"Fog and Palms"

16 x 20

This one is part of the State Road 46 series. It's a "blue road" that cuts across central Florida. I drove over to Winter Springs from Titusville during the summer to take my daughter to a road race. We took State Road 46 and I took my camera because I knew we would be traveling through the land of palm hammocks and the St. Johns River valley. I have ended up doing a bunch of paintings from photos taken that morning. It's a good rule to paint what you know and what you love. Even if no one else likes it, at least you'll like it.

Thanks for looking.

"Sailboat on Mosquito Lagoon"

5 x 7

From Canaveral Seashore Paint Out. Great time down in the part of Florida where I grew up. This is looking across Mosquito Lagoon from the beach. The lagoon is a very large and very shallow body of water. It is one of the best places to catch Redfish in the world. On the far west side of the lagoon the intercoastal waterway run to Haulover Canal and from there to the Indian River. This sailboat was heading down the intercoastal channel with a stiff breeze. The sun was setting. I was back in my home country. Life is good.

Thanks for looking.

"Eastpoint Morning"

30 x 40

Hey. Still here. Still painting. I get a F on the promotion part of art. Just too many other things going on, and I decided painting was more important than showing. One time stealer this year has been exercise, which is good. The form of exercise is almost exclusively biking. Mountain biking and some road rides. At least five days a week. And if you know me, you know that I can't just do something, I've got to really do it. So this year I have participated in four mountian bike races (even winning a couple) and two centuries (100 mile bike rides). Anyway less time for everything else. But with painting I am trying to focus on quality over quantity. I recently took a bunch of photos of the years production so check up on the blog and I promise to post more.

This is from a photo taken during one of my coast trips. Got up early and got the sun rising in Eastpoint. These are oyster boats. Colors are mostly mine. These are commercial boats and the life of an oysterman is tough. These docks aren't made by a carpenter. They are just put up with whatever log is available. I used some artistic license to move the eye around. And played with the sun and the clouds or fog or whatever you want it to be. It's moody, at least that's what I was trying for so I hope it is.

I'm still here and I've had a good year. [Don't tell anyone. I like to keep it quiet.]

Thanks for looking.

"Cattle Guard"

8 x 10

From the Evinston Paint Out. This was done on the last day and was so wet I never even put it up. That is an interesting thing about paint outs. What do you do about the really wet paintings? What do you do about people leaning against them? (Sir I'd like to frame your shirt.) What do you do about paintings sticking in their frames? (Permanent framing solutions.) What do you do about bugs and grass and leaves? ("I've just started experimenting with mixed media").

I like this painting. There is a lot going on, but there was hundreds times more going on in real life. I am finding simplification to be more and more the most important part of good plein air painting.

Thanks for looking.

P.S. Just a reminder that I will be attending the Canaveral Seashore Paint Out next month in New Smyrna Beach. It is the week of November 7 through the 13th. It is a benefit for Canaveral Seashore and here is link to the website: http://canaveralseashorepaintout.blogspot.com/ I will be there painting all week long.

"Where I Ride"

8 x 10 (plein air)

"Where I Ride" refers to where I ride my mountain bike most of the time. I am very lucky to live in a neighborhood that is next to a state park. That state park had property given to it that is full of singletrack and doubletrack trails. I can leave my house after work and ride through miles and miles of trails without repeating anything. It's great exercise for me because it doesn't beat up my knees like running does. (Although crashing on a mountain bike (which is not an unusual occurrence), can certainly make sore knees look inviting). I have stuck to this form of exercise, at least 5 times a week, for going on two years. I felt in good enough shape earlier this month to enter a mountain bike race over at Tom Brown Park. The race was part of the Florida State Championship Series with racer from all around the state participating. There were numerous categories, and the one I fit in was the 50 plus grand masters in the "base" level. (Three levels: Expert, Sport, Base) I was lucky to win my race against 16 other similarly categorized riders. Yeahhhh!

So this painting is from a field at Phipps Park near the Red Bug trail. I painted it earlier this year standing out in the field on a Sunday afternoon. If you head over this hill and follow this path it spits you into the woods with a nice descent through a couple of rough trails. The key is to get some speed and then get up on the petals for balance and hold on (but don't grip the handlebars too tight or you will be wondering whether its better to have sore knees or numb hands).

