A New Still Life Painting

"Juice of Mat", 8" x 10", Oil on Board

It's been about three years since I've posted on my blog.  I've started working again in oils and acrylics and have decided to produce a body of work that concentrates on vintage, kitchen items.  Let me know what you think.

A Daily Painting

"Bosc Pear", 5"x7", Oil on Board
I don't paint a lot of daily painting so I decided to get a pear a prop it up and do a quick painting of it. I haven't decided what direction to go in next. I do have some old bottles that I've been considering but right now I'm still undecided.

Vintage Teapot

"Vintage Teapot", 8"x8", Oil on Board
I just finished painting this teapot this morning. This is a subject that I've painted before with fabric behind and under the teapot but I wanted to revisit this subject with just a simple background.

Another Candy Painting

M & M's III, 6"x6", Oil on Board
I finished this M & M painting over the weekend. Although it's not much different from my other M & M paintings I just love painting these...kind of fun with the bright colors.

Just Finished My Martini

"Martini", 5"x7", Oil on Board
I just finished painting this earlier today and had to battle the wind to get a picture of it. I'm not happy with how the painting turned out but I post my failures on here as well. I've also been busy working on some landscapes, but I haven't decided if I'll post those on here on not. At the Art2010 at the Harlow Gallery, I got an honorable mention for one of my pieces. That show ends on the 30th of this month in Hallowell, Maine.

Finished my Teapot

"Old Teapot", 6"x6", Oil on Board
I finished my teapot yesterday and just took it outside to get a quick photo of it. This was painted with a limited palette; however, I don't use pre-mixed greys. I like having the control over mixing my own. In other news for the week, I had two paintings accepted into a juried show at Art2010 at the Harlow Gallery here in Maine. May 7th will be a reception when they will announce prize winners...I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Sneak Peek Old Teapot in Progress

This is an old teapot that I'm currently working on. Some areas have given me grief but I'm determined to finish the piece. The finished painting will measure 6"x6". On a side note, I entered some work in another juried show over the weekend and will find out by the end of the week if my work was accepted. I never really worry about winning awards at these events...I just want my work accepted and then if I happen to win something it's a bonus.

A Daily Painting

Untitled, 12"x12", Oil on Canvas
I decided to paint this cow as a daily painting. It's not my typical subject matter but I wanted to go for something different with looser brush strokes. I've also never painted animals in oil before so I figured there's a first time for everything. My painting, "Jar on a Windowsill", won 3rd place in the oil division at the Maine Open Juried Art Show. I was actually happy with that placement as this was the first time I had ever entered any of my oils into a juried show.

Mango Painting

"Mango", 5"x7", Oil on Board
I just finished this mango painting this morning. Probably the majority of time was spent painting the antique, paint-stained, wooden box that the mango is sitting on. This is my first mango as I usually like to paint pears when it comes to fruit.

New Banner

A special thanks to my sixteen year old son, Cameron, for designing and setting up a banner for my blog on his school Macbook with Photoshop. Cam, got some help from Casey Klahn's blog on how to design a banner. It's a simple banner but hopefully adds a little more to my blog. Yes, my son is playing Xbox Live and he has a huge biology report due on Tuesday which he hasn't finished.

Pear Study With Pastel

"Pear", 6 1/4" x 10 1/2", Sanded paper
After I finished painting the jar, I decided to do a quick study with my pastels of this pear sitting on a old, wooden box. I used mostly Sennelier, Windsor & Newton and Unison pastels for this as well as a sanded paper from Uart that I had never tried before. I wasn't happy with this particular grit of sanded paper because I wasn't able to build up many layers of pastel. In the future, I'll probably return to my La Carte sanded paper or my own surface that I've prepared with pumice.

