South of Jasper

Kevin Turcotte
6 x 8 inches
oil on panel

Observatory

Kevin Turcotte
16 x 20 inches
oil on canvas panel
In honor of the solar eclipse that just occurred over Los Angeles. Not much to see, just a little dimmer than usual.

Vasquez acrylic

Kevin Turcotte

10 x 12 inches

acrylic on illustration board

Acrylics can be tricky when painting outdoors, especially in the desert as they dry almost as fast as you can put brush to panel.

Amy

Kevin Turcotte
12 x 16 inches
oil on panel
Great pose from a recent session.

Victorian

Kevin Turcotte
6 x 8 inches
oil on panel
From awhile ago. I came across this painting recently and it brought back a lot of memories -- of Saturdays in a workshop, of Clark, the model, who since passed away, and of the  constant struggle to simplify and make the cleanest artistic statement possible.

Dead Finch

Kevin Turcotte
6 x 8 inches
watercolor on hot press paper

Railroad culvert

Kevin Turcotte

9 x 5 3/4 inches

watercolor on cold press paper

a lunch time sketch from the nearby San Fernando Road rail line.

Red Kimono

Kevin Turcotte

9 1/2 x 13 inches

oil on panel

Foggy day at the beach

Kevin Turcotte

10.25 x 7 inches

watercolor on hot press paper

Sometimes a bad day for swimming is a good day for painting.

Riverside Bridge watercolor

Kevin Turcotte

6 1/2 x 9 inches

watercolor on cold press paper

From a lunchtime excursion a while ago.

watercolor figure

Kevin Turcotte

18 x 24 inches

watercolor on cold press paper

This is from our lunchtime watercolor class held at the studio -- too bad it ended this week. It was fun.

Gator studies

Kevin Turcotte

7 x 10 inches

watercolor on hot press paper

I found a cache of old watercolors -- this one from an alligator zoo in Florida. The nice thing about gators is they don't move very much -- until they want too. Then they're terrifyingly fast.

Red cloche hat

Kevin Turcotte

12 x 16 inches

oil on canvas panel

When Aycil arrived wearing the red hat I asked her to keep it on -- I think it really helps the painting.

Aja

Kevin Turcotte

12 x 16 inches

oil on canvas panel

Yes, Aja, like the Steely Dan song.

Piper Cub

Kevin Turcotte

8 x 10 inches

oil on linen mounted on panel

This is the six-year anniversary for Paintopolis -- 410 posts so far. The very first post was of an airplane from the Santa Paula airport and so is this one.

Lotusland

Kevin Turcotte

3 1/2 x 5 1/4 inches

watercolor in moleskine sketchbook

There's an estate in Santa Barbara called "Lotusland" that has all sorts of painting and art possibilities in it.

River sketch

Kevin Turcotte

8 x 10 inches

oil on panel

This is the Los Angeles river in all it's natural beauty. I painted it while standing in the river basin, on a slight rise of concrete. While I painted I noticed an old man walking up the shore of the river, reaching into the water and pitching things up onto the concrete bank. He seemed surprised to see me, but continued on. Walking, stooping to grab in the water, and throwing things onto the bank. Minutes after he passed I suddenly noticed water flowing under my feet -- under my paint box and under my tripod bag, all resting flat on the concrete. Somehow he had diverted the flow of the river, causing me to beat a hasty retreat. So if this has a less finished air than most of my work, it's thanks to an old guy trying to clean up the LA river.

Beach fires

Kevin Turcotte

9 x 12 inches

oil on canvas, mounted on panel

cow skull

Kevin Turcotte

6 x 8 inches

oil on panel

an older one -- from a trip to an old ranch in northern Los Angeles county.

Tiffany

Kevin Turcotte

16 x 20 inches

oil on canvas panel

First painting session of the year.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Kevin Turcotte

20 x 20 inches

oil on canvas

Santa Monica sketch

Kevin Turcotte

3.5 x 5 inches

sharpie marker on paper

Trying to keep it simple -- only two values and no preliminary drawing.

Last painting session of the year

Kevin Turcotte

12 x 16 inches

oil on canvas panel

This was from our last figure painting session of the year at the studio.

