New Artwork

My newest painting is a result of our Christmas Day snowstorm, which left 6+ inches of fluffy snow. Freezing temps kept it on the ground, and, when the sun came out two days later, everything twinkled like a fantasy-land! The roads were a mess, so I donned my hiking boots and grabbed my camera and set out to capture the beauty… and ended up with oodles of inspiration. There are working farms with aging buildings all around this area, and … Read More

I couldn’t spill the beans before Christmas since this was a surprise gift, but here is my newest painting, a portrait of Jeb. I was commissioned by Jeb’s mom Pam, as a surprise for his dad Jim. The biggest challenge with this portrait was taking reference photos. Not only did we have to sneak around Jim, but Jeb is a very active, big, 2-year old lab. We did the first photo shoot indoors since the weather on our rendezvous day … Read More

My newest painting, titled “Decadence” by popular vote, is now complete. It’s a different subject for me, and variety always makes the painting process interesting. My intention before starting was to do a painting to enter into an upcoming exhibition, and this necessitates something bold. When a juror stands in the center of a room with over a hundred paintings surrounding him/her, a painting needs to really stand out to make it through the initial cut. Of course, from there … Read More

I made a resolution to experiment with my art techniques, and here’s my first exploration. It’s a technique I learned years ago using watercolors, but I’ve applied it to acrylics (which I often use much like watercolors, but they react differently). It starts with a sheet of watercolor paper which I coat with a layer of gesso. Gesso resembles white paint but it creates a harder surface and blocks the normal absorbency of the paper so paints applied on top … Read More

I’ve just completed a new dog portrait, of “Sally Mae”. It’s a surprise Christmas gift for her dad from her mom, so don’t tell if you know them! Take a look at the reference photos I took of Sally, using some of the tips I shared previously on photographing your pet. You can see which photo became my main reference, and how I simplified the background. Sally Mae is part of the same family as “Tom” who I painted two … Read More

Just finished my newest painting, the first since last spring (gardening, making a living, and other stuff make for interruptions!) It is called “When She Was 3” and I was inspired by photos I took last June of a friend’s little girl playing at the edge of a river. It’s a bit reminiscent of two other little girl paintings I’ve done which you can see in my internet gallery, “Molly By The Sea,” which I painted in watercolor a few … Read More

I recently designed a new specialty license plate for the State of Tennessee, and it will go into production soon. It commemorates the Cherohala Skyway, a scenic byway through the mountains connecting Tennessee and North Carolina (traversing the Cherokee National Forest and the Nantahala National Forest, thus the name). Proceeds from the license plate sales will benefit local causes. My design is shown here without the numbers (which will go to the right of the deer) and corner stickers, which … Read More

I was inspired by the texture of some 12″ tiles my friend Kathy got as samples from a stone supplier. They told her it was “brushed granite” and the process created relief in the surface, so the harder stone of the veins and other elements was raised slightly from the background stone. The texture immediately reminded me of trees and branches, just waiting for some color to be added. Springtime in East Tennessee is very colorful, and I only needed … Read More