Fruit Bowl with Water Jar

 

Fruit Bowl with Water Jar

8" x 8" oil on board

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My first painting since March.There are some practical reasons: we took on a complete kitchen renovation, and my studio (the corner of Sarah's office where I keep my supplies) was filled with boxes. I'm a full time special education teacher who runs an after school club.  My kids have sports nearly every single day. etc, etc, etc,. 

I don't know what you would call the other reasons - existential maybe? The instagram burnout is still fresh. I felt like I was painting for the wrong reasons. I also started to feel really selfish for spending so much time painting when so many other people (my wife included) don't have that time.  I felt like I needed to devote more of myself to my kids, which I have. Life just feels like spinning plates sometimes, and I needed to let a few drop.  

But, now that the kitchen is done, I've been feeling the urge. I've also hung a few of my paintings in the the new kitchen and that's made me think about which paintings I actually like and why I like them. I like paintings that are mysterious and abstract and far from perfect representations.  There are so many plates I can drop and need to drop. 

Meadowlark Plein Air

 

Meadowlark Plein Air

8" x 8" oil on board

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I painted this on a warm day back in March at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA.  FCPS had the day off and for some reason, I didn't think the park would be crowded.  I was wrong...I don't usually paint in high traffic areas so it was a little nerve wracking. I was amazed by the attention I received while painting as well as the lack of regard people had for my viewpoint.  I purposely chose an out of the way spot but that didn't stop people from putting down blankets or standing DIRECTLY in front of me. I had people taking pictures of me and my painting and all sorts of questions.  It was wild, and I didn't like the first painting I did (this is not it). So for this painting, I moved to an even more out of the way spot - basically a grove of pine trees in a far off edge of the gardens where I only saw a few people. As always, I see things I don't love about the painting after the fact but, overall, I like it. 

Hidden Falls

Hidden Falls 

8" x 10" oil on panel

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This is Hidden Falls in Grand Tetons National Park. I used a limited palette of only three colors, but It's been so long since I painted it that I don't remember what they were...I'm thinking cadmium red light, cadmium yellow medium and ultramarine blue. I like the light in this one.  I'll get to some of the reasons why I haven't painted in a long time in a another post to come. 

Crabtree Falls Trail II

 

Crabtree Falls Trail II

12" x 16" oil on Belgian Linen

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I really like this painting but, as usual, the iPhone camera just doesn't do it justice. If you open the photo and zoom in you can really see what's going on - many layers. 

Snowy Path

 

Snowy Path

12" x 12" oil on board

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Based on a 2010 snowstorm that dumped two feet of snow on Northern, VA., not the most recent storm that dumped 8 inches of ice pellets and took me 8 hours to shovel after it turned to concrete. 

On another note, I've had people tell me they have no idea how to buy one of my paintings. I know...I need a website, Etsy, Shopify, something.  But the idea of search engine optimization, maintaining a constant social media presence, and paying a monthly fee plus service charges in order to (hopefully) sell some paintings makes me feel nauseous. 

I should probably put this in the top banner of the blog, but every painting I post is for sale, unless I say otherwise. If you want to buy a painting, click the "Inquire by email" link that I add to every post, and email me.  I will tell you the price, and if you want it, I'll ship it to you.  I know it's not as easy as pressing a button, but it's the best I got.  Maybe I should go back to adding Paypal/Venmo links? I appreciate your suggestions. 

Table Mountain Pines

 

Table Mountain Pines

18" x 18" oil on canvas

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While I’ve done the Furnace Mountain hike near Harrisonburg, VA, and JMU, the photo this painting is based on was taken by a friend of mine. I hope he lets me use more of his photos—he’s great at capturing the places I love.

Subtlety is hard to achieve with oil paint. Straight out of the tube, the colors are extremely saturated, so I had to tone them down without letting the painting become chalky. It’s a tough balance, but I love the softness and simplicity that came from it. This painting gives me the same feeling I get when I look out over a mountain valley.

Green Vase with Glass Vile and Flower

 

Green Vase with Glass Vile and Flower

12" x 12" oil on board

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Great title, huh? I attended another weekend painting workshop with the great Jon Redmond, this time focussed on still life. Jon had us pick a simple setup just to practice the techniques he was showing us, so this is what I scavenged from the Wayne Art Center supply closet, which was packed full of old bottles, vases, cups, trays, fake flowers, fabrics, etc.. I'm not even sure what the little yellow glass is - maybe an old perfume bottle? 

