Christmas Candle and Stained Glass

 Every Christmas, these jarred candles are placed on the window ledges of the stained glass windows of our church.  This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the church will remain silent and unlit.  However, the Spirit of Christmas will still glow in our hearts, undimmed by the desperate times in which we find ourselves.  We gather in faith via the internet, and pray for a better year ahead.  May those who have lost loved ones find comfort, and may those spared this heartache find resolve to protect each other as we see our way through this to a brighter day.  Matted to 11" x 14". $350.

To the Sky No More

 There is something forlorn about an old stump.  It speaks to me of a time when a majestic tree reached up to the sky, catching the ocean breezes in its swaying branches.  This is a study of textures, and an object lesson in the passing of time.  Matted to 16" x 20". $300.

In The Woods

 A very simple composition, designed to show my students how to paint trees in the fog.  I added the deer, squirrel and woodpecker to give the scene a bit of life. Matted to 11" x 14". $150.

Shingles 1 and Shingles 2

These two paintings were done as a Demo on how I go about painting weathered siding.  I am not sure I have the names right; I thought shingles were the things on a roof.  Somewhere in the back of my mind I have the name "cedar shakes", but I don't find "shakes" in my dictionary.  Anyway, the first one illustrated the technique, and the second one I did primarily to demonstrate how I would paint reflections in the window.  Each is matted to 11" x 14". $250 each, or $400 for the pair.
 

Sunrise, St. Joseph River

Many paintings have started as projects in the Watercolor class I teach through the South Bend Museum of Art.  This year, those classes have all been taught on-line.  This is one such project, actually two projects: in one class we focused on skies, and painted the top of this composition.  In a later class we took up painting water, and finished the lower portion. Matted to 16" x 20". $250.

 

Pooka of Inis Maan

 Early one morning, while walking the road on Inis Maan in the Aran Islands, Ireland, I came across this ethereal creature, backlit by the rising sun.  This being Ireland, I knew it couldn't be just a horse.  I could only conclude that I had come upon a mythical Pooka. And so I painted it as such. Framed to 16" x 20". $600

Blue Jays and Birches

 This is one of my few larger paintings.  I realized awhile ago that I had not painted any birch trees in quite some time.  Also we are starting to see more Blue Jays, a common sight in my childhood,  in our neighborhood.  I decided to combine the two.  This also was the subject that I did as a Demo for the Saint Joe Valley Watercolor Society.  The original image is 16" x 22". Framed 22" x 28". $500

Alley Light

For several years I have been especially drawn to painting low-light scenes and night scenes.  This is a backyard scene of an ordinary, nothing-special view, transformed into something special by the magic of light.  Watercolor, Image 10" x 14", Framed to 16" x 20". $350
 

Heading Home

 Just one of the endless beautiful sunsets in the San Juan Islands, viewed from Lopez Island. A lone boater has just rounded the channel marker to enter the channel into Fisherman Bay. Watercolor, Framed to 14 1/2 " x 21 1/2".  $450

On the Beach

 

This painting comes from a day at the shores of Lake Huron, near Port Austin in the thumb of Michigan.  Some summer days are just perfect.  This is one of my very rare paintings that include both a person and an animal (as opposed to landscape or still life). Watercolor, Image 10" x 14", Framed to 16" x 20". SOLD

Fence

 I liked the way the sun slipped through the slats of the fence.  This painting was meant to capture a wintry moment in our back  yard. Watercolor, Image 7" x 10", Matted to 11" x 14. $250

Weathered Farm

 

There is a farm not far away that has inspired several paintings.  The buildings on the farm extend back generations, some fairly new, some showing their age.  This view of some of them caught my eye. It presented a good study in weathered wood.  Watercolor, Image 7" x 10", Matted to 11" x 14".  $300

July 4th, Lopez Island

 Lopez Island, Washington, has some of the best fireworks around.  We watch the 4th of July display from the top of a boathouse.  This was my attempt to capture those fireworks in watercolor. Image 10" x 14", Matted to 16" x 20".  $300

The Anvil

 Because of the detail I paint, I work mainly from reference photos. An earlier post on this blog, Silent Forge, was painted from a print of a photo I took in Ireland. When looking at the same photo on my computer, I noticed a great amount of background detail that was not visible in the printed photo.  So I did this painting, in sepia, to bring out some of that detail.  Watercolor, Image 10" x 14" Matted to 16" x 20".  $375

