From the Point Oil on board, 5 5/8" x 10" $290.00 + $8.00 shipping in US. Since Winter is still putting up a pretty good fight here in the north country, I thought I'd put up a sunny change of pace today. This is a somewhat larger painting I did a short time back of one of my favorite coastal haunts, Torrey Pines State Reserve, near San Diego. This view looks south, toward LaJolla, CA.

We're off on a little trip to Portland this weekend. I plan to be back with a post on Monday. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Love Seat Pillows 3 Oil on board, 5" x 7" $125.00 + $6.00 shipping in US. SOLD I decided to try a more controlled version of the pillows in oil. No... that's not really true. I didn't "decide" to do anything. Here's what really happened: I just started the painting and the durned thing went off and finished itself the way it wanted to, which in this case happened to be a bit more refined. That's usually what the process is like--I'm pretty much just along for the ride. Sometimes it's maddening, sometimes exciting, but I'm never really quite in charge. I can't even control whether it's going to be more or less controlled! I know you artists will understand what I'm talking about.

Green Dreams Oil on board, 6" x 6" $125.00 + $6.00 shipping in US. SOLD It seemed as if these horses were patiently waiting out the change of seasons, dreaming of lush green grass soon to come.

Love Seat Pillows 2 Watercolor on archival paper, 5" x 7" $125.00 + $6.00 shipping in US. SOLD This is the third painting of these pillows. If you do two paintings of a subject its...well, two paintings. But if you do three, then I guess it's a series.

Happy Easter!


It is not length of life, but depth of life.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson


All finite things reveal infinitude:
The mountain with its singular bright shade
Like the blue shine on freshly frozen snow,
The after-light upon ice-burdened pines;
Odor of basswood upon a mountain slope,
A scene beloved of bees;
Silence of water above a sunken tree:
The pure serene of memory of one man,--
A ripple widening from a single stone
Winding around the waters of the world.

~ Theodore Roethke, last stanza of The Far Field


Methinks my own soul must be a bright invisible green.

~ Henry David Thoreau

Love Seat Pillows Watercolor on archival paper, 5" x 7" $125.00 + $6.00 shipping in US. SOLD Can you guess where I had lunch again?

Throw Pillow Watercolor on archival paper, 6" x 6" $125.00 + $6.00 shipping in US. SOLD Took a break from the studio for lunch, fixed myself a sandwich, sat down in the living room and turned on the TV. Nothing on. Then I started noticing the way the light caught the top of the throw pillow on the love seat. Aha! Inspiration can strike when you least expect it.

Jake Oil on board, 10" x 8" NFS Another recently completed commission. I decided to work various greens into the painting to give a sense of an outdoor environment. Also because redheads always look good with green.

Drift Patterns Watercolor on archival paper, 6" x 6" $125.00 + $6.00 shipping in US. SOLD I was fascinated by these elegant drift patterns along a raised roadway. It took awhile for me to figure out how the strange combination of black and white formed. Here's what I think happened: Large snowdrifts occured earlier in the winter. Later, when most of the snow had melted and the upper layers of plowed fields dried out, winds blew dark topsoil across the drifts, turning them black. Then later storms drifted more snow in, covering the dirt. Now, as warmer weather arrives, the topmost layer of snow is melting back, revealing the dark wet soil beneath. I think I deserve an "A" for my geology lesson.

The Once and Future King Oil on linen, 11" x 14" Email me for purchase Information. A larger painting for today. You may recall my February 26th entry, where I wrote of how cut green willow limbs used as fenceposts have a tendency to grow back into trees again. I really like the idea of that, it speaks to me of the continuity and persistence of life. So when I came across this scarred old veteran in a fencerow the other day, I just had to use a little "artistic license" with the fencepost next to him. Click the image for a larger view.

Canyon Road Oil on board, 6" x 6" $125.00 + $6.00 shipping in US. SOLD There's a certain kind of light that I love this time of year, on the cusp of the coming spring. The sun seems to soften just a bit, showing us a kindlier countenance than its sharp-featured winter face. The road to High Valley passes through a little narrow canyon, lined with Cottonwood and the beautiful orange colored limbs of Golden Willow.

The North End Oil on board, 6" x 6" $125.00 + $6.00 shipping in US. SOLD Our drive the other day to the northern edge of the valley was like going back a month in time. The flatland narrows here and the mountains loom closer, so despite recent warmer weather, there was still deep snow. It was spectacularly beautiful though; a blustery day of dueling sun and shadow, with snow flurries drifting across the fields like fog. This rancher bladed out a path to feed his sheep. There's a little town on this most wintery end of the valley, called Summerville. Go figure.

Moon in the Afternoon Oil on board, 5" x 7" $125.00 + $6.00 shipping in US. SOLD The moon drifts over our little barn's corrugated roof. It seemed as if the trees were reaching out to catch it.

I'm continuing to work on some larger-scale pieces and commissions, while trying to post a new small work every two or three days. Meanwhile, here's a couple of short tales I came across on Anecdotage:

Meandering

One wintry day when Frank Lloyd Wright was nine years old, the future architect went for a walk with a reserved, no-nonsense uncle. As they reached the end of a snow-covered field, his uncle stopped him. "Notice how your tracks wander aimlessly from the fence to the cattle to the woods and back again," he said. "And see how my tracks aim directly to my goal. There is an important lesson in that."

Years later Wright remarked that this experience had had a profound influence on his philosophy of life. "I determined right then," he explained with a twinkle in his eye, "not to miss most things in life, as my uncle had!"

Champagne

One day the artist James McNeill Whistler, famous for his spendthrift ways, was visited by a creditor. Whistler graciously offered him a glass of champagne.

The man was understandably incredulous. "If you can't afford to pay my bill," he cried, "how can you afford champagne!?"

Whistler instructed the man to calm down. "I assure you," he explained, "I haven't paid for the champagne either."

Wheeling Hawk Oil on board, 5" x 7" $125.00 + $6.00 shipping in US.