It’s true, and I’m working on a third mountain. I work out at my local YMCA to stay in shape.

Thankfully, the mountains are small, 8 by 10 inches. They are part of my new project: A tribute to Phoenix mountains.

The project did not start as “a project”. It grew out of a visit to the Phoenix Art Museum. I looked at the buildings near the museum. I have painted many buildings in many cities in the world. I wondered if there were any Phoenix buildings I should paint. I really hate to look for things to paint, but I threw caution to the wind and began a series of short-range travels around Phoenix, searching for interesting scenes that defined Phoenix, and the larger metropolitan area.

Driving from one end of metro Phoenix to the other is not easy. Roads and highways go up, down, and around many hills and mountains. Then it struck me. The mountains around Phoenix define the city. They influence roads, city and neighborhood boundaries, the location and orientation of buildings, parks, and golf courses, property values, and more. Yet, they are often taken for granted by many of us who live here.

A project was born. I picked some of the better-known mountain peaks to begin the project:  Piestewa, Camelback, and Superstition. More will follow. I welcome suggestions. The paintings are done in oil. Piestewa and Camelback are finished. Superstition is in progress. Artists debate the value of showing incomplete work, but this project began by throwing caution to the wind, so here is Superstition as it is at the moment. It will look different by the end of today.

I love to paint places to which I travel. At the moment, I work on a cruise ship. My time in port is often brief, so I work quickly. My paintings and drawings are a combination of feelings and details. How I feel and how I draw are linked in my work.

My paintings capture my personal experiences of the places I visit. For me, places are the specific elements or objects in a natural or man-made area that capture my attention. A place can be buildings, a street, or a grove of trees. I rarely go somewhere to paint a particular subject. I walk and let my eyes find pleasing shapes and lines.

Most of my travel paintings are done on location on a smooth 5×7 inch watercolor pad, a pencil, a good, large brush, and a small set of watercolor cubes. I use watercolors because they offer a full range of color in compact form, which is important because everything must usually fit into one pocket of my cargo pants.

The exhibition features ten artists from all across Arizona. I suggest a visit if you are passing through the airport. The exhibit space is out of the way in Terminal 3 (behind Starbucks), but worth locating. The artists represent a good sample of contemporary Arizona regional painters.

Location:  Terminal 3, Level 2, Garage cases (4), Through Sept. 26, 2010

Phoenix Airport Art Collection:  Sky Harbor art museum

I put all my paintings from Istanbul into one page.

Click here, or on Scenes from Istanbul underneath MY PAINTINGS on my blog….  enjoy.

Not at my main blog?  Then click here.

How do it?  Here it is. Never before revealed online! The steps I use to make one of my travel paintings.

1 – Sometimes I know what I want to paint, and go there directly. Other times, I find interesting scenes as I am walking around, as was the case with Blue Mosque. Here I am posing for a photo on my way to see Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. The Blue Mosque is in the background. I noticed an interesting composition as we walked past the Blue Mosque a few minutes later. I took some reference photos, did a quick thumbnail sketch, and painted it later when I was not so rushed for time.

2.  Once I find a scene, I look for a spot that gives me the best view.

Just kidding, but sometimes it seems this way. The crowd photo is by Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times.

3 – Next, I make a light pencil sketch.

4 – And then lay down some color.

5 – I keep adding color and increasing details.

6 – I wait for the painting to dry. Then I go over the lines with ink and I’m finished.

7 – I scan my images for a record and to make prints. I crop and resize the images I want to post on the web. Here is a cropped version of Blue Mosque.

I carry two pencils … because of St. Petersburg, Russia.

Click on the link to my Travel Painting Kit (here or at right) to read the rest of the story.

Finally – Hagia Sophia, outside and in, having fun at the Grand Bazaar, and overlooking Bosporus bridge #2 (Fatih Sultan Mehmet Köprüsü).