Cowboy

16" x 20" on canvas

I've been so busy over the past few weeks with freelance work, and painting for an upcoming show in January , that I haven't had a chance to get back here and post anything new... so, now that I made the time to be here :-) I thought I'd post one of the things I've been doing for fun. I particpated in a fantastic 3-day painting workshop with a wonderful pastel artist named Judith Carducci (check her out at http://www.pastelsocietyofamerica.com/ ). After a 3 hour demonstration each morning, we painted from the live models all afternoon. It was great fun and a treat to see how this accomplished, talented artist works in pastels. Some of us painted in oils, as did I... and I enjoyed applying some of Judy's tips on VALUE... if you get the SHADOWS right the painting READS right. Here is one of 3 paintings I did in the workshop... boy.. did I LOVE being a student again!

Papillon

8"x8" oil on gessoed harddboard

Ok, so I'm back on a dog painting kick. I went thru a period last year where I painted one every day as a warm up excersize in the mornings...but got busy with other work and other subject matter as time went on. But this week,since doing the first one in months ... I remembered just how much fun it is to paint them.

So, I chose a subject I know well... our lovable pooch, Riley, an 11 month old Papillon who we just adore. I painted him on a very smoothe hardboard surface.. wonderful for painting portraits, and details because of the slick finish. I try with these dog paintings, to do them in one sitting, painting in thoughtful strokes to keep the paint fresh and un-muddied. I enjoy the challenge of having to work quickly(I usually don't have all day to paint.. just a couple hours at a time) and I like giving myself a time limit so I am forced to keep it loose and not get way too detailed. Expressing the personality of the dog is always my #1 goal, and i think I captured Riley's lovable, attentive personality here. Hope you enjoy.

I'm happy to do Special orders, so feel free to contact me with any questions or requests.

Click on the link to my ebay store to purchase this painting.

Dog-a-Week Paintings: Bishon Frise

6"x6" Oil on gessoed hardboard

We lost our little poodle last December afte a short illness, and although we weren't ready to bring another dog into our home, I spent a lot of time researching different breeds and painting them. I called the series, "A Dog -a Day Paintings". After months of keeping up with that, I became so busy with commissions that I had to put the daily little paintings on the back burner... but I found one in my studio recently, and remembered how much I enjoyed painting them. So, I decided to try to find the time to squeeze in at least one dog per week. So, here is this weeks selection, a great family dog... the Bichon. Btw, after much searching , we ended up adopting a wonderful little Papillon we call Riley, who we adore!!

To purchase, click on the link to my ebay store.

Maine Mist

5"x7", Oil on gessoed hardboard

I painted a larger, gallery version of this scene earlier in the week, but felt I wasn't done with the subject matter. So, I painted another , smaller version, which was really fun for me. I got it out of my system and I'm ready to move on to the next painting! Doing this again forced me to work with smaller brushes, and smaller strokes, and SIMPLIFY...and I think I captured the depth and atmosphere of the scene even in this small format. To purchase, click on this link:

Autumn on Assateague

8"x10", Oil on gessoed hardboard

On the shore of Virginia is one of the most beautiful places on the eastern coast known as Chincoteague Island. Adjacent to it is Assateague Island, home to the national Wildlife Preserve, with miles of undeveloped beaches, marshes and grasslands.

I'm fascinated with the incredible lighting there, and it's an endless source of inspiration for me to try to capture the changing lighting at different times of day. This oil painting captures a misty morning in early autumn on the marshes of the Assateague Preserve. It's available for purchase on eBay.

To bid on this painting, click on the link below to take you to my eBay store: