"Torso in Teals and Reds"

approx. 6-1/4 x 6-1/4"

acrylic on heavy watercolor paper

sold

This is a piece I did, I think, around 4 years ago, when I first starting painting again. I had such a hunger to go back to figurative studies, so I tore up all of my old nude photography books and starting working. The human figure is something I really love to paint - clothed or unclothed.

Our Bitz

NFS

I painted our cat, Bitz, today - she was 17 years old and she was put to sleep this afternoon. She lived outside for years - faithfully coming for breakfast and dinner every single day. She had this funny eye thing when she was relaxed, one would shut, as if she was winking at you. Her mother did the same thing. Years ago, when she slept inside the house, she'd bring in live presents - snakes, birds, chipmunks, butterflies - whatever she could catch, but she'd never kill them. That was always fun. Painting her today made me feel good - she was a great pet and will be missed.

"An Undertaking"

12 x 9"

oil on masonite

The painting on the left of the young lady is "The Wrestlers", by George Luks - certainly one of my top-5 favorites in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. It is hung in a small, warm room and faces you dead-on when you walk into the space. It's absolutely breathtaking. The painting the young lady is writing about, the portrait before her, is Robert Henri's "The Irish Girl". I had to wonder why she chose the one over the other for her essay, but beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

This painting can be bought directly from me.

"Showtime"

6 x 6"

oil on masonite

sold

Okay - I did it. Someone looking at my artwork :).

The Opening in Asheville

The opening of my show was last Saturday evening, at the 16 Patton Gallery in Asheville. It was actually a dual show - with a North Carolina artist, Mase Lucas, who paints and photographs horses, which are all very striking. I want to thank all who took the time to come and especially took a moment to talk to me. I appreciate all of it.

As I was driving home Sunday, I realized a couple of things about how much I have benefited from the opening night. It's not often I get to talk with other artists, and there were a lot of them there. The feedback I get from other painters is so crucial, and I find myself learning more and more. Mostly I find I may be odd - in my choices of paint, my brushes, my medium, that I paint on black, etc. Chalk that up to no formal training - which I sometimes think is a good thing. You tend to find your own preferences and your own way and maybe your own place in the big world of art.

Another huge benefit to having a show is that I can see a collection of my own work in one place - I can see how they all relate to each other - and how people relate to the work. Painting one at a time, framing them, sending them off - I don't get that perspective otherwise. It really blows my mind when I step into the gallery and see the whole presentation. You learn a lot from that. It gives you an idea of how consistant you may or may not be, or how you favor certain colors, or even what may be really right (or wrong) about individual pieces. It also gave me the opportunity to step back and really enjoy all of them as a body of work. That's a cool thing.

It's a commitment, no doubt, to agree to having a show - but the motivation trumps the pressure. I think the benefits are far more than just the sales - it gives you a goal, a push and hopefully some recognition in the end. Anyways...... I'm back at it again today. Thanks again - for all the good wishes and the feedback along the way. I appreciate it all.

"Star Gazers"

9 x 12"

oil on masonite

sold

What I should be doing is finding something to wear at the opening Saturday night - but I wanted to paint instead. My way of staying calm. This new piece is a couple standing close to Vincent Van Gogh's masterpiece "The Starry Night", which hangs in the Museum of Modern Art, in New York City.

I'll be gone for a few days, thanks to all who wished me a great opening. I'm very excited and I'll let you know how it all went as soon as I get back home. Have a good weekend.

Please click here for a larger view.

"Drawing"

6 x 6"

oil on masonite

sold

I don't paint many kids - it's tough, I think. This pose was so natural, the slouch, the loose hair, the light from the left. I really wanted to paint her.

This was a young lady in a drawing class held in the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

Answering some questions....

There must have been an article written recently about photographing people in public, because I'm being asked about this every day. I'd just like to add my personal thoughts on this subject. When I've got my camera and I'm in a place where I think people should expect a reasonable amount of privacy, I don't take pictures. That would be rude and probably be considered an invasion of privacy anyway. I'm conscious of that.

