"Essence"

One of my first up-close portraits.  Yes, she has white face paint on; and, yes, the source photo was taken at an angle that distorts the shape of her face.  I was pleased that the young woman's grandfather emailed me and said it was an "excellent resemblance."

"Horse's Eye" (SOLD)

Don't you sometimes just want to paint a close-up of a horse's eye?  Yeah, me too.

Thanks, Sharon in CA, for your purchase!

Regrets and Red Bag (SOLD)

Is she leaving or arriving? Her regrets or someone else's?

So this is a new take on figures for me. Loose impressionist... almost pointillist? I had fun painting it and kinda liked the way it came out. And it sold on eBay (thanks, Suzanne!), so I guess there are two of us anyway. : )

"Eternal" (SOLD)

This very dignified elderly woman lives in rural southern Afghanistan. I was drawn to the photo (thanks, Gianluca!) by the dramatic contrast between the lights and darks... as well as the dramatic contrast between my very comfortable life here in the U.S. and what I presume to be her fairly challenging life in her country.

Source photo credit: Gianluca Di Santo - White Tara Productions (www.whitetara.org)

"Mexican Village Flowerpot" (SOLD)

Real de Catorce is a village (some would say a "ghost town") of fewer than 1,000 residents that sits at 9,000 feet on the side of a mountain in the Sierra de Catorce range in Mexico. Once a thriving silver mining settlement, it was nearly abandoned in the early 1900s. Today tourism is reviving the town.

This is a painting I started a LONG time ago but returned to this week.

Many thanks to Alex M. for the photographic inspiration!

"To Reach the Beach" (SOLD)

Tired of building sand castles, she toddles off in search of adventure. A little bit of a life metaphor, I suppose.

Gabriella D. is her father's photographic inspiration, and mine for this painting. He asked that I dedicate it to her. So, to Gabriella... Safe travels!

"Waiting" (SOLD)

OK... This one may cost me my Man card. But I wanted to try the new looser approach on a figure.

Anyway... Thanks, Abby, for letting me work from your beautiful source photo.

"Back Alley Twilight, Philly" (SOLD)

Midwinter dusk descends on Philly at the end of the workday. The first in what I think will be a series of much looser, truly impressionistic paintings.

Thanks much, Claudette, for the wonderfully moody source photo.

"Pine Shadow" (SOLD)

The coast is still in winter's grip, but soon spring will melt away the snow and the old rowboat will be back on the water.

Thanks Jetta Girl for the great image!

"Bolivian Sunset" (SOLD)

This person looks from the shore of Lake Titicaca in Bolivia to Isla del Sol - the island where the Incas believed the sun god was born - ironically, as the sun sets.

I think this may be my first ever completed figure painting (I've done some studies), and I really like how it turned out.

Thanks, Alessio, for capturing this beautiful scene!

"Wintering Ashore" (SOLD)

Winter is long and cold in the North Atlantic. These boats will wait it out on shore near Heswall,Wirral, UK.

This painting is based on a beautifully moody photo by Steve Moore.

"Fall Beyond the Fence Line (Taos)"

From a photo I took on the way back from my annual "art pilgrimage" to Taos, New Mexico. Not sure what kind of trees they are, but they turn the most amazing shades of orange. They literally glow in the daylight.

"Day and Season Waning" (SOLD)

Spectacular fall color surrounds a walking trail along Coal Creek in Boulder County, Colorado.

"Autumn Afternoon in the Rockies" (SOLD)

This is a commissioned piece that I'm guessin' might end up as a Christmas gift from the purchaser to a friend.  (If you're thinking, "Original art from an 'emerging artist'?  What a fabulous gift idea!" I know a guy who can help you out.)  : )

The orange-ish leaves are actually more yellow in real life, but my digital camera insisted on seeing them as orange!  

"Vineyard Shadows, South Tyrol, Italy" (SOLD)

Afternoon shadows creep across the path as a cool night descends on the Italian Alps.

Thanks, Manfred, for the outstanding photo!

"Dusk in the Vineyard" (SOLD)

Detail:

Darkness will be falling soon, and the red and gold and orange of the vineyard is painted against the peach-colored California sky.

Many thanks to Flickr photographer Larry Gerbrandt for the stunning original photo!

"Many Storms" (SOLD)

Detail:

This painting is of a rusty, old 1939 Ford truck.  The name of the painting - if it isn't obvious - is a comment not on the weather but rather on the hard life of the vehicle.  The same title might be appropriate for my self-portrait, I suppose.   : )

Many thanks to Flickr photographer Dave_7 for the outstanding source photo.

"Lonely Lookout" (SOLD)

Detail:

Sitting on the hood of his car in 1944, Irv Hankins proposed to BettyLou Gert, who would ultimately become his wife of 63 years. Little did he know that after driving to this beautiful spot overlooking Crested Butte, Colorado, the car's transmission would die and the newly engaged couple would have to walk 7 miles back into town, leaving the lonely lookout to stand watch over the valley.

Nahhhh, that's not true... as far as I know. But I do wonder how the old jalopy got to this spot and why it remains there today!

"Industrial Angles" (SOLD)

What attracted me to this scene was all the competing and complementing angles. I think there's a tough, utilitarian... beauty... in industrial settings. If that makes any sense!

"Prairie Sentinel, Alberta" (SOLD)

This painting is of a grain elevator in Alberta, Canada. I was drawn to the image by the ominous clouds on the horizon and the train tracks leading directly into them. A bit of a life metaphor sometimes, eh? But surely just past the gloom it is bright and sunny. : )