"Starry Eyed"

9-1/2 x 14"
oil on masonite
sold

I am one of the trillions of people who marvel over Van Gogh's paintings - you're lucky to see them in person really. You can almost trace each deliberate brushstroke made from start to finish - lots of movement and animation, thick layers of multitudes of colors - absolutely stunning how he handled paint. 'Starry Night' needs it's own room, bleacher seats would be nice - it's almost impossible to stand before it without a dozen or more people fighting for that glimpse.

From the Museum of Modern Art, a patron gets a rare, dedicated view of the most popular, most reproduced, most recognizable painting by Van Gogh, 'Starry Night'.

"Feast For the Eyes"

8 x 12"
oil on masonite
sold

At my shop, I have framed prints and posters of Diego Rivera's work for years - but nothing comes close to seeing the paintings in person. They are marvelous.

From the Museum of Modern Art in New York, a visitor pours over Rivera's 'Flower Festival: Feast of Santa Anita' - a massive, colorful, brilliantly-composed feast for the eyes.

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"News Anchor"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

I've done several new paintings that will be sent to the Howard/Mandville Gallery in the next few weeks, this one included - a painterly piece of a woman relaxing with the newspaper in the sculpture garden of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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and....... please know I am so grateful for your comments on the paintings. It really drives me and I appreciate it.

"Mosey Along"

5 x 7"
oil on masonite
sold

Packed in like sardines, folks take a relaxing carriage tour through Charleston, which by the way, I'd highly recommend.

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"Spirit In The Sky"

5 x 7"
oil on masonite
sold

This new painting will be added to the Sylvan Gallery in Charleston - along with several more I'm currently working on. They're small, casual, intimate scenes - much like the Holy City itself. This view is looking down Meeting Street towards St. Michael's Church, lit up in the early morning sun.

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Showtime

I sure do want to thank those who came to the 16 Patton Gallery Saturday night for my mini-show and especially want to thank Danna and Jamie for giving me the spotlight. I had the best time - it's great to put aside the paints, take a roadtrip, eat good food and meet nice people. Three paintings in the grouping were sold - keep in mind they'll be on exhibit until mid-July if you're in the city of Asheville, which by the way is a fabulous place to visit and explore.

It's back to work, I've got a lot of painting to do.

"Two Seater"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

I saved this new painting for a TGIF image, also included in the 8 Squared show opening tomorrow evening - a vacationing couple maintaining their coolness in the low tide on Hilton Head Island. I'm packing up and heading to Asheville myself - if you're in the area, I'd appreciate you coming by tomorrow night or any time in the next month - they're showing at the 16 Patton Gallery. You'll find a map here.

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"Dayglow"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

Included in the grouping of 8 Squared, a scene from Mulberry Street in New York City's Little Italy, where outdoor diners were tucked underneath a row of glowing, yellow umbrellas.

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"Cruise Line"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

One of my personal favorites, also included in the grouping in the upcoming show 8 Squared opening this Saturday at the 16 Patton Gallery in Asheville - a woman on her blue scooter
zooming down the road.

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"Welcome Center"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite

As you can see, my friend's dog, Bernie is usually out front doing his job of either welcoming visitors ..... or not. He's like a massive sculpture in the sunshine, I couldn't wait to paint him.
This new piece will be included in the upcoming show 8 Squared, opening this Saturday.

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"Alfresco"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

This new painting is taken from a little side patio outside of an Asheville restaurant where, every time I pass by, I see a painting in my head. This piece will also be included in the upcoming show
8 Squared at the 16 Patton Gallery. I'll be at the gallery Saturday evening - please come by and say hello - if you don't see me, I'm probably a few doors down at this very spot, composing more paintings in my head.

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"Floor Plans"

8 x 8"

oil on masonite
sold

In the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, weary patrons take to the lobby benches to rest and navigate where they'll go next. This new painting will be included in the grouping 8 Squared, opening this Saturday night at the 16 Patton Gallery.

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"Water Boy"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite

This new painting is a good example of what oils are meant for - the swirling and moving of colors. Meet my friend's dog Boo, who is also included in the grouping of 8 Squared, opening next Saturday night.

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"Zzzoom"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

Next Saturday evening, the 16 Patton Gallery will host an opening for my mini-solo show, titled 8 Squared - a small collection of 8 x 8" paintings of a variety of subjects that inspire me. I would love for you to come by and see the paintings in person if you're in the area - they'll be up on the wall next Saturday, the 19th.

This new painting is a scene from Asheville, a little Moped action at the corner of Haywood Street & College Street.

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"Atlantic Time"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

As I was thinking of a title for this new painting, a dozen possibilities came to mind, all of which were lamenting the oil spill - how we now look at our experiences at the beach in a different way, whether it's on the Gulf, Pacific or Atlantic Coast. It's time we cherish - walking on the edge of the earth, staring out into the deep blue waters, enjoying the air, the sounds, the smells. I guess I'd rather my paintings be timeless, a moment captured, without a title defining what once was.

We will endure all that's ahead of us and we will continue to live our lives - embracing those places where we feel peaceful and fortunate - I'm sure of it.

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"Top Guns"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

Three women biking in formation, on Hilton Head Island.

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"Freewheelers"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold 

Ode to the clean beach. A very typical sight on Hilton Head Island, a couple riding bikes along the shore.

