"On the Cinque Terre" (SOLD)

Colorful rowboats await passengers on an overcast morning in the Cinque Terre, a group of five villages on a rugged portion of Italian coast.  Grab a cappuccino and a cornetto.  The sun will be out soon!

"Late Afternoon Gondola Ride" (SOLD)

Bundled against the cold that will come when the sun sets, a vacationing couple heads out on a gondola ride. Later, they'll feast on pasta and red wine in front of a glowing fire at one of Venice's many gourmet restaurants. Lucky bastards.

Many thanks to Alagappan for the photo!

"Mottled Monk (Lhasa)" (SOLD)

Sun streams through the trees and "illuminates" a monk as he makes his way past a monastery in Lhasa, Tibet.

Many thanks to my Flickr friend Nick for the source photo!

"Long Day's End" (SOLD)

Here's one inspired by Ursula O'Farrell, a painter I discovered not long ago. This painting doesn't reach the level of artistic abstractions that her beautiful figurative paintings do, but it was a step in that direction anyway. And working with the bright colors was fun.

Many thanks to Mary in South Carolina, who added this painting to her collection.

Coming soon, a couple commissioned pieces for a sailor and art enthusiast in Georgia.

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)

"Moroccan Drydock" (SOLD)

The hot African sun beats down on the drydock, where fishing boats get repairs and a fresh coat of paint.

Thanks, Maurice, for the excellent original photo!

Rebel Returns (SOLD)

Battered by icy winds and pelted by sleet, Rebel carves her way through growing swells to return to the shelter of her slip.

I'm particularly happy with this painting, not because of the quality of the finished product but because there IS a finished product. I was just seconds away from wiping (i.e. trashing) it, as it wasn't going well, but at the last second decided to keep it, albeit with a fairly major overhaul. And, ultimately, Rebel survives to sail on.

Many thanks to Rob for the beautiful original photo... to which this painting bears very little resemblance. : )

"Racing to Port" (SOLD)

The winds howl as a racing crew hurries for home through the oncoming storm.

Thanks, Keith, for the inspiring photo!

"Lonely Boat" (SOLD)

The scenes that intrigue me the most are those that have a "universal" appeal... an emotion that we can all relate to. This one really caught my eye.

Many thanks to Lars-Christian for the inspiring, moody, original photo!

"Maine Lady Comes Home" (SOLD)

Her day's labors done, a hardworking fishing boat returns to the safety of the harbor, where her crew can have a few beers and share a few stories with their fellow sailors.

I was shooting for the style of a painter I admire, C.W. Mundy, and am reasonably happy with how it came out. : )

Thanks for the photo, Leon!

"Shrimper at Sunset"

The sun sets on a shrimp boat as its crew waits for nightfall to head out into the Gulf and try its luck.

Many thanks to Scilit for the amazing original photo!

"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!

"Past Fields in Winter" (SOLD)

A snowy path skirts frozen fields in Hampshire.

Many thanks to P.T. for the beautiful original photo.

"Venice Gondolas" (SOLD)

The lapping of water against gondola hulls mingles with the soft rumble of distant thunder at sunset in Venice.

"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!

"Expectant"

We interrupt this series of paintings of the South American "altiplano" to bring you this confident and composed ballerina. (I don't know why I ever announce anything as a "series"!)

"Across the Altiplano"

While we share a name and a bunch of longitude lines with South America, it's funny how little we Americans seem to know about it. The Altiplano (Spanish for "high plain"), in west-central South America, is second only to a similar landscape in Tibet as the largest area of high plateau on the planet. The air is clean, the light is pure and, yes... the colors are very vivid! This is the first of what will be a series of paintings of The Altiplano.

Gracias, Lorena, for the colorful original shot!

"In the Shallows (Lake Titicaca, Bolivia)" (SOLD)

A sailboat rocks gently in the shallows of Lake Titicaca, Bolivia, with the snow-covered Andes in the background.

Many thanks to Neil for the beautiful photo!

"California Coast (Sun and Shadow)" (SOLD)

Cliffs glow golden in the late afternoon California sun.

Many thanks to Michael R. for the outstanding original shot!

"Ashore with Full Sails" (SOLD)

No anchor required... Its skipper trusts that the gentle Sri Lankan breeze will keep this outrigger safely ashore.

Thanks to my friend Chris for the great photo!