"A Rainy Night in Chicago"

5 x 7"

oil on panel
sold

This was a tough one.

I started out wanting to keep it very impressionistic and loose, then I started painting in each window like a nutball - took a break for dinner - came back to it and forced myself to paint the remainder with a wide brush.  I'm kinda amazed I finished it, and just the way I pictured it in my head in the beginning.  Yay.

This view is from a high floor in the Fairmont Hotel on North Columbus Drive - on a very rainy night in the city.  You can make out the Sheraton Towers on the right with its glowing tower.

"Naturally"

5 x 7"
oil on masonite
sold

I've been holed up - a painting machine. Good thing it's winter. Today, I just ended up playing with a different approach, something I'd like to develop more and more. The control factor is the key - using a palette knife in parts, a brush in parts - really struggling with that fine line of loose and tight and knowing when to stop.

"Light"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

Van Gogh said "I often think that the night is more alive and more richly colored than the day", a quote that inspired this new painting in my alphabet series. After all, light is what gives us the drama and the color in painting. In this scene, there's several sources of light - the blueish, morning light streaming down the staircase and the wall - the lone porchlamp illuminating the front door - and the sliver of a warm, golden glow behind the curtains.

This scene is from a pre-dawn stroll in the little city of Savannah, Georgia.

"Asleep"

8 x 8"

oil on masonite

sold

I'm happy to have painted something completely different today. On the way home, late last night, I took a side street and saw this little, old house totally asleep except for the glow of the porch light. Just pure, still beauty.

"Moon Over Market Street"

6 x 6"

oil on masonite

sold

I'd like to take you through my adventure in San Francisco, starting with the first night I arrived. I stayed nearby the bustling corner of Market and Fourth Streets, and when night falls, that area lights up like a Christmas tree. Your eyes dance around the colors and the movement of lights and people - it's just fantastic. This view is looking east, towards the Ferry Building way down in the unseen distance. I also had the pleasure of a bright, (near) full moon that added to the beauty of the city.