Thanks for looking.

"Contours"

11 x 14

I keep painting this stuff. I guess I was always fascinated watching rows go by as I drove in the back seat of the car. Rows of orange trees, rows of planted pine trees, rows of nursery plants, rows of crops. I am easily amused. Does anyone else do this?

Thanks for looking.

"Couples"

8 x 10 (plein air)

Painted at Lake Ella which is small park in downtown Tallahassee. There is a loop around the lake that is slightly more than a half mile. Almost any time of day there are tons of walkers exercising or cruising around the lake. I like to paint there. It's always challenging and there are lots of friendly onlookers. Perhaps the biggest issue in plein air painting is editing. When you paint outdoors you have to simplify. Everything is right in front of you. The whole wide panorama. What do paint and what do you leave out. Here, in reality, there are multiple bushes, walkers, ducks, and trees. In the background there is a four lane road, cars, a restaurant, and a helicopter. (Yes, no kidding -- a helicopter). So you change things around and keep the central idea of a path around a lake with a couple walking. As I was finishing this a white duck swam up and I added the ducks as a balance for the composition. KISS. Keep is simple stupid. I like it.

Thanks for looking.

"Sparkle"

14 x 11 (plein air)

This was painted under the bridge to Singer Island while on vacation last month. The bridge is one of my favorite places to paint. One thing you must consider when painting outdoors is trying to figure out how to get your canvas and palette out of the direct sun. Being in the sun makes it really hard to judge values and colors. It is also really hot in the sun. So there is this great little park under the bridge with sailboats anchored close by and lots of people swimming and enjoying the gentle ocean breezes. My wife calls these paintings “boat butt” genre. I can’t help it that the tide flows the way it flows. Here I’m trying to concentrate on the color of the water and the sparkle of the light in the reflections. Hope it worked.

Thanks for looking.

"Palm Beach Pumphouse"

11 x 14 (plein air)

I did this one during the annual family vacation to Palm Beach. I write "Palm Beach", but I should actually write Singer Island. It is Palm Beach Gardens and it is really nice. This is what we call "the pumphouse". It is at the jetty on the Singer Island side. The pipes that run into the wall of the jetty actually go all the way across the channel to the other side and move sand from Singer Island to Palm Beach. It has something to do with the jetty messing up the natural flow of the current and the sand. Anyway, it is a giant "thing" and it is not easy to paint. Its like a big cube that doesn't belong in the picture. I decided to tackle it this year and I like how this came out. I also decided to work on putting more figures in my landscapes and I was able to do that here and also in some other pieces I did during the week. Here, I think the figures are essential. The two guys on the catwalk were workers from the county. After I started they turned the pumphouse on and opened the doors. They stood up there talking about something. (I'm sure it was work related.) One of the gentlemen was retiring from the county and had been in charge of the pumphouse for a number of years. He asked about the painting, but I forgot to get his name and number before I left. This would make a nice retirement gift. Maybe I should do some research.

Thanks for looking.

"Office Conference"

48 x 48

Yeah, I know its been a while. You know summer. Hard to find time for anything but play. One of the least productive times for me is around sporting events. I don't need much of an excuse to watch a game. The last couple of months have had a bunch of games. The NBA playoffs, College World Series, Wimbledon, and the Tour de France. And have you been keeping up with "Deadliest Catch"? I am a sucker for that show.

So anyway, I have been painting, though not as much as my usual output. I have kind of been stuck. Sometimes stuck can be good. Means you might come up with something better.

This one is from last year. It is big. From St. Marks. I added the birds later. I thought the composition needed something extra. I love those crows. I think they run the world.

The title is a reference to their office. Nice place.

Thanks for looking.

"Wild and Not Wild"

16 x 20

Another in the line of South Georgia/North Florida rural out-of-your-car-window paintings. Really, this is new genre. I said it first right here. Fact is, there probably is someone who has already said it and done it. He or she probably already had a big show. ("The World in Paint From the Window of my Model A Ford").

