-09-25T02:53:00.000-07:00

I am currently on my honeymoon on Hawaii's big island. I made this painting early one morning while my beautiful new wife Crissy went out for a long run. I love painting here and am so glad i brought my easel.

SOLD

Dornandrew - Daily Painting - Davis Amtrak Early Light - oil on canvas - 9" x 12" - SOLD

2008-09-16T22:53:00.000-07:00

I painted this plein air painting last Thursday morning. I just love this building and it's arches. I love how the morning light dances around it early in the day.

SOLD

Dornandrew - Commissioned Painting - Canindagua House - oil on canvas - 10" x 8" - private collection

2008-09-15T23:45:00.000-07:00

This is a commissioned painting and is not for sale.

email me at dornandrew@hotmail.com to commission a painting like this of your home.

DORNANDREW - daily painting - Hoffman House - oil on canvas - 10"x 8" - private collection

2008-06-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

This painting was commissioned and is not for sale.

Nice house tho-

to commission a painting like this of your home, email me at dornandrew@hotmail.com!

Dorn Andrew Plein Air Painting at Natsoulas California Landscape Conference 2008

2008-06-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

Howdy. On Saturday June 21st (yesterday) The John Natsoulas Gallery put on a California Landscape Painting Conference event where 8 Plein air landscape painters (including me) went out painting to The Farm on Putah Creek which is also the Center for Land Based Learning. Here we painted plein air while guests wandered about watching and asking questions. It was an absolutely wonderful event. They served a catered lunch at the farm and then we all headed back to the Natsoulas Gallery in Davis for dessert and coffee while the artists give a short presentation about our paintings.

Then Glenn Brill from Gamblin Artist Colors gave a brilliant presentation that covered all aspects of oil paints, mediums and varnishes. He covered color theory and the different palettes from the masters through the impressionists and into modern colors. It was very informative and the group seemed to really work him for info. He was very good and i think all the artists (more than 50) got something from it. I know i learned an awful lot.

This was my second year involved in this event and it is so much fun. If you are interested in getting involved as a guest or a painter, contact John Natsoulas. I believe they are talking about March for next year.

I have not finished my painting yet but here is a photo of me with my painting in it's location. I chose a scene looking off the porch of the beautiful old 1896 farm house. I liked the interior feel of the porch juxtaposed with the sun drenched fields and the walnut tree in the shadows. I also enjoy the chipped paint on the floorboards and the beautiful old wicker couch. I plan on detailing these some more.

I took some photos of the scene and am working on completing the painting from them in my studio. I will post an image of the finished painting here on this blog as soon as it is done but the canvas itself will be available through the John Natsoulas Gallery.

Super Fun!

DORNANDREW - commissioned painting - Edgar Peak - oil on canvas - 14" x 11" - comissioned work

2008-06-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

This was a commissioned painting and is not for sale. Edgar Peak is a beautiful area in the hills just West of Davis.

Email me at dornandrew@hotmail.com to commission a painting!

DORNANDREW - daily painting : The Del - 8" x 10" - SOLD

2008-06-06T23:53:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday Crissy and I went with friends to Coronado Beach the day before the girls ran the Rock and Roll Marathon San Diego. The stunning beach frames this beautiful old Hotel Del Coronado.

This painting sold on EBAY! Click here to view my Auctiva hosted Ebay Store!

DORNANDREW - commissioned jewelry - Wedding Bands in 14KWhite gold with Mokume Gane inlay

2008-06-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

Surprise! I am not only a painter but a goldsmith as well. These are 14KWhite gold wedding bands with a hammer texture and 14K tri colored gold Mokume Gane inlay in the interior. The Mokume Gane is three 14K golds in yellow, rose, and palladium white fused together into one piece of metal. I then inlaid it into the ring (as my signature). I just finished these yesterday for a good friend and i photographed them last night. I know this is a painting blog but this project has artistic value and i feel it is appropriate to show these off here. Congratulations (early) to Camilo and Rachel - what a perfect couple - they will marry this August.

