'City Harbor'

11" x 14" Oil on Panel

Sold!

I wasn't going for the pristine harbor look that you might find in parts of British Columbia.  The photo that I worked from was taken by my wife in Vancouver, but this could be any city.  I just wanted it to look busy and urban - I think I got the busy part down...Hopefully it's not too busy.

'On the Beach'

8" x 10" Oil on Panel

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I've said this before, but there comes a point in every painting when it may not be perfect, but any further attempt at perfection will have the opposite effect.  I like this painting a lot, but as always I reached the point where I felt like I could do better - in this case, I knew better than to go on.  I think that's a step forward for me actually...Some of my best paintings might have been better if not for my obsessiveness.

I thought about calling this painting, 'The Ocean,' but I think the painting is less about the strength and cold indifference of the ocean as commonly depicted in art and literature and more about a warm, shimmery, day at the beach.  Maybe if I do a painting of one of the 15 foot, Hurricane Earl waves that we saw during the same beach trip, I'll call that one 'The Ocean.'

'Graves Mountain'

9" x 12" Oil on Panel
$75:

SOLD!

This is Graves Mountain Lodge in Syria, VA, just east of Shenandoah  National Park and about 40 miles NW of Charlottesville, VA.  My wife and I went apple picking here last weekend on our one year wedding anniversary.  I haven't done a lot of world traveling, but I've been all over the United States and the area just east of Shenandoah National Park at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains is as beautiful as any land I've seen.  I recommend checking it out.

This painting took some work, but I think it turned out well.  I tried to create a contrast between the dry, late summer look of the foreground and the cool blues and greens of the mountains.  The middle of the painting and particularly the left, middle has the greatest contrast and sharpest lines so hopefully that's the main focus. Here is a closeup of the middle of the painting in case it's tough to make out the detail:

'Lily"

16" x 20" Oil on HD Canvas
Commissioned - Sold!

Ok, so I've reached the point where it's probably not getting much better, but it COULD get worse. If you see anything glaring, let me know. Keep in mind that they always look better in person...Sorry it has taken so long to get back to this one...Hope you like.

'Candles'

8" x 6" Oil on Canvas Panel
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I painted this back in August. My efforts to take a quality photograph are futile so I went ahead and posted it. I've been busy with my real job and traveling a lot on weekends so I haven't had a chance to paint much, or post...I apologize if you're waiting on something.

I like the way the fire turned out...It's tough to make it shine and those luminous colors in the candles were tough to figure out. I overworked the shadows and highlights in the background, which is an ongoing problem for me.

This one is cheap though - might look nice in your bathroom or against a dark color scheme...

New Framed Paintings

Email for Purchase Info: bohnec@gmail.com

'Boston Harbor Blues'

18" x 24" Oil on Framed Canvas

$250 Includes Frame

'River Day-Lilies'

11" x 14" Oil on Framed Canvas

$175 Includes Frame

'Louisa Crossroads'

11" x 14" Oil on Canvas
$100

I know better than to blindly follow Mapquest directions. Experience has shown that they will take you all sorts of crazy places that you don't want to be. But, I was in a hurry and I didn't have time to check my directions against an actual map- I saw a few familiar roads and figured I'd make it to Louisa one way or another. And I did, only after 45 miles of single lane roads through some of the most rural country I've seen in Virginia, south of Route 522 between Unionville and the Town of Louisa in Virginia. It was awesome! I recommend getting lost out there if you have the chance. Plus, I never would have snapped the photo that inspired this painting if Mapquest hadn't pulled its shenanigans.

This is where the back-roads dump you; at the intersection of Ellisville Drive and Route 33/22. Route 33 is Main Street in the Town of Louisa. I was headed to the Louisa County courthouse to file a zoning application for work. I wouldn't have taken the photo if, one; Mapquest hadn't tricked me and, two; the old guy in front of me hadn't taken 15 minutes to move from the stop sign. So, as fate would have it, I flung my arm out the window and snapped a photo. I haven't painted a landscape in a while so I enjoyed this. And I think I like the painting too.

'Dexter'

18" x 24" Oil on HD Canvas
Commissioned
Sold!

This is Dexter...He's part greyhound, part pit-bull? Correct me there. Lily, Dexter's little sister is next. Dexter is a cool character so his colors match his persona. Lily is warm and affectionate so her colors will compliment Dexter's. I'm pretty happy with how Dexter turned out. Hope you are too.

'Dirty Apple'

8' x 10' Oil on panel
SOLD!

White is a surprisingly difficult color to paint. It sounds easy, but when you really look at all the colors and values going on in the folds of a white cloth, you realize that there is a lot more to it. With this painting, I concentrated more on the folds of the cloth than I did the apple.

I should probably reiterate that I'm not tying to paint realistically. I'm not a fan of realistic painting...I agree that it takes a certain skill to perfectly recreate a scene, but I believe there is more art involved with impressionist painting, or the suggestion features through tonal values, lines and edges, etc. Not that I'm always successful at it...

Which style do you prefer?

'Tomato Basil'

11" x 14" Oil on Panel
$150

Half way through this painting I was ready to wipe it and chalk it up to just not feeling it. But, I said screw it, I'll just see what happens and I started laying in color without really thinking about it...Turned out to be one of my favorite still life paintings that I've done so far.

