9 x 12"oil on masonite
sold
Happy Halloween everyone.
A memorable scene for me as a grandmother and her two attentive granddaughters discuss the painting before them, Georges Seurat's "A Sunday at La Grande Jatte", which hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago. The two young girls seemed to really soak in a lot of the art in the museum. I enjoyed watching that.
8 x 10"oil on masonite
I truly enjoyed working on this piece - mostly because it gave me the opportunity to focus on the young girl and surround her with color and light. Just a nice, quiet scene where you can barely hear a pin drop, when museum visitors were invited to sit down and sketch.
6 x 6"oil on masonite
sold
Allow me to introduce you to our gnarly Jack O'Lantern - freshly carved and ready to scare off the bad spirits. This was great fun to paint - something I've never done before.
8 x 10"oil on masonite
sold
I painted this piece in the summer of '05 - a scene I got from a flea market in rural Georgia. I remember it was a hot, hot, summer day and that ice cream looked especially good. I've held on to this painting for a good while, perhaps because it's one of my personal favorites. I remember those decisive, bold brush strokes (and a minimal amount of them) seemed to come so easily that day I painted this - a pleasant experience for any artist.
5 x 7"oil on masonite
sold
We all have an idea of our dream home - I tend to have more than a dozen - but when I spotted this farmhouse, I immediately thought this is the perfect place. Tucked back off a small road that came off of several small roads, this slice of heaven sat quiet and cozy. It was surrounded by hardwoods and ponds and outbuildings that would make the ideal studio. Oh......I was dreaming alright.
Both women dressed in flowing fabrics - this scene is from the Art Institute of Chicago. I would surely appreciate someone out there helping me to identify this marble sculpture.
Please click here for a larger view.
6 x 6"oil on masonite
sold
I've been wandering, driving, looking around for the past few days. Despite it not feeling like fall, the light has changed, the shadows are longer - there's a glow in the evening hours, just before the sun sinks - a time I call The Golden Hour . This little bit of blissful life was one of my discoveries on the backroads of Georgia.
20 x 8"oil on masonite
sold
This new painting reveals something you don't see in the small piece done a few days ago - the old shed lit up in a great, citrus green hue, as well as the thick trees above the light. There is a hint of a clear, starry sky done in a purple/navy tone, slightly visible beyond the thickness of trees. This was great fun to paint.
9 x 12"oil on masonite
sold
I don't usually offer larger paintings on eBay - this one was somewhat of an experiment in technique. My aim was to stay loose, magnify the colors and see how to get the point across with less brushwork. I started off too nitpicky right off the bat - so I flipped the board upside down, grabbed a wide brush and followed the shapes, rather than the details. It's a good exercise that can drive you insane, but you'd be surprised what your brain can do.
This late night scene is from a Bruster's in Tucker, Georgia.
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.
6 x 6"oil on masonite
sold
My painting time has been short lately - I'm working on getting a bad knee healthy again.
This new painting is taken from a restaurant in Asheville called the Tupelo Honey Cafe - a girl sitting patiently for what was promised to be a good breakfast.
9 x 12"oil on masonite
sold
I wanted to do a very special piece for an upcoming Small Works Show at the Howard/Mandville Gallery, so I chose an image with a beautiful, strong red. Hopefully to catch someone's eye amidst a large group of paintings. I like it very much. These were two, what I gathered, best girlfriends, enjoying time together in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
What goes along with experimenting is failure - which was yesterday's painting, 5 hours of work and wiped off in 30 seconds. Today was much better. It all clicked. And I'm looking at, what may be, my top 10 personal favorites. It's not the subject matter so much as it's simply how I want to paint.
This was a bright, summer day at Rehobeth Beach, Delaware - a few days before Labor Day weekend. Please click here if you'd like a larger view.
This painting has sold.
6 x 6"oil on masonite
sold
This is a very painterly piece - an impressionistic view of what could be considered just an ordinary street on a bright, summer's day in Asheville.