I know it has been a week since my last post. I spent the weekend in San Diego where my beautiful fiancee Crissy ran and finished her first marathon. She sure made 5 hours of running look easy. I am soooooo proud of her. I really wanted to bring my easel and paint but it just didn't fit into our plans timewise so i took lots of photos and i am planning some daily paintings of San Diego, Coronado, and the Rock and Roll Marathon over the next week. Stay tuned to see them here!

DORNANDREW - daily painting - Evan D Williams - oil on canvas - 8"x 10" - collection Evan D Williams

2008-05-28T23:58:00.000-07:00

This is my good friend Evan D Williams leading the Evan D Williams band. Check out his website and click on music to hear them play.

DORNANDREW - daily painting - Memorial Day Weekend 2008 Gas Prices in Davis CA - oil on canvas - 8"x 10" - SOLD

2008-05-24T23:33:00.001-07:00

I thought i would paint what is on my mind: Gas prices. This is Memorial Day Weekend 2008 and this is what people are paying for gasoline in Davis CA. I don't expect the price of gasoline will ever go back down. I believe it will continue to rise. This is the world we live in. It will be interesting to see how people adjust their lives to this. The storm clouds represent the increases to come. I did not fake them. This is how I imagined this painting and this is exactly how this looked today.

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily painting - Max - oil on canvas - 6"x 5" - Private collection

2008-05-23T23:56:00.001-07:00

A good friend of mine recently lost his dog. Max is a Pomeranian Chihuahua mix.

This painting is not for sale.

DORNANDREW - daily painting - ...and with fire in my eyes... - oil on canvas - 10"x 8" - SOLD

2008-05-20T23:28:00.000-07:00

This is a self portrait. It's full title is: Armed with my paintbrush and with fire in my eyes i contemplate my own mortality. I am shortening the title to: "...and with fire in my eyes..." the habanero peppers make for very expressive eyes. I have been preoccupied with quality vs. quantity of life lately. I feel like many people seem to think that dying is the worst thing that can happen to a person. I am beginning to realize that failing to enjoy the life that we have is a far worse fate.

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily painting - Habanero Orange - oil on panel - 6"x 4" - private collection

2008-05-18T23:52:00.000-07:00

These last few miniatures i have done have been fun. I thought i would brighten this one up. I love Cadmium Orange but i don't buy it in the tube - instead i mix it from cadmium yellow light and cad red light. This is one of my favorite coffee cups. It is more like an espresso shot cup. If you are familiar with my work you may have seen it before. The habanero pepper feels like a cherry.

This painting is in a private collection.

DORNANDREW - plein air painting - Castro - oil on panel - 20" x 16" - SOLD

2008-05-15T14:42:00.000-07:00

This is a plein air painting i began on March 29th 2008. I set up on location and the sun kept on coming and going. I sketched the painting out on prepared panel. I then took many photos and finished the painting in my studio.

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily painting : Viridian - oil on panel - 4" x 6" - SOLD

2008-05-14T22:24:00.000-07:00

I had fun with the previous painting "Brushes" and so i did another one. This painting includes my favorite painting tool: the palette knife. Viridian is the only tube green i use. I mix all my greens from it.

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily painting : B playing guitar 5"x 7" - private collection

2008-05-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

So i pulled out my portrait of my great friend B. I started this in Feb 2007. I tried to paint it from life but i was recovering from surgery and a little doped up at the time so it began poorly. Fortunately for me i had taken pics of B that day and I am now using those as reference for this painting. The tv behind Bs head (to the left)works as it represents the wild spontaneous thought process that is B's amazing creativity. The painting on the wall behind B (to the right) is a collaboration painting/collage that B and I created together. It came out great and i double framed it. B is one of my closest and dearest friends. He is my motivation and inspiration in art. He is a true fine artist. I may continue on this painting in the future. For now, it is complete.

DORNANDREW - daily painting - Brushes - oil on canvas - 6"x 4" - private collection

2008-05-11T23:57:00.000-07:00

"Brushes" I feel this is a nice medium between classical realism and a painterly impressionism. While this painting is only 6 x 4", I definitely gave my signature more presence as i feel this painting to be a business card in a way.

