Peaceful getaway. A change from my recent palette knife work.Oil on canvas panel_____12" x 16"
Framed _____For Sale - Price TBD
Comments are appreciated.
New daily paintings and progress reports on larger projects - oil and pastel.



Well, all I can say for my first day of plein air painting in a while is that I learned a lot and I need a lot more practice. The scene I painted is a section of the Coosa River in northeast Alabama. There is still some color in the trees. The weather couldn't have been any better. We start painting again at 8 tomorrow morning. Way too early for me, but I will manage.



My gallery at its new location is now OPEN and ready for business. We only had 6 weeks to finalize the design, get bids and get the interior built out and moved from our old location. Nerve wracking, frustrating, messy, but we did it. We had a successful night during the Summer Gallery Tour on July 23rd. Lots of new patrons. It doesn't hurt that we are next door to a popular pizzaria and gelati shop. If you are in Huntsville, AL please stop by. We are located at 117 North Side Square. (256) 539-5845.
A long time teacher and friend died recently. He was a special person who made a big impact on me and my painting. He died soon after he had a painting accepted in the Oil Painters of America national exhibit this year. He was so excited and I was proud of him. He loved western painting and went to reenactment events for resource material. This pastel painting is of him in his cowboy garb.









Luscious fruit and the bold colors of the table linens drew me to this picture. The warm, bright colors remind me of summer meals on the patio with friends and a cool glass of wine.








Autumn brings warm, golden colors to the vineyards. I painted this pastel on velour mat board and it gave the image a pleasing soft texture.




























My travels give me so much resource material that it is sometimes hard to choose what to paint next. I'm especially drawn to old street and alley ways. There seems to be a surprise around every corner.
I love fresh local summer vegetables that haven't been shipped for thousands of miles. Thank heavens for neighbors whose gardens overflow!
A few years ago I spent two weeks painting in and around a little town called Dieulefit in northern Provence. Watercolor was my "thing" at that time and my pictures were the old fashion kind - not digital! Shuffling through them recently, I rediscovered this charming street where we often ate. I have been working to inject more color in my paintings and decided to try painting on a tomato red background as I have observed other painters doing. It really seems to make the colors "pop". I painted this quickly in an impressionistic style. I like the results and plan to do more.
This is another little plein air piece that I did recently while sitting along a little creek. It was a warm day, but the shade and cool breeze made the afternoon bearable. I was with a group of artists and we were spread out everywhere. When we get back together in the evenings, it is fun and enlightening to see what other artists decide to paint - the scenery, the animals or just the patterns of light.
This painting is from a recent trip to Philadelphia. While staying downtown, Little Pete's Diner was our favorite breakfast spot. This colorful arrangement caught my eye. Simple things with their variety of shapes, colors and shiny surfaces are my favourite things to paint.
This little fellow just begged to be painted. It is not often I get such a willing model and its fee was reasonable too. It is amazing what you learn by painting plants and animals with close observation to details. Maybe schools should combine illustration and painting with biology classes - especially if done in a natural habitat. Much more interesting that reading (and forgetting) cold facts in a book.