When I'm in a public space, outside or inside, and the use of a camera is not an issue, I freely take photographs of everything around me, if I find it interesting. That doesn't require permission from anyone who is captured in a photograph unless I publish that person's image in print, which I don't do. Photographs are a valuable tool for artists, no doubt - to catch action, light, color and figures - but I suggest it is not taken literally when creating a painting or drawing from that photograph. That's just boring to me. Part of the learning process is using references as a way of being somewhat accurate, but giving the scene more of your own interpretation.

I do enjoy painting people in museums, as you can see - and there are policies in each and every museum which I am totally aware of before I step through the door. Most privately-run museums forbid any use of cameras, obviously because the artworks are privately owned or on loan. A lot of special exhibitions are off limits to photography for the same reasons. If you're interested in using your camera inside of any space, I'd suggest you pay close attention to the rules and always be as non-invasive as possible. Simple as that.

"To Each, Her Own"

12 x 9"

oil on masonite

I had a busy week getting all the paintings framed for the show - and Asheville's close enough that I can pack up my truck and deliver everything in one afternoon, which is all done. What a great feeling of accomplishment. Just a reminder, please come by the 16 Patton Gallery if you're in Asheville. It's a very nice place to visit.

This new painting will be available in the Cohen-Rese Gallery, in San Francisco - museum visitors enjoying the Pissarro paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago.

Please click here for a larger view and purchase information.

"SumSumSummatime"

6 x 6"

oil on masonite

sold

I was happy to take time out today for strawberries and getting loose. Also I was so greatly inspired by Carol Marine's strawberries - she's one of my favorite painters.

"The Blues"

12 x 12"

oil on masonite

sold

I recently joined a gallery in Kirkland, Washington (state) - the Howard/Mandville Gallery. I think it'll be a great fit for me - I'm particularly proud to be amongst some of my personal favorite painters - Ken Auster, Pam Ingalls & Mark Lague. This new painting will be added to their gallery in mid-July, with others following, so if you're in the area, please stop in and see some of my work. Kirkland is about 15 minutes from Seattle and situated on Lake Washington. It sounds like a beautiful place, I can't wait to visit it one day.

Please click here for a larger view and purchase information.

"de Old"

8 x 10"

oil on masonite

sold

I worked on a painting yesterday in which, in about the 5th hour into it, I picked up a rag and wiped it off my board. It was as if I had no say in it - my hand just did what it did. It would be like spending 5ish hours on making the best lasagna recipe, taking it out of the oven and pitching it in the garbage. Not a good day of painting.

Today was better, it always is. I remember watching this older gentleman in the de Young Museum - he scooted up to every single label of every painting and read them all. Funny thing is he hardly looked at the art. Perhaps he did that the last time he was at the museum.

Please click here for a larger view.

"Soft Focus"

9 x 12"

oil on masonite

sold

I talked about how I avoid primary colors in a painting - and the same goes for pastels. It's probably the years and years of framing pastel-toned artwork at my shop - I think I have an aversion to it. Perhaps because pastels mean 'cute' in so many cases. I believe the trick is to grey down the pinks and blues and greens, at least for me to accept it. This new painting is a good example of that. The wall color I chose seemed so wrong at first, and then so right in the end. It seems to add to the soft, feminine quality of the woman and the Monet.

Please click here for a larger view and purchase information.

"Primary Colors"

12 x 12"

oil on masonite

I watched this fantastic PBS show last night called 'The Power of Art' - the first in this series featuring Van Gogh, highlighting his 'Wheatfield With Crows'. My God - what an incredible work of art. I woke up thinking about that painting and just had to paint it. 'Wheatfield With Crows' is, in a basic description, made up of primary colors - which is something I try to avoid in my own work. It's funny how I am so drawn to other artists' paintings with those blues, reds, yellows and greens - but I have hated anything I've done with those basic primary colors. I thought I'd put aside my apprehensions and give it another try - with the focus of the painting being Van Gogh's vivid pallette. I really enjoyed working on this piece.

