Way Behind

I missed posting back in April due to a hectic schedule. I have had numerous sales this year which required me to scramble  producing new pieces and resurrecting older pieces to fill the gaps in the gallery.

Three of the four pieces I showed you in the last posting have sold. Having to fill those spaces at the gallery in addition to completing two commissioned pieces have kept me running. Great that I'm getting all these sales but difficult to keep pace. 

So here's what has happened. First was a commission that I completed for a friend. "Lucy" is a very sweet, gangly dog that lives down the street from me.

The painting that I had in the hotel lobby sold after only two weeks on display there to a visitor from Boston. Shipping problems led to great time consumption through several attempts to get it packaged and delivered.

 Then as the first of the Venice paintings sold I brought in a resurrected "Welcome to Tranquility" to fill the space in the gallery. 

As it became time for the show changeover at the gallery, I added reworks of two earlier paintings that had never been in the gallery. First was "Table for One". That was based on a scene I believe I encountered in Spain several years ago. I liked the idea that it could create a couple of different stories for the viewer. It could mean strong solo traveler or it could depict loneliness.

The other rework was based on a painting I did a number of years ago that hangs in my home. I named it "Golden Hour".

Very soon the other Venice painting sold and I brought back one that I had done years before while looking out the back window of the gallery at the pond. It is titled "Making Waves".

 

Next, "Table for One" sold and I brought back "The Commuter". 

Finally, I have just finished a commission piece that I have been working on for the client from Boston that bought the piece that was in the hotel. He had seen my "Window Seat" painting and wanted a painting of his daughter's dog for a birthday present. Working from a small snapshot of her dog that she sent me and with some discussion about a beachy scene I came up with this which I call "Rosie's Beach Dream".

I hope to be back on schedule with the next posting in early August.

 A couple of new ones and a couple resurrected 

I recently finished two new paintings. First is a portrait of my daughter's dog Teddy. He likes to look out the window to watch for wildlife to bark at. When she showed me a photo of him sitting in a chair for a better viewing angle I knew I had to paint that. I call it Window Seat. 

The second was painted especially for a month long exhibit in the lobby of the OMNI hotel here on the island. Management there is kind enough to ask local artists to display a large piece each month. I was chosen for February. I painted a dawn seascape based on a photo my daughter shot while walking my dog one early morning. The unusual cloud formation really attracted me.  I named this one Morning Comes to Amelia.

Two of my Italian paintings from Venice are coming back to the gallery for the new show. Reflections on a Canal was based on a scene I saw in one of my first trips to that city. I was taken by the water flowing between the old buildings like a street. 

The other one Grand Canal is one that I thought about painting for several years. It took me a long time to decide how to handle the silhouettes on the bright water.  I was very happy with the result.

Time to start looking for new inspirations. 

 Almost time for another new show

I have finished two new paintings for the November show at the gallery. The first was based on a photo my daughter sent me from her family vacation this summer. She enjoys taking early morning sunrise shots and this one caught my eye. The many colors of daybreak can be spectacular. I call this one Dawn on the Lake.

The second one came from a visit to Quebec City several years ago (and yes, that's me sans beard). While wandering around the old city, I meandered into a church yard that had a stone fenced area. I was curious to see what was there. Two inhabitants came to meet me--a donkey and a goat. There was an instant rapport. I have done two portraits of my donkey friend over the years since and both sold. I named this painting Mutual Admiration. 

Working on a few new ideas for next time. Until then....

 Two new and a good oldie

Still not up to my past level of production, but did recently finish two new pieces that I am happy with. First is a farm  scene that I pulled from some of my old photo references. Not sure where the location was though it kinda says middle-America to me.

The peaceful scene led me to the somewhat obvious title Down on the Farm.

  The second one is from a series of photos my daughter sent me of the new fox kits that were born on her and my son-in-law's property in Maryland. It is refreshing to see them playing and discovering the world. I call this one Sly Little Fox. I painted this one on a piece of aluminum to try something new and different.

 Finally, since the next show at the gallery is following a nature theme, I am bringing back an earlier piece that I painted when there was a small pond behind the gallery. I named it Amelia Island Summit. 

Until next time...

It's been a while...

I haven't had much time for painting or blogging for more than a year now. First due to becoming a full time caregiver while my wife battled cancer and then the funeral and aftermath dealing with the avalanche of estate calls and paperwork. Slowly I am starting to regain my art production. Only two pieces have been completed since the last posting. First one was another of the eagle studies. The two depicted flying close together reminded me of the aerobatic maneuvers of the military show teams. I named this one   "Just Like the Blue Angels" .

 

The other piece is a watercolor painting I finished just this last week. Using an old photo of my grandson as a model the title was obvious--"The Boys of Summer".

 

 

I hope to be back with more soon. Remember that you can always look back through previous postings to see more of my work. Till next time.

