Spring Training 12" x 16" oil on canvas

I've had the idea for this painting ever since I signed Katie up for softball and started playing catch with her. It's Scott's glove because I don't have one and his hat, of course. I was so pleased with the way this turned out. I've included a picture of the set-up I used on my sun-porch.

No. 7 in the Series of American Indian kids

This is the underpainting for number 7 in my series of ten American Indian children. A Cayuse boy, he appears to be about 16 or 17 years old. I love the headdress he is wearing and he also has quite a bit of jewelry so this one's going to require a bit if research.

American Indian Child no. 6 completed

The Ogallala tribe were a branch of the Sioux Indians who settled in South Dakota and Wyoming after the white settlers moved westward. This is Makalah.

Painting Repair

I am not sure why, but the mother of one of my son's friends asked me if I could repair a cracked oil painting. It is stamped on the back with some kind of insignia indicating it is a pretty cheap knock-off or starving artist type painting. We all know the type-- they sell them in motels, they're painted in "art factories", now probably in China. Anyway- they are generally of extremely poor quality - another reason to stay away from them-and this one is no different. The entire sky has cracked in a circular pattern, indicating the paint used was too thin to survive cold storage, or it was just cheap paint. Here is the painting and a series of shots to show the progression of how I am trying to repair it. I told her it might not be possible but she thought the cracks were so ugly she didn't want to hang it up unless they were covered. I saw no point in telling her that the only proper way to repair the painting would be to take it to a conservator who would charge her a few thousand dollars and spend weeks matching color to fill in the cracks. My way to fix the ugly thing is to slather on some thick opaque paint, let it dry, then slather on some more... and hope it doesn't sink in for a few years. I began by sanding the entire sky area with fine sandpaper. I cleaned the entire painting and let it dry for overnight. Then I applied some galkyd medium, rubbing it into the surface of the old paint. Next I mixed up some darker base color for the sky and painted a gradation from the top to the bottom.

Repainted Jesus -- I think I am finally satisfied

This painting has gone through a couple revisions. I totally repainted his face and actually the whole painting. Hopefully it will sell or I'll end up gifting it to my pastor in September when we celebrate "Pastor Appreciation Month".

Underpainting for Indian Child no, 6/10

This is a little girl, from the Ogallala tribe. The sixth in my series of native American Indian children, I hope to finish it so I can list it at auction Sunday. She is mostly painted from my imagination- as I am looking at an old photo by Edward Curtis and adapting that photo to make the woman about 7-8 years old. Not an easy thing to do, but it's one way to insure my paintings are never accused of being copies of anything- ever!

When Life Gives You Lemons

Another small format 8" x 10" piece. The lemonade that I thought would appear yellow was wonderful shades of blue and violet, apparently reflecting the cool shadows in the room and the sky through the window. You just never know what you'll discover when you paint form life.

Pink Slip - Today's effort is another small format piece

8" x 10" oil on canvas. This is Woodchuck Hard Cider. It tastes a bit strong for me. I had to try a sip after I sat there staring at it and painting it for so long. The bubbles last a long time so there's plenty of kick left to it I suppose. My favorite thing about the painting was the reflection of the pink paper in both the glass and the bottle. I didn't really "see" this at first. When I arrived at the point where I was finishing up I began looking more carefully for darks and lights to accent form; that's when I discovered those tiny pink reflections. This painting has a fairly straight-forward message but also a less obvious one that really causes one to pause and think. Woodchuck Cider- woodchucks are hard workers. The painting is called Pink Slip. Was the drinker fired? Paintings like this are always interesting to me because they imply the presence of an unscene person, lending humanity to what might be just another still-life.

8" x 10" oil on canvas Apples and Doberman figurine

Bahamas Bound 16" x 20"

Capturing the late afternoon sun was the key to the success for this painting. I am so happy with the way it turned out that I will be painting a larger version soon.

Ms. Ford

This is a 16" x 20" oil on canvas. Our weekly painting group is having a competition and the winner is the one who paints the portrait this woman chooses. She had the winning bid at a fund-raiser in August. The winner ALSO GETS PAID $400 FOR THEIR PAINTING.
I've worked on this for two sessions (4 hours) plus another 3 hours at home and although I hesitate to call it done I don't really want to overwork it.

Ballerina Finished

I am thinking of calling it "Little Women at the Barre". I made a conscious decision with the composition to direct the viewer from one girl to the next through eye movement and line. I am not completely satisfied but I think I have done all I can with it.

Ballerinas again- this one needs a title yet

16" 20" OIL ON CANVAS - it needs a little bit of work yet but mostly done.

View a Slide Show of Work from the Last Two Years - Not everything is included but quite a bit is!