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
Sold

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
Sold

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.

Friday, December 23, 2016

Rockfish Valley

Rockfish Valley
8" x 10" oil on HD Canvas


This is a semi-imaginary scene from Nelson County, VA on the Bold Rock Cider Property in Nellysford, VA. I used a reference photo, but I changed up the color scheme big time and added some embellishments such as the river, snaking off into the distance. Here's the reference photo:

Saturday, November 19, 2016

Drift Rose Study II

Drift Rose Study II
5" x 7" oil on board
Sold

The second of my election day drift rose studies. I painted these under a combination of natural, north light and three overhead 60 watt GE bulbs, trying to keep the shapes as simple as possible.

Drift Rose Study

Drift Rose Study
5" x 7" oil on board
Sold

After voting on election day, I painted flowers, secure in the notion that our country was headed in the right direction...I'm happy with the results of my paintings; the election, not so much.