New Horizons

Taken on the Swan Quarter to Ocracoke Ferry - October 2010

Hello again! OK, so long time, no write. But lets reset and start again. Actually, I was using my blog to sell my small studies on my auction site. I discontinue this activity when some of my galleries expressed a dislike to the activity. I really do not see a problem with it but OK, not a big problem. We will just do something different and be happy doing it. Still mostly art related but no selling on auction sites.

Actually, I do still use my auction site but it is all to announce new paintings and the galleries they are at. Also a few old paintings I think worth remembering.

Ocracoke Island, October 2011

I have a very busy fall this year. Shows, workshops, beach trips and house remodeling are all demanding their rightful place in my schedule...something has to give...I choose the house remodeling but my lovely wife will probably not go for that. You see, we are moving towards a new chapter in our lives. Our children will be leaving over the next many years and we see a move in our future. Probably heading towards the North Carolina coast which is a place where my heart is. I have often told my friends that when it is my time to leave this earth I would appreciate someone taking me to the beach so my last moments are spent looking at the ocean with my family and friends around me. Or maybe just alone.

Thanks for visiting.

Charleston Harbor, May 2014

Royal Tern Study

Another of my favorite birds are Terns. This handsome bird is a Royal Tern (Sterna mazima). Terns, unlike gulls, don't often search you out and make a pest of themselves. However, this day was different. He and a couple of his

Royal Tern study, 5" x 7", oil (click to bid)

buddies flew in while fishing and decided to keep me company. Like gulls, they accepted handouts readily but they would not approach as closely as the gulls.

I often find terns in large groups resting and generally hanging out. In fact, they can be found in large, dense colonies when breeding. Usually tending to a single buff, spotted egg in a sand scrape

A photo of a group mainly consisting of terns (Royal, Sandwich, and Forster's). Ocracoke Island, October 2010

on an island or a sheltered peninsula. I have painted several paintings of these birds from photos I have taken at the coast. I especially like to paint the Royal terns because of their red beak which gives a nice spot of color to an otherwise blue background.

Fish for Dinner...again (Royal Tern), 18 x 24, oil on linen, Ralph Grady James

Thanks for your visit - come back again!