Moonlit Backyard

Moonlit Backyard 8x10 (oil sketch)

I was awake at 4:15 this morning and noticed the moonlight shining on the wall. I got up and put the coffee on and set up my paintbox next to the window in my studio. I wanted to try to capture the moonlight on the snow in my neighbors yard. The fence that surrounds her yard provided the contrast needed to showcase the moonlit snow.

Its enjoyable doing these exploratory sketches where you don't have to worry about producing a finished painting. They(sketches) help you learn about subtle differences in value without being bogged down in detail. This is an important ingredient for setting the mood in your paintings.

I do a lot of these sketches which never make it to paintings but they are a valuable tool for learning about light. Its the constant pratice that helps you produce finished paintings.

Well, thats how my morning got started. Enjoy the rest of the day.

Cherry Danish

Cherry Danish 5"x7" oil

I wanted to get a little pratice painting food so Sunday morning on the way home from the grocery store I stopped off and bought a danish. I was really looking for something with blueberries in it but I had to settle for cherry.

Oh yea, it tasted good too, after I was done painting it. Maybe I'll find the blueberry next week.

Turkey Dinner

Turkey Dinner 6"x8" acrylic (SOLD)

This was our Christmas dinner. When we took the turkey out of the oven and saw how good it looked I grabbed my camera and took some photos. The turkey tasted as good as it looked.

I put together a demo of the painting below this post.

Turkey Dinner Demo

In the top photo you can see how I block in all the shapes of the painting trying to get the color and values (lights and darks) close to what they will be in the final step. You can still see the pencil sketch of the roaster. I put a hint of a reflection from the roaster on the table.

Middle Photo

At this stage of the painting I start defining the forms of the turkey and the roaster. The legs and wings start taking shape and I work on the roaster with a variety of greys trying to give it a shiny look. I put in the reflected light from the turkey on the inside of the pan, reenforcing the shiny look of alumnium.

Bottom Photo

Now its a matter of readjusting the colors of the turkey with different yellows, oranges and browns to fine tune the shapes and give the skin that roasted look. I add the highlights to give it a moist look. I make some adjustments to the pan and the painting is finished.

I hope you enjoyed this demo, it gives you an idea of how a painting is constructed.

Christmas Ornament

Christmas Ornament 7"x5" oil   (SOLD)

Last night I set up my easel in front of the Christmas tree and painted this ornament. I had the lights in the room turned down so I could observe the lighting from the tree. The only trouble was I had a hard time seeing the paint I was mixing, so I had to keep going in the kitchen to see if I was mixing the colors right. I spent about two and a half hours on it before finishing up at 11:30.

Quiet Time,Cardinal

Quiet Time, Cardinal 7"x5" acrylic
During snow storms the birds find refuge in the tree right by our front window. It gives me the chance to observe the birds up close without them being alarmed.

Early Morning Action

Early Morning Action 6"x8" oil  (SOLD)

Moon over the Lake

Moon over the Lake 5"x7" oil

I went to the lake before dawn on a cold ,cold December morning to watch the sunrise. I wanted to be in place to photograph the changes in the sky as the sun made its appearance. I remember my fingers being numb that morning because I forgot my gloves. The moon was going down so I decided to photograph that before it dissapeared. This painting is based on the pictures I took that morning.

Spring Creek Afternoon

Spring Creek Afternoon 5"x7" oil (SOLD)
This is one of the streams we fish in Northcentral Pa.

Annual Small Works Show

These are the two paintings I have in the show this year. The image of the covered bridge was used for the advertisement of the show in Nouveau magazine.

Halloween

Halloween 8x10 acrylic
I always wanted to do a painting with a candle lit pumpkin but never got around to it. Tonight I had originally planned on doing a still life with a round hanging lantern lit with a small candle. It has the same shape as a pumpkin, and thats what sparked the idea for tonights painting. Does it bring back memories of when you were young?

PS: If you click on the picture you will see a witch ready to fly in front of the moon. Thats what the one trick r treater(witch) is looking at. I separated her from the others so you would wonder what she was looking at. Enjoy your Halloween.

Hidden Brook

Hidden Brook 11x14 acrylic (SOLD)

Day Lilies II

Day Lilies 2 8"x6" oil (SOLD)
This is a close-up of the day lilies that grow in our front yard. I posted a painting I did of these ( a far away shot) on a rainy afternoon on June 20th . This is a more intimate look at them.

Threatening

Threatening 5"x7" acrylic $45.00
The weather this year has been so unpredictable, a sunny day on the lake was no sure thing so one eye was always kept skyward.

Passing Clouds

Passing Clouds 5"x7" oil
On this night the clouds were flying by covering up the moon, then there would be a break in the clouds and the moon would appear again.

Trip to Northcentral Pa.

Spent the week up Northcentral Pa. The weather was nice, temps in the 60's during the day. Here are some pictures from the trip.

Setting Moon, Valley Forge Park

Setting Moon, Valley Forge Park 5"x7" oil ( SOLD )

On my last visit to the park I got there right as it was starting to get light out, and when I came around the one turn there was the full moon bright as it could be.

An Early Start

An Early Start 5"x7" acrylic
My favorite time to be out, just as the sun is coming up. This is a lake we fish at in the Poconos, the boat ramp is to the left thru the opening in the trees. I'll do small pratice paintings like this to work out the design, lighting, and colors, and if I like it I'll do a larger painting using this as my guide.

The Dam at Valley Creek

The Dam at Valley Creek 8x10 oil

Went up to Valley Forge Park at dawn this morning. If you like seeing deer this is the place to be,most of the fields have deer feeding in them. I like the orange sunlight that lights up the landscape this early in the morning. After getting my fix of looking at the wildlife and landscapes, I went down to Valley Creek to do a painting of the dam. The sun was just starting to reach this area when I started the painting.

Falling Spring Branch

Falling Spring Branch 6"x8" oil $80.35

I took a trip out to southcentral Pa. on Saturday to get material for some paintings. On the way up I stopped off at Valley Forge Park right before sunrise to get some pictures of the landscape and wildlife. The full moon was still up and with the mist laying across the fields it made for some interesting scenes. After about 45 minutes of looking around I was back on the road. I had wanted to do a painting of Falling Spring, so after searching around a bit I settled on this spot. I got the painting 90 percent done on location and finished the rest at home. I looked at some other streams in the area before I left. On the way home I stopped off at Valley Forge right before sunset.