Phoenix

24"x30" oil/canvas

Dug this one out of the ashes and touched up a woefully dark foreground. A summer farm scene in Pennsylvania. Back when the cicadas were buzzing and the stink bugs were stinking. If you haven't heard about stink bugs...you will.

struggles and letting go

11"x14" oil/canvas

So after working for hours on trying to do a better version of yesterdays piece frustration set in. I was working on top of an old piece that I liked the sky and nothing else. The front lighting of yesterdays perspective could not have this sky and the sky I wanted to keep. So I went ballistic with the wipedown and let feeling take over. Not recommended but sometimes needed.....

The Tin Man

11"x14" oil

I could use some oil. Haven't painted in a few days and feel rusty. It's snowing cats and dogs and silver dollars. This scene was from last weeks excursion. It's the splitting of a creek. The right branch reads too dark in photo. It's the warm side being sunlit, the left branch is cool edged but sunlit down the middle. I ramble........... Should do this abstracted and only focus on temperature. Off to stare at the snow.................

3 apples

3 6"x6" oils

Spent Saturday painting with the seven livelies group. Mostly just reconnecting with the gang. Found a dark table with north light and produced these pieces. Very low light and only the reflections hinted at where these apples were. They almost appeared to be floating.

final round

5"x7" oil

Broke some rules on this finale. The fish is painted with all cool colors and the background is warm. When all 3 are viewed together there is cohesion. Off on a painting excursion tomorrow. Might do a bunch of small still life. It's so cold I think paint will freeze outside.

round 2

5"x7" oil

Call me crazy, I dug out the fish remnants from the garbage. (It's cold outside and in studio so stench is quite limited). I wanted to paint from direct observation. Yesterdays was from a photo before I cleaned the fish. So I layed out the striper and stuffed paper towels where the filets use to be. The cats are very excited and my light barrier will never smell the same. I smell a triptych............ 

dinner

5"x7" oil

A VERY rough sketch of a striped bass I had for dinner. I've seen so many others do fish very well. I like when you can see the sheen on the fish, however when "I" paint them I have little interest in that. In fact, I'm just now exploring the idea of painting fish. Yes, a shadow and more detail would make it sing. But I've played that song.

winter shipyard

30"x40" oil/linen

Really breaking down complex subject. I'm looking for less and less. Reality is not so important.

people are people

3 12"x12" oils

Interesting times. I'm pursuing gesture and figure again, my 3 ballerinas got best of show at the local Art Association of Harrisburg figure show, I bought a stellar coffee maker and am a victim of a lame cyber attack. Someone claims I'm ripping people off.To top it off they didn't contact me directly. Here is my open invitation to clarify. You should know that I know where all my web hits come from and when. Bring it on San Diego.............

cows on parade

3 6"x6" oils

It's farm show week in Harrisburg. What this means is all things agriculture come to town and display their items for the public to see. The local lore is that it snows this week. Well it did a nice 4 inches. Shouldn't be a surprise. Historically it's one of the coldest weeks in modern time for this area.

Here are some cows. Up close and personal.

Hangin' with the Govna'

I picked up my paintings from the Governors mansion tonight and they gave me this photo from the reception of the show. I didn't paint tonight but thought this would be fun to post. This is a group I paint with called the seven lively artists(none of us can count). The show ran all summer and fall and winter......the reception was wonderful and the Govna' is quite cool. Perhaps you've seen him portayed on the news(60 minutes) as a crazed looney lately. A gambling addict. They photoshop all that crap. He's a good dude. He lets his dogs run all over the mansion. Big labs and retrievers as I recall. And he gave us this show.

This is an eclectic group eh? I'm 4th from the left in the back(currently have much more hair and scruff, it's winter) and the Govna' is 5th from right. It's snowing heavily right now and I'm content staring out the window............

digging deep

3-7"x5" oils

What am I doing with these? Ok, when I have no particular painting or even subject in mind, it's time to delve into the mind. I'm a very visual person. I see things and they constantly register with me. So, when I take photos in my daily routine I save them. Now into studio...........Immediately it becomes apparent that a replica of the photo is not the beautiful thing that I witnessed. In fact the idea of trying to reproduce becomes sickening. My latest exercise is to do 3 studies of the photo and figure out my interest.The original photo of this scene had way more info. I tried to include it in the first piece(They are left to right in order) but immediately cut stuff out. I go mind numb yet attentive. Certain things show themselves. I continue to learn, making aggressive strokes and pondering lesser ones. A proactive experience. Don't ask me what the flaming orb is but I'm convinced I'm making progress!

barn

20"x24" oil/linen

At first I included all the barn doors, windows, trees etc... that were in the scene. The more I looked the less I wanted. Turned out doing very slow controlled strokes of paint laden brushes. Totally the opposite of yesterdays piece. Of course,  leaves on the ground would hardly be painted slowly and controlled. The Thiebaud influence showed up here.

hip hip HOORAY!!!

40"x30" oil/linen

We finally received an inch of snow and it made the landscape beautiful. By afternoon not a whole bunch left but this  was the view from dads driveway. I paint this place alot. The only good thing about a bad economy is the developers haven't moved in yet. Fingers crossed. It's snowing right now and is quite nice to look at. just another inch or so. Keeping things white yet negotiable.

twilight

11"x14" oil

more o' da same

fake snow

9"x12"oil

Nature is starving central PA. of snow, so I'm still in imagination mode and applying it to landscape. Hang in there, I think there is potential..........

figure and gesture

3 11"x14" oil

In a follow up to the ballerinas I continue to explore gesture and the human form from my imagination.