This is one of the problem us artists have. We want to have a unique voice. We want to be fresh. We want to be different. (We also wonder who's winning the Lakers/Suns game, but we don't say that out loud.) So how can you be different when humans have been painting since the Lascauw (sp ?) caves. (Caveman voice: Did you see Korg's deer? Looks, just like one I did last new moon. Him copysabertooth.)

Yeah, I can joke, but the truth is this bugs me. I consider myself pretty creative. Why can't I come up with a totally new look, or subject, or composition. Something. Well, I'll just keep painting. One day a blind pig . . . .

Oh, this painting really is from the window of the car. I love the conflict of wild and tamed. The trees are going wherever they can to find sun, and the farmer is planting to maximize production. I just think there is something cool about that. Anyway . . . keep looking. You too may find that acorn.

Thanks for looking.

"Looking Down"

36 x 36

Why do we do what we do? Don't expect any answers. I don't know. I spend a lot of time and mental energy doing this painting thing. For what? Cash? No I dont' think so. Strokes? I don't get too many. A desire to leave a bit of yourself for future generations? Not sure about that. I'm probably leaving more trash than treasure. A sense of accomplishment in mastering a thing? When do you get that sense. Even the supposed masters didn't have that. Cause you want to? Too simple, only restates the question and provides no answer. It's fun? Oh yeah, I forgot.

So here's the message if you're reading this because you think this guy knows something, or paints a decent painting, or if you're checking in on your favorite emerging artist (at 50, emerging yeah) -- Confidence is a tenuous thing. Sometimes its there. Sometimes not. Just pick up the brush and do something. Because? It's what you do. You can't think about not doing it. It has infected you. It will not go away. Might as well try to get good at it.

This painting is from a photo I took at Crescent Beach. I'm almost positive it was just a misfire on my camera. Going through my files it struck my eye. Simple but lots in it. Colors and textures. On one of those days I just thought 'what the heck'. Pick up the brush and lets do it. It might be trash or treasure. Not sure. But it does make me smile.

Thanks for looking.

"Across the East River"

36 x 36

View from the St. Marks Wildlife Refuge looking west across the East River to the St. Marks River. This is a beautiful place. I think the small islands were made when the channel was dug. The St. Marks channel comes out just on the other side of those islands. This is also a great place to fish. The East River is fabulous place to catch a redfish or a trout. I am just trying to paint the space.

Thanks for looking.

"St. Marks Dusk"


18 x 24

This is the view from the boat ramp at St. Marks Wildlife Refuge. I waited as long as possible to leave because the light was great. That same trip as I was leaving I saw a giant hog near the entrance booth. He was a monster. I took a photo and his body was more than half way across the one lane.


(You thought I was kidding?)

I had another encounter with hogs at St. Marks one morning a couple of months ago. I had gotten there early before sunrise and was painting with Chuck Manning, another plein air painter from Tallahassee. As the sun rose I started to hear hogs waking up in the bog across the canal from where I was painting. They were grunting around obviously looking for food. Every once in a while, one of the hogs would find something and then there would be blood curdling scream as the other hogs tried to take what the one had found. My mind thought back to the big guy in the road. I would glance at Chuck to make sure he felt that we were safe, and he contiunued to paint contently. Nothing to fear. As the hogs moved farther away I yelled at Chuck to comment on the hogs and he stared at me blankly. Then he pulls an ipod headset out of his ears and asks "what"? That made me feel safe.

Thanks for looking.

"Bait Bucket"

22 x 28

From a photo taken at Canaveral National Seashore. The surf was up that day. A lot of white bright color. A lot of motion in the water. Not easy to see in this photo, but it is there. This one should be at the Chain of Parks Show this weekend. See you this weekend. Keep your fingers crossed for the weather.

"Slow down today, enjoy what you have."

From the inside wraper of the Dove Chocolate I just enjoyed.

Thanks for looking.

"Starting the Day"

18 x 24

Here's a new piece that I think will be in the Chain of Parks Show. I like it. I like it's simplicity. It's interesting to put out new work. I posted some new stuff on facebook and one of the face to face comments (not computer generated) was essentially 'I wish you would put up some of your nicer stuff'. Ouch. It reminds me of the famous "shrinkage" episode from Seinfield. (No not for that reason.) In that episode one of the side stories is about the ugly baby that the parents are proud of and the doctor (who Elaine is interested in) calls 'breathtaking' (after he says the same thing about Elaine). But the parents believe the baby is perfect. That's the same with artists. Our works are our babies. Sometimes we can't see them with an unbaised eye. Or maybe they are just perfect, but there is a different one that someone else sees as more perfect. (I'll choose to take that comment that way.)

