Bikes at Rest

Being a bit of a biker, myself, I liked the concept of this image.  And, since my son. Brian, is an even more avid biker, I decided to do this for him.  It now "lives" with him in his California home.  I really liked the shapes that the bike tires made when angled at rest.  It almost seems like an abstract.  Brian likes road bikes and I ride a hybrid mountain bike, myself.  So, these are more like mine than his.  But, I'm the artist and I get to decide, I guess !

Lake Cabin



I really liked this image when I saw it on the Internet.  It reminded me of a lake house or something from the "low country".  The sky was especially interesting, and I decided to amp it up a bit with the green color along the bottom.  I also liked the cabin, itself, with its see through windows.  I'd like to find this place and visit it!

Tuscan Steps

As often happens, I started this piece several years ago, but put it away in a fit of "painter's block".  I was just having trouble getting it just right.  So, I gave it, and me, a vacation. This year, I decided to bring it backinto the forefront and finish it up.

I'm glad that I didn't give up on this one.  Ever since I saw and purchased the image, I was taken by the colors, in particular the play of the warm back wall and the cooler well base and steps purples.  They realy make the piece pop, in my opinion.

So, sometimes a vacation is good. And, sometimes bringing something that didn't seem to work in the past back into play in the present ends up with a good result.

Atticus at Full Gallop

This is the same little guy from the previous post.  Our friend liked two photos of Atticus and decided that she wanted both of them put on canvas.

This little guy is all about motion and speed.  He seems to be trying to be a racehorse in this pose, running along a track on a farm or ranch, probably in North Carolina.

Like the others of this genre, it's all about motion, hair, and clothes.

Atticus on the Beach

A good friend asked me to paint a picture from a photo that she had of her grand nephew walking on the beach in Mrytle Beach, SC.  He is intent on looking at the sand, probably looking for sea shells. 

The two year old is named Atticus, and he is apparently quite active.  This piece reminds me of the four paintings that I did of my grand daughters at two.  Not so much about the face, but all about hair, clothes, and motion.
I also liked the way that the beach turned out, especially the reeds in back.

Brad Paisley Martini Glass

This is the second year that I have participated in the Celebrity Martini Glass Auction as an artist/designer.  This means that I received a martini glass that was signed by a celebrity, and then I developed a design around that person.  The glass was then auctioned off to benefit the Naples International Film Fest.  A really fun project and time at the auction.

This year's celebrity was Brad Paisley, the country singer.  Notice that the glass is filled with (fake) water, and a silver cowboy belt is inserted.  Then, a red-white-blue small cowboy boot is attached to the top.  Lastly, a horsehair hat band wraps around the boot.  Another notable aspect is that the stem and lower part of the glass is painted to look like blue jeans, with boots protruding from the bottom. 

All in all, I like this design a lot, and so did the person who paid to have it.  3X the amount my glass last year raised.