Available Paintings
There are no paintings currently available. Most of the pictures that were requested November 18 - December 2, 2018 are being distributed, and the new owners are now listed. I hope to offer paintings again (including a few that are listed below) later in 2019 and will send announcements at that time.
These paintings were available prior to December 2, 2018:
Water Lilies Triptych
Based on a photograph I took at Monet's lily pond in Giverny, this painting's allure and intensity are most apparent in the detailed brush strokes seen by clicking on the picture and details below. This is a recurrent theme of water lily homages to Monet (other paintings not available). This triptych was on display for two months at a brewhouse in San Marcos, CA and has hung in my home, receiving generous praise from visitors.
3 canvases 36 x 48 each • This triptych requires a minimum 12-foot-wide wall!
Details from the Triptych
My wife, Lindsey, and I went to The Netherlands in 2017 to visit our son, Neil, who is a professor at Tilburg University. To read more and see additional (not available) paintings, visit the Theme page.
When I took the source photo from a canal tour boat in Amsterdam, I was stuck by the mass of buildings and their reflections. Click on the picture to zoom in and appreciate the details: the clock on the bell tower, flag, boat, and hundreds of windows
Neil's girlfriend, Maaike, is from the village of Heeze, which has a modest castle in a beautiful, wooded area.
This picture of the moat is one of my favorite recent paintings. Its small, distinct brush strokes are formless up close, but by stepping away one sees the forest for the trees. I like the sweet spot of light beyond the canopy of leaves and receding water and path.
I studied up on Vincent Van Gogh, who lived in Tilburg during his middle school years, and I twice visited his museum in Amsterdam, which was a short walk from our hotel. It's likely that he went to the heath pictured below, and when I returned home and began this series, I started with "Tree on Heath #1" trying to use some of Van Gogh's techniques: the cross-hatched sky of green, the bright oranges and yellows in the foreground, and the brilliant purples. However, I also wanted to capture the same scene in my own style, which I did for #2.
The two paintings below were done quickly and loosely. Rather than create carefully crafted cows, I wanted to merely give a rough representation of them, and the dark shadows on the hillside provide a feeling of movement as a counterpoint to the stationary cows. Click on "Heeze Moat #3," a celebration of color and light, with tall trees that provide a screen to the forest in the background.
The Dutch landscape is provincial and picturesque. "Red Windmill" was based on a photo from the train and faithfully recreates a typical scene. For the "Flowers & Windmill" composition, I combined two photos to create a more symbolic interpretation of the countryside. "Near Tilburg #2" is a close-up of one portion of another painting (not available), from a snapshot I took during a bike ride in drizzling rain.
Whenever we stepped out of our Amsterdam hotel, I noticed this boat moored directly across the canal. I was always struck by the contrast between the blue and orange and suspected that it would make an excellent composition.
The phenomenal Keukenhof flower fields are only open a couple of months in the Spring, and we were fortunate to go at that time. As opposed to most of my other paintings, this one was done without using a projector, while on a solo, 10-day retreat in Morro Bay. I painted 2-3 hours each day and otherwise went for bike rides, walks on the beach, and played guitar. At the end of my vacation, I left this large canvas there, and a year later friends brought it down to Carlsbad for me. Seeing its colorful and cheerful tone brought me back to both the lovely day spent in Holland and the rejuvenation and contemplation I felt during my Morro Bay getaway.
Recent Years
After completing The Netherlands series, my output slowed down, so there are fewer 2017-18 pictures to give away. Visit the All Paintings chronology to see other canvases (not available) I've done recently.
The Whidbey Island picture is from a day-trip outside of Seattle, where our son, Charlie, lives. (I decided to keep the other one that was originally offered.) Closer to home, the self-portrait is based on a photo from the Oceanside Pier. Can you find me? Also nearby is Terramar beach, which is shown at low tide. (I've added a second Terramar painting, which will be displayed at our local pharmacy.) Two 2015 Morro Bay pictures are included here, as well: a small study of Hollister Peak and a fence that I'd often passed and thought to paint.
Earlier Selections
I recently sorted through Early Works for the first time in years, and was glad to see that I've progressed as a painter! If you read my blog post, "Placing Paintings in the Trash," you'll see that I threw away a lot of those old pictures. However, I liked these four and thought someone else might want them.
The small Morro Bay Harbor pictures are interesting because they show how my artistry evolved. The 2005 study was created en plein air from the front seat of my car on a windy day. Seven years later I photographed the same setting and painted it using my projector technique. They're available individually or as a pair.
"Afternoon Tea" is the only formal still life I've painted. The tea service belonged to my grandparents and sister, Ellen, before coming to me. That same year, a family cruise to Alaska was interrupted when my dad had a minor stroke and he and I disembarked halfway. Afterwards, I was feeling blue, which resulted in this single painting from that trip.
This 2004 painting of a favorite Carlsbad location, "Warm Waters" beach, has hung in our home for several years. I had promised to give it to a good friend, but unfortunately he passed away before I could. Now, I'd like for someone to have it!