Birdsell Mansion

 

An art exhibit in the old Birdsell Mansion a few years ago gave me the chance to see the building from the inside for the first time. Although in need of a fortune in repairs and restoration, it did offer a glimpse of what it must have been like in its prime. This fireplace was just one of the striking features of the grand house. Watercolor, Image 10" x 14", Framed to 16" x 20". $300

Ori

I don't often paint animals, but Ori, my daughter's new kitten, struck such a nice pose for me I couldn't resist. Watercolor, 10" x 14". SOLD
 

Forgotten Garden

I painted this gate in Gate Ajar from a different angle.  At the time I couldn't decide which perspective I liked better, so finally I decided to revisit it with this painting.  I came across the gate on a walk on Inis Mor, in the Aran Islands, Ireland.  It spoke to me of the passing of time. Watercolor, 10" x 14". SOLD

 

The Wall

 

Another class project, and another visit to Ireland. The point of this painting was really to demonstrate my techniques for painting stone, but much more is going on in the scene. All in all, a pleasant return to a peaceful walk through the countryside of County Mayo.  Watercolor, Image 10" x 14", Framed to 16" x 20".  $350

Sunset Project, Bryce Canyon

 This simple composition was really an exercise in painting a complex sky.  I used this in the Watercolor class I was teaching via Zoom.  Online teaching is a completely new experience for me, as it has been for many thousands of teachers across the country. It's a scene from a visit I made to Bryce Canyon years ago (the canyon was behind me).  Someday I hope to have the nerve to paint the Hoodoos of the canyon I saw when I turned around.  Watercolor, Image 10" x 14", Matted to 16" x 20".  $250

Lamp in Venice

Sometimes a bit of detail will catch your eye.  This lamp hanging from a building in Venice was just such a detail to me. The variety of textures and colors in this simple scene made it an interesting subject for a painting.  Watercolor, Image 7" x 10", Matted to 11" x 14".  $250

 

Tired and Retired

 What is it about an old, rusty truck that begs to be painted?  A companion piece to Seen Better Days, but from the other side of the world.  This farm truck was sitting in a field on Lopez Island, San Juan Islands, Washington State.  It is actually a larger version of an earlier painting, with a slightly different feel. Watercolor, Image 10" x 14", Matted to 16" x 20".  $400

Seen Better Days

 A companion piece to Tired and Retired, I found this rusting ruin on Inis Mor, in the Aran Islands, Ireland. One has to wonder how it found its way to the middle of this field, and how long it has been there.  Watercolor, Image 10" x 14", Matted to 16" x 20".  $400

The Quad, Reunion Weekend

 

A night view of The Quad, Kalamazoo College, during a Reunion Weekend. As bustling as this area was during the day, this more peaceful mood is more how I remember it. This painting involved a great amount of layering and glazing to get the richly graduated and colorful darks.  Watercolor, Image 8 1/4" x 15 3/4", Framed to 12" x 20".  $550

Window Repair

This is a painting I put off for years because of its complexity. It is from a photo I took years ago on the Seattle waterfront.  I'm not sure what draws me to this scene, but I thought it would look good in Sepia. Watercolor, Image 10" x 14", Framed to 16" x 20".  $400

Late Ferry to Friday Harbor

This scene needs some explanation.  The bright light in the distance is easily recognizable to those who have spent time in the San Juan Islands, but for the rest of the world, it comes from a Washington State Ferry crossing from Orcas Island to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.  Watercolor, Image 7" x 10", Matted to 11" x 14".  $300

Maine Shoreline

A simple painting of the Maine shoreline. I have been alternating between complex paintings and less complicated scenes to keep my focus fresh and to give my compulsive fixation on detail a rest.  Watercolor, Image 10" x 14", Matted to 16" x 20".  $150

Carousel

 

I have been painting up a storm since the COVID-19 Isolation began.  This was the first painting I completed after the shelter-at-home order went into effect.  I have completed many more while maintaining social isolation. These carousel animals were found at the Smithsonian.  Watercolor, Image 10" x 14", Framed to 16" x 20".  $450

Tall Ship

What began as a demonstration on painting water turned into a satisfying small and simple composition.  The beauty is in the details. The golden light hitting the ship lends it a dreamy quality. Image 7" x 10", Matted to 11" x 14". $200