Almost Home

"Almost Home"
(5" x 7")

I have been feeling nostalgic for Michigan where I grew up. There were lots of dirt roads and small farms with a few horses in the pastures. A lot of them are gone now, swallowed up by developers and new subdivisions. Whenever I chance to see such a place, I always feel a little like I'm coming home.

Sea Foam

"Sea Foam"
5" x7"

I was drawn to the way the sky reflected in the wet sand and the way the sea foam draws the eye down the surf line.

Blue Dark

"Blue Dark"
(5" x 7")

Blue dark was a term my brother and I used when we were young for that brief period of time between sundown and real darkness. We used it as an argument with our mom for staying up later because it was only "blue dark" outside not real dark.  Sometimes it worked and we got popsicles;  sometimes we got sent to bed anyway.

Color on the Cape

"Color on the Cape"
(5" x 7")

I was drawn to the layered look of these bushes along the shoreline and decided to use layers of color to capture the image. This is another part of the Great Marsh in Barnstable.

Riverwalk Blooms

"Riverwalk Blooms"
5" x 7"

This path along the river is in Yellow River Park near Stone Mountain, Georgia. I used to walk my dog along this path quite often. Every spring these trees bloomed beautiful pink and white bell shaped blooms that were so numerous they drifted like snow when they fell off the trees. The light was really pretty.

Waterline

"Waterline"
5" x 7"

This painting was an experiment. I used a glass of water to figure out what the waterline might look like. I left the bottom rather empty of creatures to let the viewer decide what might come swimming out of the mirk.

Moon Rise:

"Moon Rise"
6" x 6"

I used to be so intimidated about painting rocks that now I search them out on purpose as a test every so often. I love doing moon paintings and the moonlight brought out all these wonderful colors in the rocks and the water.

Dawn Reflections

"Dawn Reflections"
5" x 7"

Here is another of my "stretching the brain" marsh paintings. Again, I am trying to be loose with my color choices and let things happen. I did a lot of underlying color (blue under orange, purple under light blue etc.) to create intensity and strong light. What fun!

Twilight Marsh

"Twilight Marsh"
5" x 7"

I pulled out a bunch of my marsh pictures and just started putting color on the paper. I tried not to think too much and just let the colors decide for me. Working without a plan really allows me a freedom to use color I might not ordinarily and I am really wanting to push the envelope a bit so I don't get too stale with my palette. This is part of the great marsh in Barnstable on Cape Cod.

Hidden

"Hidden"
5" x 7"

Here is a another installment to my tree frog series. Now I know where Spielburg got the inspiration for E. T. The colors and textures are fun and these little fellows are just cute.

Nantucket Gray

"Nantucket Gray"
16" x 16"

Cape Cod and the islands abound in these little gray summer homes that stand empty all winter. They seem sadly abandoned until May when the summer people return and the cottages are full of children and brightly colored swim suits and towels hang on the porch railings once more. I like them in the winter. They stand dark and stoic. The promise of a warm sandy season to come.

Tree Frog in Hydrangea Leaves

"Tree Frog in Hydrangea Leaves"
5" x 7"

I was always finding these little tree frogs curled up in my hydrangea bush leaves in the garden. I finally started taking pictures of them and got several cute poses. This little one was taking a nap in the heat of the early afternoon after I watered the bushes carefully so as not to disturb his "beauty sleep".  He kept an eye on me as I worked, but never moved from his spot.

Silence

"Silence"
6" x 6'

The reference photo for this painting was taken by a very talented friend of mine in Georgia. His name is John Fortuna. This is one of his deer skulls (he collects cool skulls) and he photographed it in the snow. When he showed it to me I told him I was going to have to paint it because I found it to be a very powerful image. It makes me feel sad and reverential at the same time. Nature is beautiful, but harsh. I love his image and hope I have done it justice.

Prairie Color

"Prairie Color"
6" x 6"

Here's my daily piece. I'm having some fun with colors and I've just been in the mood to paint plants.  This particular scene is a field near where I grew up. The red is sumac. It turns a bright red in the Autumn just before winter.

Purple Twilight

"Purple Twilight"
5" x 7"

After working on a couple of larger paintings for the past few weeks, I'm getting back to my daily paintings. This was a nice quick small piece to get me back in the groove.

Looking For Rosemary

"Looking For Rosemary"
20" x 10"

I have wanted to paint Barnsley House and gardens for many years. I have had this picture for ages and finally set myself to the task. Rosemary Verey was a talented garden designer and this was her house. She died years ago and now her home and gardens are open to the public. It feels like her garden is just waiting for her to return and tend to the cowslips and roses.