DORNANDREW - daily painting : Whoa! - oil on canvas - 7" x 5" - private collection

2008-05-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

This has to be one of the Cutest kids i have ever met. Clyde Elias Fowler navigating some grass in a kayak. Here's to you Clyde - for reminding me how much fun being a kid can be. I can't wait to have a kid of my own someday - hopefully someday soon.

This painting went smooth and quick. Some portraits take me forever. This one was about as natural as they get. This painting is not for sale. Please feel free to commission me to paint something like this of your loved ones. I paint people, pets, places, automobiles, and anything else you may cherish.

email me at dornandrew@hotmail.com to commission a custom portrait.

DORNANDREW - daily painting - Espresso's Bite - oil on canvas - 6" x 4" - $99

2008-05-06T22:56:00.000-07:00

I am really enjoying this new painting style. I relly like the impressionistic feel of the paint on this one. I am really loose and practically throwing the paint onto the canvas here.

Click here or on this post' s title to buy this painting right now from my Ebay Store hosted by Auctiva!

DORNANDREW - daily painting - Raw Onion Zing - oil on canvas - 6"x 4" - $99

2008-05-05T22:46:00.000-07:00

To shake things up a little, i am tweaking my usual painting style. In this example after painting the onions I "energize" the background to suggest that raw onion Zing! I work more and more into raw tube colors mixing them right on the canvas in the true impressionist style. I am painting dark values first and then working light values into them (much easier that the inverse when working wet into wet). I am having so much fun with this!
Crisp, juicy, and sweet like an apple but with Zing!

Click here or on post title or image above to buy this painting on my Auctiva hosted Ebay Store!

DORNANDREW - commissioned painting - Corcoran Pond Morning - oil on canvas - 14" x 11" - comissioned work

2008-05-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hello fans. I have been working on many full size paintings and have not finished any lately. This one, however, had a deadline and therefore it is finished. I think i paint better under time stress. It seems to help prevent my indecision from interfering with completion. This painting is a comissioned work by the Yolo County Flood Control & Water Conservation District for the cover of their annual report. It is Corcoran Pond out near the Yolo County Airport. I painted this one in the studio from photo reference. I went out there and photographed three timed before finding the composition and lighting i wanted.

This painting is a commissioned work and is not for sale. To commission a painting just email me at dornandrew@hotmail.com

DORNANDREW - daily painting - "Apples and Coffee" - 10" x 10" - oil on canvas - SOLD

2008-04-11T14:26:00.000-07:00

Hello - Well it has been some time since my last post. I have been plein air painting but i have not finished or posted them. I will post them when finished. Meanwhile, here is a painting i made for this blog. I hope you enjoy "Apples and Coffee"

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily drawing - Crissylegs w laptop - charcoal on paper - 18"x 11" - private collection

2008-03-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday i made this drawing of Crissy with her new computer.

DORNANDREW - landscape painting - Bear Flag Farm - oil on canvas - 14" x 18" - For Sale thru Natsoulas Gallery

2008-03-23T14:15:00.000-07:00

In July 2007 I painted Bear Flag Farm as part of John Natsoulas' Sacramento Valley Landscape Conference. You can check out my original painting here : Bear Flag Farm

I liked it so much i painted it again slightly larger. This version measures 18" x 14" and it was painted entirely in the studio based on the original plein air painting.

This painting is on display in the California Landscape Conference at the John Natsoulas Gallery in Davis CA. The show will be open to the public on Wed May 28th 2008 and the opening reception is Sat June 7th from 7-9pm. This painting is also featured in the book: Sacramento Valley Landscape Painters published by John Natsoulas Press. Contact the gallery for purchase information.

DORNANDREW - plein air painting - Davis Farmer's Market - oil on canvas - 18" x 14" - for sale

2008-03-16T23:51:00.000-07:00

I began this painting back on January 19th 2008. It was painted plein air at the Davis Farmer's Market and finished in my studio. It is very difficult to paint plein air around so many people. I really enjoy talking with people while i paint and yet it can be very distracting to draw a crowd while painting. This was an early morning scene looking into the sun. There were many shadows to play with.

email me at dornandrew@hotmail.com for purchase information.

