With Jorge Quijano the new Panama Canal Administrator at the Admin Bldg. This is the same office Colonel Goethals used as the first administrator of the Panama Canal.

 739 Corozal, the Graphics bldg for the Expansion and where I meet to review each years work. The old Corozal base (which I could never get into with Panama plates) is now the Expansion headquarters.

Reviewing the paintings for 2012. That's Ernesto Holder (manager of the division) on the right and Lina Cossich (his asst) on the left.

 A few night shots at Miraflores Locks from the center wall - reference for some night paintings. Beautiful colors at night with all the reflections in the water.

 My guard and guide at Miraflores. He kept telling me not to cross the yellow line at the edge and I pretended not to hear very well. He meant well.

While in Panama dropping off paintings for the Expansion I did a small demo painting and talk at the Museo Contemporaneo in Ancon. I used a limited palette (three colors and white) using water mixable oils and a portable easel. I stress you don't need much to get started.
Weird feeling being watched by forty people and you're just hoping you don't screw it up.

View of the work on the Atlantic side.

I did a 60 minute radio interview for a morning radio show on the Panama Broadcasting Network. Some really good questions about the paintings I'm doing for the Expansion and growing up in Panama. Thats Sandra on the left who moved to Panama from the States and Jerry who moved from England. He told me he'd never go back. Really a fun interview.

Signing their book with a drwg of Donald Duck.

Trying to act like I belong there. The top shot is me with Clifford, my driver on a visit to the Gatun locks. He seemed to have a good answer to any question about the Expansion, including a vast knowledge of the French canal effort. I thought I'd read a lot. Olvidate...

On the Atlantic side overlooking the construction of the third set of locks. Nice rainy day in Gatun. Unless there is lightning,  the work continues.

A few views of the third set of locks in Gatun. The bottom shot is one of the water culverts fed by gravity from the water basins which sit adjacent to the lock chambers.

With Mery Palma, the owner of the Mery Palma gallery at the Sheraton Hotel in Panama City. She handles my paintings of Panama. She once told me that I spoke Spanish "como un maliante", like a street thug. I guess it was a compliment.

At the Blvd restaurant  at the Albrook Mall in Panama City. On my ipad is a painting I did of him last year. Apparently the rest of the kitchen staff agreed that was indeed him after some good natured teasing and arguing. I printed it out for him. He said he liked the painting. Felt pretty cool to be honest.

My second visit to the Panama Ports in Balboa with my host, Juan Antonio Sucre (buena gente). We've discussed doing a series of paintings of the Ports and ships similar in style to the paintings I'm doing for the Expansion. One day, I can feel it...

Cool place to visit. It takes about one minute to unload/load each container and place it on a truck. Like clockwork.

The Port is immense. The old launch to Taboga used to leave from here and I couldn't  even recognize where it left from its grown so much. The Ports can also handle freight from the new (and deeper drafts) PostPanama ships.

With Teresa Arosemena at the Admin Bldg. She was the first person to hep me get started with the paintings I'm doing for the Expansion and on every trip to the isthmus has some magical way getting me access to wherever I want to paint along the canal route. Must be voodoo.

A few paintings in progress for this years series of paintings. This is some of the Panamanian workforce pouring concrete in the Pacific locks. These night scenes are fun to do, very dramatic lighting.

That's Miralfores Locks in the distance.

A piece I just finished that measures 20 x 20. The view is from the center wall at Pedro Miguel locks.
I've enclosed a breakdown of the steps I took to paint it. I started with the darkest darks, knowing that the bulkhead would be the lightest and warmest color. It helped bracket the values.

It is one of several pieces donated by artists for the 20th Anniversary of the TEA (Themed Entertainment Association) with the proceeds to be donated to the Ryman Foundation for young artists.

                             More from Miraflores. From the center of the locks walking across.
                                Weird to take a shot from there, half way across the actual locks.

    

Always like adding the workforce. Its gives it scale and personalizes the shot.

My older brother Sam and me at Amador outside a biodiversity museum designed by Frank Ghery. Someone told us to take off our dark glasses and we ignored them.

I painted in Gorgona from a house we rented on the beach. The owner told me I was a genius once I added her dog to the painting (see black spots bottom left). Apparently I was just an ok painter before I added the dog.

Limited palette of yellow cad light, yellow ochre, red cad light and Prussian blue. Not the most radiant colors but I was happy with it.

a few more from Miraflores. I used my ACP id to compare a color against white and black.
Yellow ochre (raw sienna?) everywhere. 

I've done a number of paintings from this view mostly ships headed southbound out of Pedro Miguel as they approach Miraflores -  a very cool view.

A visit to the center wall at Miraflores with my guard and guide Mr Rudolph Allen, a real gentleman.

Painting a small study alongside the Pacific Lock trench. I did an 8 x 10 to get just the color spots and overall color tone to the scene. Yellow Ochre dominated everything.

Really invaluable to paint on location and see colors and subtleties the camera never seems to get - or at least mine. Man, I look good in a hard hat.

 the view from where I stood. Of course I tried to paint too much on a small canvas and ended up scraping it all down to try a smaller scene. Nice frustrating day.

Has to be painted. This is at the El Valle market on a Sunday

 

I painted outside the train yard from the Diablo side through a chain link fence. The Kansas City Railroad runs the trains in Panama now.
Guys would yell at me as they drove by. Dude, who paints trains? 

 

 

Both unfinished pieces, just blocked in so I could escape the ants gnawing my legs.

The palette is white, yellow ochre, red cad light and ultramarine. I tried a brand of water mixable paints that I like very much - Cobra, an English company - the closest I've come to standard oil paints in texture and feel.
Not having to carry a solvent when traveling is really convenient, particularly overseas where the selection is limited.