Make Way For Ducklings (2008)

Our daughter, Karen, is due to deliver a grand daughter in late May. When she called with "the news", she asked me to paint a painting of a sculpture that is resident in the Boston Common Garden. It commorates the book "Make Way for Ducklings", written by Robert McCloskey. It is a famous children's story and is based on a real event when the Boston Police shut down traffic while a mother and her ducklings made their way from the Charles River to Boston Common.

I showed this at an art show in Florida and had many requests for giclee' prints from New Enganders. The original is now in the nursery at Karen's home. What fun !!!!

"Surprise Art" 2008

One of the really fun things I have been able to do with my art is to surprise people with

something they didn't expect. This has taken several forms, but the most common has been painting a bride's bouquet or other flowers and then giving the result to them later, months after the wedding. The reactions have made it more than worthwile !

Here are three of these from the last nine months. Veronica, Kate, and Flo were really happy.

Barb's Purple Iris (2008)

Our friend Barb LOVES the color purple. And she also loves Iris flowers. So, when she asked me to do something for her, it didn't take long to come up with a purple Iris. I learned this flower from the "wall of flowers" that I did previously. I love its nooks and crannys.

The challenge in this one was picking a background color. I took a risk and made it more of a salmon color. As usual, it made the flower "pop". Barb like it, too.

Blue Hulled Boat (2007)

On a sailing trip in New England, my friend Craig took numerous photos. He asked me to pick one or two for a painting. One was a door on Nantuckett, which now lives in his home.

The other, shown on the right, is a blue hulled Herreshoff sail boat, at anchor on The Cape. I loved the lines and REALLY love blue hulled sailing vessels. My friend Bob helped me with the rigging, as it is a gaffed rigged sail boat. It turns out that he has a white version of this same boat. So, we made him a white version, too.

The Trippletts (2007) & Karen (2005)

These two paintings were done to show children related to several of our friends. The "Trippletts" was a "surprise painting" for Marie, who acts as a Godmother for these eight (when this was done) year old cuties. This was done from a photograph at their birthday party, where they all selected new, colorful dresses. The painting is all about their dresses, hair, and personality. I LOVED surprising Marie with this.

The second painting was planned but came from a trip Mary Bethe' made to the UK with her daughter, Karen. Karen, a very independent young woman, like to "go her own way". That is depicted in this piece as she goes on alng the pathway of life.

Colorado Aspens (2005)

While in Colorado in the summer, we made a trip to the town of Telluride. While playing golf one day in a local tournament, I happened on a beautiful Aspen grove. I was taken by the beauty of the trees, their scars and colors, and the wild flowers that seem to congregate below them.

I attempted to show the depth and roundness of the trees in the foreground by using values. I think it came out just fine.

Argentina Tree (2006)

This painting was inspired by our son, Brian and daughter in law, Julie when they went to Argentina for their honeymoon. They stayed with some friends there for some of the time and had great fun riding the horses pictured, as well as the little dog in the painting (I dare you to find it!)

This work hangs proudly in Brian and Julie's home, bringing back memories of their great trip.

Salmon Rose (2006)

This flower was finished in the last several years. The rose is salmon in color and followed a pink version, which ended up at a beast cancer golf tournament raffle. A fitting color for that cause ! I used a black background format and approach that I learned from my friend Donna, who is a great artist in her own right. Makes the rose kind of "pop".

Iris (2008)

This Iris is all about complexity.

Day Lily (2008)

A Day Lily. From Mo's dining room. All action and movement !!!

Calla Lily (2008)

A Calla Lily. This one is so peaceful !!!

Nine White Flowers

This is the biggest project so far. Mo wanted nine white flowers with similar back grounds, that could be mounted as a collage. She picked the flowers and we agreed on the size and background.

If I do say so myself, it is VERY cool !!!!

Next are some individual pieces of the collage.