 Trying to stay warm

I may be in Florida, but it was 34 degrees when I took the dog out for a walk this morning. I intend to stay inside and work on art today. So, here are the three latest pieces which I will be taking to the gallery soon.

First is a scene from my daughter and son-in-law's home. Sunsets are a special time of day and even the dogs seem to recognize that. The colors and the winding down of activities are peaceful and relaxing. I call this one Sunset Finale.

The second came from a photographer friend of the same daughter. He produces spectacular images of birds and I had to ask him to let me try to capture the same feeling in a painting. This one is named Bringing Home Dinner. 

The final one is a revisit to a painting I did a few years ago of a young man playing music on the street. I saw him on one of my trips to Spain and Portugal. His enthusiasm and talent inspired me to showcase him on canvas. This one is a second attempt at that. It is simply called Street Musician.

 Until next time let's all look forward to warmer weather.

 Ahead of Schedule

Next gallery show isn't until November, but I have finished three new paintings so I thought I'd go ahead and post them. Two are for the show and the third is a commission piece that I just completed.

While on a tour in Canada a couple of years ago, I spotted this fellow on a crisp fall day. I don't know if he was having any luck, but I admired the determination and style. I call this Intrepid Fisherman.

The second one is from our trip to the Galapagos Islands. We were in a zodiak enroute to another hike when we passed by a small rocky islet with a couple of sleepy sea lions napping. My attention was drawn to the reaction of the one who seemed to be questioning why we were disturbing nap time. I thought I would name the painting Do Not Disturb!

My third painting was a commission piece. A lady who turned out to be a neighbor had seen my painting of Toby watching the dawn by the beach hanging in the gallery. She contacted me and asked if I could do a similar painting of her dog. We agreed to meet at a suitable beach location and I took a number of photos of him. After doing several sketches for potential compositions, I had her chose the one she liked best. I then spent several weeks painting this one. It is named simply Harley after the happy boy.

Currently I am reworking a couple of paintings I did several years ago. I think I can improve them. We will see how that works out soon.

Time for a new gallery show 

Three new paintings are ready for the new show opening in a couple of weeks. First is one from a recent golf round. As I approached the green, I spotted this hawk perched atop the flagpole. I immediately thought of the title, "Birdie on Number 8".  I had a lot of fun painting it.

 

The second one is also a local scene. There's something about early morning when no one else is around and the extraordinary colors of dawn come creeping in that wakes up the artist in me. I had to try and capture the oranges, purples and pinks in the painting I call "Walkover at Dawn".

The third one I named "Gull's Territory". I really enjoy trying to capture character. I find that allows the viewer to make up their own story. These guys obviously show that as they seem to be staking a claim to their perch.

Till next time.

Another opening another show

I have been very busy with other matters the past few months but managed to complete two more paintings. The first is based on a photo that my daughter shot while spelling me on the early morning walk with my dog. I title this Greeting Dawn on Amelia. Toby likes to watch the light change over the ocean as daylight creeps in.

The other piece is from a photo my other daughter sent me during a business trip to Italy. I was interested in the contrast between the animated exchange and the serene surroundings. I call this one The Conversation.

Hopefully things will calm down soon and I can get back to more painting. Till next time.

 Two New Pieces

With a shorter time span between shows at the Plantation gallery, I have only finished two new pieces to display. Both of these are from Italy. The first comes from a trip where we stayed on an agri-resort in the Puglia region. This was a great base for exploring that region of southern Italy. In between visiting sites around the region, I would wander the fields and gardens of the resort. One day I stumbled on a secluded pond with an interesting statue in the trees. I wanted to capture the peace and beauty of the scene. I call this one Garden Goddess.

The other is from a photo that one of my daughters shot in Florence. I was intrigued by the way the duck was standing on the wall as if proclaiming that this was his place. I also found the duck to be quite different in appearance from our local ones. I named this painting It's Just Ducky here in Italy.

More to come next time.

Time flies

It has already been three months since my last posting and I have completed three new oil paintings for the gallery--plus a few watercolors. Did someone say prolific?

First is one I call  Heron Discussion. We have a small statue of two birds on a tree stump and I have been looking at it for some time trying to come up with the inspiration for a story. Adding in a swampy area makes it come alive as though they are having a spirited conversation.

The second one is from our trip to the Galapagos islands in 2022. We were on an expedition cruise and one day, as we were exploring in a zodiac, I spotted penguins on a rocky islet. These two especially caught my interest. I named this one Penguin Mates.  

The third is something of an ode to some of the early 20th century painters who explored night scenes--especially one of my favorites, Edward Hopper. I had previously painted a young woman in a balcony scene and decided that I could paint her seated in a window with the viewers looking in from the darkened street. The pose spoke to me as lonely lost in thought. This one I titled Contemplating the Night.

 

 Has it been three months already?

