"Pike Hike"

10 x 11"
oil on masonite
sold

Also included in the upcoming May show - a cityscape of Seattle at the corner of Pike Street and First Avenue, right at the opening of the Pike Place Market. I had taken a cab to the market early in the evening and started my hike back to the hotel - delighted with the break in the clouds and this gorgeous, dusky, peachy light - dispelling the myth that Seattle is always rainy and gray.

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"Summer Time"

9 x 12"
oil on masonite

I'm not one for Victorian or Romantic era paintings - perhaps I'm jaded from framing so many through the years. Then I see one in the flesh, like this painting by Frank Benson titled 'Summer'. It hangs in the Smithsonian American Art Museum - a must-see collection that's often overlooked because it's not on the Mall with the other museums. This new painting is included in my upcoming dual show opening May 9th.

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"Puttin"

7 x 5"
oil on masonite
sold

I like to watch golf tournaments on TV - not for the sport - but for the landscapes, the crowds, the shadows, the color. It's also a great way to study the human figure. I painted this while watching the Masters - simplifying the surroundings. It's a fun subject - I'd like to do more.

"Eavesdropping"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

A nice place to hang out, if you find yourself in San Francisco, is the Ferry Market - weekends include a green market, lots to eat, lots of people watching. The backside of the market has a nice view of the bay, fresh air and fresh coffee. If I lived in the city, it would be a weekly habit.

As you may have read, I've been painting for a dual show also featuring Fred Calleri, opening on Saturday, May 9th, at the Howard/Mandville Gallery in Kirkland - just outside of Seattle. You will see 11 new paintings of mine - the entire collection will be posted on my website on May 4th. The gallery did give the OK to reveal three of the paintings which you can view here, including the one you see above.

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"Page Turner"

8 x 10"
oil on masonite
sold

A couple of years back, during an opening at Twinhouse Gallery, I spotted Jeff & Leslie Cohen's daughter sitting quietly in a chair, ignoring the conversations and mingling of patrons - totally absorbed in Catch-22. It was one of those moments when I saw a finished painting in my head, I could hardly wait to get home and start it. I have painted her several times, from different angles - I'm just in love with the subject, the light, the personality ... everything.

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"Innocent Bystander"

12 x 12"
oil on masonite
sold

A sure bet - women and girls are mostly drawn to artworks depicting women and girls. It's what we know. Men on the other hand are drawn to structural objects, sculptures and dramatic scenes. These two are standing before Morisot's 'Woman at Her Toilette', while on the right is Renoir's 'Woman at the Piano'. Both paintings hang in the Art Institute of Chicago.

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"Holy Corner"

8 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

A brand new painting of a sunlit church - a quintessential, coastal South Carolina scene from Lady's Island, outside of Beaufort.

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"Little Easter"

4 x 4"
oil on masonite
sold

This little painting was a result of my stubborn nature of having to keep at something until I get it. I painted the first one, the whole head-to-toe, fairly fast - walked away - came back and wiped out the head and did it again. Wiped that - walked away - came back and did it again. Kids are hard when you've spent a lifetime studying and drawing adults. Still not happy, I picked up this little 4" square panel and worked at it - then went back to the larger piece and finished it up, finally satisfied with both.

"Easter"

4 x 8"
oil on masonite
sold

Sometimes I have a quiet evening when I know I'm only in the mood to paint something quick and loose - a study of sorts. I spotted this little girl on Easter morning, outside of a nearby church - a perfect little subject to practice painting children. I also did a little head study you'll see tomorrow.

"Tied Up at the Moment"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

A nice companion piece for yesterday's painting 'Front Row Seat'. Although I do enjoy painting very quick, impressionistic pieces - I also take pleasure in doing more realized, more time-involved work on this subject. You'll be able to see them framed and on the walls of the Morris & Whiteside Galleries in the beginning of May, along with others.

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"Front Row Seat"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

Certainly a favorite subject to paint - one that includes those wonderful, squiggly shadows.

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"Woodland Nymph & Hound"

You may notice a couple of changes to this post - one - I was wrong, this figure is not the goddess of Diana, it is one of her companions, which explains why I changed the title of my painting. I also removed my little movie, showing the progression of the painting and replaced that with still images that seem easier to view. I thought you'd like to see how I approached this subject.

and the finished painting......

6 x 12"
oil on masonite
sold

The marble sculpture was done by Jean-Louis Lemoyne, titled 'A Companion of Diana', commissioned by Louis XIV in 1724. Diana was goddess of the moon and of the hunt, this nymph is one of Diana's companions, with her hound. This sculpture belongs to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.

Checking In

I know. I haven't shown you anything new in days - but I have been painting nonstop - all for a show opening on May 9th. It's a dual show with the talented and charming Fred Calleri held at the Howard/Mandville Gallery, in Kirkland, right outside of Seattle. I won't be able to travel the distance this time around, but 11 new paintings will - and you'll be able to see them on my website and the gallery's website in a couple of weeks. Here's a little teaser of one of the new paintings.

Meanwhile..... I'll be getting caught up on fresh work for the other patient galleries and certainly a few small pieces that will go on auction. Happy Easter, have a Good Friday and I'll see you back here in a few days.