Thanks for looking at my ugly babies.

"I-10 Near Madison"

5 x 7 Postcard Series

It is going to be a busy April. I am going to participate in the Chain of Parks Art Festival here in Tallahassee on April 17 and 18. It is a traditional outdoor festival so hopefully the weather will cooperate. It takes a lot of work to get ready. Picking out peices, ordering frames, all that stuff. But I am really looking forward to it. It's a benefit for the Lemoyne Art Center so come check it out. Plus they have kettlecorn!

Then the next day, April 19, I start a week long paintout in Evinston, Florida. Evinston is a tiny town south of Gainesville just off of 441. I drove through this weekend to check things out. I like the area. It is definitely that old Florida feel. Heres a link to the website: www.Evinstonpaintout.org Come check it out if you are in the area.

Thanks for looking.

"Highway 20 Sky"

It's my painting I can change it if I want to. The version above is the latest. I wanted to make the road a little more interesting and break up the mass of trees. It worked I think. (If I didn't think it worked I would have gotten rid of it.) What do you think?


16 x 20

I take regular trips to Panama City in my other business. I think the fastest way from Tallahassee is on State Road 20. It's a two-lane trip right through the middle of rural North Florida. There are a lot of acres of planted pines and scrub oaks. If you have driven it enough times you remember previous views that are now obstructed by rising pine trees. This is one of those areas where the trees were harvested and not replanted. Its a different kind of composition. I want to believe that it is not bad to be different.

I was reading one of my favorites blogs by a successful artist and he explained that people don't want to visit your blog just to have you talk about your art. They want instruction or something. Unfortunately, that assumes I have some gem of instruction. Since I don't, and since I'd like people to visit I've decided I would try include gems of instruction from other artists. Like a hall of fame of meaningful quotes. That way you can be assured of finding something worthy when you visit.

This one is from Robert Henri. He is a famous American painter and teacher.

"A landscape has got to mean a great deal to anyone before it can be painted in any worth-while way. It is harder to see a landscape than to paint it. This is true because there are lots of clever people who can paint anything, but, lacking the seeing power, paint nothing worth while."

From The Art Spirit page 209

Hmmm? When I read something like this I wonder where Professor Henri would come down on "Highway 20 Sky"? Am I seeing? Or, am I clever?

Thanks for looking.

"Morning Haze"


14 x 18

This is St. Augustine Light from Vilano Beach on a hazy morning. I really like this one. I like it's simplicity, and I also like it's complexity. After painting it I thought about making that idea my trademark. You know, like Thomas Kincade is "the painter of light". (Okay don't get me started). Well my trademark would be "the painter of subtle complexity" or "the painter of the subtley complex". (I'm working on it). It is sad that in today's world you feel like you have to be better at marketing something than you are at doing something. But anyway, back to the painting, it's just a strip of land, some depth, a lighthouse and a reflection. Does it need more? It's my painting and that's all your getting. If you want birds and clouds, a bouy and a sailboat in the foreground set your GPS for Vilano Beach inlet and take your canvas and paints. When I was there that day . . .

Thanks for looking

"At the Dock"


24 x 30

This is a large painting from a photo taken in Apalachicola. It's a great coastal town on the "forgotten coast" of Florida. Still has a lot of fishing industry there, with shrimpers and oyster boats. I took a trip down there a couple of weeks ago. Got some great photos. Also got a fabulous basket of fried shrimp at the Market Street Grille. This painting was about 95% done and in my office for about six months. I didn't like the lower water reflection and changed this up recently. I like it better now.

Thanks for looking.

"From Guana"


11 x 14

The is from a photo I took during my afternoon at Guana State Park just south of Ponte Vedra. This is that cypress/juniper (?) stuff. I like these trees because they have nice gnarly branches and a great deep olive color.