Had some trouble with the basil though - I snipped it from our monster basil plant on the back patio and it was beautiful for about 20 minutes. Then it wilted into a puddle of itself. So I kind of had to imagine what it would look like...Overall, one of my favorites. Hope you like it.

'Corn and Peaches'

11" x 14" Oil on Panel
$150

"How often have we all come to that crucial point in a painting where it is practically "begging" us to stop before we ruin it? We have all had that experience and we risk failure, or at the least mediocrity, if we ignore the voice in our art." (Richard Schmid)

I reach this point in every painting and the hardest thing for me to do is to listen to that voice that tells me it's finished. I wouldn't say that I overworked this one, but it did have a more spontaneous look to it that I ruined when I tried to perfect some things that didn't really need perfecting. I want to be better than mediocre...

Richard Schid

'Okra and Tomato"

8' x 10' Oil on Panel
Sold!

I painted this one on Monday, but I've been too busy to blog it. I made a makeshift shadow box (out of a box) by cutting a rectangle in the top of the box and spay-painting the inside flat black. I can shine an adjustable lamp through the top and control how much light enters the box and the direction it comes from. The front of the box is open so I just set up whatever I'm painting inside. Very professional.

I like the way the okra turned out, but I got a little muddy with the tomato. Still, it's not bad. Here's the deal: the first person to leave a comment for this post can have this painting for free.

'Cherries and Wine'

From New Paintings

8" x 10" oil on panel
$100

The wine glass was a tough subject, but I think it turned out well. Lot of glare in the photo even though I took this one outside...I have another show coming up in August and one in October so I'm trying to create few to choose from. They ARE for sale though so let me know if you want one.

'Cherries'

6" x 8" oil on panel

SOLD!

On the advice of another artist's website, I tried taking my photos outside in the shade as opposed to inside under artificial light. This does seem to cut down on the glare, but the colors still do not come through as bright as they are in person. Even after adjusting them with Picasa. I love the turquoise against the crimson...

'Sliced'

9" x 12" Oil on Canvas
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Guess there are worse things I could do while the wife's away. I did eat a pretty large sandwich with prime rib, pepperoni, hot peppers, provolone, and marinara...And the other half of that lime - I stuffed it in a beer. By Erik Time standards, it's gettin crazy over here...

Ran out of 8" x 10" panels so I had to put this on a 9" x 10". This would look really nice with a thick black frame around it. As usual, the photo looks like it was taken with a disposable so imagine clear, bright colors and no glare.

'Lean on Me'

8" x 10" oil on panel

Sold!

Or, 'lime and orange on aluminum pan under track lighting,' if you prefer. Again, my photo is horrible...too much glare and the painting looks ten times better in person.

Painting a subject first hand as opposed to staring at a computer screen is much more challenging and, as a result, much more rewarding. I'm beginning to think painting first hand is more artful (if that's a word), as well. I think I'm going to try and shift more toward outdoor painting and still life. I'm looking into travel easels at the moment. In fact, I need to up my bid on ebay...

'Recent Framed Paintings'

Framed paintings below are $150 plus shipping. Leave a comment or email: bohnec@gmail.com for purchase.


'Coreopsis'

8" x 10" Oil on canvas

SOLD

'Tangier'

8" x 10" Oil on canvas

$150 with frame

'West Leigh and Hancock'

8" x 10" Oil on panel

SOLD

'The Golden Road'

8" x 10" Oil on Canvas

SOLD

All above framed paintings are $150 plus shipping. Leave a comment or send an email: bohnec@gmail.com for purchase.

'Alaska Highway'

8' x 10' Oil on Panel

Sold!

I Went with a monochromatic color scheme of Phthalo Blue and white to create a dreary, wet sort of feeling. The photo that I worked from came from my wife's photos from her tour of Alaska last summer. I like how the road curves to the right and the mountains extend to the left suggesting that the road probably follows the base of the mountains.

'Porter 2.0'

11' x 14' Oil on HD Canvas
Commissioned - Sold

I couldn't sleep last night knowing that you were unhappy with Porter...I was totally discombobulated. But, I really worked to see your point and I think I understand. Pets are members of the family. I know because I have a dog of my own. Painting dogs/pets is a touchy business, maybe more so than painting people. If the glint in the eye is not perfect, it's still a dog, but it's not YOUR dog...It took me a while to come to grips with this, but I understand. With that said, I'm not sure what else I can do aside from repainting the background purple once the yellow dries.

What I did was remove the highlights along the gum - I agree that they took away from the teeth, which should be a center of focus for a German Shepard. I moved the gum up a little and toned down the highlights on the tongue because they distracted from the teeth as well. I increased the size of the teeth, brightened the highlights, and darkened the area around the teeth to make them more visible.

I tried to make the snout appear longer by pulling Porter's smile back and adding some highlights along the side of the muzzle. But the portrait is not a side profile so it is tough to make the snout appear as long as it is. Aside from that, I softened some lines around the edges and added some more yellow highlights.

Hope you like it better this time...Otherwise, I'll have what I consider a beautiful portrait of Porter hanging in my house...

'Porter'

11" x 14" Oil on HD Canvas
Commissioned -Sold

What can I say? Some paintings just paint themselves...This is a little more realistic than I had intended and the background may not be the color that you want it to be, but I don't know what else would work...I really like the way it turned out.

I can paint your dog too!