The Creek-Summer Oil on Board 8x 10 $175

This composition is the subject of a series of painting-three of which will be published here over the next three days. There will be more to come. The photo upon which this painting is based is courtesy of a fellow artist-Rick took the picture some time ago. Having seen the photo I asked if he would mind if I used it. He was kind enough to give me his photo. I love the composition and the opportunity it affords to change the mood, the lighting and the season. My only complaint is my setup to take photos. There is often a glare or a failure to capture the color properly. These 3 were all done with palette knife. The mood here is a hot, humid summer day, the creek is barely flowing and you could cut the air with a knife.

Fruit on the Shelf Oil on Board 8 x10 $175 (framed)

This work was done with a palette knife using a simple palette and selection of pigments. There edges are muted and blended with the sunlight hastening the ripening. The round shapes of the fruit stand in contrast to the narrow horizontal shelf and the larger rectangles of the area beneath and the area above.

Wrigley Building Chicago Oil on Board 8 x 10 $200

This painting, done with a palette knife, is a view of the Wrigley Building, a Chicago landmark, from across the river. In the evening the building stands out due to the illumination of the building. I attempted to capture that mood here. The background buildings blur into the background, and although there, do not draw attention to themselves. The star here is the illuminated Wrigley building with a secondary focus being the Michigan Avenue bridge replete with flags. This will be available as cards as well.

Golden Gate Oil on board 8x 10 $175 (framed)

  This view of the Golden Gate Bridge is from the San Francisco side along the walk that weaves along the ridge of the Presidio (former home of Charles Fremont-taken by the US Government during the Civil War as a military post and never returned). This however did provide that the site would not fall prey to development and condos. This painting emphasizes the contrasting reds and greens with both cool and warm colors. A painting friend had taken the photo and allowed me to paint the scene.

Spring Cascade oil on board 8 x10 $150 (framed)

In the mountains during snow melt there is tremendous rush of water with high water in the creeks and streams and waterfalls where none exist in the summer months. The warm bright sun is off the viewers left shoulder with crevices readily apparent, the right side of the painting is deep in shadow. This is just such a scene. This painting was done primarily with palette knife.

Sonny's Best Oil on Board 8 x 10 SOLD

Sonny's Best refers to the gardinera a friend makes that is extraordinary. Thought that a partially consumed jar sitting upon a fringed tablecloth would make an interesting composition. The reflection off the corners of the Bell jar catches the eye. I do enjoy the simple compositions-no clutter-unlike my studio.

Homer Glen oil on board 8x10 $175 (framed)

Homer Glen in Will County outside Chicago had been mostly rural with farms until about twenty-five years ago. Since that time suburbia has transformed many farms to manicured lawns and asphalt drives. Eastern edges of the county (nearest to Chicago) still have scattered plots of farm-this scene is one of them. The trees in the distance hide an exclusive enclave of homes, but to that point this field of corn and beans lays intact. The farm equipment, sheds, corrugated silos and trucks awaiting repair stand ready. That is the stage for this summer painting.

Just Playin' 11 x14 oil on canvas $175 (framed)

A warm summer day, plenty of beach, and nothing but time-the simple joys of a young child in the sand-her red hat draws the eye to our young girl making piles of sand at the beach.

Rede Boots oil on board 8 x 10 $185 (framed)

  This simple composition of red boots (the photo makes them appear more orange than they are) was done with a palette knife. The dark background enhances the contrast to the boots and the light that comes from the viewers right. The eye is drawn to the warmer colored boots, especially the lighter detail caught in the sun. These boots are actually my middle daughter's- a proud possession which she insists she will wear to her wedding reception this fall. She had decided this years ago-before red cowgirl boots came in vogue.

Skyline Chicago oil on canvas 11 x14 $200 (framed)

  I have done several of these Chicago skyline paintings-all utilizing palette knife. The focus for each is the drama of the Chicago skyline from various vantages-this would be from a fair distance out in the lake. It was done impasto (or wet on wet).

Sunset at the Newberry Oil on Panel 8 x10 $200 (framed)

   The Newberry Library is a bit of an institution in Chicago. It overlooks a small park-facing south. The late afternoon sun strikes across its stone facade with an interesting color. This was done with brush and a magenta underpainting.

Sailing Memories oil on board 8 x10 $130

This still life was done with brush and incorporated elements might evoke sailing memories-the components were elements that were decorations about the office and used them in this composition. I also did a larger painting of the similar composition that will be posted sometime in the future.

Spring Collection II Oil on canvas 11 x14 $100

  This still life attempts to capture the vivid colors of a spring collection of flowers. The background was done with palette knife while the flowers and vase were done with brush.

Belmont Harbor Oil on Canvas 11 x14 $225 Framed

A late summer day at Belmont Harbor in Chicago -boats are sailing in the distance while several are at harbor while one is getting ready to get under way. I had reworked this painting after putting it aside for several months-sometimes that is a good thing-a fresh look, new approach. I have done this more than once and found that it almost always makes for a better painting-typically with richer colors.

Autumn Pond Oil on Canvas 11x14 SOLD

One day while experimenting with colors and my palette knife this painting began to take shape. What began as a free-floating experiment with color and layers became quite interesting and began to take a form that suggested an autumn pond in New England. Then it became simple matter of adding appropriate color and shading. I always liked this painting, my wife thought otherwise. I took it to an art fair and had two different people interested in buying it-one just happened to come by sooner and asked me to save it for her. That is one of the great things about art-so individual regarding tastes and interests.

