allegorical metaphor

24"x24" oil

The schedule is getting increasingly crazy. I was just invited by Cynthia McBride to participate in the july salon show at McBride gallery in Annapolis Maryland. I am very excited about this! She has one of the finest galleries I've been in. This posted painting is a bit of a departure for me. I was most interested in the light at first. As the piece progressed I was engaged in the dialogue between the foreground figures and the distant landscape. The dome is symbolic of many things and the figures are pondering this scene.

The shows continue and this weekend I'm off to Oxford MD. for a 3 day show. I'm planning a 30"x40" Annapolis boat scene for tomorrow. Can't wait to dig in!

Chester county studio tour

My apologies. The schedule is insane. I'm posting a shot of my booth at last weeks show which was incredibly fun by the way. David's wife fed us like we were royalty and the guests were treated the same way. Some work found loving homes and the weather was great. My painting process however is on hold. I'm on the road tomorrow to the Long Island Fine Art Festival in East Meadow NY. I have slurries mixed on the easels and can't wait to attack, but I must wait. I just found out I'm in the Alexandria fine art show this fall. Loriann, perhaps we can finally meet!

Commerce center show

Here is a slideshow of my work at the commerce center in Philly. The show runs through June. Also, a reminder, I'll be exhibiting this weekend at the Chester County studio tour. Check the link to the right.

skipjack

40"x30"
oil/canvas




I'm back from a week of chasing turkeys through the beautiful mountains of upstate New York. Not a metaphor. Some new shows are lined up and I'm very excited to be in the Armonk fine art show in September. I'm exhibiting in a show on the eastern shore of Maryland on Memorial day weekend. This is a skipjack from around Tilghman Island that will be on exhibit.

Get out of the water!

3 6"X6" panels

Storms over water are of particular interest to me. Just did these and 20x24". Not sure about that one. I"ll analyze it more next week. Tomorrow, I'm off bright and early for the Richmond, VA show. It should be nice and warm. Almost hot. I suspect I'll be seeing some more storm clouds very soon..........

big sky

Ok. These are all 12"x12". I got completely engrossed in these pieces. I would paint one then go and read a few short stories from Hemingways Nick Adam's series then back to painting. It has been a delightful day!

12"x12"
oil/panel


Still hard at it. I think I'm getting somewhere. By not having to travel this weekend I'm painting like a man possessed.

towering cumulus

12"x12"
oil/panel


So I've been studying clouds. Stratus, alto stratus. cirrus, cumulus, and everything in between. Turns out, the only thing I want to paint are towering cumulus. I've always been fascinated with thunderstorms and these clouds seem to resonate with me. I do enjoy seeing layered bands of stratus preceding snow storms but these are of little interest for me to paint as are any variations of cirrus. These early studies leave something to be desired but I will get them eventually. I've had to beg,steal and borrow images. Once we get some good cloud activity around here I'll feel much stronger about producing some good paintings. I did attempt a fog painting also............. it sucked.

Cumulonimbus

30"x40"
oil/canvas

I'm diving into studies of cloud types and formations. Last weekend after setting up my booth in Maryland I got caught in a wicked thunderstorm driving home. The sprinter is a high profile vehicle and 75 mph winds can make it a bit tough to drive. Trees were lying across south bound lanes on rt. 83. Good thing I was heading north! Oh yeah, I sold the grain silos painting to some very nice and appreciative people.

I painted this with Brian Eno's cd "music for airports" playing in the background. Great music that is meant to be calming yet I get a big vibe from it. If you actually watch thunderheads develop, it happens rather rapidly yet appears to be in slow motion. Such a large scale is hard to put into perspective relative to a canvas. This music fits perfectly.

the goldfish pond

16"x20"
oil/canvas



This is a painting I just did of the goldfish pond my late brother and I dug for my folks. I see it everyday. I don't want to dwell on it but the emotions still run strong. To lose family members, especially early, causes one to get introspective... This piece is about energy and survival. My brother and I dug this goldfish pond as he was recovering from alcoholism rehab. It was a very hot day. The rehab didn't work but the pond rolls on. In the spring the fish find the most temperate water to suit their body temperatures. We finally have warm temps so the warmest water is on the surface. The fish migrate to the surface as their metabolism increases. They can't wait to be fed. It's as if they forgot about the last six months and are right back to their behavior from last September. They really act like pets. So hopefully with some imagination you see them too.


I'm doing a show in Timonium,MD. this weekend. Last week in Knoxville I had a great time. My allergies killed me but my friends showed me a good time and I managed to move a nice piece and won an award. Thank you Knoxville!

North Front street

48"x36"
oil/canvas


This is one I did weeks ago. I posted the landscape but left out all the business stuff in the painting. So I went back and did another one, intent on putting in businesses and traffic. As it progressed I opted to leave out any sign of traffic. More of a wasteland with you know what as a focal point.....I've since tweaked it a tiny bit. Darkened the far right distant mass at horizon line.





Thursday I'm off to Knoxville, TN. for a 3 day show then back home to a Timonium Md. show. 2 week break and then on the road every weekend til October. Probably won't be posting a bunch but will be trying to paint whenever possible. It's been a busy week. The van is loaded...paintings boxed....new hangers made...It's warm and I'm ready to hit the road......