Just to mention - between all of catching up on the mundane chores of life this past week, I've been trying out a couple of ideas and a bit too shy to show them yet. With a little breathing room with the galleries fully stocked up on paintings, I try to take the opportunity to step back and study .... experiment.
One thing that gave me a jolt was watching this BBC miniseries "The Impressionists". Rent it, it's good. There's reminders that we need to take the time and look and study the world around us. It reminds me to stick with what I think we really do see, at a glance - the blocks and shapes of colors, shadows and light - and to paint just that.
I also discovered an artist that reminded me of what I just mentioned. He's Doug Braithwaite, and you'll notice the thumbnails look somewhat ordinary until you opt for a larger view.
8 x 8"oil on masonite
sold
Corot's painting "Interrupted Reading"
After spending days getting caught up on my neglected life - housework, yardwork, varnishing, framing, packaging, shipping... I collapsed on my chair and started to paint. I think I just needed to do something completely different, get some practice time in - I chose a painting that I've been enamored with for years - titled, "Interrupted Reading", by Jean Baptiste Camille Corot. Oddly, I felt the urge to flip the image, with all due respect to the artist, and I delve into the rich, autumn colors (something my brain misses). I really enjoyed painting this piece and it was a nice way to end the day.
9 x 12"oil on masonite
sold
As I was working on this new piece, I thought this was a good example of a key element to figure drawing/painting and I wanted to share it with you. I drew a red line connecting the center of the neckbone, to the tailbone and down to the heel of the foot to show that weight and balance, no matter what the size of a person is, always lines up this way. Naturally. In other words, when we stand up, the weight of our body either rests on one leg/foot or on both. Where the weight is put on should connect straight up to the center of the back of the neck. I learned that a million years ago and never forgot it.
This painting hopefully conveys the direct connection we feel when we have the pleasure of viewing a work of art in person.
6 x 6"oil on masonite
sold
On such a bright, beautiful day today, I chose to paint one of my favorite places in my favorite city, Chicago. Formally titled "Cloudgate", informally called "The Bean", here it reflects the wall of buildings along Michigan Avenue, with slight hints of visitors and the yellow umbrellas in the cafe in front of Millennium Park. It's a challenging subject to paint, relying on shapes and blocks of color that hopefully make sense in the end.
"Capitol Domes" sold
"Performance Art" sold
"Bench Rest" sold
I do like to keep my gallery paintings fresh and from time to time I'll pull something out and replace it with a piece more recently done. These three are available for a direct purchase, thru eBay and Paypal, if you are interested.
Saturday update - the three paintings have sold. Thank you so much for your consideration.
8 x 10"oil on masonite
sold
I overheard this woman asking a guard to direct her and her husband to the American Art galleries in the museum, so I offered to lead the way. They were a really sweet couple - from Harrisburg, I think. I caught a glimpse of them in front of Grant Wood's "American Gothic", standing still and reserved, while listening to their headphones - and it just seemed so right.
6 x 6"oil on masonite
sold
What I love the most about painting people is capturing that kink of the hip or twist of the neck - whatever it is that makes it more candid or believable. You don't get that when someone knows you're looking or taking their picture. Just people being themselves is what I always want. This young lady was enjoying the paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago.
9 x 12"oil on masonite
sold
Very much a 'zen' painting for me. Quiet and still. I spend a lot of time avoiding greens, mostly the grassy greens - once in a while I get brave and try it. I don't like to paint pretty garden pieces - don't much care to paint florals either - but this setting, the young woman, the ease, is what I found pleasing.
7 x 5"oil on masonite
This little painting was done for a fund-raising event called Postcards from the Ledge, held in Asheville, North Carolina. Sponsored by the city's Public Art Board, postcard-size artwork will sell for $25 each. If you're interested in donating a work of art or would like to attend this event, click here for details.
11 x 14"oil on masonite
sold
Clearly, an irresistable painting subject - a pretty, little girl admiring Claude Monet's "Water Lily Pond". I watched her and her sister look and talk about the art, accompanied by a wise grandmother. Most kids fidget and become bored in an art museum - those two girls were soaking it all up, like a sponge.