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"Playing Hooky"

8 x 10"

oil on masonite

sold

As you may know, I've been working for a couple of months on paintings for the upcoming show - which I'm officially done as of today (yay!) and I needed to let loose for a change. It's done with a flat, wide brush and painted totally freehand - which is something I really, really enjoy.

"Sisters"

9 x 12"

oil on masonite

sold

Okay - one more for the show. Being that the title of my exhibition is "The People I See", I must include these two sisters. They were pretty fantastic, as models, I must say. They stand beside Toulouse-Lautrec's haunting painting "At the Moulin Rouge", which hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago.

This new painting will be included in my July show at 16 Patton, in Asheville. If you can get to the gallery in July, please do so. Asheville's a great place to spend a couple of days and the opportunity for you to see these paintings in person would make me happy.

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"Pure Luck"

5 x 7"

oil on masonite

sold

After painting a variety of dogs for the upcoming show - it was time to paint a cat. My cat, Willy, who's usually a mass of black fur, except when he is bathed in sunshine.

"In the Company of Women"

9 x 12"

oil on masonite

sold

And here's one more new pieces to add to the show - and I included one of my favorite paintings, John Singer Sargent's "Mrs. Fiske Warren and Her Daughter Rachel".

This new painting will be included in my July show at 16 Patton, in Asheville.

Please click here for a larger view.

More Dogs Rule

Well good - I set out to do a set of nine dog paintings for the show and I love all of them. The top dog is a little cutie I spotted in Decatur, on Memorial Day - and the one underneath is my happy dog Jack, who, as you can see, has recovered very well from his knee surgery. He's such a doll.

Please click here for a larger view.

both have sold

More Dogs Rule

Two more dogs to add to the set - the top dog, and he IS a top dog, is my Petey. The one under him is a little Yorkie I spotted on Michigan Avenue, who despite his size, was in total control of the walk.

Please click here for a larger view.

both have sold

More Dogs Rule

Three more dogs to add to the set - what fun these are to paint. The bassett hounds at the top were spotted in a park in Manhattan - the dachsund in the middle is the late and great "Dewey" who belonged to a good friend - and the red hound (don't know the breed) was spotted in Piedmont Park in Atlanta.

Please click here for a larger view.

all 3 have sold

"Alone"

6 x 6"

oil on masonite

sold

I'm happy to have squeezed in a small, daily painting tonight- I've been working on pieces for a show in July and it's all-consuming, to say the least.

This woman was enjoying some "me-time" on a Saturday morning on Oak Street Beach, in Chicago. I thought of doing a larger painting of her - so I've tried it out in this smaller format to get an idea of its impact. I'd love some feedback when you've got the time.

Dogs Rule

I started this REALLY fun series of dogs - I hope to do a grouping of nine for the July show. They're 6 x 6" and they're of all different pets - some I've seen out and about and a few that belong to friends or neighbors of mine. I'm a huge sucker for dogs, I always try to say hello and introduce myself. They make me happy.

The little guy on the top is "Chip", my neighbor's dog and the two on the bottom were spotted at an arts festival in Decatur, Georgia.

Please click here for a larger view.

both have sold

"The Last Days of Cezanne"

14 x 11"

oil on masonite

sold

Another view of the long line of people waiting to get into a special exhibition titled "Cezanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde", which took place at the Art Institute of Chicago. I loved painting this.

This new painting will be included in my July show at 16 Patton, in Asheville.

Please click here for a larger view.

"A Presence"

9 x 12"

oil on masonite

sold

I see people like this woman and I think do they know how beautiful they are? How much presence they have in a room full of strangers? I really enjoyed painting this piece - mostly the woman's fantastic face and colorful clothing. She reminded me of Georgia O'Keeffe so much so, I accompanied the painting "Black Cross, New Mexico" beside her. Here's a closer view of the woman's face.

This new painting will be included in my July show at 16 Patton, in Asheville.

Please click here for a larger view.