There is a lot of life between where I'm standing and that line of trees in the background. One of the cool things about being out in the outdoors while painting is all the neat sounds. As the tide was either coming in or going out (I'm not sure which one) I started hearing all these clicking sounds. I think it might have been oysters shutting. It was like a wave coming across the marsh. Is that possible?

Thanks for looking.

"Red Truck"

20 x 24

More in that theme of rural scenes of everyday life. "If a tree falls in the forest, and nobody is there . . . If a slant of light hits an awning just right, and nobody is there. . ." These are questions for which I have no answers.

Thanks for looking.

"St. Marks Morning"

5 x 7 (plein air) postcard series (SOLD)

Painted on an early Saturday morning in November. "Early bird gets the worm" as the saying goes. This was painted with the crys of wild hogs rising from across a ditch nearby. They too were looking for the worm, or whatever it is that wild hogs eat.

Thanks for looking.

"Storm Coming"

5 x 7 postcard series

Sometimes it really does look like this mass of darkness pushing forwards and getting ready to engulf the lake. That contrast of sunlight on treetops and dark fury behind is magical. You have to paint fast when one of these is coming.

Thanks for looking

"Tractor Tires"

5 x 7 postcard series

Driving the backroads of rural Georgia. This one is from a photo that I used to do another postcard. The title was "Quiet" and it is back about 10 or 20 posts. This is just a close up of that corner of the building. One of the best things about modern digital photography is that you can zoom in and see those things in the shade.

Thanks for looking.

"Near Landis"

5 x 7 postcard series (plein air) (sold)

This one was painted on a Saturday morning. I drove my daughter to FSU to take the SAT test. It made sense to paint rather than go all the way home and have to come right back. This is the arches that connect the dorms around Landis Green. It was fun to paint.

Cool thing about this painting is that it sold to someone who was giving it as gift to an administrator at FSU who was retiring. I hope he liked it. (It wasn't Bobby Bowden. I've got a special one for him. All he has to do is ask.)

Thanks for looking.

Crabs

5 x 7 postcard series (Sold)

This was sold at the Plantation Wildlife Show. From a photo from Appalachicola. The sign was made up. Just felt like they probably sold crabs there at some time.

Thanks for looking.

"Where Water Meets Land"

5 x 7 postcard series SOLD

A plein air study from Palm Beach. What you paint when you are sitting under an umbrella looking out at a flat calm ocean. This one sold to a friend from high school who I ran into at a another friend's kid's wedding. I guess that signifies some kind of stage of life. You know you are older when you start going to the weddings of children of people you went to school with.

I like this painting. It is simple and direct, but it is complicated. That color of the breaking wave on the shore is pretty darn close to right. With plein air you don't get to take a photograph and ask the camera what color that split second is. It's just observation and hoping you get it right. Charles Hawthorne, a famous artist and teacher, talks about this in his book. The artist first job is observation. Learning how to see.

Thanks for looking.

"Late Light"

5 x 7 postcard series

I am going to post some from the postcard series. Remember I did slightly more than 100 of these 5 x 7 paintings for the show in Thomasville. After that show I moved them to my gallery in Tallahassee and they sold really well there. I have sold about half of them at this point. If I know its been sold I'll indicate it on the post. Otherwise you can snatch up a nice little painting for the low price of $110.00. They are painted on linen mounted on board.

My New Studio


One way


the other


I finally moved my stuff up to my oldest's old room. It's a really cool room that is above the garage. It has dormer windows and neat angles. My oldest was married last May, and just this week he started his first real paying job as an accountant. Yeah!!!

Well he has obviously been out of the room for a lot of months but I was holding off thinking that there wasn't enough wall space because of the dormer windows and just being lazy. Well about a month ago I moved his furniture out and decided that I would make this the creative part of the studio and the room attached to the garage would just have all the junk. This weekend I went and got some cheap indoor/outdoor carpet and put it over the nice pine floors so I didn't mess them up. I put a big four blub neon light and put in natural light blubs. I am trying to keep it simple. I am a firm believer that clutter expands to cover all the shelves and desk space so I am trying to keep that at a minimum. I am very lucky.

Now I am trying to come up with a good plan for the new year. I like to start with some goals. I have some in mind and I resolve right now to write them down sometime this week. How's that.

Thanks for looking.