Cold Day at the Canyon

Cold Day at the Canyon, Oil on Board, 12"x16"

Upstate Barn

Upstate Barn, Oil on Board, 6"x8"

In His Mother's Garden

In His Mother's Garden, Oil on Board, 16"x12"

Another rare foray into portraiture.

Canyon Bound

Canyon Bound, Oil on Canvas, 16"x20"

Leaving Sedona, Arizona.

Spring Near Galt's Mill

Spring Near Galt's Mill, Oil on Board, 6"x8"

Elements of Style

Wind Haven I/II, Oil on Board, 10"x8"

I did the left version first from a photo. This is more or less typical of my landscape painting from the last couple of years. There might be some pleasant things about it, but it ultimately strikes me as boring, so I painted the version on the right from the first painting, editing a few elements, moving faster, and attempting something slightly more stylized. Certainly there is still room for improvement, but I'm definitely liking the latter one better.

Many would argue that the subject matter here is, in itself, boring. I'll concede that argument. There are so many challenges in painting a good landscape, and in my efforts to get all the technical stuff right (values, color notes, composition, brush stroke, etc.), I often forget to consider if I'm creating anything interesting. Here is the photo I worked from:

Granted, not much going on here: just some evening light on a tree against the mountains in early autumn. Sometimes the quickness required when painting outdoors will give such a scene that element of interest, and while I love to paint on location, it's just not too feasible right now with a day job and two young kids. The second painting represents my attempt to make the scene more dynamic through a more stylized brush stroke, along with a shift in color and composition. Still perhaps not very interesting, but I think it is more interesting.

Noted sculptor and Lynchburg College professor Richard Pumphrey recently gave a critique at the Georgia Morgan Show at the Lynchburg Art Club. He had an interesting definition of art (and I know I won't get the wording quite right): An expression of design, created with extraordinary perception. (If anyone has the exact quote, please tell me.) If art lacks that extraordinary perception, what is it? It's ordinary! Most, if not all, of my work has been simply ordinary, and that's not going to change overnight. However, you may notice me trying to subtly apply a more stylized concept to my paintings. Some artists develop their unique style effortlessly. It just comes naturally to them. I've never felt I'd had much of any unique style to speak of, but maybe in a few years you'll be able to spot a painting from fifty feet away and recognize it as one of mine.

Gallery Notes

I have 22 paintings at Montana Plains Bakery in Wyndhurst through March 28. Stop by, get a cinnamon bun, and see how much better my paintings look in person compared to the photos on this blog! 102 Tradewynd Dr, Lynchburg, VA. This is a satellite gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts.

Also, my painting North Wabash has been accepted into the National Juried Art Exhibition at the Academy of Fine Arts in Lynchburg, April 1-30. Exciting! Always a great show.

Wilmette Harbor, Winter

Wilmette Harbor, Winter, Oil on Board, 12x16

Wilmette, Illinois. That's the Baha'i Temple in the distance. As usual, the colors in this photo are a little off from the painting. Sigh.

The Tipsy Turtle

The Tipsy Turtle, Oil on Board, 12x16

Eagle River, Wisconsin

Shadows of Camelback

Shadows of Camelback, Oil on Panel, 6x8

Camelback Mountain, Phoenix, Arizona

Felt good to work small again.

Maui's Magic Hour

Maui's Magic Hour, Oil on Canvas, 18x24

From Lahaina Harbor, looking to the East Maui Mountains. Wish I were there right now...

North Wabash

North Wabash, Oil on Canvas, 20x24

Another Chicago nocturne, similar to an earlier smaller one from last year. The large canvas (for me) certainly made this more difficult. Not sure I like it much. May have to tweak some things, but I'm really tired of working on it right now.

Winter Blues

Winter Blues, Oil on Board, 20x16

Borel/Allen Park, Lynchburg, Virginia

Old Town Florist

Old Town Florist, Oil on Canvas, 16x20

This is a new take on a scene I painted a couple of years ago (low-quality photo below). This is a shop called A New Leaf on Wells Street in Chicago. The earlier version was accepted into the Academy of Fine Arts National Exhibition in 2009 and sold there. I'm partial to the new version, and I think it shows some growth as an artist since the first version, although this new one is not as loose as I had envisioned. I'm still attracted to this image as a Christmas-time painting, so maybe I'll revisit it again next year.

Chicago Flower Shop, Oil on Canvas, 14x11 (Sold)

November Farmland

November Farmland, Oil on Panel, 11x14

I don't think I've ever composed a painting where the road leaves the scene completely off to one side of the canvas. Possibly a design faux pas, but it doesn't bother me. After finishing this one and thinking about the composition, I decided to do a small piece (below) that is basically a crop of the larger one above.

November Farmhouse, Oil on Panel, 4x6

Ranch Barn, Evening

Ranch Barn, Evening, Oil on Board, 6x8

Main Street Shops

Main Street Shops, Oil on Panel, 9x12

(Lynchburg, Virginia)

My tendency is to avoid difficult subjects for fear that several hours of work will just turn into a frustrating exercise in failure. But of course it is important to challenge yourself and work outside your comfort zone, and I'm glad I did so with this scene. I feel the result is one of my best cityscapes. Even when a challenge doesn't go well, it's still a good learning experience, so I hope to take on difficult scenes more often.

Autumn Light

Autumn Light, Oil on Panel, 9x12

Foggy Hills

Foggy Hills, Oil on Panel, 9x12

I decided to try taking occasional snapshots of my progress through this painting, which took me about two hours. These were taken without a tripod or flash, so the quality is not great, but you get the idea. I start with a quick sketch on a toned canvas, then adding the darkest areas, then blocking in the rest of the areas and refining the color and edges. 

Ivy Lake Houses

Ivy Lake Houses, Oil on Panel, 8x6

Forest, Virginia