Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Old Tow Truck

My workgroup went on a "Team Building" activity. The activity was "paint a painting" at one of those new places devoted to this. Most everyone else followed along with the teacher as she showed how to paint the Memphis skyline in a folk art style. I brought one of my small watercolors and did this version of it as a large acrylic on canvas.​

It was fun, so I think I will do some more paintings like this.


Sunday, June 28, 2015

Substantial Citizen

Original painting $40.00 opening bid. 

Back in 1960 my father found a packet of old black and white negatives in a dump ​in Long Island, New York. I recently began developing them and found an image of this gentleman. Based on other images in the package I determined the year - 1897 - and the location - Malone, New York. Unfortunately I have not been able to identify this man's name. 

I decided to honor him by designing this painting. Those mountains behind him, I believe, are the Adirondacks.


Saturday, June 20, 2015

Down Riverwood 2

$40.00 opening bid for this original watercolor. It is another one of a series of suburban spring afternoon watercolors. Riverwood Street is particularly striking in the late afternoon with its garden like lawns accented by the striking contrasts of sunlight and shadow.



Saturday, June 13, 2015

Maggie

I found an old roll of black and white negatives in my mother's estate and scanned the images. This lady was identified as my great grandfather's second wife...(first wife had died). Her name was Maggie. This setting was somewhere in middle Tennessee.​  

I decided to give the whole thing a wash of sepia tone to give it that "bygone days" feel and then I took extra care to capture her friendly smile.




Saturday, June 6, 2015

Arkansas Cascade

This is designed from photo reference I took while I was near Collins Creek Falls. 

This was done in a quick brush stroke style. I have to work myself up into a certain mental state to do this. It is scary. I committed myself to making nothing but broad quick brushstrokes with a wide flat brush.


Shadow Lawn

The street is Pecan Trees drive and most of the shadows you see are from nearby pecans. The shadows are actually the star of the show here, with the azaleas and house shadows as part of the supporting cast.​


Thursday, June 4, 2015

River Fog

The Little Red River in Arkansas is fed by the Greers Ferry Dam. The water comes from the bottom of Greers Ferry Lake and it is very cold. When the warmer air above meets the cold water, a mist forms. In the distance you see my son, fishing for trout. ​



Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Collins Creek Falls

It has been a while since I have posted. My family and I were tending to my ailing mother as she spent her final days with us. She is in a much better place now.

This was designed from reference taken during a family trip to Arkansas. A short walk down a trail led us to this location.​ I enjoy looking at the overlapping planes of the boulders, the textures and the colors.