This painting has the same basic configuration found in other paintings of the “castle”; at one point in its development it seemed to show a smiling face. Hence the title: Smile ofCoyote HilIs. These hills are located on the north side of Fullerton. They rise up a couple hundred feet and overlook the city. A fence closes off much of the unused land which at this point seems destined for housing developments and perhaps a nature reserve. For two decades I have lived nearby and can walk to an entrance in a few minutes, which explains my many landscapes of Coyote Hills.

Afternoon light on Coyote Hills viewed from the
West brings a new richness in form and color to
the steep cliffs and to the trees at their base.
You can almost feel the force of the glacier that
cut through the stone millennia ago and left behind this magnificent set of hills.
I am particularly pleased with the rhythm created by the yellow-green trees which recede from lower right to upper left. This rising action of the trees is circumscribed by a path or roadway which ends at the horizon. The upper third of the painting, including rocks and sky, became a key area of interest. Painting the face of a great cliff which has split into two parts, while maintaining a unified horizon, was a major challenge.

So named because the rocky configuration seemed like a castle. I have probably made a dozen paintings of Coyote Hills, modifying the compositions with simplified shapes and adjusting the color to create a balanced painting remained the chief goal of this series.

View of Coyote Hills, morning sunlight, part of hillside in violet shadow.

These Coyote Hills landscapes, while seen at different times of the day, have the same goal: to capture the ruggedness of the terrain by emulating the play of light and shadow as it crosses the landscape. A shared palette of warm reddish tones and cool gray-greens reflects the dryness of these Southern California hills.

Although this painting still represents Coyote Hills, it was the last canvas painted in this series and the most literal. The view across a somewhat open field to a settlement with houses and a barn. A large group of trees marks the middle ground, while in the distance rises a profile of the hills. The sloping range of clouds was painted as a contrast to the serenity of the rest of the scene.

A green belt of trees separates the sunny path near the top of the hills from the pond below. Above the trees the landscape fades to lighter shades of pink and violet.

Framed in a thick black frame.

Framed in a thick black frame with a hint of gold.

Coyote Hills to the right.

Framed in a thick black frame.

Clark Park is a short walk from my house in Fullerton. It is usually filled with people. This day it was deserted and I was able to set up an easel and record the scene en plein air. The focus of the painting is a bridge seen from a steep height and the light reflecting off the water beneath it.

The view is of a hilly landscape near Fullerton, CA where the artist moved in 2000. The primary interest for the painter was how to construct a gently receding landscape along two major diagonal axes that led the eye upwards through changing terrain with consistent lighting. The artist used many sketches in pencil and watercolor to prepare for this painting.

Coyote Hills. The warm reds of the rocks contrasts to the greens and violets of the vegetation and the shadowed slopes. The "castle" effect allows endless variations on this theme. All of these depended initially on either drawings or photographs or both.

Coyote Hills. The warm reds of the rocks contrasts to the greens and violets of the vegetation and the shadowed slopes. The "castle" effect allows endless variations on this theme. All of these depended initially on either drawings or photographs or both.

Deep Vista # 4. Coyote Hills. The warm reds of the rocks contrasts to the greens and violets of the vegetation and the shadowed slopes. The "castle" effect allows endless variations on this theme. All of these depended initially on either drawings or photographs or both.

Orange house. Clouds in pastel colors.

Framed in a thick black frame.

Coyote Hills. The warm reds of the rocks contrasts to the greens and violets of the vegetation and the shadowed slopes. The "castle" effect allows endless variations on this theme. All of these depended initially on either drawings or photographs or both.

This delightfully shady path covered with pine needles is a favorite place for walkers at Clark Regional Park in Fullerton. And because it is next to the Coyote Hills golf club, it is also a good place to look for stray golf balls.

Framed in a thick black frame.

A variation on Parking Station Nine. Taken from the same spot, this small painting captures the mood of the sun burning through the morning haze. Frame is included.

Framed in a thick black frame.

Framed in a beautiful gold colored frame.