Barnegat Light

Barnegat Light
9x12 oil $210

I took a ride to the Jersey Shore looking for some reference material for some paintings. I didn't have anything particular in mind so I was just wandering around looking for something to catch my eye. The one place I stopped was the Lighthouse at Barnegat Light. There were people fishing from land and in boats. The one guy was showing the woman in the red sweatshirt fish he had in his bucket.

BlueJay Bath

Blue Jay Bath

5x7 oil $50.00

We enjoy watching the birds that come to eat at our feeders. The real fun starts when they take a bath and spray water all over the place. I tried to catch his energy in the late afternoon light.

Small Works Show 2008

I will be in the Small Works Show at Canal Frame-Crafts Gallery in Washington Crossing. The show runs from Nov. 9 to Dec. 27. The opening reception is Nov. 9 from 1:00 - 4:00pm

Workshop with Michael Budden

I attended a plein-air workshop today at Washington Crossing Park with painter Michael Budden. It was very informative, learned alot. He finished his demo painting and it started to rain so we found a dry place in back of the visitors center to paint. The bottom picture is what I painted today. I chose the statue of George Washington with the flags along the walkway.

Autumn Shadows with frame

This is Autumn Shadows with the frame. (sorry about the crooked picture,its the only picture I have of it in the frame.)   (SOLD)

Autumn Shadows

Autumn Shadows
10x8 oil
$325.00

This was painted on location. What caught my eye was the color of the leaves laying at the base of the tree and the pattern of the shadows from the unseen trees. When I got home I touched up shadows and added the bright leaves that were caught in the sun spots. I remember I was the only one there that day. You can sense the peacefulness of the place.

This painting comes framed. Available at Canal Frame-Crafts Gallery. www.CanalFrame.com

215-493-3660

Small Fish Contest

Tom and I like to see who can catch the smallest fish, this looks like a winner. This young trout tried to eat a Royal Coachman fly. We returned him to the water, maybe to catch him next year.

Uprooted 2008

This is what the tree in Uprooted looks like now in 2008.

Study for Splash of Color

I used a pallete knife to put on the bright reds and pinks. I wanted the bold color to stand out against the muted greens of the pine trees. It was cold and windy, I remember my fingers starting to take on the color of the reds of the tree.

A Splash of Color

When we pulled up in the car this is what greeted us. After unpacking I did a quick study right before it got dark.

Yearly trip to Northcentral Pa.

When we arrived we had temperatures in the 30s and windy conditions. The streams were low again this year due to the drought they had in the summer. We managed to catch fish here and there. My brother Tom did catch a nice brown trout 17 inches out of Slate Run.

Autumn Walk

My wife and I took a ride up the Poconos to see the last of the fall colors. Prior commitments kept us from going up last week during the peak. Near the end of the day we stopped off at Promised Land State Park, a park we are very familar with. As we walked by this tree I noticed how the remaining leaves matched the color of Maria's sweatshirt and shoes.

Autumn Walk

10x8, Acrylic

Collection of Maria O'Driscoll

Uprooted

Uprooted

18x24

Oil

$385.00 unframed

Floods earlier in the year washed away the bank and exposed the roots. I stood there in awe of that massive root system. We passed by this tree every year in the twenty years we been going up there. I knew right away I wanted to do a painting of this, so I pulled out my portable paintbox I carry. The picture on top shows the on site sketch I did that day. In the studio painting I wanted to convey a feeling of sadness, perhaps I was wondering about myself in 20 years. The next year we went up, it had completely fallen over.

Breakfast

Breakfast
15x22
Watercolor
$175.00

This was our breakfast each morning. Scrambled eggs, potatoes, spam, wrapped in tin foil . I cooked the breakfasts the day before we left, and wrapped them in tin foil so all we had to do was heat them up. No cleaning up, no dishes to wash, just throw the foil in the trash and we were on our way. I liked the warm glow from the embers on the side of the fire ring. It was a welcome sight and helped fight off the 38 degree morning temps.

Moonlit Night

Moonlit Night
Watercolor
Not for Sale

In the years when we used to camp in the tent, the nights were so quiet. You would be laying there waiting for sleep to take over and every once in a while you would hear an owl calling. And in the distance you would here the faint reply from another owl. That would go on back and forth and before you knew it you were asleep.
This painting is the result of all the memories from those quiet moonlit nights.

Fishing Pictures

Tom fighting a rainbow trout on Cross Fork Creek

Brook trout in spawning colors

Coopers Hawk we rescued, had a broken wing. It took a while to gain his confidence, I was waiting for him to take a hunk out of my hand. We found a wildlife rehabilitator that took him.

Our trip this year is from Oct 27 to Nov 1.

Light in the Forest

Light in the Forest 20x16 Acrylic Sold

This is a studio painting done from studies on site. I am out the door at first light while Tom enjoys a longer sleep. As the sun clears the edge of the mountain , shafts of light break thru the trees illuminating the pine needles on the forest floor. The good thing about it when I get back an hour later Tom has a big country breakfast ready. What a good morning.

Autumn the Season of Change

I think October is my favorite month. Not only for the explosion of color from the trees, but the fishing is in high gear in the trout streams this time of year. The trout 's mating colors start matching the color of the leaves. My brother Tom and I have been taking a trip up to northcentral Pa. every October since the early 80's. We fish streams like Slate Run, Young Womans Creek, Cedar Run, Spring Creek, Kettle Creek and the list goes on. All those years except for the last three we camped in a tent, cooked our meals over a fire, sat and talked around the campfire all night. Alot of those years it rained at least two or three days out of the week. Now we rent a modern cabin, eat indoors ,sleep on beds, stay dry. We are older now.

Meeting the Sun II 8x10
Oil on canvas panel $210 not framed

This was painted minutes after the previous painting. You can see how fast the sun moves.
I like being out this early, it is such a quiet time, and the colors are so much richer.

My Route

Meeting the sun 5"x 7"
Oil on canvas panel 55.00

Where I live (Bucks County,Pa.) we have a good number of County and State Parks. Core Creek Park is about 8 to 10 minutes away, so I usually start there to meet the sun as it comes up.