Saturday, December 2, 2017

Pawleys After Lunch


















5" x 7" oil on board
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Up Trail

























6" x 6" oil on board
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Another three color painting.

Old Oak Tree-Lake Fairfax II













6" x 12" oil on board
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Painted en plein air.

Beach Reader

8" x 10" oil on board
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This is my Aunt, Diane, reading on the beach at Pawleys Island, SC. My hope is that it could be any beach reader

Depression-Era Breakfast

Depression-Era Breakfast
8" x 10" oil on board
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This is a green, depression-glass syrup pitcher, sitting on a depression era Hoosier-cabinet, lit by a depression era hurricane lamp; all passed down from my grandmother, to my mom, and then me. The butter dish and knife are modern.

My camera amped up the greens and muted the oranges...

Saturday, November 25, 2017

Evening in Zion II

Evening in Zion II
5" x 7" oil on board
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The annual Marriott Craft Show is coming up. I usually do well there, so if you've been thinking about buying something, this might be the time.

Strange Path III

Strange Path III
5" x 7" oil on board
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Ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, yellow ochre, and white.

The Winding Road

The Winding Road
5' x 7" oil on board
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I did a series of 5" x7" paintings in kind of a creativity dump, using only ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, burnt sienna, and white. I like how they turned out.

Saturday, September 2, 2017


9" x 12" oil on board
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This is another image from one of the greatest days of my life. My wife and I rented a little Boston Whaler speed boat and cruised around Southwest Harbor and Somes Sound in Main. We docked on Sutton Island (the source of this image) and explored on foot. We found a lady selling sea glass mobiles made from local sea glass and tied together with string from her dad's old lobster traps. I've thought about this painting for a long time, and I think it turned out well.

The Fading Light of Evening


The Fading Light of Evening
9" x 12" oil on board
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This is why I'm grateful to have an artist's vision. It had never occurred to me to paint this arrangement until I saw that little greenish strip of light above the inner door. That's the fading light of evening in my bedroom contrasted against the warmer light (yellowish patch), that shines through my studio window. When I saw it, I had to paint it. This is another one that looks better in person - something about it really appeals to me.

Peach and Depression Glass

Peach and Depression Glass
8" x 10" oil on board
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More family heirlooms - my mom's depression glass pitcher that my sister kindly let me borrow. I'll give it back soon!

Vinegar Decanter

Vinegar Decanter
5" x 7" oil on board
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Painting family heirlooms, particularly kitchen utensils or vintage containers would be an interesting painting niche, I think.  This was my mom's old vinegar decanter.

Serenity Point

Serenity Point
8" x 10" oil on board
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I wouldn't call the time spent making this painting serene.  It was an awkward location on an uneven bank and a wall of clouds rolled in shortly after I began painting, only to roll out toward the end of painting. The changing light threw off my values.  This is the shore of Seneca Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in upstate NY.

Friday, July 28, 2017

Window Bouquet

Window Bouquet
11" x 14" oil on board
Not for sale

I really love this painting. I hate to let it go, but I'd love to give it a good home. Send me an email if you're interested.

Monacacy Island II

Monocacy Island II
8" x 10" oil on board
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The second of two plein air paintings that I completed yesterday and the second time I've painted this exact location on the Monocacy River.

I was getting alerts on my phone that severe thunderstorms were approaching, but I looked at the radar and decided I had time if I painted quickly.
The light changed repeatedly as I painted, but I really like how it turned out - maybe more than my first attempt (below).  You can see in the original that there used to be two trunks, but the one closest to the river had fallen in the water.

This is such a wonderful spot. In between paintings, I sat in the cool rushing water with only my head sticking out.  There's a little beach where I stand to do my painting and I didn't see another person all day.


River Path

River Path
8" x 10" oil on board
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Completed en plein air by the Monocacy River in Frederick County, MD.  Believe it or not, painting green is difficult. Green out of the tube is really green, so it helps to tone it down with some violet and orange.  I'm really happy with how this turned out.

River Daylilies III

River Daylilies III
16" x 20" oil on board
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The third of my daylily paintings, appropriately titled, completed using all palette knife.

River Daylilies II

River Daylilies II
9" x 12" oil on board
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The original River Daylily painting was completed years ago and although this is called River Daylilies II, it is actually my third daylily painting...this was completed using all brushwork.

The GMC

The GMC
8" x 10" oil on board
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Painted en plein air near Rigby Island on the Chesapeake Bay, Mathews County, VA.

Thursday, July 13, 2017

A Shell From Cozumel

A Shell From Cozumel
5" x 7" oil on board
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I like this little painting, but I don't like the photo. And I'm still working on the name... I think the shell came from Cozumel, Mexico.

Old Oak Tree - Lake Fairfax

Old Oak Tree, Lake Fairfax
5" x 7" oil on board


I painted this outdoors a long time ago but never posted it because I couldn't get a good photo...The photo is still not great, but I do like the painting.

Cherries, Lemon, Brush

Cherries, Lemons, Brush
9" x 11" oil on board


Kind of a weird selection of subject matter, but sometimes when I need to paint, I just grab whatever I can find.

Sunday, June 4, 2017

North End - Pawleys Island, SC

North End - Pawley's Island, SC
11" x 14" oil on board
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A special place.

Saturday, June 3, 2017

Sarah, Erik, and Riley

Sarah, Erik, and Riley
5" x 7" oil on board
Not for sale

A little value study that turned out well. 

Boston Common

Boston Common
8" x 10" oil on board



River Pine Grove II

River Pine Grove II
11" x 14" oil on board


Sorry about the glare in the upper right corner.

Street - San Miguel de Allende

Street - San Miguel de Allende
8" x 10" oil on board



Monday, February 6, 2017

Copper Cup with Apple and Grapes

Copper Cup with Apple and Grapes
8" x 10" oil on board


I couldn't bear to watch the inauguration, so I painted instead. This painting and my last still life feel like breakthrough paintings. Every now and then I take what feels like a permanent step forward. One choice I made with this painting was to replace what were, in reality, cool highlights on the grapes and apple that came from the window to my left, with warm highlights that pulled the copper color from the cup into the foreground.

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Green Apple with Enameled Cup

Green Apple with Enameled Cup
8" x 10" oil on board


I painted over an old painting for this one, which I love doing because the surface is nice and slick, so the paint spreads on easily. However, the smart thing to do would have been to sand the old painting down a little first.  You can see the ridges on the left side from the original. I guess it kind of makes it look old or something. I also used a mixture of equal amounts ivory black and titanium white as a grey in this painting, which is something I think I'll continue to do. The premixed grey made it quicker and easier to tone down colors straight from the tube.

I'm going to experiment with mixing  the leftover paint on my palette and priming some new white boards with it to see if I can get the same, slick painting surface.  Despite the ridges, I'm really happy with this one.

Green Tea with Honey and Lemon

Green Tea with Honey and Lemon
8" x 10" oil on board

I almost gave up on this one because, as I was painting it, I started to think about the importance of correctly representing objects that people are familiar with such as green tea sleeves and plastic bottles of honey.  However, I saw it through, not because I felt like I was doing such a wonderful job of representing these objects but because, if there's one thing I've learned from painting, it's that they have a way of turning out better than you think they will. The one thing I do like is the way the lines of the bag and reflection lead the viewer through the painting, which was purposeful.