I've heard this before, and Jon said it again, but painting is really about learning to see. Jon is one of the greatest painters alive today, and his vision is unreal. I WAS able to see most of what he saw, which was encouraging, but he can instantly spot a a value or temperature or perspective that's off while it takes me considerably more time if I see it at all. But, I guess that's what happens when you spend your entire life painting and working with other artists who are the best in the world.  The more I can do that, the better I'll see. Jon said my painting was, "well done."  I'll take it!

Avalanche Creek

 

Avalanche Creek

12" x 16" oil on board

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This painting is based on an image from our trip out west last summer. The Hidden Lake trail is the most popular hike in Glacier National Park, and we woke at 5am in hopes of finding a spot in the tiny parking lot to no avail. Hidden Lake was the one and only time on our trip when crowds prevented us from doing what we wanted to do. We gave it our best shot but after circling the lot for an hour, hawking down people who might be leaving, and alternating breaks in the 15 minute line to the latrine, we cut our losses and drove the Going to the Sun Road in search of a consolation prize. Avalanche Lake was it.  We lucked into a parking spot, otherwise, it would have been a similar wait. 

We were disappointed to miss Hidden Lake, but Avalanche Lake was still spectacular. The painting is Avalanche Creek, which parallels the trail and narrows at points into tiny slot canyons of green glacial water. Our failure at Hidden Lake is now our excuse to go back.  I'm ready! 

Avalanche Lake: 

Hay Bales at Dickie Brothers Orchard

Hay Bales at Dickie Brothers Orchard

12" x 12" oil on board

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This is a scene from Dickie Brothers orchard down in Nelson County, VA. As a kid, my family made the drive over the mountain on route 56 from Staunton, VA each fall to Dickie Brothers for apple picking. Route 56 crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway in Shenandoah National Park and passes Crab Tree Falls on the way. The road is extremely windy and my mom always used to get car sick. Even so, apple picking was one of my favorite days of the year - picnicking by the Tye River and all the apples I could eat.  Sarah and I still make it to Dickie Brothers on occasion, usually for anniversary trips, and not a day passes that I don't eat my mid-morning apple...this painting looks great in a thick, gold plein air frame.  Let me know if you want it!

Trout Lake Trail (Yellowstone National Park)

 

Trout Lake Trail (Yellowstone National Park)

16" x 20" oil on canvas

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I haven't painted since July 4th. I got burned out on painting because I was painting to post on Instagram and it took the joy out of it.

My family took a trip to Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks shortly after my last painting on July 4th, and it put the joy back in my heart. I took something from those places, the Tetons in particular, that is still there. Mountains have always been a comforting, calming force in my life, but I experienced a connection with Grand Teton that gave me a vision of my highest self: an eternal, unchanging, presence. 

The vision is still strong.  There was a long gap between paintings, but I've been working on being that presence, and I painted this because I wanted to, and it was fun -not because I cared how it turned out. 

Another Shed Painting

Another Shed Painting

8" x 10" oil on board

A fitting subject for the 4th of July, I guess. Sheds, backyards, lawnmowers, etc. The week surrounding the 4th of July is my favorite time of year. The heart of summer. I love the heat and humidity, the long days, lightening bugs, fireworks, flowers, and summer vacation. It's the best. 

This is the last painting I posted on Instagram and the last painting I painted until today, September 27th. Instagram burned me out. It's a shame to have to put up with no much negativity to get your artwork out there. Or maybe I'm just too sensitive. 

Yellow Pitcher and African Violet

Yellow Pitcher and African Violet

8" x 8" oil on board

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Painted on a rainy Sunday on the sun porch back in June. I don't have a good spot for the African violet during the winter, so it loses its flowers and usually recovers in the fall, just in time to go back inside for the winter.  I need to invest in a good plant light. 

Woodpile II

Woodpile II

12" x 12" oil on board

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I painted this en plein air (outdoors) over a two day span between the hours of 9:30am and 11am.  I got most of it down the first day and then focussed on details the second day.  One subtlety that drew me to the scene was the crisscrossing hills in the background.  

On another note...I've been on instagram for a little over a year, and I'm thinking of getting off of it. Throughout the past year, I've felt more distracted, less focussed and present as well as more anxious and down on my abilities as a painter and even as a person.  I am now completely addicted to my phone, and I hate it. I enjoyed my trip to Highland County less because of my obsession with posting and seeing how many likes my paintings were getting.  I'm thinking about posts and how the paintings will look online instead of just enjoying painting and being in nature. It is fantastic to be able to see the best painters in the world in one place and then scroll down for some rare footage of the Grateful Dead but for all the reasons mentioned, it's just not worth it.  I'm looking for ways to simplify my life and this seems like a no-brainer.  Just have to hit those buttons...

