“The White Bridge” - acrylic, 24” x 18”
This is a more contemporary take on a fairly “standard” subject
of ducks in a pond. The rhythmic, abstract design of the bridge’s
reflection in the water truly takes center stage here. The ducks who populate the
scene (a Wood Duck drake on the foreground rock and the Mallard hens on the
water) obviously add to the composition but as supporting players. The star here
is the black and white pattern.
“Taking a Dip” - oil, 27” x 15.5”
This painting depicts an American Dipper in its natural watery habitat. The waterfalls in the
painting are actually some of the LeHardy Rapids in Yellowstone where I have watched and
enjoyed these birds bobbing and “dipping” on numerous occasions. The chance to paint the
complex look of water moving over rocks in a fast moving river was my real challenge in this
oil.
“Lazy Afternoon” - giclée, 15” x 22.25”, 20.5” x 30.5”
Wolves are amazing creatures and favorites of mine to paint.
Wolves spend a good bit of the daytime hours resting.
Hunting and patrolling begins as afternoon blends into
evening. As the waning light of day creates long shadows over the surrounding
terrain, this regal female gray wolf waits for the action yet to come.
“Bouldering” - giclée, 24” x 18”
This coyote is bounding around on boulders strewn across a meadow as late afternoon light
creates a somewhat reddish veil over everything—including the coyote. The touches of
autumnal color further heighten the warm palette in use here.
“No Stone Unturned” - acrylic, 7” x 14”
Because Grizzly Bears are omnivorous (basically opportunistic eaters
enjoying meat, insects, fruit or whatever is at hand), they spend some
of their time turning over rocks to get at the grubs and other insects
underneath. This painting shows just such behavior as a young Grizzly
is turning over boulders to get at whatever tasty morsels (merely
appetizers for such a large mammal) are hidden beneath.
“Barn Dance” - acrylic, 9” x 12”
Poppies are one of my favorite flowers and these Poppies with their almost “stained
glass” quality just begged to be painted. This piece was chosen as one of the top
100 finalists in the Blossom II International Floral Art Competition and Exhibition in
2011. In creating this painting, I was intrigued not only by the colors but the rhythm
of “swirling skirts” and “bobbing heads” which reminded me of a barn dance. I
composed this painting to draw your eyes through the picture like you were looking
at the rising and falling notes on a piece of sheet music.
“Bollenvelden” - oil, 24”x 36”
This is a picture of the Dutch bulb fields. This painting is the first in
a series of paintings done from photos and other research from my
trip in 2013 to the Netherlands and London in the spring. For anyone
who has never been to the Netherlands during bulb season, this is a
small attempt at showing some bulb growing fields behind a small pasture where
sheep were grazing. If only there were a “scratch and sniff” component where the
smell of the hyacinths (the pink and lavender flowers in the field depicted here)
could waft up at you as you viewed the painting. The reds are early tulips and the
yellow and white are narcissus. The sheep and lambs were there in late afternoon
light frolicking and eating grass - totally oblivious to the beauty which surrounds
them.
“Golden Days” - giclée, 8” x 10”
In the late summer/early fall, ripening seed heads of wild sunflowers or black-eyed
susans bring on the goldfinches, among other seed eaters, to partake of the bounty
of the season. The backlit elements bring a great sense of drama to this life-size
presentation.
“Morning at Soda Butte” - giclée, 15” x 30”
The Soda Butte formation in Yellowstone National Park is an unusual light
gray mound of volcanic ash “stone” which overlooks the Lamar Valley. It
lent its name to one of the early reintroduced wolf packs in the Park and
was the general area where I saw my first wolf in the
wild—albeit from a very great distance. This painting
depicts a black variant of the gray wolf clan standing on
Soda Butte overlooking the Lamar Valley in the soft light
of early morning.
“Petal Pushers” - acrylic, 12” x 16”
The water is painted using layers of acrylic gels to create a “faux” encaustic. The
Mallard couple was swimming in a pond at the world famous Keukenhof Gardens in
Holland. These gardens are only open for a few months every year to showcase
bulbs of all types in acres of gardens. When I was there, cherry trees were at their
peak along with millions of bulbous plants, and the petals were strewn all over the
water, hence the genesis of “petal pushers”. The patterns of the petals on the multi-
hued water as the Mallards drifted along just begged to be painted.
“In A Temple Garden” - oil, 32”x 18”
While exploring the Byodo-In Temple on Oahu in Hawaii, I was struck by the slowly gliding
Black Swans and the frantic swirling motion of the Koi as they shared the same area of pond
space—one above and the other underneath. The challenge was to present these divergent
movement styles into a cohesive, well-designed whole.
“The Importance of Being Ernest” - oil, 18” x 10.5”
Ernest the Cat belongs to a good friend of mine in Wyoming. One morning, I had
the good fortune to catch him just “being Ernest” as light flooded him with
beautiful color tones and purple shadows. This painting was a study in purple
and orange. The title refers to the play by Oscar Wilde of a similar name, “The
Importance of Being Earnest”, and pays homage to my friend’s thespian leanings and the
haughtiness that Ernest seems to reflect in this pose.
“On the Move” - oil, 14” x 11”
This Gray Wolf is “moving out” as the low light of late afternoon beckons her into action.
Late afternoon through evening and into the night are when Wolves are the most active
and this painting is reflecting the harsh backlit lighting of that time of day. The bright light
creates staccato patterns over a predominantly dark ground and suggests movement over
the surface while the Wolf “glides” silently below.
“Success!” - oil, 13.5” x 17.5”
The focal point of this painting is really the fallen dead lodgepole
pine with backlight illuminating the remaining clumps of needles like
spots of fire. It is only after spotting the tree that one sees the Coyote in the
foreground. The Coyote seemed a good choice to bring a duller version of the
needle colors to the foreground and the Mourning Dove that it has in its mouth
provides the painting its title.
