The End of a Good Night

This was at the end of a evening of fishing. I watched as my wife Maria put down her rod for a minute and took out her camera to record the beautiful clouds above.
Below is a short video of Maria catching a nice largemouth after we went two hours of not getting a hit.

12x16


This was painted from the location sketch and photos from the last trip.
It was overcast that morning so I experimented with the lighting in the painting to give it a little more punch than the original scene.

Sketching at Tyler State Park

Here are some sketches done on a early May Sunday morning at Tyler State Park. The weather for that Sunday was supposed to be sunny in the morning but when I was loading the car the skies were solid grey overcast.
My plan was to paint the fields and groups of trees with sunlight illuminating the upright trees trying to catch the early morning light.

When I walked into the one field with a horse path I saw a field of yellow and decided to sketch this bit of color on a drab morning. I am currently working on a 12x16 painting of this scene using this sketch as reference.

After I finished this I wanted to take a look at a farmhouse a couple of fields over. On the way I stopped to watch  a baby Grey Catbird catching insects on the path. It was amusing watching him fly a little, look and grab a morsel.

When I got to the farmhouse the skies were starting to brighten up a little so I set up to paint.

                                         (SOLD)

Both sketches are 5x7

On my way back who do I run into but the Catbird sleeping right in the middle of the path.

                                                                                                

I gently picked him up and put him under some bushes out of harms way because the path is used by bike riders, joggers, and people walking who might not see him.

It turned out to be a good morning after all.

Fly Fishing in the Pocono's

My brother Tom and I got out Saturday for a day trip in the Pocono Mountains.  I was thinking of bring ing my paintbox but the weather was calling for overcast skies with possible rain, they didn't lie.

We had a good day fishing, in the morning the trout were active because of the insect activity and the highlight of the day was we both caught 17" brown trout. At noon the rain started and kept going till we left at 4:30. We put on the rain gear and continued to have a good time.

Tom with his fish.

Me with mine.

Forest Road

Forest Road Cross Fork Creek 18x24  oil painting

This is a gravel road that winds along Cross Fork Creek a trout stream in north central Pa. My brother and I  use this road to get back to the car after a long day of fishing. Its a lot easier and less tiring than walking on all the rocks.
We came by at just the right time to catch the late afternoon light filtering thru the trees.

Tropical Scene

Ocean Catamaran  12x16 oil

This was our view from the balcony of our hotel room in Antigua.

Spring Color

I pass this forsythia bush on the way to work on the exit to lower morrisville rd. Its one of the first bushes to show its color in the spring and adds a little something to the drab landscape left over from winter.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpecker 10x8 oil on canvas

One of the benefits of having bird feeders in your yard is its allows you to get close up views of birds you normally wouldn't be able to get that close too in nature. Over time you learn behavior traits identification markings and its fun watching their antics as they jostle for food.

  On Charge 10x10 oil

The last things I do before going to bed at night is get the coffee ready for the morning and put my phone on charge on the end table in the living room. I couldn't help noticing the subtle light thrown off by the phone and how it illuminates objects close by.
It reminds me of how a landscape is transformed by the moon at night.
The hardest part was deciding what to leave out because I saw a lot more than what is here.
I like the subtle light on the wall and how part of the lamp is illuminated.

Winter's End

Winter"s End  11x14 oil

This was painted from photos taken on an afternoon walk in Tyler State Park.
It had snowed earlier that day and most of it had melted by the afternoon except for the snow that was left in shaded areas not reached by the sun.

The Arrival of Spring

Spring Robin  5x7 oil on Masonite

A sure sign that spring is here. I have been seeing flocks of robins around now.

On a different note my wife and I went to the park after dinner to enjoy the sunset, while we were scouting around we saw some deer crossing the road up ahead of us. One of them was a piebald deer, it was brown on the front half and white on the rear half. By the time I could swing around the deer were on the other side of the field. I couldn't get a good picture of it broadside cause it kept its head down feeding.

The sunset was nice too.

Curious Bluejay

Bluejay  8"x6" oil

I wanted to capture the inquisitive nature of the bluejay.  Something has caught the attention of our bluejay in the painting above and he is only seconds away from flight.
I always liked the brilliant blue plumage and the black collar that goes around his neck.

Forest Interior

Forest Interior  oil 8x10

I saw this scene along one of the trout streams we fish. As we walk along I'm always searching for interesting patterns of light that would translate into a possible painting. This was one.
What had interested me was  the filtered light making its way thru the trees to light up the three bushes.

Winter at the Park

 The last time it snowed I took a walk in the park with my camera looking for subject matter. I have painted this tree a few times in the past and this day I liked the contrast between the tree and snow and sky.

I distilled the scene to the bare essentials, leaving out the multitude of trees surrounding the scene. I used acrylics on a 6"x6" Ampersand panel.

Winter Landscape

Whitetail Deer, Heading for Cover  11x14 oil

We haven't had much snow here in southeast Pa this year except for a few quick storms that dropped 1 to 2 inches and most of it melted by the afternoon. I felt like painting a winter scene while I'm still in a winter mood. I had started this painting a while ago and it sat around waiting for another winter for me to get motivated to finish it.
The little snow events we did have this year got me out on walks and sparked that interest in painting snow.  I have two other snow paintings I'm working on that should be finished soon.

Still Life, Candle and Books

Still Life Oil Painting, Candle and Books 8x10 oil


I tried to capture the flickering light a candle throws off.

Incoming

Incoming Geese  12x16 oil

I painted this based on the study I did last week at the lake. The number of geese that were here last week was three times the number you see in this painting. I had put my camera on the movie setting and let it run as the clouds of geese kept coming. I tried to capture the rhythmic motion of them as they came in for the landing.

First Plein Air Sketch of the Year

             
5x7 oil

I got out for a couple of hours this afternoon to get some exercise and do some painting if a scene presented itself to me. It wasn't the greatest weather for painting, overcast, cold and windy, but I like being out no matter what the weather.
I wanted to experiment with different colors and switched a few colors for the winter months.
I found a spot along the lake where a lot of geese were coming and going and I figured they would add a bit of interest to the scene. It was nice listening to them calling to each other as a new group flew in.

Happy New Year

Fireworks being set off on a barge on the Delaware River in Phila, Pa.   11x14 oil on canvas

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!   (SOLD)

Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.                      8"x8" oil