Lamp Study #1

Several years ago I started a series of small canvases of lamps found around my house.  After completing two, I went on to other subject matter.  I returned to this idea late last year, and this small work was the result.

"Lamp Study #1."  Oil on stretched canvas, 10 x 8 inches.  Completed December 2012.

Untitled (Reflecting Pool III)

This is the third untitled piece I completed late last year in a series I've called "reflecting pools."  These works are totally imaginary in nature, and I began each with no idea or thought specifically in mind.  This painting took on a vortex theme.  Take from it what you will, as I have no real explanation to add!

"Untitled (Reflecting Pool III)."  Oil on canvas, 14 x 11 inches.  Completed December 2012.

Off to Savannah

It's that time of year again...my annual trip to Savannah for some winter R&R.  I'm looking forward to the change in scenery and for the artistic rejuvenation.

Untitled (Reflecting Pool II)

This is the second "reflecting pool" study I completed late last year.  This one is slightly larger than the first, and vertically oriented.

"Untitled (Reflecting Pool II)."  Oil on canvas, 14 x 11 inches.  Completed December 2012.

Night Windows #2

This is a second small night study I completed in November.  Called "Night Windows #2," it was painted using my new Winsor & Newton Oil Colour Artists' Painting Medium.  The architecture is based on the Kehoe Mansion in Savannah, Georgia.

"Night Windows #2."  Oil on canvas, 12 x 9 inches.  Completed November 2012.

Bass Residence Commission

This week's featured work is a commissioned painting for local patrons depicting their Raleigh residence.  The commission was the result of my August exhibition at the Cameron Village Regional Library.

"Bass Residence."  Oil on canvas, 18 x 24 inches.  Completed November 2012.

Untitled (Reflecting Pool #1)

On this, the last day of 2012, I plan to work on what will be my final pieces created this year.  I always look on this day with melancholy and retrospection - how could you not? I begin each year with high hopes and great expectations.  As the calendar progresses, those hopes and expectations inevitably fall as the reality of life (and of living) take over.

Creatively, I began this year working on a series of canvases based on my 2011 trip to Palm Springs, California.  It took me some time to get over the spectacular light and colors of that area.  I then worked from satellite imagery of my hometown, Raleigh NC.  I also returned to Yosemite, California (inspirationally, at least) to complete a series of small studies, and then turned to night scenes.  Oddly enough, I close the 2012 calendar having created small works based on nothing -- imaginary landscape studies that revolved around what I decided to call a "reflecting pool."  I have no conscious idea where these came from in my mind.  They just seemed to occur.

"Untitled (Reflecting Pool #1)."  Oil on canvas, 8 x 10 inches.  Completed November 2012.

Red Barn in Winter

This small painting was created specifically for my annual Christmas card sent to family members.  It is based on a barn that stands near my parents' house in West Virginia. I improvised the snowy setting and the cold, winter sky but tried to faithfully represent the structure itself.

"Red Barn in Winter."  Oil on stretched canvas, 8 x 10 inches.  Completed November 2012.

Night Windows #1

This small work was the first painting I completed using a new painting medium.  When I first began working in oils as a teenager, and throughout my college and early adult years, I used the most traditional of mediums - linseed oil.  Eventually, I turned away from linseed oil because of the noticeable sheen it leaves on a canvas.  I then turned to turpenoid, a cleaning substance, as my medium for oils.  This worked effectively, although it does leave a dull surface that can make it difficult to "read" some colors. 

Last month I decided to try a commercially-produced painting medium.  I purchased Winsor & Newton's Oil Colour Artists' Painting Medium, and tried it out on this little canvas.  I love how this medium adds vibrancy to the colors, and it dried in a uniform manner.  It also added an element of slickness to the paint that I have found very appealing during the painting process.

"Night Windows #1."  Oil on canvas, 10 x 8 inches.  Completed November 2012.

Yosemite Study #6

This is the last of my series of small studies based on imagery from my vacation to Yosemite National Park in 2010.  This canvas depicts the Upper Yosemite Fall at sunset.  Once again, I completed this piece in upside-down mode.  It was actually painted very quickly, in approximately 15 minutes.

"Yosemite Study #6: Upper Yosemite Fall." Oil on canvas, 10 x 8 inches.  Completed October 2012.

Yosemite Study #5

This is the fifth small piece I produced using Yosemite National Park as an inspiration.  As with the previous four studies, I completed this in "upside-down" mode: looking at a source image upside down, and painting the imagery upside down as well.  It helps me concentrate more on what the eye actually sees, rather than filling in the blanks with what the eye thinks it sees.

"Yosemite Study #5: Nevada Fall."  Oil on stretched canvas, 14 x 11 inches.  Completed October 2012.

The Pink House

Happy Thanksgiving.  Yesterday I took advantage of Black Friday sales to stock up on canvas supplies, picture frames and also purchased a Monet French easel for plein-aire painting.  I'm hoping to use the new easel outside at some point when the weather cooperates.

This week's painting is the latest in a series of works I have based on my trip to Palm Springs, California in September 2011.  It depicts more of the colorful and unusual architecture that can only be found in Palm Springs.

