Desert Light

I've been continuing with my Palm Springs theme this month, working primarily on small canvases. This is a canvas I completed quickly (in about an hour), and I tried to focus on two things: the harsh desert light, and a rapid brush stroke.

This past week I was offered a solo exhibition at the Cameron Village Regional Library here in Raleigh, NC. The show will run in August of this year, and I am excited and grateful for the opportunity.

Outside of the studio, I've been somewhat obsessed with the highly acclaimed French film "The Artist," Michel Hazanavicius's love note to the silent movie era of Hollywood. While it may have a simple story, the film is exquisite with fabulous performances by Jean Dujardin as George Valentin and Berenice Bejo as Peppy Miller. I've gone to see the movie three times in the past eight days, and I still feel like I have more to capture from it.

"Desert Light." Oil on canvas, 14 x 11 inches. Completed January 2012.

Blue Dusk

This small study of Mid-Century Modern architecture is the third installment in my Palm Spring series. I enjoyed working in a color range that is unusual for me, adding cobalt blue to my pallet.

"Blue Dusk." Oil on stretched canvas, 9 x 12 inches. Completed December 2011.

Pool House

I'm taking a lunch break from the studio and thought I'd update the blog with some recent work. This canvas, completed last month, is the second in my Palm Springs series. I have been working small for the past few weeks, trying to diversify the size of my output.

"Pool House." Oil on canvas, 11 x 14 inches. Completed December 2011.

Chi Omega House Commission

Happy New Year! Now that the Christmas holiday has passed, I can post the most recent work I have completed. This painting was a commissioned piece that depicts the Chi Omega Sorority House at St. Lawrence University in New York. I received the commission from a former colleague of mine at the Raleigh City Museum who wanted to present it as a Christmas gift.

During the holiday break I had the chance to visit the "Modern Masters" exhibition at Reynolda House in Winston-Salem. As always, Reynolda House did a fine presentation of this traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian's American Art Museum.

While visiting family up north during Christmas, I happened upon Gallery 322 in Frederick, Maryland. The gallery was featuring several works by Maryland artist Walter Bartman, a painter who also taught at the Maryland College of Art and Design in the 1980s when I was the college's director of admissions. I fell in love with one of his small landscapes painted on fiberboard and decided to purchase it for my personal collection.

I also fit in a day of painting yesterday in the studio, completing two small works in what I am calling my Palm Springs series. More on those in future posts.

"Chi Omega House, St. Lawrence University." Oil on stretched canvas, 18 x 24 inches. Completed November 2011.