The development of this painting has taken over a year. It has been on and off my easel more times than I can count. Pushing and pulling of negative space & layers of glaze.

I like to work on the whole painting simultaneously, allowing parts to find their own place.  Similar to putting a puzzle together. Dancing around the subject are layers of glaze that gives the water an illuminating feel of lapping at the boat. Thin layers of color slowly become the reflection of the red craft.

I am  glad I kept coming back.                                                                                                                                           Classic Craft 36X48 Oil

I enjoyed the process of painting this shrimp boat from the start. The detail is made up of abstract shapes and colors that merge and create the definition in the boat. Movement in the water is layers of glaze. The medium I use is 2/3′s thinner to 1/3 walnut oil. A quality of light and space  surrounds the boat to give it a place to be.

Leigh and I love the low country… expansive marsh, the smell of the sea in the breeze,  spanish moss and a shrimp boat.

The contrasting pairs of pictorial elements, old and new. The aging wall and door, contrasts with the bicycle and fresh flowers. The window on the right brings asymmetrical balance, and some needed visual weight.

In this spring painting the dominant hue is warm. The cool hue of the bike helps bring the viewers eye to the focal area.

A spring bouquet bringing cheer.

“I’ve been watching you, dad ain’t that cool?

I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you.
And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are.
We got cowboy boots and camo pants
Yeah, we’re just alike, hey, ain’t we dad?
I want to do everything you do.
So I’ve been watching you.”

This song by Rodney Atkins speaks to the imperfect parent, that wants to do it all right. No matter the age your child might be… We all want to get it right. This song sang a loop in my head while painting these boots.

This work and several other “Cowboy boots” will be showing at

The Antiques and Garden Show of Nashville  February 10 – 12 2012

I strive for a composition that works,  balance of color, movement, edges, and value relationships. Editing is one of the more difficult qualities of an artist craft. It is far more challenging to know what to leave out than to paint it all. Singer Sargent was a master at editing. Next time you enjoy his work, think about all of the detail in the dress or fore ground that was left out . Your eye enters the painting and is swept up and drawn to the subject.

I am certainly not a master… but I am the consummate student, curious, engaged, always digging deeper for a better understanding of what makes a painting work.

In “Rugged Charm” your eye is drawn to the warm hues and lose sketchy lines in the boat. Except for a dabble of gold on shore, the painting envelopes the subject with movement and cool hues.

This painting currently hangs at Stellers Gallery in Ponte Vedra, Florida

I recently enjoyed a trip to Colorado with my dear friend Beth, a childhood “forever” friend.  A snowy cold adventure including  skiing cowboys, yummy eats, and art.

The boots I have painted belong to an Artist friend Erica Van Wyk  http://www.ericavanwyk.com/index.html.  When you walk into Erica and Mark’s lovely home it is hard to decide where to gaze first. The long vistas from every window or the gallery of fine art, placed here and there.  Erica’s sculpture is magnificent it incorporates qualities I am drawn to, texture, color, and unexpected materials. My favorite are her bowls that look more like a beloved southern quilt.

I enjoyed painting a pair of her very cool boots! Thanks for having us, Mark and Erica!

I love painting one main center of interest. The surrounding foreground and background were painted with fewer details, less intense colors, and soft edges. The primary subject, “Orange Peel” is the story. A fun name for a happy subject, a bicycle on the beach.

Where the orange stops the rust takes over. The Subject was a vehicle to explore nuances of colors and shapes. This painting is whimsical and happy, my pallet was full of color and the brushstrokes show movement. The bicycle is still, but the day is clear with a perfect breeze.

A figure or an inanimate object like a boat or a bike I am drawn to the rhythm and harmony of the composition. I wanted this boat to say “Hello look at me”

Similar shapes and colors repeat to unify the composition. The texture of smooth water contrasts with the strong value and lines in the old boat.  The whites are bright and reflective… I wanted the viewer to feel the warmth of the summer sun and how that contrasts with the cool hues of the sky and water.

Sketchy lines, a pop of red, I am strong and old.  My name is “Drifter”.