Junco

This junco was one of many that frequent our back patio in the winter months after we spread out some bird seed. He was actually sitting in a flower pot looking for seeds, but I moved him onto a branch for this portrait.

Bid in the auction

American Robin

This one was sitting out on our bird feeder, but I decided to perch him on a twig for this painting. He's a little plump from his winter fluff-out. I thought about titling this painting "No More Sobbin'" but then I thought maybe that was too cute for such a dignified bird.

Bid in the auction for this painting

Chickadee

This is what I call a quick-stroke watercolor. If you look over my gallery you will see a few more examples of it. Every stroke is thought out in advance and I usually do a practice stroke on a scrap piece of watercolor paper. The idea is to produce a fresh and exciting piece of art that hopefully brings out the best in the mediums' expressive qualities.

Anyway, here is a Black-Capped Chickadee from my backyard, fresh out of the birdbath for your viewing pleasure.

The paper size is actually 7.5 x 11.25 inches, but the image is about 5.25 x 8 inches.

Click here to bid in the auction.

Memphis Bridge painting

I watched my son fly in from Murfreesboro to the Dewitt Spain airport to undergo his instrument rating check ride, then I drove a little ways down the road to find a place to set up and paint by the river. I finished most of this painting before the biting flies began to attack my legs, so I added the finishing touches at home.

Videos on the Western Paintings

Here are a couple of videos I did as I painted the previous paintings.

And another:

Western Painting Series

I have entered a new phase of my art career. As of the end of this month (August, 2019) I will have retired from my FedEx - graphic design and multimedia training career. I can now devote more time and energy to producing and marketing my art. 

In the past week and a half I have completed three paintings based on photo reference from my two sons' western adventures. They have taken several trips with their buddies out there and taken lots of great photos.

My paintings are not simply copies of the photos, but are my interpretations of them using my artistic license to add and subtract elements including color, shape and texture etc...

I have posted all three of these as auctions on Daily Paintworks and two of them already have bids on them. Bidding started at $50.00

Click here to bid in the auction.

Click here to bid in the auction.

Click here to bid in the auction.

Suburban Sunset

In this one I tried to capture the feel of a late afternoon walk I took with my family through the neighborhood. The puddle and the trail were added using my artistic license. Luckily I had just paid the renewal fee.

Click here to bid in the auction.

Riverwood View

A scenic street near where we live. I love the contrasts of colors and values and the serpentine shapes of the arching tree limbs.

Click here to bid in the auction.

Sunset Corn Planter

If you look through my paintings you will see that this is not the first time I have painted this old farm implement. I keep returning to it. The two buckets hold the seed corn and the two circular disks sticking up are laid down and mark the rows. It is usually pulled by a mule. This is on my great grandfather's farm that is still in the family. I once found an old children's schoolbook that belonged to my grandfather. In the front pages he had scrawled a note in pencil. "I walked behind a mule all day and my legs is so tired."

My gallery

Hidden Pond

I saw this park on a map of my city and decided to visit it. It was pretty isolated with no signs or parking or obvious entrances. To make a long story short, I found this pond. I was the only one in the whole park as far as I could see. It was nice.

Go here to buy the painting.

Japanese Garden Autumn

This painting is based on reference photographs I took quite some time ago while walking through Memphis Botanic Gardens. One section of the gardens used to be called the Japanese Garden if I remember correctly. That day the fall colors were brilliant.

Go here to buy the painting.

Wolf River Bank Scene

This is a typical scene on one of our local rivers if you are adventurous enough to scramble over the roots and mud down to the edge of the water. Visually speaking, I was attracted to all of the contrasts of lights and darks and textures of rough bark and water. For some hard to define reason, I feel an affinity for this kind of landscape with its tangled randomness of mossy, muddy, thrusting trunks and branches hanging over the water. Its my land. Its familiar. Its beautiful.

Go here to buy the painting.

Recycled Can

This is a typical thing to see in just about anyone's shed, barn or other outbuilding in rural America. What attracts my attention is the beauty of the label design itself and the effects of age and slanting light. Found objects like these also call to mind the owner. How, when and by whom was this can and its contents put to use?

This image uses a lot of artistic license. I made up the background by looking at some other shelves. The label on the can was found online and wrapped around a coffee can.

Go here to buy the painting.

Grain Bins and Field

The subject matter is some grain bins in rural Arkansas somewhere between Memphis and Searcy. The actual landscape around the bins is my own invention as the actual scene had a highway running across in front and the sky was gloomy that day.

Click here to bid in the auction.