I channeled Leo Villarreal when I originally did this back in 2015. Over shows it received some damage, so I spent today putting it back together. It will be at my booth for the Great Lakes Medieval Faire. It needs a home. Here are some repair process pictures.
One of the frames came loose. As you can see from the next one, I painted both sides of the canvas, much like I did for “Artistic Triage.”
Back-side above, front below.
You can’t really see it here but I use blue, green, and purple to achieve the presence of all colors… or is it the absence?
Taken from above on my bed. The painting is 30×40 (I think). She’s big.
Here’s where Villarreal comes in. The painting lights up. It’s electric USB so there needs to be an outlet nearby.
It’s also 3D. Admittedly, modern art was a phase for me, I found out it wasn’t my jam, so there’s only 2-3 pieces in that category.
View from the bottom. The fireflies are hanging out over the grass.
“Believe” arrives at the hour when the visible world loosens its grip and the older one beneath begins to glow. A wisteria, ancient and twice-twisted, holds the center of the canvas, its trunk rising from the dark margin of a still pond into a canopy heavy with bloom. Magenta and rose gather at the crown, while the long racemes descend in violet curtains toward the water, each pendant cluster trailing like a thought too patient to be spoken aloud.
Believe
The phenomenon that gives the piece its strange pulse is bioluminescence. Veins of cold blue light run the length of the trunk and gather in the roots, as though the tree had swallowed a portion of the moon and kept it burning within. That same light returns in the water at its feet, doubled and softened, so that the wisteria appears to stand upon its own reflected fire. Above, a slender crescent presides over a sky banked with luminous cloud, an old companion to anyone who has kept watch through the small hours.
Wisteria has long carried meanings that exceed its beauty. In the gardens of the East it stands for longevity and the endurance of devotion, its woody vines outliving the generations that first planted them. The Art Nouveau masters, Tiffany foremost among them, prized its cascading form for the way it dissolved the boundary between architecture and growth. Here the flower serves an older purpose still, marking the place where the seen and the unseen exchange their confidences, where all that hangs downward toward the dark is answered by all that rises upward toward the light.
The title asks little and offers much. Belief, in the sense the painting intends, is the quiet conviction that the dark is never merely the absence of light. The void was never empty. Something has always been waiting within the roots, within the water, within the patient descent of the blossoms, ready to shine for those who hold their gaze long enough to see it.
“Believe” is an original acrylic painting on canvas, eighteen by twenty-four inches. Sold.
The painting unfolds beneath a vast nocturnal sky where moonlight and firelight share the same stage, each illuminating the landscape in different ways. At the center of the composition a campfire burns intensely, its warm reds and oranges pushing outward against the cool indigo and violet tones of the night. This contrast between warm and cool light forms the emotional heart of the work. The fire gathers the figures, tents, and earth into a circle of life and community, while the moon casts a silvery wash across the surrounding wilderness, expanding the scene outward into quiet solitude.
Whispers by Firelight
The brushwork leans toward a light-driven impressionism, where form emerges through color and gesture rather than rigid detail. Clouds move in sweeping strokes that echo the movement of wind and atmosphere, creating a sense of motion in the sky. The trees stand skeletal and quiet, their silhouettes framing the scene like stage wings. These gestural marks allow the viewer’s eye to complete the image, a hallmark of impressionistic technique where suggestion carries as much weight as description.
Light itself becomes the true subject of the painting. The moon glows softly through the shifting clouds, bathing the landscape in a cool luminosity that dissolves edges and deepens the mystery of the forest. In contrast, the fire pulses with raw vitality, throwing sparks of color onto the tents and ground. The interaction between these two sources of light creates a layered visual rhythm, drawing the viewer inward toward the human gathering while still honoring the vastness of the surrounding night.
The scene ultimately becomes less about a specific place and more about atmosphere and memory. The viewer is invited into a moment suspended in time, where wilderness, community, and sky converge under a luminous moon. Through color harmony, expressive brushwork, and the interplay of natural light, the painting captures that timeless human ritual of gathering around fire beneath the open night.
I did not set out to paint a ghost story. I set out to paint a castle. Somewhere in the process, the painting decided what it wanted to be, which is something any painter who has spent serious time at the easel will recognize. You plan one thing and the canvas negotiates. Convergence is the result of that negotiation.
The castle came first. I have always been drawn to medieval architecture, to the logic of towers and curtain walls, to the way a fortress sits upon its hill with the particular confidence of something built to last. I wanted that warmth of late afternoon stone, that ochre and sienna glow that makes old masonry look almost alive. I wanted it to feel prosperous. Safe. Untroubled….That feeling of false safety is where the painting’s real subject announced itself.
Convergence
The ghost came next, rising from the lower left, from the water. She was always going to be there. I cannot entirely explain her except to say that certain paintings require a witness, and she is that witness, patient, translucent, unhurried. She has been waiting longer than the castle has stood.