Drawings

Kevin Turcotte

18 x 24 inches

pitt pastel on newsprint

It's always good to draw!

Older model

Kevin Turcotte

9 1/8 x 12 1/4 inches

watercolor on hot press paper

Pensive model

Kevin Turcotte

12 x 16 inches

oil on canvas panel

We're trying to set up our lighting a little more professionally -- blocking a lot of the overhead fluorescent fill light so our spotlight can do what it's supposed to do. This was our first attempt.

From the Bluffs

Kevin Turcotte

20 x 20 inches

oil on canvas

Another painting from the current holiday show at the Easton Gallery in Santa Barbara.

Padaro Beach, toward the hills

Kevin Turcotte

10 x 10 inches

oil on panel

This one is currently in the annual holiday show at the Easton Gallery in Santa Barbara.

Anthony

Kevin Turcotte

11 x 14 inches

oil on canvas panel

From a recent session with Anthony, a jazz pianist, who also happens to be a model as well.

Rachel

Kevin Turcotte

12 x 16

oil on canvas panel

one of the artists wanted a turban -- so Rachel was kind enough to accommodate him.

A quick little one

Kevin Turcotte

4 1/2 x 6 inches

oil on linen mounted on panel

my friend Owen prepared this little panel and gave it to me for a try out -- I took it up to the Hahamongna Watershed Park near the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena and this is what I came up with. Great surface to paint on!

Olivia

Kevin Turcotte

16 x 20 inches

oil on canvas panel

Every time I paint a figure model it's like a sprint to the finish line. Three hours goes by in a flash.

Sandpit depths

Kevin Turcotte

8 x 10 inches

oil on panel

Arielle

Kevin Turcotte

12 x 16 inches

oil on canvas panel

In the canyon - Malibu Creek

Kevin Turcotte

6 x 8 inches

oil on linen mounted on panel

Toni V

Kevin Turcotte

12 x 16 inches

oil on canvas panel

Not all of our models are named Toni. Just two of them.

Stacy

Kevin Turcotte

12 x 16 inches

oil on canvas panel

another from our weekly studio sessions.

Callie's Matilija

Kevin Turcotte

5 x 5 inches

watercolor on hot press paper

we cut back the poppies in the back yard this year and were rewarded with an incredible growth of these flowers. There are even a few still blooming...

Yuba River overcast

Kevin Turcotte

6 x 8 inches

oil on panel

another painting from the northern part of the state

Deer Creek

Kevin Turcotte

6 x 8 inches

oil on linen mounted on panel

I was up in the northern part of the state recently and did this little oil sketch one morning. When I was done I ate my lunch by the stream and counted at least ten good sized trout in the water. And me without a fishing pole.

Cliffs at Carpinteria

Kevin Turcotte

5 x 5 inches

watercolor on hot press paper

Toni's back

Kevin Turcotte

12 x 16 inches

oil on canvas panel

Japanese garden

Kevin Turcotte

5 1/2 x 7 3/4 inches

watercolor on hot press paper

From a sketching trip to the Huntington Gardens.

Behind the ranch

Kevin Turcotte

5 x 5 inches

watercolor on hot press paper

July Gloom

Kevin Turcotte

6 x 8 inches

oil on panel

Usually here in Southern California it's only June gloom, but this summer some of it has extended into July. The overcast gives a nice soft light for painting. This was a lunch time painting during a class production designer Kathy Altieri was offering to the artists at work.

South of Tucson

Kevin Turcotte

6 x 12 inches

oil on panel

from a trip to Arizona a few years back.

Pensive Toni

Kevin Turcotte

16 x 20 inches

oil on canvas panel

Ranch view

Kevin Turcotte

8 x 10 inches

oil on linen mounted on panel

Another painting from the same ranch as the last posting.

Ranch Eucalyptus

Kevin Turcotte

8 x 10 inches

oil on linen mounted on panel

actually, what IS the plural for eucalyptus? eucalypti? eucalyptuses? There was definitely more than one here when I painted this.

Tortured Soul

Kevin Turcotte

12 x 16 inches

oil on canvas panel

Damien gave us a killer pose to work with -- a little more extreme than our normal sessions.