Layers

3 12"x12" panels

3 12"x12" panels

So these are 2 pieces I've been working on. Both done after Moms' passing. I feel different now and the idea of thick juicy paint doesn't make sense currently. I wanted to apply thin paint and really scrub it into the panels. Perhaps getting the most out of what was left...........

Far off horizons

As some of you know my mom has been fighting cancer for 3 years. Well she finally left her cancer filled body and moved on leaving just a shell of what was once a very spirited woman. It seems silly to say it on a blog, where pages are changed daily. And most will probably never read it. But just the same I feel I have to say it.

Approaching Belleayre Mtn.

6-6" square panels

As you approach the ski areas in the Catskills you will be treated with some pastures and creeks. I really liked the light this day. These 6 paintings all fell off of my board upon completion. 2 landing face down, the others in various states of disarray. I tried to touch em' up.

pepacton reservoir

24"x36" oil/canvas



As you drive southwest out of the catskills, it is likely you'll be on county route 30. We were and for what seemed like the first time in a month, the sun was out and no clouds. The road weaves all around the pepacton reservoir making for spectacular views of the frozen lake and catskill mountains. I wish they had more pulloffs to soak in the scenery. It is truly a spectactular east coast drive. And no tolls!!! So here is a rare bluebird day painting from me. No eerie darkness, just glorious sunlight and shadow.

Catskills' Longhorns

30"x40" oil/canvas

Spring is approaching and I'm still doing winter livestock. This time the boys make an appearance. We saw this image just before the Catskills received their 4 ft of snow. Thats just after we received our 4ft. I purposely keep the figures vague. It's a mood scene not neccessarily a landscape.

uptown Harrisburg, really?

14"x11" oil/canvas

plein air

There is a very interesting landscape as you drive north out of Harrisburg, PA. this is a view from north front street....almost.......The scene from the top of canvas to about 3/4 's down is generally how it appears. The bottom 1/4 in reality is a McDonalds, lawyers offices and massive traffic at rush hour. I painted it plein air but couldn't allow myself to put in the traffic and McDonalds. I've always liked the cliffs up there and they remind of the scenery out west.....but to a much lesser degree. It's like a gateway to new topography. City to country. I opted for country and manipulated the foreground. This is always an issue for me. I spent many years painting out of my head... Good art therapy. But in the last decade I get an incredibly uncomfortable feeling when "making things up". I now have goals for each and every brushstroke and a non visual approach is quite difficult for me. The minds eye certaintly should be credible information. Right? Maybe it's time for more therapy...........

I will do a large piece of this scene with the traffic. I think it could be a strong dichotomy. McDonalds however, won't make it through editing.

Blue Mountain diving into the Susquehanna

12"x12" oil/canvas

plein air

Struggled big time with this one yesterday. Had a narrow timeframe to paint so wanted to do backlit blue mtn. Crazy glare with the sun in my eyes, couldn't see much. The river was hard to determine. Stuck with the original sensation I got at the scene. I liked how the mountain seemed so big. In reality it might be 1900 feet tall here. I only liked this one til about 20 minutes in. Once I was blinded by the sun I felt like it was a total fabrication I struggled to keep it honest. I almost wiped it but was too tired. A day later... I decided to post it. I still don't feel that great about it but it represents the struggles that we continue to battle day to day.....

Taking care of details

Being overwhelmed with things to do can unconsciously affect our work. I didn't get to paint much today. Touched up a few of the big boys for the Philly show. Started framing in the morning and just kept at it. Organized paintings for the van, loaded the van, prepared the van for some plein air work tomorrow...yippee...spent way too much time figuring out Illinois' tax crap....printed out Illinois tax crap.....doing at least 3 shows there this year so I gotta do it...the Philly stuff is done, listed and labled! As the sun sets so do I...Tomorrow work will be produced....I have a semi clear head now.....Pandora radio plays my Death cab for cutie channel and I'm gonna listen...................................

More cows

3- 6"x6" oil/canvas

Yep, still doin' em

running on 3 hours sleep and firing on 3 cylinders...back at it tomorrow.....hopefully the turbo kicks in...

The stomping grounds of James Fenimore Cooper

16"x20" oil/canvas



This is a piece I did recently. It is a scene that I see regularly as it is only a mile from our cabin in New York state. In the summer it feels remote. In the winter it feels like total isolation. That is my favorite time in upstate New York. Probably couldn't live there though. Winters are long. At any rate I'm a huge fan of James Fenimore Coopers writings and his leatherstocking tales were written about this area. I get a very alone feeling when I'm there and frequently imagine Uncas walking through the woods while I'm there also walking through the woods. I'm getting nostalgic but it is amazing what a good read can do alongside experiencing the place.......I'm still expecting to find an arrowhead someday....

More cows to come! I actually already painted another triptych. I'm busting for the upcoming Philly exhibit. I viewed the space and indeed its HUGE. I'm working on the 36 x 48's and 30x40's but these will even be relatively small. I'm putting in two little 6"x 6" triptychs. Sometimes in a huge space little things can grab the eye. The show starts in April and runs 3 months so I have to keep booth work also to last 3 months. It's hectic but exciting! More shows are a go so I'll be updating soon. Off to the framer thursday and then down to the Chester county studio tour meeting. I actually remember days that I thought "what should we do now?" There's no longer time for thinking...just doing..........