just a bit of practice

It is always good to work on draping. It is like people - it occurs everywhere and yet we pay little attention. It is also something that can always be improved.

back to the blog

It has been too long. I have a few paintings to add that have been in the works. I hope you enjoy.

Sorry it has been a while. Spring break has come and gone. Here is a larger work that is now on display in a fine Doctor's home.

Just another thought of the changes of grasslands.

Prairies are very much like islands. You see nothing but sky around you yet you are standing on dry land.

It is always nice to think of places calm and warm. A quick memory of such places turned to paint.

Two pictures today. The first is my tribute to Darwin's birthday and according to a peer his embarrasment over fossils. The second is a bit of quick color sketching the hope of spring as snow melts in western PA.

Minimal paintings are like exercise. I do them to keep the paint fresh and my mind and hands communicating.

Sometimes it is good just to try and see the world in new ways. A color speaks to a day or to a landscape and changes it.

Moving between media is important to me. The feel of graphite, the smell of linseed oil, the speed of acrylic are all part of the artistic experience. Two pieces from this week show this. The mannequin was the only form of model I had in the studio. I wanted to get back to the slower process of oil painting so I began with this grisalle. The seed pods are a quick work that forced me to think about the rules of composition for different purposes. The structure was scientific but the execution was more in building shading and shape.

Tropical islands can make even the most degraded objects beautiful. This is a Haitian wreck on San Salvador. The occupants built it by hand in an attempt to escape the poverty of their home. Still one of the most elegant examples of the creativity and will of the Caribbean.

A continuation on the theme of islands and oceans. Two sand dollars recovered from near the wall on San Salvador Island

Working small tonal sketches from photos was good practice last night. I needed something that I could finish in a short period of time but that would be consistent with the theme of the beach nuts. I am starting to think about themes for the whole wall - groups of pictures that change size and tone to produce a whole.

These are a few of my paintings from the past year. Each is for sale. Please contact me for pricing.

Beach Beans

This is last night's effort. I am balancing painting quick one sitting works with more substantial pieces that I hope to finish about once a week. These beans were found on the beaches of San Salvador. It is amazing to think how far they have floated across this world before being found there and then being brought back to western PA.

Painting is a way of finding connections to the world around me and affirming beauty. It is also a tool I use to communicate to my family and those around me my view of the world. Over the next year I have been challenged by my son Noah to fill the walls of his room with paintings. This blog will be the first step in that effort. All my paintings are available for sale. Please contact me for pricing and shipping options.