Posts Categorized: Dry Ink

Mom’s garden

Posted 2021/07/11 by Sterling

Woke up early to avoid the heat and while I was having my coffee the light pouring down from the…

Patio Fading Light

Posted 2021/07/06 by Sterling

Quick low-light oil sketch of Alexander Valley after sunset. 1hr

Gravel Driveway

Posted 2021/07/02 by Sterling

Another crazy hot day. Around six the heat became tolerable so I walked down the hill and set up on…

Afterglow in the Hills

Posted 2021/06/29 by Sterling

Drove over to the other side of the ranch around sunset just to mix things up and paint the Valley…

Pruned Echium

Posted 2021/06/26 by Sterling

Post dinner patio color study. 1hr. Mom pruned the Pride of Madeira last week and it was looking pretty sharp.…

Driveway Cactus

Posted 2021/06/24 by Sterling

Standing by the compost pile wasn’t awesome but the light on the cactus this afternoon was so… here’s another color…

Office Hydrangeas

Posted 2021/06/22 by Sterling

Stressful day painting escape 1.5h

Over by Uncle Fred’s

Posted 2021/06/21 by Sterling

Couldn’t paint the last few days because it was deadly hot. I’m not happy with this sketch but I am…

Fire in Alexander Valley

Posted 2021/06/15 by Sterling

I looked up from my lunch to see smoke rising from the middle of the valley. At first it looked…

Sunday Morning Driveway

Posted 2021/06/13 by Sterling

Lovely day. Thought I would paint the view for the driveway while the boys had a lazy video game morning.…

Behind the house

Posted 2021/06/10 by Sterling

Up on the hill behind moms looking east. 1.5hr color study

Shop Oak

Posted 2021/06/07 by Sterling

Crazy windy once again. This is over by the vineyard shop looking east. 1.5hr

Geysers overlook

Posted 2021/06/04 by Sterling

After dinner I drove up the mountain towards the Geysers and pulled off at the first big pullout above the…

Zeldie

Posted 2021/06/04 by Sterling

My first attempt at a portrait with oils. Thank you Zeldie for being patient and brave enough to model for…

Hassett Lane

Posted 2021/06/01 by Sterling

Post coffee painting this time out on the west side of Alexander Valley on Hassett Ln looking west. Vinwood cellars…

Lazy Porch View

Posted 2021/05/29 by Sterling

Didn’t want to go out but still wanted to paint. Made it as far as a lawn chair on the…

Looking West, Again

Posted 2021/05/26 by Sterling

Had another go painting the view towards Francis Ford Coppola Winery. Went a bit earlier and got lucky as the…

Looking West

Posted 2021/05/24 by Sterling

Road the four wheeler up the hill and painted the view looking west towards Francis Ford Coppola winery. Once again,…

River Road

Posted 2021/05/24 by Sterling

Road my bike over to the river to get some painting time in. Didn’t put much thought into it and…

Windy Vineyards

Posted 2021/05/20 by Sterling

Huddled behind my car for shelter, I still had to hang on to my painting with one hand just to…

Black Sunglasses

Posted 2021/05/12 by Sterling

Got my covid shot yesterday so today I was mess. Felt like I had a really bad hangover, couldn’t think…

Looking back

Posted 2021/05/10 by Sterling

Before dinner I rode the four wheeler over to the lookout and painted the view back towards the Sheehy and…

Dam it

Posted 2021/05/09 by Sterling

Had a nice Mother’s Day with mom but I was late out the door again and didn’t have much time…

Dwindling light

Posted 2021/05/08 by Sterling

Found my motivation way too late. After dragging my heals I finally made it out the door only to realize…

Blue Gum Morning

Posted 2021/05/08 by Sterling

Spent the morning reading good reviews for The Bad Batch, which was nice, then walked behind the house and painted…

Todd’s Garden

Posted 2021/05/03 by Sterling

Post dinner color study of my brothers garden. 1.5hr

Roj’s garden

Posted 2021/05/01 by Sterling

I painted the garden behind the pool house while the twins went for a swim with their cousins. 2hr color…

Evening light

Posted 2021/04/30 by Sterling

Quick post sunset half hour color study. Looking west towards Healdsburg from Alexander Valley.

Looking South

Posted 2021/04/30 by Sterling

On the hill above my brothers place on a bright afternoon. It was mid day and way way too bright.…

Oaks on the hill

Posted 2021/04/28 by Sterling

Well I guess summer is here. I nearly melted in the heat of the sun while painting this and the…

Trespassing

Posted 2021/04/27 by Sterling

The neighbor’s security detail thought I was an intruder so they called me in and I got a visit from…

AV Post Rain

Posted 2021/04/25 by Sterling

Alexander Valley got some long overdue rain today. After the shower I climbed up the hill to paint the dramatic…

Mom’s Driveway

Posted 2021/04/20 by Sterling

View from my mom’s porch, overlooking Alexander Valley. Funny story, I am in the process of selling my house and…

Farm Pond

Posted 2021/04/20 by Sterling

Plein Air 1.5hr Study of one of the ponds on the family ranch.

