Forest In Fall

I found this image on the Internet, from a number of "paths" in a collection of photos of various pathways. The misty background gives it an eerie feeling. One viewer said that they expected to see the Headless Horseman coming down the pathway.

I also really like the Fall colors of red, orange, and yellow. They add to the impression one feels looking at this. The oranges play really well off of the purple in the walkway and the mist.

Japanese Garden

Last summer, we spent a fun day with Karen, Andy and the grand daughters at the Denver Botanical Gardens. It is a beautiful place and, along the way, I saw this little Japanese lantern along a pond. The lantern and the surrounding trees made for a nice composition. So, after taking a picture, I painted it.

Kind of peaceful, I think !

Santorini

This image was captured by our good friends', the Nicholas', daughter Janell. Janell and her husband, Jonathon, were vacationing in Europe some time ago and Janell took numerous photos of places that they visited. This one, of Santorini, Greece was especially important because her father, Tony, was born in Greece. She was also kind enough to give me this image, as well as numerous others, for possible art pieces.

For the reasons above, her parents and I decided to do this piece and give it to Janell as a present. Kind of like my "surprise art". It worked to a tee and we were able to surprise them with this piece this Thanksgiving. I hope that it continues to remind them of a special trip to their Dad's homeland.

Quinlin In Motion

This is the third of a series of paintings of my four grand daughters. I painted all of these with the idea of catching the girls "in motion" rather than in tranditional "portraiture". Each of these paintings (see the past ones in the blog as "Madie in Motion" and "JoJo's First Ocean") are of the girls in their second year. This one caught Quinlin running at a museum in San Francisco on a visit with her Dad, Brian, and me.

There is one grand daughter left to paint, Ellie. She will be two in 2011. Better get the camera ready !!!

New England Harbor

This was another image that got my attention when I saw it. So tranquil !!! I love the serene nature of this image as it reminds me of the time Janiel and I spent sailing along the New England coast. In my painting style, I always like the reflections that show themselves in a water scene, like this. This image allows a lot of reflections with the boat, the house, and the rising moon.

The Beach House

This one shows the beach house in Myrtle Beach that is the "respite" for Barbara and Fred. Last summer, they let our Naples dinner club enjoy the house with them. We all had a great time and, to recognize the event, I painted the house. If you look closely, you'll also see one of the fluffy dogs who live in Barb and Fred's life. Thanks, Princess Foo-Foo!

Sundown Boat

This image from an Internet slide show of great photos spoke to me about serenity, the ocean, and a great sundown. It is so simple, yet makes a great statement. I'm starting to really like water reflections.