"Going Straight to Hell's Kitchen"

4 x 12"
oil on masonite
sold

Last night I finished my last painting for the upcoming group show at the 16 Patton Gallery - all of my pieces are New York scenes, people, and a few dogs I met along the way. Included in the grouping is this new painting - a front seat view from a cab, going south on West End, heading straight to Hell's Kitchen to find a flea market.

Please click here for a larger view.

All of the new paintings can now be viewed on my website, please click here to the show pieces.

"Wine:30"

10 x 10"

oil on masonite
sold

The scene was from an open-air restaurant on Mulberry Street, in Little Italy, New York City.

Please click here for a larger view.

"Four Ways to Brooklyn"

16 x 4"
oil on masonite
sold

On this somber day, the 10th anniversary of 9/11, I wanted to give all of you a peaceful, colorful, serene image of New York City, and give all due respect to the beauty that surrounds us today.

This is one of the most awe-inspiring views I know - from lower Manhattan looking at the East River where you can see the three bridges - in the far distance, the Williamsburg Bridge, in the center, the Manhattan Bridge, and in the front, the iconic and stunning Brooklyn Bridge.

I've been working hard on paintings for an upcoming show - featuring three women artists, Karen Hollingsworth, Suzy Shultz and myself, titled 'Woman's Work'. My collection is titled 'New York Life' - streetscenes, people, dogs, landmarks all inspired from my trip back in May.
This new painting will be included in the collection.

The show will be held at the 16 Patton Gallery in Asheville - the opening reception is October 22nd from 5-8. I hope you can stop by the gallery and see the work in person.

Please click here for a larger view.

"Fully Booked"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

Part of my series ATL to NYC & Back - it was Monday morning, my first day teaching a workshop. Brett helped me set up and went on his way with his camera while I did my thing. This gentleman was spotted reading a good book on a stoop of a brownstone, somewhere in the Upper East Side of the city.

Help for our Good Friends

A shout-out to the artists community - Carol and David Marine and their son lost their home in the Bastrop, Texas wildfires on Sunday. Their entire subdivision was wiped out, up to 300 homes. I hear they are all safe, that's great news.

A close family friend, Jennifer, has organized a fund to immediately assist Carol & David - please click here for the details and give what you can to help this family get back on their feet.

~ Thank you all

"Flour Arrangement"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

I'm happy to report my Mac is back home, I missed it more than ever. Moving on with my series ATL to NYC & Back - a glimpse of a bakery worker inside Eataly, surrounded by stacks of flour. One of those moments when I suddenly saw a painting in my head.

"The Red Queen's Tarts"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

I'm not quite back in the driver's seat, my beloved Mac should come home tomorrow. It's been an agonizing 10 days without it, I liken it to having all the ingredients for a cake and no oven to bake it in. My Mac contains programs that I don't have anywhere else, including Photoshop, which enables me to get the most accurate image of my paintings. That's a big thing - the presentation matters. You can paint 100's of pieces and it doesn't mean squat if you can't present it well.

I do have a laptop.... but the Photoshop Express version I had wasn't cutting it. I took a gamble and upgraded to version 9, and for those out there who need a good photo editing program and can't afford the full version of Photoshop CS, this does the trick. Now I'm able to post an image that I know is right.

About the latest, I continue on with my series ATL to NYC & Back - after we left Madison Square Park, where we petted lots of happy dogs (which will be a series included in my upcoming October show) we went into Eataly, a mega-gourmet foods market. It was dazzling to the senses, I loved that place. These artful, sweet desserts were on display in the bakery. Brett suggested the title, he had just watched Alice in Wonderland, and I thought it was perfect.

Forced Break

My Mac is in the hospital, the one I use from sunup to sundown, the one I use to paint from. Yikes. At first, it forced me to clean the house, clean the studio, take care of things I avoid. Now I'm just frustrated and waiting.

Still waiting........ no Photoshop to show you my latest. This all is driving me nuts. I'm painting from my iPad and laptop - not as blissful as working from my big screen, but it'll do for now.

"Head of Parks & Recreation"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

Today I loosened up with a fun piece - and continuing on with my series ATL to NYC & Back, we left the High Line, made our way through the chaos of a parade and headed to Madison Square Park for some peace. I love that park. It's filled with happy dogs and a great people-watching stop. I had read about this new installation, commissioned for Madison Square Park, by the Spanish sculptor Jaume Plensa titled 'Echo' - in person, it's just delightful.

"Girl Watching"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

The High Line is so very cool, an oasis of sorts, a moment of Zen in the big city of New York. I loved the street and sidewalk views from above - this was, I think, looking down onto Little West 12th Street.

I totally intended to get a quick, loose painting done this morning and tackle a larger piece for an upcoming show - didn't happen. I got caught up in the straight lines and cool shadows and shot the whole day working on this. My favorite part is the color combination of the green/blues and warm greys. I'm happy. And I'm adding this new painting to my series ATL to NYC & Back.

"Calorie Counter"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

There's dozens of paintings I've done in the past particularly because I didn't think I could pull it off. This is one of them. After we left the flea market in Hell's Kitchen, we hit the Chelsea Market, wanting to end up on the High Line while the sun was shining. There's an easy entrance on the back end of the market, for those who don't know.

I liked the Chelsea Market, the building's interior was nicely preserved - photography was nearly impossible because it was quite dark inside - these young women caught my eye, working the counter at L'Arte del Gelato, nice ambiance. And the gelato was great. This new painting is included in my series ATL to NYC & Back.

