Matilija Falls

Matilija Falls
outside Ojai, Calif.
January 25, 2010

Cool thing #12 about being unemployed; being able to get lost and wander. The idea was to take a quick little walk before breakfast-- nothing too serious, just something to stretch the legs and work up an appetite. We set out at oh-dark-thirty for the hills above Ojai. 15 miles, 9 hours, and 4 tic bites later my "breakfast" walk was done and done. When you don't have anywhere in particular to be, I suppose lost isn't really lost.

Lower.

Upper.

Rincon

Rincon
Jan. 20, 2011

First time shooting surfing. Obviously I wont be showing up on any Surfer mag covers. I have quite a bit to learn and a bit to go before I shake the dust off of shooting action sports.

Baby Barrel.

Ride.

Antoine.

O'Neill

Alone.

Sunset

Sunset
Emma Wood SP, outside VTA, Calif.
January 2011




Cool thing #54 about being unemployed; catching a winters sunset live and in person down on the beach instead of tucked away in an cubicle in a non-descript office building. Winter sunsets around these parts are pretty majestic. Its really the only time we have clouds in the sky. Usually in the winter I would be stuck w/ my nose in a pile of spreadsheets looking for coversheets for my TPS reports. The sun would usually be down before quitting time and the splendor would be missed entirely. Not so anymore!

Last wave.


Puddle Optics.

Sulphur

Sulphur Mtn.
Ojai, Calif.
Jan. 5th, 2011




Eleven miles of the raddest green rolling hills, jagged mountain ridges, ocean views, great company, and boxed wine! Not bad for a Wednesday.

Photo doesn't do it justice.

Last house on the block.

Julie.

Sunrise

Sunrise
Grant Park, VTA, Calif.
Jan. 4th, 2011




Cool thing #18 about being unemployed; being able to great the sunrise with a warm mug of tea and a Dominican cigar w/o being hurried or worried about being late to work. Totally worth it.





Good morning Ventuckey.

Hummingbird

Humming Bird
Backyard
Jan. 4th, 2011




Cool thing #37 about being unemployed: spend all day in the back yard chasing hummingbirds and not feel bad about it. I didn't quite get the shot but came close. Now that I think about it, cool thing #37a about being unemployed; I can try again tomorrow and not feel to guilty about it. Days well spent.

Waiting.

Almost.

Unenjoyment

Unenjoyment
Corner Office
VTA, Calif.
Jan. 3rd, 2011




Yup yup laid off, downsized, restructured, position eliminated, brushed to the side by an unforgiving corporate monstrosity, no questions asked and no answers volunteered, tossed out by a gaggle of bean counters in a faceless gray cubicle somewhere up the corporate ladder.

Five years tethered to a computer, chained to a desk, forced to drink watery coffee and stressed out for weeks on end, stuck under the heal of the Man all comes down to a quick handshake and a cardboard box.

Hows that for a happy New Years! Unemployment. Many call it unenjoyment. I guess we will see about that.

Amazing how little I have to show for 5yrs of service.

New Years

New Years
Angels Rest
Sta Monica Mtns
outside Newbury Park, Calif.
January 2011




Traditions.

2011.

West.

Girls.

Em.

Christmas

Christmas
Dry Lake Ridge Botanical Area
Ojai-ish, Calif.
December, 2010

Chilly.

Above.

Been Painting

Been Painting
Patio
Vta, Calif.
Oct.- Dec. 2010




Its been too long. Too many excuses, motivations, procrastinations have come and gone and gone. Time to pick up a brush. Time to stare at stretched canvas. Time to turn the nothingness into somethingness. Time to start throwing paint around. Its long been overdue. Blank canvas, pure whiteness. White. Nothing. The absence of memory. Add color and memory comes to life. Thats all I do really, give memory shape and form and color and cloud out the whiteness.

So I was driving down the 101 this am, totally late as usual, brushing my teeth and tying my tie and fiddling w/ the radio trying to find NPR on the FM as I merged in and out of slow ass traffic. All of a sudden something falls in my lap. I look down. Its a big arse spider trying I swear to fit my whole leg in his mouth. I about drove off the road. I blame it on you, all of you. Totally your fault of course.

Yup. Anyhow I decided it was a flashing neon lit message from the powers that be to can the whole work idea and call in sick. So I did. Call in sick I mean. Fall is here and the weather is crisp and the sun is shining. Pretty soon winter will be here and the darkness will set in. No need to rush it. No need to spend all day in an office. Plenty of time to stare at dull ass walls when we're dead. So it was a beautiful day i picked up a cold sixer and headed home to jump back into my painting.

Yup thats right. Been painting, covered in it in fact right now. Head to toe, covered. blues, greens, pinks, purples and a thousand other colors that man just hasn't found time to name yet. I love it. Feels great to be back. I turned this big ass patio room that runs along the back of the house into a studio. I don't have a traditional studio per say. I don't even have traditional accoutrements of a serious painter. Instead I went to the beach and filled two buckets with sand. I found an old door and laid them down over the buckets to form a table of sorts. Nothing serious. Nothing a real artist would have. Instead I got me a couple five gallon buckets filled with sand from Surfer's Point and laid an old door across the top. It does the trick.

Who am I kidding. Its awesome actually. I can watch Tess running around in the back yard as I work. She is stoked. Has the whole place to herself. Loves it I tell yah. I got her a squeeky hamburger. She tears all over the back yard chasing it. She goes after it like a one toothed dog in a flee biting contest. Its hilarious. Its awesome. Makes me chuckle, sometimes bust out laughing. I dont care how loud I am. I am the only one here. Me and my paints. And my dog. A few beers. F-in good times dude, genuine really.

Best mood I've been in since the wife left me for that Punta Canaian soap sales man at the farmer's market. Left me. Grubby bastard. Good riddance. Painting the dirty whore bag wife a piece right now. I'm using heartbreak and dissonance as my primary colors. Left me. Left me? Fuck you! Definitely best mood I've been in since I moved outta the car back into the world of the house-bound. Genuine. Yah okay I've never been married. Never been so inclined. But it sounded good. And it seemed to compliment the story. So i went with it.

Genuine.

Painting is going well. Good to be back at it. Its been too long. Way too long. Haven't had a project likes this since before being homeless. Never had space to stretch out before. Hurts though. Its been too long. My brain needs time to adjust. The first week was hard. Kinda like going climbing after a long absence. Or snowboarding too I imagine. Maybe not. Wouldn't know. Never bothered with the snowboarding thing. Its a craze I'll leave to those crazy kids with the pink hair and designer jackets that smell like dope. Every muscles screams in protest. Hands hurt, fingers, toes, back, shoulders. Total pain. Same thing w/ my brain. Not used to being creative like this. Gotta think differently. Hurts though. Hurts so good. Pain is good. Means I'm stretching a foggy part of my thinking, part that hasn't been used in years. Way too long. Love it. Genuine.

#1
16x20

I painted this two years ago. I hated it then and still hate it now.
So I painted over it and went to work afresh.

King Cole.
32x40
(painted over the canvas above)


More to come. Much more!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving
Sespe River
Rose Valley, Calif.
Nov. 2010

Clashing Fronts.

24.7

24.7
Santa Barbara to Ojai via the Murrieta Divide
SoCal
Nov. 20, 2010

Nearly 25 miles, in the pouring rain and freezing cold and gale force winds. Happy to have made it. Happier that its finally over.

Intrepid.

Red Rock Canyon.

Drops.

River Crossing.

Half Way.

Puddle.

15 down, 9 to go.

Cloud Cover.

Murrieta Divide. All downhill from here, 6 miles downhill.