Phoenix Lake Dam

Posted 2021/02/23 by Sterling

Cruised up and over Bald hill on my bike looking for a place to draw but the light wasn’t great…

Indian fire Road

Posted 2021/02/04 by Sterling

I rode up Indian Fire Road to do a little painting this afternoon.

Office plants

Posted 2021/02/02 by Sterling

After a month long hiatus, I dusted off my brushes and got back to the business of painting random things.

2019-2020 Sketchbook

Posted 2021/01/04 by Sterling

I started this Sketchbook toward the end of 2019 and I completed it around march 2020.

Covid 2020 Lockdown

Posted 2020/12/27 by Sterling

For our second round of covid stay at home orders the boys and I have been using our time wisely.…

Rainy Day Fig Tree

Posted 2020/11/17 by Sterling

The first rain of the year. Set up under the eve of my house and painted the fig tree in…

Miracle Mile

Posted 2020/11/09 by Sterling

Walked down the hill to catch the last rays of light and the evening commute here in San Anselmo.

San Anselmo

Posted 2020/11/07 by Sterling

Spent the afternoon in downtown San Anselmo trying capture the warm atmosphere of all the families celebrating the victory of…

Ross Common

Posted 2020/11/05 by Sterling

I was painting by the post office steps today in Ross, CA and heard a great deal of cautiously optimistic…

Greenfield Ave

Posted 2020/10/20 by Sterling

Hanging out on the corner of Greenfield Ave and Greenfield court looking west with Red Hill in the background and…

Smokey San Anselmo

Posted 2020/10/01 by Sterling

Smoke means interesting landscapes so I found my way to the El Camino Avenida overlook in San Rafael around sunset…

In the shade of the oaks

Posted 2020/09/28 by Sterling

It was very hot and dry in Alexander Valley yesterday. I spent my afternoon standing in the shade of an…

Barber Ave Bridge

Posted 2020/09/24 by Sterling

Walked downtown to paint and grab a burrito. Barber street looking west from the bridge over San Anselmo creek.

Beach Drive

Posted 2020/09/21 by Sterling

Post work painting session. Looking South on Beach Drive in San Rafael around sunset. I’m really glad I had my…

Red Hill Rooftop

Posted 2020/09/14 by Sterling

Climbed up on my roof to clean the gutters but painted the view instead.

Boyd Memorial Park

Posted 2020/09/13 by Sterling

Standing on the corner of B street and Mission Avenue in San Rafael looking west on a Smokey afternoon.

Another Smokey View

Posted 2020/09/08 by Sterling

It’s gross outside. Smoke from the Willits fire has turned the whole neighborhood a peach hue.

Bald Hill Ridge Trailhead

Posted 2020/08/29 by Sterling

Finally got away from my desk but I only had an hour before the sun set, so I quickly drove…

Morning Smoke

Posted 2020/08/23 by Sterling

Looking out the living room window the air is heavy with smoke from the Napa and Sonoma fires.

Mt. Tamalpais in the smoke

Posted 2020/08/20 by Sterling

Rode my bike up the ridge above San Anselmo looking for something to paint. For me, painting Mt. Tam feels…

Sunset View of Fires in Napa

Posted 2020/08/18 by Sterling

Drove over to China Camp after work to paint the smoke from Napa and Sonoma. It made for a rather…

Backyard Brush

Posted 2020/08/07 by Sterling

I was supposed to cut down brush but instead I found inspiration and pick up my paint brush.

Late day Summer light

Posted 2020/08/02 by Sterling

Just looking down my driveway

By the pool

Posted 2020/06/21 by Sterling

I took the boys for a swim and was able to get a quick oil sketch in.

Oleander

Posted 2020/06/08 by Sterling

I ran out of panel boards to paint on, oh the joys of social distancing, finally made some more and…

The Old Barn

Posted 2020/05/10 by Sterling

This afternoon I drove to the family ranch to enjoy a social distancing mother’s day BBQ. Emerging from self isolation…

Alpine Lake Tree

Posted 2020/05/09 by Sterling

Rode my gravel bike out to Alpine Lake and painted a tree next to the side of the water

General Kennedy Ave.

Posted 2020/04/30 by Sterling

I made this oil sketch back in February during a lunch break. It was a holiday for most people so…

Crooked Staircase

Posted 2020/04/29 by Sterling

I painted the unkept hillside to the south of my house from my living room window. Gravity is slowly pulling…

Yellow Jacket Bush

Posted 2020/04/23 by Sterling

A battle with a hive of yellow jackets was once waged here, many lives were lost, today it’s just the…

Kitchen Corner

Posted 2020/04/21 by Sterling

Lunch time Plein air, quarantine addition. Today I sketched a corner of my kitchen .