The storm was already building in the upper right. The mountains there carry that particular grey-blue of approaching weather, and the clouds push down toward the valley with no great urgency, which makes them more ominous rather than less. Urgency can be outrun. That slow, indifferent gathering cannot.
Between the ghost and the storm, the castle sits in its afternoon light, entirely unaware. The blue sky above it still looks like an ordinary day. That is the heart of the matter. The swans were the last element to fully resolve, and I am most pleased with them. The large bird in the foreground demanded honesty, the exact orange-red of the bill, the weight of the body on the water. Swans have carried enormous symbolic weight across European tradition for a very long time, and I wanted these birds to earn their place in that company rather than merely decorate the foreground. They are witnesses too, though of a different order than the ghost. They are simply living their lives, indifferent to the drama gathering above them, which strikes me as true to how the world actually works.
My partner named the painting. She looked at it and said convergence, and that was the end of the matter. She saw immediately what I had been working toward, the ghost, the storm, and the castle all moving toward the same moment of reckoning along their separate paths. The regent in that tower, whoever he may be, has a buried past. The painting knows this even if he does not.
If I’m asked what tradition this work belongs to. I would say it belongs to the tradition of moral landscape, the idea, running from the Northern European painters through the Romantics, that the natural world is not merely scenery. It reflects. It remembers. It converges.
On its surface this is a Christmas painting, playful and absurd: a walrus and two penguins building a snowman on a frozen plain in Antarctica. The snow glows with lavender shadows, a scrap of seaweed crowns the snowman’s head like a Christmas hat, and the birds offer their small contributions with comic solemnity. The walrus … Read more
“Fortune’s Gambit” – A Study in Color, Chaos, and Fate In Fortune’s Gambit, Rob conjures a world where nature’s fury and fate’s indifference converge in a breathtaking display of movement, texture, and atmosphere. The piece captures a spectral wreck, its rotting hull and tattered sails draped in ghostly decay, caught in an eternal struggle against … Read more
Hello everyone! It’s 2025! This year is going to be a year of change for me, with lots going on in my life. Art wise, I’ll still be going strong, though I must admit I took some time to invest in a series of books I’m writing. I’m also actively writing poetry, and journeying into music creation.
My rock and muse, Jessica is by my side, supporting my shenanigans, so expect a lot of creativity!
Here’s a 2024 in review, in case you missed any of the art.
A painting of a red fox sitting in a lush green forest clearing. Tall trees surround the fox, and the sky is a mix of green, blue, and white, creating a serene atmosphere.A colorful painting of a snail with a green shell and a bright blue bow. The snail is on a red surface, set against a green, starry background.A whimsical painting of an otter wearing a Santa hat. It stands in water, holding a purple sea urchin, next to a decorated underwater Christmas tree adorned with various colorful ornaments. The background features swirling blue waves.A fluffy white cat with blue eyes sits beside a large mushroom with holly decorations. The background features a red and brown abstract pattern, resembling part of a Santa suit. The cat appears curious, near a small green dish.A winter night scene features a large, glowing full moon in the background. Silhouetted against it is a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer flying over a snowy village with evergreen trees and a clock tower.A painting of a blue bird perched inside a festive wreath adorned with pine cones, red berries, and greenery, against a dark wooden background.A painting of a majestic sailing ship with illuminated windows on a starry night sea. The sky is filled with sparkling stars, and waves gently lap against the vessel’s hull. The ship sails through a mystical, glowing seascape.A traveler holding a torch stands before a large, mystical stone face with glowing eyes. The mouth serves as a tunnel entrance, surrounded by lush, glowing vegetation. The scene is illuminated in blue and green hues.Triptych painting titled ‘The Morrigan’ depicting a mythological figure with dark, expansive wings in shades of blue and purple. The central figure sits on a rocky surface, surrounded by a cloudy, stormy sky. Bare tree branches extend behind her, with crows perched among them, adding a sense of foreboding to the scene. Her expression is calm yet intense, embodying the mysterious and powerful presence of the Morrigan, a goddess of fate and transformation in Irish mythology.A haunting scene of three deteriorating pirate ships anchored in a swamp, surrounded by twisted, leafless trees with hanging moss. The sky is a moody, pale green, and a weathered, wooden dock leads to the ships through the foggy water.Digital artwork depicts a surreal underwater scene with a glowing jellyfish, a large blue skull partially submerged in sand, an angler fish, and colorful, plant-like structures in the background. Small white fish swim around the elements, adding to the ethereal atmosphere.An adventurer holding a torch stands before a massive, ancient stone face with a tunnel-like mouth. The figure is framed by lush, dark greenery, and the stone face emits an eerie glow from its eyes, highlighting the mysterious atmosphere