I have a Bradford Pear Tree in my front yard. Each spring it is covered with little white blossoms. I really hadn’t looked closely at them until this year. I was surprised at how complex and beautiful they were. I also was intrigued by the colors of the shadows and light on them so I decided to try to paint them.
For many years I’d take my canoe to Mirror Lake in the Uinta mountains of Utah. It’s elevation is 10,000 feet above sea level. I loved the smell of the pine trees and the sound of the birds chirping. I always went first thing in the morning since the fishing was best then. I caught thousands of rainbow and brook trout.
The contrast between the light sky and the dark trees gives drama to the scene. The red canoe and the person are the center point of the painting.
This is another self-portrait demo for one of the portrait classes I teach. I always emphasize the eyes. They’re what makes the whole picture come alive. Sometimes artists are too conservative with their paint — they want to spread it out to save money, but I feel the liberal application of it gives energy to the picture.
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One of my passions is wildflowers. They are beautiful from above, but there’s a magic from the view below them. This picture shows depth because of “atmospheric perspective.” The flowers portrayed closer are painted larger than the ones further back.
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This was a demo for a portrait class I’ve been teaching. The model is my wife, Norene.
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This is another England painting. I love boats. I love fishing. I really like the sound of seagulls and enjoy watching the boats float up and down as the waves come in to shore. This painting has a little bit different viewpoint than many I’ve done — it’s from above, looking at the harbor from the side.
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A few years ago my wife told me she wanted me to be like Rembrandt or Frida Kahlo who did annual self-portraits. This is the fourth one. Each time I’ve used different techniques. This time I went for a more impressionistic method and each stroke can be viewed in the picture.
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Tonight I presented a portrait I did of Mayor Mark W. Myers to the city of Greenwood, Indiana. I moved to Greenwood in 1998 and have absolutely loved it. I’ve wondered how I could ever pay the city back for the wonderful life I’ve had here. After considerable thought, I decided to paint a portrait of the mayor and donate it to the city.
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