DORNANDREW - plein air painting - Almond Blossoms in Zamora - oil on canvas - 14" x 11" - donated and sold at fund raising auction

2008-03-12T23:05:00.001-07:00

Today I painted plein air in Zamora and donated the painting to the Yolo County Resource Conservation District. They Held their annual dinner and silent auction tonight to raise money to send two Davis High School Students to the California Range & Natural Resources Camp in Half Moon Bay this coming June. It was fun and the painting sold at auction. I met so many people and i am blown away by this community of responsible farmers. For more info check out www.yolorcd.org

DORNANDREW - plein air painting : Almond Blossoms - oil on canvas - 14" x 11" - SOLD

2008-03-07T22:44:00.000-08:00

I went plein air painting with my friends Philippe Gandiol and Marie-Therese Brown today in Winters CA. Early overcast skies gave way to a beautiful sunny warm day.

SOLD

DORNANDREW - landscape painting : Sugarbowl's Untouched Backside - 24" x 18" - for sale

2008-02-27T21:44:00.000-08:00

A beautiful sunny 65degree day in February on top of Sugarbowl looking down at the untouched backside behind the Crow's Nest lift.

This painting is for sale. Email me for purchase information.

DORNANDREW - daily painting - bell peppers with knife 10" x 8" - SOLD

2008-02-23T23:47:00.000-08:00

SOLD

DORNANDREW - painting for upcoming show - Piping Hot French Presss for Two - oil on canvas - 8"x 10" - $149

2008-02-22T20:02:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since i have painted coffee.

email me at dornandrew@hotmail.com to purchase this painting for $149!

DORNANDREW - commissioned portrait - Tigh - oil on canvas - 8" x 10" - private collection

2008-02-11T21:28:00.000-08:00

Tigh the Boston Terrier-

Email me at dornandrew@hotmail.com to commission me to paint a portrait of your beloved pet!

DORNANDREW - daily painting : Kona Wilson - 5"x 7 - private collection

2008-01-23T17:53:00.000-08:00

This is a small 5" x 7" oil portrait on canvas of a cute little Yorkshire Terrier that goes by the name of Kona. While this puppy portrait is spoken for I do accept portrait commisions.

Email me at dornandrew@hotmail.com to commission me to paint a portrait of your beloved pet!

DORNANDREW - plein air painting : Morning Trees - oil on panel - 8" x 10" - SOLD

2008-01-18T17:44:00.000-08:00

This morning i painted plein air with Philippe Gandiol. I like this and i call it Morning Trees. Philippe seemed to like it too.

SOLD

check out Philippe Gandiol's work:

http://www.philippegandiol.com/

DORNANDREW - daily painting : study of (Gregory Kondos' "Monterey Bay" 2002) -10 x 8" - $99

2008-01-13T18:01:00.000-08:00

On Saturday Jan 12, 2008 I took a painting workshop with Gregory Kondos. It was such a blast. I made this 10" x 8" study of his Monterey Bay painting done in 2002. Painting a study of one of his works helped me to understand his painting style that much better. He spoke about painting and about the world of fine art. I could tell by his passion and comfort with teaching that he has been teaching for a really long time. I am thrilled to have had this opportunity to work directly with him and learn from him. He makes an incredible role model as a painter.

Here is an image of Gregory Kondos' original painting: Monterey Bay - 2002

DORNANDREW - Art Review - Davis Enterprise - Christmas Eve 2007

2007-12-29T11:54:00.001-08:00

Check out this Art review by Suzanne Munich in the Davis Enterprise from Christmas Eve 2007- Merry Christmas to me!

DORNANDREW - commissioned painting - Studebaker 1936 President rumble seat coup - oil on canvas - 20" x 16" - Private collection

2007-12-07T20:51:00.000-08:00

This painting commission was a blast (as usual) and it is part of the reason for so few daily paintings lately.

It was almost as challenging as a portrait as the owner of the car would spot any missed details or incorrect proportions. I love it.