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"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.

"The Scoop"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

I'd like to start off the week with a more positive image of beach life - clean and blue, as it should be.

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"Chaos"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

I'm back in my little painting hut again - with immediate work to do, finishing up the group of new work for a mini-solo show opening June 19th at the 16 Patton Gallery in Asheville. I purposely picked this scene to warm up the brain and brushes - the beginning of my experience in New York City, as I was driving in on that first Saturday afternoon in Crazytown USA.

I hope to balance my time with some small, very loose pieces along with more-realized, larger work - those you'll see closer to the opening of the show. So I hope you'll check back often, I'm raring to go.

Finishing Up Where I Left Off...

Now that I'm home and coming out of a fog, I wanted to finish up where I left off which was Thursday at the workshop. By Friday, time seemed to speed up so much faster than the earlier part of the week - the day you try to shove in as much as you can, get to the places you missed. In New York City, there just isn't enough time in the day to get it all done - not even in a week.

So let me rewind ..... going back to Thursday. We had a longer studio day, planned perfectly because the clouds had moved in and we were ready to hole up and paint, especially after spending the past afternoons out in the city photographing in the sunshine.

I didn't have a planned demo that morning - what happened was one of the artists had worked on a piece Wednesday and by Thursday morning she wasn't pleased with the painting, asked me if she should wipe it and start over. That's a question we all ask ourselves at some point and it's really just a gut feeling if you should keep on or not. My gut said to keep on, and the demo was that I (reluctantly) took over and showed how you can sometimes repair what's not quite right. The photograph she used as her reference was fabulous to begin with - so I was pretty sure it was well worth a try - and I give her a lot of the credit, for that and the ground work she provided, which, with some minor changes, made for a nice painting in the end.

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Friday was our last day together, we still were all very eager to keep painting - here is the demo I painted that morning, an example of how to enjoy a more quick, spontaneous session, not fussing over the unneeded details of a scene.

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Also realizing I did not include Monday's demo, because I hadn't been able to get a good image for you to see - I waited until I got back home and got a much better shot in my own lighting, as well as the others you see above. I brought all the demos home with me, feeling sure I could touch them up if the paint smeared, varnish them and get them back to their rightful owners, safe and sound. Here is the Monday demo .....

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The only regrets I have, now that the workshop is over, is I didn't get the chance to photograph everyone's finished paintings - and I didn't get a group photo of all of us. Next time, I'll be sure to do that. Other than that, I think it was a great experience for all of us - my right-hand man, Vince Fazio, was extremely helpful and vital to the great flow of the week and I'm happy to know he'll be assisting in the same manner with the upcoming workshops, both in Hilton Head and New York next May.

As I was driving home Saturday, I almost wished I could do it all over again. Great group of artists, all very talented, warm and fun to paint with. Thanks to all who spent the week with me, I am grateful for the experience. This last camera shot was on the highway north of Asheville, North Carolina - a breathtaking, scenic drive - seemingly a million miles away from the frantic world that I left that morning.

Thursday at the Academy

Just wanted to say a few things including some pictures of our day in the studio today - the gist of the workshop is for me to share my steps, from taking photos to looking at them on my computer to choosing one to paint then carrying through the process. The students are urged to use their laptops to paint from - Vince Fazio, the director of the Sedona Arts Center, is in the class every day, helping those who would rather paint from a printed out photo - not to mention helping with a thousand other things that makes my job more dedicated to painting and coaching. I couldn't have done it without him. This is Vince, who joined in on painting as well.




Another point I'd like to underline is I am thrilled to have been able to schedule this week in New York, as well as another in November in Hilton Head Island and New York again next May. That is it. I appreciate those who ask when I'm coming to their neck-of-the-woods, but I know my limits. I'm a painter first and perhaps down the road, I'll take on more of the workshops - but those you see listed on the right column are it.

Now for some glimpses of our day, which was extremely rewarding for me.

Wednesday at the Academy

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Our day today was equally as productive and great - I spent the majority of the time giving individual attention and entirely forgot about painting myself. So in the last hour, I jumped in -
stressing the idea of not always aspiring to create a more-realized piece because sometimes we just have a sliver of the day to paint and what's important is that you paint. I used one of my food-art analogies - some days you aspire to make lasagna. You know it'll take hours, you know it will be delicious, but you don't have the time and you don't have the energy - so crack open a can of Chef-Boyardee instead and perhaps tomorrow you'll be inspired to make that lasagna.

The point also can be made that the quick, looser paintings can be liberating and just as satisfying. I love painting this way.

Tuesday at the Academy

Before I dragged my bones back out there - I wanted to share some work that my students are painting. It's been a great experience for me and I'm really, really proud of all the group.

















The painting below was my demo for this morning.

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If You Can Drive In There, You Can Drive In Anywhere

I hate to be dramatic about it, but driving into New York City has got to be the most nerve-racking thing I've ever experienced. Yikes! I will never complain again about the traffic in Atlanta. Hands down, this metropolis takes the prize. I made it, safe and sound - the rest of my time here will gladly be on foot or in a cab. Whew.



First thing I gravitated towards was a hot pretzel which was about the size of my head. Had to get that out of my system right away - then onto Bryant Park, which is one of the best people watching spots.




Time to rest ..... it's been a l-o-n-g day. Over and out.