Little Switzerland

 

Little Switzerland

8" x 8" oil on board

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This might sound like excuses, but I think a lot of painters would agree that the most difficult thing to do, especially when painting outdoors, is to keep things simple.  There is a universe of things going on in front of you and you have to figure out how to represent it within a two hour window before everything changes.  And two hours is generous because, really, everything changes from minute to minute.  The impulse when painting a scene is to start right in on that one thing that draws you to the scene and paint it in great detail. But, when you get too fine too soon, everything else suffers and you wind up with mud.  I think this is true no matter what the artistic medium - paint, pencil, music, poetry.  The best seems simple, when in reality, the most difficult thing to do is just the right amount.  

Cattle Gate

Cattle Gate

12" x 16" oil on board

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Conditions went from bright sunshine to long periods of thick cumulus clouds and back to bright sunshine during the two or so hours I worked on this painting.  I think I started around 2pm...The blended lighting conditions might be noticeable if you look closely, which I'm pretty sure is some kind of plein air no-no.  But ya know what?  Don't care...

More and more, I prefer paintings that are not strait forward.  I want a little poetry, mystery and abstraction, and I actually get more of a response when I create that type of painting than I do for more realistic paintings. So I like this one - it's got a lot going on.  

Below the High Meadow

 

Below the High Meadow

24" x 24" oil on canvas

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In real life, I'm an 8th grade special education teacher with two young kids that never stop moving.  So, while it may seem like I spend all of my time painting, in reality, a lot of the painting takes place at 5am on weekends, in short bursts while my kids are doing other things or in rare moments of freedom like my yearly solo trip to Highland County. That's also the reason why most of my paintings are small and completed in one sitting without a lot of touch up once the moment has passed. 

Over the winter, however, I decided to try having a larger painting going that I would visit here and there during spare moments.  I liked this approach at first, however, after the initial excitement, it became a little tedious, and I just wanted to finish the painting.  I may try it again this winter, but I do prefer to paint quickly, preferably outdoors.  

The painting is partly based on an image from a hike to Seneca Creek/High Meadows in the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia and partly imagined. The imagined part is the top right quarter.  In the image, you can't see through the trees, but it felt a little claustrophobic, so I added the ridge in the background and the little spots of sky. 

The approach felt tedious, but I guess it paid off because the painting was accepted to the Prince William County Art Society's, "best of the region," art show for Fairfax, Loudon, and Prince William County.  I didn't realize what it meant to have a painting accepted into the show until I attended the reception and saw the other pieces.  Amazing! I didn't win, but it was a great experience and I received some great feedback.  A couple of the winners told me that my painting was one of their favorites and that they voted for it in the "people's choice" voting, which is still taking place. 

If you're interested in this one, I'll warn you that the price is a little higher than usual.  It's a big painting and, all in all, I spent over 50 hours on it.  

Late Morning at the Miller's

 

Late Morning at the Miller's

12" x 12" oil on board

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This is the miller's house, located at the historic Colvin Run Mill in Fairfax County.  The mill was built around 1811, and it still works. I painted the house as part of the Paint Great Falls outdoor painting competition. This was the first time I've entered into a painting competition, and it was a lot for me. If I do anything like this again, I will probably wait until summer because I wasn't able to devote the time to it that I should have.  The competition went on all week long, but I was only able to give it three days, and I completed three paintings. Meantime, I'm juggling a major garden project at my school, working full time, attending my kids sports and practices and generally running myself into the ground. 

Despite all of that, I put way too much weight on earning a ribbon. When I didn't earn one, instead of letting myself feel good about putting myself out there, painting in front of people for the first time, having the chance to hang my work in a gallery for a month, etc., I felt discouraged. I know that's ridiculous, but I still feel it.  But maybe that feeling is necessary when you really care about something and you're determined. Let it drive you or let it stop you.  That's the choice. 

Also, I chose not to enter this painting - I was allowed to enter two, and after much polling, this one did not make the cut...maybe it should have?

Evening Light - Backyard

Evening Light - Backyard 

8" x 8" oil on board

This is one I'd like to revisit or turn into a more finished painting.  I was just trying to get some practice in before the Paint Great Falls outdoor painting competition. I worked on this for under an hour, which may be obvious. Sometimes, though, I like the ones that take under an hour just as much or more than the paintings that take multiple hours. 

Lonely Peony

Lonely Peony

5" x 7" oil on board

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The peony plant in front of our house is usually loaded with blooms but for some reason it only had one this year - here it is! 

Roudy's Retreat

Roudy's Retreat

8" x 10" oil on board

Great little Airbnb cabin in Montebello, VA, that is equidistant to Nelson County wine country and the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.  I gifted this painting to the owner of the cabin for the cost of shipping and materials.  Hope she hangs it!