Sunset Sprinklers

oil on canvas paper 12"x16"

We were sitting outside one evening enjoying a cold drink after a hot day, watching the glorious colors spreading across the sky, when all of a sudden the sprinklers came on to water the lawn and the water picked up the colors of the sky and wowed us with it's brilliance.

This painting doesn't do justice to the moment, and I see I should have put more color into the spray of the sprinklers, but it was a challenge to see if I could capture the moment in paint and to a certain extent I think I succeeded.

The fortress

The painting is terrible, I know; but it was the first one I ever constructed from my own imagination, and it was based on a poem I wrote several years ago:

The fortress looms behind her
Its walls thick and tall
The drawbridge has been lowered
The windows opened wide

Below her and to the left
The seascape dances with change
The boat that brought her lover
Swaying in the waves

Off to the right is an apple orchard
The trees heavy with ripening fruit
Carrying the scent of promise
Teasing with the taste of hope

The spirit of God surrounds her
Seeking entrance to her heart
Weaving a spell of love and grace
That she embraces and accepts

Inside the fortress her lover awaits
Having been allowed entrace by herself
He moves about with familiar intimacy
She finds comfort from his presence

She smiles with growing anticipation
As she heads back across the drawbridge
She keeps the doors and windows open
Enjoying the sense of freedom blowing in the breeze

Spring Rain

This painting was done with acrylics, which I find more difficult to work with, having learned with oils. The paint dries much too quickly, unlike oils and will take some getting used to. I liked the painting much better before I painted the foreground trees.

Fall Blaze

Acrylic and Oil on paper 11"x14"

This was fun to paint - thick, vibrant color splashed over transparent color; it's a new style that I think I'm gonna like.

Anderson's Vineyard

I saw this picture in a magazine that sells knick knacks - it was a photograph that they offered to personalize for you - it seemed fairly personal already (given that this is Bill's last name) and I thought why pay for a photograph when I could just paint it myself. It will soon be framed and hanging on display in my art studio at Bill's house.

Sea Stairs

I saw this painting in my Dentist Office and liked it so much, I took a picture of it with my Iphone, then went home and painted it. It looked better in the dentist office, but I had fun trying to make it look good!

Winter Sun

I really need to take better photos of my paintings - the photo came out so much darker than the painting, which is light and bright. I imagine that it's cold enough to see your own breath, if you were standing outside in the cold, but at the same time you would hear all the birds chirping happily in the sunshine.

Farmhouse

I really enjoyed painting this picture, especially the depth and the detail and the vibrancy of the colors (which got washed out in the photo). If I get the chance, I will take another photo and replace this one - the sun dancing on the grass really pops in the original painting.

Venice at Dusk

I can see that I need to work on perspective and water!

Waterfall

The photo of this painting doesn't do it justice - it's blurry and dark and doesn't show off the detail or the brigthness. This is my favorite so far

Cafe Margaretta

You might recall a recent painting I did of a bicycle leaning against a wall? Well, a co-worker told me that he imagined the owner of that bike had gone to a cafe just around the corner and this is what I came up with...

Here's the bicycle painting:

After the Rain

This painting was very satisfying to paint - I enjoyed the sense of accomplishment I felt at every stage of the painting: the clouds and the rain failling in the distance, the puddles in the road, the reflections and ruts in the road, the tree and the fence.