Across the pond at Palace of Fine Art

Posted 2020/04/19 by Sterling

A lunchtime oil sketch from back in February. Standing on the east side of the pond looking west. Random side…

Saini Vineyards

Posted 2020/04/18 by Sterling

Back in February I did a little painting outside the Saini tasting room. Honestly if you haven’t tried their wine…

School House Blues

Posted 2020/04/16 by Sterling

The only upside to this Covid-19 pandemic is that I get to spend a lot more time with my boys.…

Easter Echium

Posted 2020/04/12 by Sterling

Spent the day social distancing in my moms garden, painting some lovely echium flowers. It was a beautiful warm afternoon…

The driveway north

Posted 2020/04/11 by Sterling

Another quarantine painting. This is the view looking down my driveway toward Terrace Ave, San Anselmo. In addition I made…

Driveway

Posted 2020/04/10 by Sterling

I painted the driveway behind my house.

Desk view

Posted 2020/04/07 by Sterling

A small officescape oil sketch I made before the Covid-19 quarantine went into effect.

Office philodendron

Posted 2020/04/05 by Sterling

Here is a quick sketch of the house plant next to my desk. I’m testing out some new oil paints…

Upton Ave Palms

Posted 2020/04/01 by Sterling

A Persidio lunchtime painting from January. looking south from the picnic table at the Persidio Institute on a misty afternoon.

Persido Overlook Gum Trees

Posted 2020/03/28 by Sterling

Looking west towards one of the Baker Beach overlook parking lots, in the Persidio, San Francisco.

Gravel driveway

Posted 2020/03/25 by Sterling

Painted on a freezing, wet and dull January morning. The boys were sick so I set up shop at grandmas…

New Growth

Posted 2020/03/24 by Sterling

No thanks to the Kincade fire, the family ranch had been charred black for weeks, then we had our first…

On Ring Mountain

Posted 2020/03/21 by Sterling

Avoiding C19, people and our iPads, my boys and I escaped the house for a hike up Ring Mountain.

Last day in the Office

Posted 2020/03/20 by Sterling

I made one last lunchtime painting before Lucasfilm sent everybody home because of C19. It’s of one of the officer…

Turtles Back Trail

Posted 2020/01/05 by Sterling

Painting in China Camp State Park again. This time on the Turtles Back hiking loop looking south towards the road.

Buckeye Point After the Rain

Posted 2019/12/08 by Sterling

It stopped raining for a bit so I drove over to China Camp State Park and painted the view looking…

Jungle Book Poster

Posted 2019/12/03 by Sterling

I painted a Jungle book poster for my sons elementry school musical.

Rainy Day Bus Stop

Posted 2019/11/14 by Sterling

A thick misty drizzle started to fall over the Persidio today at lunch. It was nice to have a little…

Baker Beach overlook

Posted 2019/11/12 by Sterling

Lunchtime plein air painting. Not far from the road over looking Baker Beach in the Persidio, San Francisco

Palms & Parrots

Posted 2019/11/07 by Sterling

Plain air lunch painting

Trail painting

Posted 2019/10/23 by Sterling

a lunchtime Plein Air oil painting

Palace of Fine Arts South Lawn

Posted 2019/08/18 by Sterling

A lunchtime plein air study at the palace of fine arts

Wood Pile Hill Painting

Posted 2019/08/16 by Sterling

A plein air study painted at the Robert Young Estate.

Yellow Sketchbook 2019

Posted 2019/08/15 by Sterling

One more Sketchbook finds its place on the shelf.

Under the Picnic Table Oak Tree

Posted 2019/08/13 by Sterling

A plein air painting I made in the family vineyards.

Star Wars Comic 1997

Posted 2019/05/13 by Sterling

USC Star Wars comic about a busted party

Burgundy Sketchbook 2017

Posted 2019/05/08 by Sterling

A small sketchbook from 2017

The old oak painting

Posted 2019/04/29 by Sterling

I've returned to oil painting

Star Wars Resistance

Posted 2018/05/04 by Sterling

This probably explains why I haven't posted much in the last year.  https://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-resistance-set-for-fall-debut 

Out Come the Wolves

Posted 2017/12/03 by Sterling

I've been sitting on this painting for a few months, it wasn't concept art for the show, just a fan…

Desert Painting

Posted 2017/09/11 by Sterling

Couldn’t sleep so I watched Super Troopers and painted a desert.

Chinatown Street

Posted 2017/09/10 by Sterling

Thinking about my comic project with Dick and Don and how it winds its way around San Francisco.  

Upper Sacramento River

Posted 2017/08/20 by Sterling

Painting of the Upper Sacramento, in Dunsmuir CA.

Rocky Shoal

Posted 2017/08/17 by Sterling

A quick beach painting I made while my boys got ready for bed. Kids are jumping all over the place,…

Head over heels

Posted 2017/08/14 by Sterling

The boys find a faster way down the mountain.