Capture the last flowers of summer

“Earth laughs in flowers.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

Enchantment of Forsythia, 24 x 24, oil on linen

After the Snow, 16 x 20, oil on linen

Mums and Merlot, 12 x 9, oil 

Winter Blossoms, 11 x 14, oil on linen

Contemplative, 16 x 20, oil on linen

Peonies and Brass, 16 x 20, oil on linen

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

I continue with the small ballet paintings with the goal of starting a large canvas soon. Lately the subjects for my larger paintings have been concentrated on wildlife paintings because of looming deadlines for Leigh Yawkey Woodson's Birds in Art and the Bennington Center for the Arts' Art of the Animal Kingdom. However, I will soon change focus and hopefully paint a larger ballet painting.

Dance 4, Expression, 6" x 6", oil, (click to bid)

The desire to express one's self is as old as human history. Dance has always been one of the most powerful of those expressive outlets and ballet one of the most beautiful.
One of my goals is to be able to convey emotion on a small canvas. Working on small surfaces is difficult as you have limited space to communicate with. You must strive to make sure each stroke counts and your image is distilled or simplified to the most important details. That is always a challenge for any painter - what to leave in or leave out. It is a continual learning journey. I tried and hopefully captured some of the beauty and our desire to express ourselves.

Thanks for your visit

Carolina Wren

Yesterday, after finishing a larger piece, I painted this study of a Carolina Wren. I have several wrens that hang around my house. One pair has nested on a shelf in my garage. I don't have the heart to take the nest out, especially while it is cold.

Carolina Wren, 5" x 7", oil (click to bid)

I have a seed feeder and a suet feeder right outside of my studio. Also in this area is where I stack my winter wood supply for my wood stove. The wrens really go for the suet and are constantly flitting around the wood pile looking for seed and small, moving, crunchy critters. This is where this scene originated.

Thanks for visiting my blog, I hope you enjoyed it!

Waiting in the Wings

Relaxing (or trying to relax) before her dance. I love the contrast of the discipline and control seen on stage verses the apparent tranquil state of pre-performance. At first glance the dancers can seem to be in a state of nonchalance.

Waiting in the Wings, 6" x 6", oil  (click to bid)

As they are getting ready for the big moment, you would think they are completely relaxed. I am sure that at different times they are relaxed. But look a bit more closely in their eyes and you may see a different story. Having known many dancers, I know that at this time there is much going on. Maybe a time of switching from left to right brain activity as many of us artists do. A time of concentration, contemplation, and a time of handling nerves that have gone awry. And they make it look so easy and beautiful.

Thanks for your visit!

Tufted Titmouse 2

One of my favorite birds that frequent my landscape. This little dude makes an otherwise dreary winter landscape happy and full of life... hmmm... I think I am beginning to sound like Bob Ross...happy little tree/bird? Lets ignore that and proceed... Anyway, a constant visitor to my feeder, I have taken many pictures of this guy and his friends to immortalize on canvas.

Tufted Titmouse 2,  5" x 7", oil on linen board,  (click to bid)

Pictured is the morning after an ice/snow storm that went quickly through our area. Any covering of ice or snow makes these guys especially active at the feeder making short work of that expensive seed! But I will keep filling it anyway as the enjoyment and life the birds give make it so worthwhile to me.

"They shall go flying
With musical speeches

High overhead in the 
tops of the beeches.

In spite of our wisdom
And sensible talking,

We on our feet must go
Plodding and walking."
excerpt from a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson

Thanks so much for your visit!

Dance 2

The magic of the human body moving well. We either do it or wish we could. Dance, football, ice skating, gymnastics, and the list goes on. We all dream of having a body that can accomplish physical feats of strength, agility, and beauty. Few of us ever attain this type of physical excellence. We are either not blessed with a physique that can transform itself this way, or maybe we are not driven to do what it takes.

Dance 2, 6"x 6", oil on linen board, (click to bid)

So when we see someone who does what we only do in our dreams, we dance with them, we run with the football, we are in the Olympic rink in front of thousands doing the triple flippity-flop. And we think, maybe I could, or maybe I could have... The thing is, even if we cannot achieve those dreams, we can celebrate (in a healthy way) those who do. That they can do those things for us...so we can somehow experience what it is to be set free, even if only in our minds and heart.

Thanks so much for your visit - come back!