Tuscan Doorway (2007)

This was a really fun painting. The subject matter was interesting - another doorway with a lot of mystery. But, the most fun was doing the bricks with pallette knife. Not something that I do often. But, it was a natural for these clunky bricks.

Lavender Fields (2007)

This is a feast of Lavender!! Again, the perspective aspect grabbed me and made me paint it.

White Door & English Garden (2007, 2007)

These two pieces are also from the "door and window" phase. I really like this genre as it always creats a mystery in asking what is behind the door. A lot of people have commented on the "meaning" of the second painting. They see looking through to a "different life" or "the grass is greener". I just see an English Garden that our friend Mary Bethe" visited.

Tuscany Window (2006)

This image is another in my architectural, "door and window" phase. I loved the colors and the three dimensional quality of the shelf holding the unusual pot. I was discovering "turning edges" at the time and this pot was really fun.

This is another one that has several owners. Our decorator owns the original, and several others have giclee' prints.

Argentine "Secret Door" (2006)

This painting was done from a photo from my son Brian's honeymoon in Argentina. He and Julie call it the "secret door", because it is kind of mystical to many. It grabbed them as they were touring a small town.

I have sold prints of this numerous times, and it always gets a reaction at an art show. There must be something "secret" about it!

Ferrari & Dry Creek Vineyards - Sonoma (2006)

Our son Brian married his wife Julie in Healdsburg, CA, right in the Sonoma County vineyard area. When we were there for the wedding, we were touring the vineyards, me with my trusty digital camera. When we visited several vineyards. These pieces are the result of that trip

The first of these is the Dry Creek Vineyard and the second is the Ferrari Vineyard. The perspective in the Ferrari work was really fun. If you have been there and didn't see the pots, they weren't there.

These paintings, as well as the previous Gordes piece, started me on a period of painting scenes of an architectural nature.

Gordes (2005)

This painting has a lot of meaning to me. It work was inspired by Susan Kleinschmidt, a friend and fellow artist (before I was one) from Colorado. Susan took the original photo on her last trip to Europe, before she passed away. Her husband asked me to look at her photos and paint several. Painting it made me remember Susan even more.

Another interesting thing happened at an art show in Florida. An older lady asked me if I had painted this. When I said "yes", she pointed to one place on the canvas and said "they have the best roast chicken in the world right there". I must have gotten the likeness right.

This now hangs in the dining room of a friend.

Sunflowers In A Blue Pot (2007)

This painting was done on commission from a family in Florida. Bonnie had the idea of melding a blue pot which she loved with an arrangement of sunflowers, which are one of her favorites. She also wanted this to fit into her "blue room", her family room in her Florida home.

Miss Astor (2005)

This work was done for a breast cancer event in Florida. Although the original flower photo came from Colorado, Astors I'm told, the pink fit perfect in the breast cancer theme. A friend purchased it in an art auction and it now hangs proudly in his home.

Florida Magnolia (2004)

This piece was done in the same sprit as the large hibiscus. I was looking for something dramatic to put above a mantlepiece. While walking one day, I came upon a magnolia tree which was just blooming. So, I took out my trusty digital camera and took a photo to use for the painting.

I have to credit my teacher, Barrett Edwards, for really making this one look great, using the purple shades to show shadows.

Large Hibiscus - 24X36" - Mantle (2004)

This is another version of the hibiscus. This was created as a "mantlepiece" work to be the main artwork in a living room. The original lives above the mantle in our home in Florida. It may be my favorite piece and I can't think about selling it. A couple from Colorado asked me to paint another version for their home, where it now hangs.

I love the folds and wrinkles in this flower, and the extended stem adds more interest.

Hibiscus Pot (2004)

This painting probably started my interest in flowers, in general, and the hibiscus, in particular. This pot was by the pool at our Florida home, and I loved the scene. So, I painted it as I saw it. Since that time, I painted it again, wth a yellow flower, and also created several other versions of the red hibiscus, such as those shown below.