"Shopping for Fleas"

5 x 10"
oil on masonite
sold

I've spent the last five days working on paintings for an upcoming show in October - one took me two days, the other three. Yikes. So unlike me. Time to take a break and loosen up - and continuing on with my series ATL to NYC & Back - a woman I spotted at our first stop on that bright, sunny, Saturday morning - at a flea market in Hell's Kitchen.

New Tabletop Easels Available

Brett has 3 brand-new Tabletop Easels available - click here to purchase one for yourself. For more photos and info, click here. If you'd like to hear what other artists say about their Tabletop Easels, click here.

~ Thank you

"Hightailing It"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

Onward with my series ATL to NYC & Back - it was Saturday morning when we awoke to sunshine and quickly got up and at it. As we stepped out into the real world, it was if all of New York City was coming out of hibernation - their first real, sunny, warm day had finally arrived. The dogs looked happier, the bicycle wheels were rolling and we followed the parade to Riverside Park for a morning walk.

"Shower Stall"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

Continuing on with my series ATL to NYC & Back - the rain returned on Friday, day 2 in New York, which forced us to catch up on some well-needed rest. We ventured out once in the
afternoon, a brisk walk in the pouring rain to pick up groceries at Zabar's on Broadway - where I spotted this little girl pausing at the crosswalk.

"Homeward Bound"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

Nearing the end of our first full day in Manhattan, we explored Grand Central Terminal for a while - I stood at this high spot for a good, long time squinting at the steady stream of people pouring in - thinking of how I could paint this scene. Lots of movement, ambiance - I really love the way this turned out and I'm adding it to my series ATL to NYC & Back. Gives me courage to tackle a larger version, from the center floor in the station.

"Mass Transit"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

There's no place like New York City when it comes to the massive amounts of people on the sidewalks and streets. Put yourself around Grand Central Terminal and you're likely to get run over by the hordes of commuters - this was at the crosswalk on 42nd Street & Madison Avenue, an addition to my series ATL to NYC & Back.

Zac & Joey

6 x 6"
nfs

No doubt, one of many paintings of our pups, Zac & Joey. They're doing great and they have their own blog, if you haven't heard.

"Down Under"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

When cranking out a good painting doesn't come easy, I look at others art. Often it frees the mind. Often I realize I've been trying too hard. Even on these quick, smaller pieces - I can labor over them although the intent is to loosen up. So I took a long look at, my friend and fellow painter, Carol Marine's recent work - reminding me to lay down quick, deliberate brush strokes and not to sweat the details. Yes, I too, have to be reminded.

Continuing on with my series ATL to NYC & Back, after the Boat Pond, we jumped in a cab and headed to Bryant Park for some people-watching, only to find it was a mess from the long spell of rain. Wondering what direction to take next, I found some interest in the people descending into the subway station, at the corner of 42nd & 6th. I never really 'saw a painting in my head' at this spot, but turns out I love this piece. A good reminder to keep shooting pictures no matter where you are.

"Sailor Man"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

The gentleman who wrote to me recently, about his boyhood hobby of sailing these cool pond boats in the Conservatory Water in Central Park (otherwise known as the Boat Pond), inspired me to paint this new piece - an addition to my series ATL to NYC & Back. Just goes to show, simple pleasures are the best.

"Standstill"

8 x 10"
oil on masonite
sold

A new painting taken from the Metropolitan Museum of Art - a young lady stands before Jean Honore Fragonard's two portraits of the pampered - 'The Two Sisters' on the right and "Portrait of a Woman with a Dog' on the left. Of course I like that one, it includes a dog.

Please click here for a larger view.

"Treed Tops"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

If you're a painter and want to loosen up, I suggest tackling buildings - unless you want to include every single window, you find a way to get the point across but not get too nit-picky. It's a challenge. The same goes for trees. It's an impressionistic 'glimpse', I don't think the details really matter.

This view is from Central Park's Conservatory Water (is that right?), a moment of Zen as we walked around 5th Avenue on our first full day in the city. I particularly loved seeing the rooftop trees around New York. Nice, surprising sprouts of green. This painting is included in my series ATL to NYC & Back.

a little info......a nice man from New York wrote me to say, "what you painted is what we old New Yorker's call the 'boat pond'. Growing up... the Boat Pond was a very important part of this kid's life starting with E.B. White's 'Stuart Little'. " This gentleman is still building and repairing pond model boats - how cool is that? The morning we were there, more than a few kids were steering those little sailboats, just like old times. Thanks for the info Mike.

"Sun Block"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

I really like this piece. I typically avoid busy compositions, too many people in one space - but the abstract-like blocks and lines of color, surprisingly, seemed to contain it all, in a cool way. This new painting is an addition to my new series ATL to NYC & Back.

"Security Lapse"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

Some of the best people-watching can be found in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, like this museum security guard taking a break out in the sunshine - an addition to my series ATL to NYC & Back.

"The Patriot"

6 x 6"
oil on masonite
sold

Adding to my series ATL to NYC & Back - it was Thursday, our first full day in the city, the rain had finally given way to a slightly sunny morning. We headed to where my workshop was to take place, around 89th & 5th, fueled up with breakfast, then walked to the Metropolitan Museum of Art - a goldmine of people-watching inside and outside. I spotted this sharp-dressed man in his red, white and blue, resting on a bench along the front of the museum.