Well here goes. This time I'm going to show three new pieces that are somewhat different. The first is based on an old photo I found in my files while searching for inspiration. I had filed this away some years ago thinking it might work at some time. I simply call it Water Lilies. It is so serene that I felt very relaxed while painting.

After finishing that one, I began searching for something different. During a less than stellar round of golf I began watching the airplanes flying in and out of our local airport as they cross over the golf course. The more I watched the less I paid attention to my dismal score. I began to think that some interesting paintings could come from what I was seeing. The first one I named Wings over Amelia.

I especially liked the silhouetted planes against the summer cloud formations. 

 

When I finished that one, I decided that another was in order. I painted a horizontal wider scene and called it Par for Landing. The plane coming in over the fairway just called for that title.

Next time will be some different subjects. Keep watching.

Once again another short turnaround at the gallery

Only got two new ones finished in time for the quick change out. These are both a little different from the most recent entries. The first one I call "Sweet smell of Jasmine". One day as I was exercising I looked out my window and saw the jasmine on the wall was in bloom. I could almost smell that sweet smell without even going out. I hope when someone views this painting that they too can imagine the sweet smell.

The other one is from a visit to London a few years ago. After touring Churchill's war room, I began wandering the neighborhood and came upon this lovely park. I named this idyllic scene simply "A Walk in the Park".

I am well into creating another different piece which I will place in the next show. Hopefully I will have time to produce two or three more before the next show.

Short Turnaround 

It has only been a couple of months since the last rehang of the gallery, but the group decided to move up the next new show in order to have fresh work for Spring Break and holiday visitors. Unfortunately, that meant I only had a couple of new pieces finished. The two pieces are very different from each other. One has some humor attached and the other is rather pastoral.

Who's in Charge
 Based on a photo of one of my daughter's newest cats, this is a light hearted study on determining who is the Alpha.

 

 

 

 

 Planting Hay

The other is  from my other daughter and son-in-law's "rural" property in Maryland. Each year a local farmer plants and harvests hay on some of the land. The bucolic country scene spoke to me of renewal and replenishment.

I have been frantically working on another large piece, but it won't be finished in time for the rehang. Look for it in the next posting.

More from the Galapagos

 The trip we took this past summer to the Galapagos Islands gave me a wealth of inspiration. I have completed three more paintings for the next gallery show. Hiking through the rocky terrain on one of the islands we came upon a number of marine iguanas. After they come out of the water, they climb on the warm rocks to rest. They seem to have no fear of us. This guy seemed to be saying hello. I decided to call this painting Welcome to My World.

On another island we took a tour to a farm where the giant tortoises congregate at that time of year. There were hundreds of them all around us. This one was resting under a tree. Hence the name Under the Lemon Tree.

 The third piece was from a different island. There are a lot of unique birds in the Galapagos, but I was especially moved by this scene of a pair of swallow tail gulls nesting in the sand. His manner of caring for her--protecting--feeding gave me a title Devotion.

Bucket List Trip and another (plus one)

This has been a busy travel year. In May we went to the Puglia region of Italy and had a great time using an "Agri-resort" as base to explore the region. Then, in August, we finally took a trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands that I have had on my bucket list for years. As always, these journeys spurred on the creative process. Two of the paintings from Italy were in the last posting. A third one is this which I simply call Biking Italy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The other two were from the travels through the various islands of the Galapagos. First is of three blue footed boobies I encountered during a zodiac excursion. I named this one  Three Amigos.

                                                           

The last was on a beach on one of the islands. The dominant male sea lion can be quite vocal in giving orders to his harem and to visitors that encroach on his territory. This one is titled Just Sayin'.

 One other piece that I just finished was a rush commission job for a long time client. They wanted to present a departing neighbor with a painting of the house they were leaving. They only had a couple of weeks before departure. Due to the short tie period I had to choose watercolors for quick drying. Rushing through painting, matting and shipping, I neglected to photograph the final piece. However, here is an earlier study I did in the planning stage.

Two Antiques and Another Memorial

 A recent family vacation in southern Italy led to discovery of antiques that inspired two new paintings for the next gallery show. The first was a very old photograph that made me think about doing a value study with only one color…raw umber. I thought that would give a similar look of an antique photo. I was very pleased with the result and named it A Study in one Color.

                                                                            

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The second inspiration came while wandering around the barn area on a farm resort. There were a number of old wagons there, but the one that caught my eye was a unique bicycle delivery vehicle. I conjured up a scene where it would likely have been used. This one seemed to name itself Essential Transportation.

 

 The final piece will not go to the gallery as it is a commission. One of my fellow artists who happened to see me working on it decided that I should be known as the memorial artist as I have done a number of these for folks who have lost their furry family members. I find that I really enjoy working on them and the reactions that the final piece brings…smiles, tears and such…provide me with longer lasting value than any money received. I call this one Mutual Love.