DORNANDREW - daily painting : a lemon amongst persimmon - 10"x 8" - SOLD

2007-12-01T23:58:00.000-08:00

I took a wondrful still life workshop today with Philippe Gandiol and after taking my painting home and touching it up in my studio, this is the result:

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily drawing - 1936 Studebaker President rumble seat coupe - charcoal on paper - 10 x 12" - private collection

2007-10-30T23:16:00.000-07:00

This is a value study sketch for a commissioned painting of a most beautiful vehicle. I am really excited to begin painting this in oil.

DORNANDREW - daily painting - Apple Ladies and Liberties - oil on panel - 8"x 10" -$149

2007-10-19T00:43:00.001-07:00

This was a few days in the works:

email me at dornandrew@hotmail.com to purchase this painting for $149

DORNANDREW - daily painting : This painting is BOSS! - oil on canvas - 40"x 60" - for sale thru Natsoulas Gallery

2007-10-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

This was superfun! I had such a good time. I painted on stage to the jazz music of the band RACE! This is my interpretation of their music:

Click on the painting to see photos of me painting it live:

My photographer friend Corey Yeaton was there taking pics of me performing and i will post those as soon as i get them.

This painting is on sale through the Natsoulas Gallery with half of it's sale price to go to the Davis High School Jazz Band. For more information go to :

John Natsoulas Center for the Arts
521 1st Street, Davis CA 95616
Tel: 530.756.3938

DORNANDREW - daily painting : Interpretation of Ki-tun - 30"x 34"

2007-10-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

I am preparing to paint a live interpretation of Music today. The last couple of days i have been practicing in my studio. This is an interpretation of a live recording of my good friend Camilo Nascimento's Ki-tun.

To listen to the music that i painted this to click on this link:
http://www.myspace.com/arhantakitun

While i love painting in this free form expression style i rarely show these works so please feel free to leave comments on this piece. (any constructive critique is appreciated)

Today i will be at the Davis Jazz Artist Festival painting live to the music of RACE! I will be painting at 1pm on the Davis Commons Stage. Look for me there and look out for that painting to be posted right here!

DORNANDREW - daily painting : onion lemon apple triptych - three 4"x 6" canvas - SOLD

2007-10-03T00:37:00.000-07:00

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily painting : gala apple - 4"x 6" - SOLD

2007-10-03T00:25:00.000-07:00

This painting of a gala apple completes this triptych.

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily painting : lemon - oil on canvas - 4"x6" - SOLD

2007-10-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

one lemon.

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily painting : yellow onion - oil on canvas - 4" x 6" - SOLD

2007-09-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

yellow onion.

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily painting - two honey crisps - oil on canvas - 7" x 5" - $99

2007-09-23T21:22:00.000-07:00

These are my favorite apples. Honey Crisp from Washington State.

email me at dornandrew@hotmail.com to purchase this painting for $99!

DORNANDREW - daily painting : red and white onions - oil on canvas - 7"x 5" - $99

2007-09-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

These onions were fun to paint on a wood and glass top table.

email me at dornandrew@hotmail.com to purchase this painting for $99!

DORNANDREW - daily painting : pomegranates in progress - oil on canvasboard 10"x 8" - SOLD

2007-09-10T23:53:00.000-07:00

I found these pomegranates ripening at the top of a tree and painted them from a second story window. I call this: "pomegranates in progress"

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily painting : Strelitzia' Sunflower - oil on canvas - 9" x 12" - SOLD

2007-09-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

Strelitzia's Flower Company here in Davis, CA was giving away sunflowers the other day and i thought i would paint some. I love how this came out. I may just have to paint another.

www.strelitziaflowers.com

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily painting : sm gala, lg gravenstein - oil on canvas - 6"x 5" - private collection

2007-09-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

An Apple a Day: Sm Gala, Lg Gravenstein

This is a strange apple i had never seen before: the label says it's a lg red gravenstein from california. It really has those spotty warm and cool red colors to it if you haven't seen one before. It is quite delicious- (I am eating it as i write this post) The small apple is a tiny gala.

This painting is no longer available.