Jar Finished

"Jar on Windowsill", 5"x7", Linen on Board
Well, I finally finished this piece this morning...I'm glad! I was getting kind of tired of working on the same piece for such a long time, however, I am happy with the results. Again, some of the problems I encountered working on this piece were in dealing with values. I'd get an area wrong and then have to go back in and wipe it clean and start over. Maybe someday I'll get it right! I am happy with the lighting in this piece though and the shadows and reflections it created. Last Friday I dropped of new work at the Carver Hill Gallery which I'm hoping the gallery director will update her website with my new paintings. I'm not sure what I'll start in on next but I have been thinking a lot about pastels lately so maybe I'll go in that direction.

Sneak Peek Old Jar

I know it's been awhile since I've posted anything so I wanted to show you a "work in progress piece". This is the oil painting that I'm currently working on, title unknown at this time. The image is a vintage jar sitting on a windowsill but I'm only showing you the top portion of the painting. It's been taking me quite a bit of time to get this piece completed but I hope it will be worth it when it's finished. Well, it's back to the studio!

New Still Life

"Plums", 8"x8", Oil on Board
This is a piece I've been working on for awhile now. I'm just glad that I finished this before the new year. I painted most of this piece using thin glazes of color which I would have to let dry in between layers to get the desired effect. Probably my most difficult glaze was the light colored haze that you see on plums. I couldn't get that layer to dry quick enough and would end up ruining it and having to start over. At any rate, I'm finished! I'd like to wish everyone Happy Holidays! Take care!

Pastel Landscape

"Cape Elizabeth", 10 3/4" x 8 1/4", Pastel on Sennelier La Carte
I haven't done anything with my pastels in quite some time so I thought I would give this landscape a try. This piece was initially laid in with some harder pastels like Rembrandt and then as I build up the surface I use my Sennelier, Schmincke, Great American and Unison pastels. When the painting is finished, I usually do not use a fixative (which my framer hates) because it really changes the color of the pastel. For me personally, it feels good to work in a different medium once in awhile. Take care Everyone!

Old Playthings!

"Blocks and Marble", 6"x8", Oil on Linen
I finished this piece yesterday but I've been having a difficult time getting a good shot of the painting to post. I often wonder if other artists struggle as much as I do photographing art work. At any rate, I'm not happy with this piece but thought I would post it just the same. I've also been busy working on some pastels lately which I'm not sure if I'll post on here or not. I guess it will depend on how they come out.

Who Likes Cherries?

"Sunlit Cherries", 4 1/2" x 6", Oil on Board
I actually finished this piece yesterday. Probably my biggest challenge with this piece were the reflections on the bottom of the cherries. I had to do a lot of transparent glazes to get them just right. Some of the reflections had an almost graphic quality to them but that's really how they appeared. I think the arrangement of the cherries works and for some reason I was worried about it because I used four of them. For the most part, I'm happy with the piece!

I Finally Finished This!

"Trio", 9"x 12", Oil on Board
Thank God I finally finished this! This is probably the third painting of pears that I've painted. I guess it's my favorite fruit to paint! I'm actually happy with the results and feel that it came out better than I had anticipated. My biggest challenge with this piece was getting the values correct and capturing all of the subtleties in the shadow areas. Enjoy!

A Small Painting

"Three Marbles", 4"x4", Oil on Board

I Just finished this small piece tonight! I'm probably a little happier with this painting than my last one and that's probably because I enjoy painting reflective, shiny elements more than I do fruit. I placed these marbles outside in the sun and was really intrigued by the dark cast shadows that each marble produced. I'm not sure if I'll continue working small or paint something larger next. I guess it will depend on where I go with my subject matter.

It's Been Awhile!

"Macs", 8"x8", Oil on Board
Hello Everyone! Yes, I know it's been a long time since I've posted any new paintings. I've been dealing with some health issues which have really put a damper on my ability to paint. I'm trying to get back at it here and finished this piece of McIntosh apples. I'm not happy with this piece but at least I'm painting again. I also haven't been on-line very much either so hopefully I can get a chance to look at all of my favorite art blogs and catch up on everyone's new work.