"Surrender"

8 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

I can truly say this is where I'd like to be.

A woman sunbathing on the beach on Hilton Head Island.

"Wife Guard"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

I just  L-u-r-v-e  how this painting turned out.

From the beach on Cape Cod, a man keeping watch over his sunbathing wife.

"Coast Guard"

10 x 9"

oil on panel
sold

Hoping this basset hound puts a smile on your face.

From the beach on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

Please click here for a larger view.

"Summer Camp"

13 x 6"

oil on panel

A nice reminder of those warm, summer days.

Email me if you are interested in a purchase.

"Strawberry Reds"

7 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

I can be a real stubborn knucklehead when it comes to figuring out what to paint.  I took a few days off then spent two days stewing over what to start on.  Over thinking.

Turns out, most of the time, it's right there in front of me.

~ Happy Summer

"Warm Spot"

7 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

Another reminder of a simple pleasure in the warmth of the sun.

.... and to one of my favorite actors of all times - Philip Seymour Hoffman

Rest in Peace

"Foam Bath"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

A reminder of warmth, sun, sand and fun at the beach in the summertime.

"Borrowed Time"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

My good friend and neighbor enjoying the last few days of pool time.

"Tanning Tubes"

6 x 6"

oil on panel
sold

I took a week off of painting for some spring cleaning - meanwhile the sun and the warmth finally arrived.  Yay.   This new painting is an ode to late spring and the anticipation of floating in a swimming pool as soon as possible.  Plus I just got a new tube of Quinacridone Violet for that hot pink I wanted.  

"Diggin' It"

8 x 10"

oil on panel
sold

I've had a cold.  In the grand scheme of things, it's just an ordinary cold but it turns the brain to mush.  But after a very nice evening with a couple who bought a painting of mine recently,  I got a much-needed shot in the arm and jumped back into the paints, despite my mushy brain.

Lucky for me, a Game of Thrones marathon has been on all day and I've stayed focused for a change, painting and reminding myself how the story has progressed - ready for the return of Season 3 tonight.  Yay.  It's the best thing on television, if you haven't tuned in yet.   Baseball returns tomorrow, the trees are budding and life is good.

I painted this piece on a bright, red ground - which takes some patience because colors do appear different on the red, with less predictable results, but that's what makes it fun.  Just like when you paint on black - at first you battle with it, then get familiar with how to go along with it.  

"Brewskies"

I have crawled out from under a rock and I'm back in the swing of things.  Yay.

Before I show you my new painting, I want to thank all each and every one of you who emailed and left comments full of good wishes.  It really did matter.  And I am lucky to have many good friends out there.  Thank you all.

And for anyone contemplating gall bladder surgery,  it's not so bad.  It probably was awful 15 years ago, but modern techniques make it less a big thing.  The roughest part of my experience was tackling an infection with antibiotics that made me so sick, I couldn't bear to watch Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives without gagging.   That finally passed and I think I'm pretty close to my old self again.  Yay.

Back to art.  Enough of that.

12 x 5"

oil on panel
sold

left side detail

right side detail

Ladies taking a bench break with some cold beer during an outdoor arts festival.

"Going Swimmingly"

6 x 3-7/8"

oil on panel
sold

You may think you know how to paint a figure until something like an elevated view or water distorts it - then you're truly forced to paint what you see and not what you know.  I love the wiggly form of her body under water, very challenging and fun to paint.  An ode to swimming pools that help me tolerate the summers in Georgia.  I think I'll go find one now.

"Pool Room"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

Ode to the swimming pool. Without it, I'd really hate summer and probably have moved back up north by now. Today, we bid farewell - until next year. Alas.

My good friend enjoying plenty of room to float.

"Rafters"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
nfs

In between painting, I am occasionally lured into a swim at my good neighbor's pool. The reward goes without saying, added to that, it rejuvenates me enough to continue painting longer into the evening. Gotta love that.

My neighbor poms - Taz and Ginger floating on a raft in the sunshine. A gift to my friends.

"Way Out There"

9 x 12"
oil on masonite
sold

How about a moment of Zen - forget the cold, wet, dreary weather outside and imagine yourself soaking up the warm sun on the beach all by yourself. And remember, brighter days are ahead. Not soon enough - but it's coming.

My first thought about this new painting is it can best be appreciated in person. The vibrancy of the skin tones, the yellow towel and especially the turquoise water and multi-blues sky - the texture and warmth in the sand, which I used a palette knife for most of that - yes, I wish I could hold up the real thing right in front of you. As with most paintings.




In the process of painting this, I did the figure first, the water next, the people walking about and in the ocean way in the distance - and then wiped the whole thing off. Those moments are funny - here I just spent hours on what I thought was nearly complete and it's as if my hand just took over and grabbed a rag and, in seconds, trashed it. So I sit there stunned for a minute, hearing that little voice that assures me it wasn't right and get over it. Just as quick as it disappeared, I start it all over again - lessons learned - which usually makes the second attempt much more successful.

Now.... mix yourself a margarita and click here for a larger view.

"Serenity Now"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

I started this guy thinking I'd play with the skin colors I so admire in Michelle Torrez's work - that acidity green/orange is incredible. Instead, I got lost in the many reds, the folds, the waves, the aquas, purples, blues and yellows. An enjoyable painting session nonetheless.

Quoting Frank Costanza (as I often do), this man was enjoying a Serenity Now moment in the ocean waters of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

"Hot Novel"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

This painting went through two wipe-offs, then totally finished, then painted over. It happens. I fall into a too-tight state, get totally sucked in and I step back and hate it. It's good - but uninteresting in the end. So I picked up a wide brush, added fuller swipes of color and simplified the scene. Some painting days flow and some don't. You just have to keep at it.

"Summer IV"

4 x 4"
oil on masonite
sold

Again with the beach. I'm trying to wish away winter.

"Summer III"

4 x 4"
oil on masonite
sold

Another small study I enjoyed painting in between the more detailed work.

"Summer II"

4 x 4"
oil on masonite
sold

A second in the series of small, summertime glimpses at the beach.