Ashland Avenue After the Snow Oil on Board 8 x10 $200 (framed)

 This scene is from a photo I took in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago.  I took some liberties with the composition making the building blue-green(it is actually more of a greenish hue in the painting rather than blue in the photo-troubles with taking own photos without proper lighting). I thought making it this color would provide a nice contrast to its compliment of the red and rust which dominates. Additionally the snow picks up the ambient coloring and light.

Untitled OIl on Canvas 8 x 10 $150 (Framed)

  In this composition I wanted to use a very simple palette ( or color selection) with a predominance of purple and rust. The shelf was painted with a palette knife with a rougher texture suggestive of a wood shelf.

Sailing Home Oil on board 8x 10 $130 unframed

  In Chicago there is a ritual that occurs during the sailing season-the bridges on the Chicago River raise one at a time to allow sailboats to return to their marinas. Consequently the boats congregate before each awaiting for it to open and then allow them to sail the several blocks to await the next. The photo here fails to capture the colors, but does afford the viewed the ability to appreciate a richness in color as well as the magenta underpainting that adds a warm underglow to the work.

Summer Afternoon at the Alder oil on canvas 11 x14 $150

 I tried to capture a warm late summer afternoon on Lake Michigan looking towards the Alder Planetarium. A stiff breeze is blowing adding a chop to the water. The predominate technique here was palette knife yielding a bit of texture to the paint.

After the Storm Oil on Canvas 11 x14 $150

This is a loose impasto knife composition. The paint is applied thick and while the canvas is still wet the paint is worked into the canvas, allowing it to remain thick in some areas while thinner in others. There is a texture to the painting.

Mums oil on board 8 x 10 $75

This is a simple composition of three flowers in a vase (I took poetic and artistic license to make it 3 mums as the 3rd flower is a geranium) with several dropped petals, but the highlight here is on the vase with the light source on the viewers left

Almost Done Oil on Panel 11x14 $200

This series will help to demonstrate the process of painting a painting. The monochromatic painting to the left is the underpainting to the finished painting below. In this underpainting-done with acrylic cerulean blue on a white gessoed panel, one can ees the proper perspective as well as the values (shading and highlights) that will assist in the final painting. You can see even in the sketched (done loosely with a light brush and thinned paint) painting how the final will 'turn out.' After the underpainting it is simply a matter of deciding upon color-making adjustments and applying the details. You can see some of the adjustments-I made the lamppost thicker and the light rounder to add some color to that side of the canvas, I also made our lad a bit younger. At times deciding the composition poses the greatest challenge-after deciding- the rest flows. 

Wrigley acrylic on canvas 8 x 10

  This is the only painting I have done in acrylic. (Also the first real closeup and portrait as well.) It began Saturday as an acrylic underpainting for a oil portrait of my son and wife's dog Wrigley. However-as it was to be a gift and I liked the way the underpainting was going-especially since I had used a raw sienna acrylic as the underpainting, I decided to finish it up with the acrylic-laying in the colors. (I had to-this stuff dries really really fast leaving me little time to blend). An additional advantage was they would be able to take it with them when they returned to St Louis on Sunday. In fact it was not only done, but also framed. Can't do that with oils.

In Memorium-CFD oil on board 8 x10 $125

This composition is from a memorial to fallen firefighters of the city of Chicago. There is a series of bronzed sculptures placed between Lake Michigan and McCormick Place. In this painting Lake Michigan is in the background. This was all done with brush, the underpainting is in a magenta acrylic-one can see the glow-as a highlight on the boulder, around the fireman's cap and the boots. Steps from this boulder the names of fallen firefighters dating back to the mid 1800's are etched in bricks as a permanent reminder of those who died fighting fires in Chicago.

FASTER! oil on canvas 16 x20 $375

  This rather simple composition if of a family enjoying an offering of winter-getting the slopes with the toboggan and heading downhill. Regardless how hard dad pushes the speed is not enough.  The bright colors of the scarfs, hats and mittens as well as the darker figures in relation to the snow and trees draw attention to our joyful trio. Have done a similar painting of the scene-will post someday, but would like to change the direction of the sun to have it come from the viewer's left shoulder. The current placement of the sun and resultant shadow serve to further draw the eye of the viewer into the canvas and our happy sledders.

Heavenly Sunset oil on board 11x14 $145

This Caribbean sunset, timely considering the cold weather currently here in Chicago, uses a palette of predominately purple, gold and pink lending a contrasting glow to the landscape. The setting sun, a blazing yellow, is a complimentary color to the purple predominance and adds a warmth to our setting sun.

Spring Collection I oil on panel 8 x 10 $175

  Happy New Years!  Since it is a bitter cold day here in Chicago thought that a spring painting might add some warmth-I think tomorrow will be a scene from the US VIrgin Islands.  I don't do a lot of still lifes but they can be a diversion from other compositions. I enjoy being able to add a splash of color to invoke the flower as well as attempting to capture light dancing on a glass vase.  The background and table were both done with palette knife while the flower and vase utilized a brush. You can see the difference in texture and paint applications. I do enjoy some of the capacity one has in the use of the palette knife-especially in the clean-up-much faster.