of the scene.A dark, gothic painting of a somber figure with large, black wings and long, dark hair. The figure sits curled up on a rocky outcrop under a cloudy sky, surrounded by leafless tree branches. The background includes distant flying birds, evoking the mystical essence of Morrigan.A black cat with bright yellow eyes sits in front of a glowing orange pumpkin, adding a touch of spice to the scene. Surrounding the cat are three blackbirds, one of which holds a green bucket in its beak. The scene is illuminated with warm, eerie light, creating a mystical atmosphere.Painting of a mysterious hooded woman in a long dress standing beside a blue lake in a wintery landscape. She holds a white owl on her left arm. The background is filled with bare trees and frosted ground. The scene has a mystical, serene atmosphere, reminiscent of Christmas mythology and the legend of Pertcha.A surreal painting depicts a raccoon’s face formed by vibrant, flowing aurora borealis lights against a starry night sky. The colorful streaks in hues of green, pink, and blue create a mystical atmosphere, blending seamlessly with the dark, grassy landscape below.A surreal painting shows a dark, ghostly figure with a skull face and antlers. It has long, flowing green and yellow tendrils reminiscent of Lovecraftian horrors. The background features a barren, twisted tree and a red, ominously colored sky.A mosaic-style painting depicts a woman with curly brown hair and multi-colored butterfly wings. She is wearing a blue top and holding a vibrant bouquet of red flowers. The background features shades of yellow, purple, and pink.A painting of a spooky, old house with gothic Victorian architecture under a night sky. The house has turrets and pointed roofs, surrounded by winter snow. A bare tree with an eerie face carved into its trunk stands in the foreground, with crows perched on its branch and the ghost of a shadow lingering near.The Perfect Gift,” a Christmas-themed painting, features a fluffy brown dog wearing a Santa hat, sitting on a red rug next to a decorated tree adorned with ornaments. The background is purple with gold garland, and the artist’s signature, @robmedleyart, is visible near the tree.Pirates in a small boat approach a large, ornate, and menacing galleon named “R. P. S. Shadow” on the open sea. One pirate points towards the ship while another with a colorful headscarf and wide-eyed expression looks back. The sky glows with sunset colors as they continue sailing forward.Painting of a mystical forest at night with a glowing full moon. An Ancestral Warden, humanoid with antlers, greenish skin, and glowing eyes leans against a tree. Silhouetted trees and a misty luminescent stream enhance the eerie, enchanted atmosphere.A painting depicts a stone castle with a tall, round tower situated on a rocky cliff overlooking a body of water. The sky is filled with soft, colorful clouds at sunset or sunrise, casting an Arcadian Echoes glow on the scene. Lush vegetation surrounds the castle.A colorful painting depicts a woman with her cat sitting by a roaring campfire in a forest. The scene is illuminated by the fire’s glow and a starry night sky overhead. Trees surround them, and foliage is visible on the ground, adding an enchanting touch to this forest pagan setting.Whispers of the AncientsWaves of Fortune
The painting titled Father Christmas is a captivating and atmospheric work that embraces both the mystical and traditional aspects of this beloved holiday figure. Set against a dark, mist-laden forest with moonlit branches, the scene evokes a sense of quiet solitude and timelessness. The artist’s choice of a muted, wintry palette of deep greens, blues, … Read more
“Peace on Earth” is an evocative acrylic painting that blends the tranquility of nature with a subtle, contemplative presence. The artwork depicts a serene winter landscape at dawn, with a raven perched solemnly on a snow-covered warrior, lost in some past battle. The background features a forest of evergreen trees dusted with snow, while the sky transitions from deep blue to soft pink hues, capturing the delicate light of early morning. The scene is calm and still, yet the raven’s watchful eye adds a touch of mystery, inviting viewers to ponder the deeper significance of peace amid the solitude of winter.
In this evocative winter scene, a grand, seemingly haunted mansion stands stark against the snowy landscape, its dark silhouette accentuated by the cold, pale light of dusk. The sky, painted in ethereal hues of blue and purple, hints at an impending nightfall, adding a sense of foreboding to the atmosphere. Bare, twisted trees frame the mansion, their skeletal branches reaching out like the hands of specters. In the foreground, a lone snowman stands sentinel, eerily juxtaposed with the ominous gathering of black birds perched on a nearby branch. The intricate play of light and shadow, combined with the rich textures and subtle color shifts, imbues the painting with a sense of mystery and quiet tension, inviting viewers to ponder the stories hidden within this hauntingly beautiful scene.
The painting, “Hidden Sanctuary,” captures the mystique of an ancient, forgotten temple nestled deep within a lush jungle, possibly in Cambodia, Thailand or Laos. Towering spires and intricately carved statues peek through the verdant foliage, hinting at a once-great civilization now lost to time. The scene is brought to life with rich, vibrant colors, highlighting the serene yet enigmatic ambiance of the ruins. A small chameleon, blending seamlessly with its surroundings, adds a touch of life to the serene landscape, embodying the timeless guardianship of the temple’s hidden secrets.