DORNANDREW - daily painting - an apple a day: red delicious - oil on canvas - 5"x 7" - private collection

2007-08-31T00:04:00.000-07:00

the ever popular red delicious apple:

DORNANDREW - daily painting : an apple a day: jazz - oil on canvas - 5"x7" - private collection

2007-08-30T23:16:00.000-07:00

If an apple a day keeps the doctor away...

...and a painting a day is so artistically healthy...

...then logically i should paint and then eat an apple each day.

and so begins a new series:

an apple a day: jazz (apple growers crossed a Braeburn with a Gala)

DORNANDREW - daily painting : espresso in the dark - oil on two 4"x 6" canvases - reversible diptych - $149

2007-08-25T01:20:00.000-07:00

I painted this context painting to work well and feel different depending on which canvas is on which side. I am enjoying this concept so look for more of these in the future.

email me at dornandrew@hotmail.com to purchase this reversible diptych for $149!

This was new for me. I did not paint this from life. Instead I painted this from a pencil drawing I did over a year ago at Gimme coffee in Ithaca, NY. I included an image of it here - it is tiny 4 x 4"pencil on black matboard and it really seems to look great when the light reflects off the pencil.

DORNANDREW - landscape painting - Russian River Reflection - oil on canvas - 20"x 30" - for sale

2007-08-22T00:11:00.000-07:00

On July 28th I painted a plein air oil of the Russian River north of Santa Rosa. I posted that painting on July 29th. Using a bad cell phone camera for pics and my memory of the two hour plein air painting session that day I pieced this 20 x 30" painting together. Of course I had a blast painting it and it kept me on top of the world for the days it took me to create it.

email me at dornandrew@hotmail.com for purchase information.

DORNANDREW - daily painting : Bear Flag Farm 2007 - oil on canvas - 12"x12" - missing

2007-08-21T23:56:00.001-07:00

On July 21st I took part in the John Natsoulas Galleries' Sacrament Valley Landscape Conference Plein Air Painting Demonstrations at Bear Flag Farm.

I began this painting at the Bear Flag Farm en plein air and I completed it in my studio.
The sun was high and harsh toward the end (11:30am) of that plein air session.

I met so many people and got to paint for them-it was so much fun!

DORNANDREW - daily painting : The Karma Kup Breathes - acrylic on canvas - sleeve for a Karma Kup - 5" x 9" - collection Mishka's Cafe

2007-08-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

This is a little project i have been working on for the Mishka's Cafe. Apparently thier Karma Kup (tip jar) broke. They asked me to make them another so i stretched canvas around a glass and glued it together with gesso. I then designed the new Karma Kup logo complete with espresso and aroma and transfered this three times to this canvas. I then hand painted this in ink and acrylic paint and sealed it with an acrylic varnish. You can see this kup 0n permanent display at the Mishka's Cafe on 2nd St in Davis, CA. Or visit their website at

www.mishkascafe.com

If you like the Kup or Mishka's Cafe show it by sharing good Karma.

DORNANDREW - daily drawing - Mishka's morning interior triptych - pencil on ragboard - three 10" x 4"s each framed and hinged together - SOLD

2007-07-30T22:54:00.000-07:00

I have been working on this drawing for more than a month now. It started as a sketch of the right panel only and i continued adding the other panels until it felt right. I worked on this entirely en plein air and all of the shading was done somewhere in the 8:45 am - 9:15 am timeslot nearly daily over a 6 week period. I did not know what i was planning for this until i listened to it and it told me this is what it wanted to be. I love Mishka's Cafe in the morning. It is difficult to find this place actually empty- it is usually packed solid with students studying, people laughing, great music, and of course coffee at every table.

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily painting : river reflections - oil on canvasboard - 8"x 10" - SOLD

2007-07-29T23:11:00.000-07:00

I went camping with family yesterday on the Russian River near Santa Rosa. After a 10 mile canoe trip down the river we camped out and i put this oil color study together as the sun went down. We woke up the next morning to a blue heron standing in the middle of this scene.