"The Pink House."  Oil on stretched canvas, 18 x 24 inches.  Completed October 2012.

Off to Asheville

I am spending a long weekend in Asheville, NC to tour Biltmore at Christmas and enjoy some clear, cold mountain air.  The Biltmore Estate has inspired several of my works over the years, and I'm hoping to find new inspiration on this trip.

"Biltmore in Winter."  Oil on canvas, 24 x 30 inches.  Completed October 2009.

Palm Canyon Storefronts

This past week I was offered a solo exhibition opportunity next year at the Richard B. Harrison Library in Raleigh, NC.  The exhibit will run for three months from October to December, 2013.  I am planning to create a new series of work for this exhibition based on local architectural imagery.

This week's featured painting was created last month as another in my Palm Springs series.  The scene depicts a short row of storefronts on Palm Canyon Drive in Downtown Palm Springs.  I loved the tall palms along the avenue and wanted to emphasize their height in this piece.

"Palm Canyon Storefronts."  Oil on stretched canvas, 40 x 25 inches.  Completed October 2012.

Yosemite Study #4

This is my fourth study based on my trip to Yosemite National Park two years ago.  This canvas features the park's Vernal Fall, which I hiked to on the Mist Trail.  This piece is another that was created "upside-down."

"Yosemite Study #4 (Vernal Fall)."  Oil on canvas, 11 x 14 inches.  Completed October 2012.

Yosemite Study #3

This week's blog post features my third Yosemite study created last week.  As part of the experiment posted previously, I painted this canvas upside-down until finished.  The painting depicts Yosemite's famed Bridal Veil Fall, which was in full flow when I visited the park in October 2010.

"Yosemite Study #3."  Oil on canvas, 14 x 11 inches.  Completed October 2012.

Yosemite Studies

After a fairly unproductive summer in the studio, I've been re-energized this fall, and I'm currently working on several projects.  I began a commissioned house portrait this month, have continued working on architecturally-themed pieces, and started a new discipline of working in the studio at night for experimentation and fun.  For the coming weeks I have marked off Tuesday and Thursday nights as committed studio time, no ands, ifs or buts.  My intent is not to produce gallery-quality works, but to explore new ideas and take some risks I normally wouldn't allow myself during my weekend studio sessions. 

I began the idea by assigning myself a project: take an image and reproduce it in oil UPSIDE DOWN.  I chose to use images I took during my Yosemite vacation in 2010 since landscape has not been an area of concentration for me lately.  I placed the source image upside down on foam-board nearby, then painted what I saw on an 11x14 canvas, using no preliminary sketch. I worked for about an hour on each canvas, never turning it over to see the upright image until it was finished. On Tuesday night I completed two small pieces (seen above), and on Thursday night I completed two more (to be posted soon).

"Yosemite Study #1: Half Dome."  Oil on stretched canvas, 11 x 14 inches.  Completed October 2012.

"Yosemite Study #2: North Dome."  Oil on stretched canvas, 11 x 14 inches.  Completed October 2012.

State Capitol

This canvas is my latest aerial work, based on the North Carolina State Capitol in Downtown Raleigh.  I created this piece as a silent auction prize for an upcoming fundraiser by the State Capitol Foundation.

"State Capitol." Oil on stretched canvas, 24 x 18 inches. Completed September 2012.

George Bellows exhibit

It's been well over a month since my last blog post. The hiatus was not intentional; it just simply happened. During this period, I enjoyed a successful solo show at the Cameron Village Library. In fact, upon delivering five canvases for the library's circulation desk exhibit area, I was invited to add four more canvases to an upstairs display area. What started as a small show ended up being an expanded experience. My thanks to the staff of the Cameron Village Library for their support.

Over the Labor Day holiday, I took time to travel north and visit several exhibits in the Nation's Capitol. My primary focus was the huge George Bellows retrospective currently on display at the National Gallery of Art (catalog cover pictured above). Having lived in Bellows's home town (Columbus, Ohio), I came to appreciate his work through the permanent collection of the Columbus Museum of Art. This show is exceptional, and very motivating for me. Bellows's sense of bravura and energy in brushstroke have always attracted me, and his cityscapes of New York are gorgeous in their use of light and color.
I also visited the Corcoran Gallery of Art (pictured above) to see a Richard Diebenkorn exhibition featuring his famous Ocean Park series. The size and scope of this work was impressive, but I especially loved his smaller studies created to inspire his larger canvases. The Corcoran also had a moving photographic exhibit by the Dutch artist Charlotte Dumas, featuring images of horses, wolves and dogs. It was a wonderful weekend filled with art, something I needed after a fallow summer.

Exhibit News: Cameron Village Regional Library Show

My work will be featured in a small solo exhibition at the Cameron Village Regional Library in Raleigh. The exhibit, installed by the circulation desk, will run from August 1 through August 31, 2012. The Cameron Village Regional Library is located at 1930 Clark Avenue, Raleigh NC 27605. Library Hours: Mondays-Thursdays, 9 AM - 9 PM; Fridays 10 AM - 6 PM; Saturdays 10 AM - 5 PM; Sundays 1 PM - 5 PM.

I am very grateful to the staff of the Cameron Village Regional Library for this opportunity.