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily painting : crabapples - oil on board - 4"x 3" - private collection

2007-07-19T23:40:00.000-07:00

I have been working on some pencil drawings and acrylic paintings but not able to rush to finish them so here is a little side painting just for the blog. This is a couple of crabapples i picked on the way home from work. This is a very small 4" x 3". I dig the reflections and shadows.

DORNANDREW - daily drawing - self portrait - charcoal on paper - 13" x 17"

2007-07-08T23:26:00.000-07:00

Today i sketched this self portrait using a large studio mirror.

DORNANDREW - a painting a day - monthly recap

2007-07-04T11:18:00.000-07:00

Howdy Gang!

So i just hung a small show of small works of daily paintings and drawings at Davis' local Mishka's Cafe. It is my favorite local coffee shop. I just love the ambience there. Many of the artworks in the show were created right there at Mishka's. Check it out if you are in Davis. They are at 514-B 2nd St. in Davis.

Mishka's website:
www.mishkascafe.com

I have a set of three pencil drawings i have been working on at Mishka's that are a panorama of the view from one of the seats there. I only work on the set on location and have been working on them daily for a week now. The set is almost ready.

I am also experimenting on a double oil on canvas diptych of espresso's energy. That pair is very experimental for me so i cannot force their completion. Look for these pieces soon on this blog.

DORNANDREW - daily painting : Press a Triple Cup - oil on stretched canvas - 8"x 6" - SOLD

2007-06-24T23:50:00.000-07:00

I am getting much looser and enjoying this tremendously.

My French Press produces three coffee cups a worth and this is my mornin'inna studio-

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily painting : espresso close up - 5" x 5" - oil on sretched canvas - SOLD

2007-06-22T23:49:00.000-07:00

So i am preparing for a show at Mishka's Cafe here in Davis in July 2007. What do you think my show's inspiration might be?

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily drawing - double aroma - pencil on ragboard - 10" x 8" - framed: SOLD

2007-06-21T00:06:00.000-07:00

This was the sketch for the two doubles painting. I have been working on it for a while. I am finally pleased with it. The coffee beans solidify the whole sketch.

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily painting : Sunday Morning Press - 4"x 6" - SOLD

2007-06-20T00:41:00.000-07:00

I painted this Sunday but didn't finish it till tonight. I love the how the morning light exaggerates the impatience of the scene.

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily painting : two doubles - oil on stretched canvas - 5" x 7" - $99

2007-06-11T18:42:00.000-07:00

I love these bright orange espresso mini mugs. Fresh hot coffee is my favorite part of the morning.I reworked this today- I find this much more fun.

email me at dornandrew@hotmail.com to purchase this painting for $99!

DORNANDREW - daily drawing - espresso sketch2 - pencil on ragboard - 4"x 4" - framed: SOLD

2007-06-08T23:13:00.000-07:00

I am playing with blending careful drawing with some art nouveau lines and my jitter-doodles. I think it expresses the steamy aromatic espresso with the effects of coffee and bright morning light.

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily drawing - espresso sketch - pencil on ragboard - 4"x 4" - framed : SOLD

2007-06-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

I took two separate trips to the coffee joint today to figure this one out.

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily drawing - doodle sketch - black ink on ragboard - 4.5" x 6.5" - SOLD

2007-06-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

Getting back into the swing of things after a vacation is zapping me. I just set up a show of these daily paintings in Ithaca NY at Mastercraft. It runs through June 2007. I am preparing to do a show at Miska's Coffee shop here in Davis CA in July.

This is a noodled piece i did last year. I show it to you as part of my inspiration for my upcoming show at Mishka's.

SOLD

DORNANDREW - daily painting : rainydayscape: kitchen interior -acrylic on canvasboard - 6" x 8" private collection

2007-05-27T19:37:00.000-07:00

Today I am in my home town of Ithaca NY. I planned to paint the Ithaca falls and on my way there a sudden downpour changed my mind. I set up indoors and painted this lovely kitchen interior instead. 1.5 hours

DORNANDREW - daily painting : coffee mug1 - acrylic on stretched canvas - 4" x 4" - private collection

2007-05-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

This girl and dog on this coffee mug reminds me of someone i know. I thought this was cute.