forest

Ember’s Embrace

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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.

From the imaginative halls of the Flights of Fancy Gallery in New York City, the latest exhibition presents a captivating painting that invites both admiration and contemplation. Titled “Ember’s Embrace,” this piece is a striking exploration of contrast and emotion.

The artist employs a vivid color palette that masterfully captures the ferocity of fire against the tranquility of a forested backdrop. The night sky, awash with hues of purple and speckles of white, suggests a cosmos that is both distant and intimately connected to the scene below. The foreground is dominated by a fiery silhouette that seems to draw energy from the flames enveloping it, creating a focal point that is as enigmatic as it is commanding.

“Ember’s Embrace” showcases a blend of techniques, with textured brushwork that adds a tactile depth to the forest, contrasting with the smoother strokes that define the figure and flames. This juxtaposition can be seen as a metaphor for the chaotic nature of life and the pursuit of inner stillness amid turmoil.

A woman sitting in front of a bonfire in the woods, her cat beside her.

However, the composition does leave room for improvement. The balance between light and shadow is somewhat uneven, with certain areas of the forest receiving less definition, which detracts from the overall depth. Additionally, while the central figure is mesmerizing, its contours and the interplay with the flames could be refined to enhance the illusion of movement and transformation.

In conclusion, “Ember’s Embrace” is a commendable piece within the imaginary Flights of Fancy Gallery’s collection. It demonstrates the artist’s bold use of color and their ability to invoke emotion through abstraction. While certain technical aspects could be honed, the painting remains a testament to the enduring power of art to evoke wonder and introspection.Forest

Woman on a Pedestal

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I was going to try my hand at making music again today. You didn’t know I composed music? Trust me, the gods don’t want you to know. if you’re a glutton for punishment, there’s four albums worth buried somewhere on my website. But I digress! I was going for a spin on ye old FL studio and was, like, “today I feel like a better artist,” so, here you go. It’s a Sorceress, Druid, or Witch Queen harnessing the elements atop the crumbling ruins of a lost civilization. Seems fitting for our times, or at the minimum to satisfy my ennui. How’d she get atop a column so high? Magic, women’s intuition, or artistic license. I just put her there, she’s on her own getting down.

Happy Earth Day 2021

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As the title says, please take this time to enjoy the oxygen the plant life on this rock give you and the symbiotic return of your hot air for them to recycle. Please sort your recyclables and ensure your tray is up and seat in the upright position as the Earth celebrates another solar birthday. oh, I’ve created some digital art to boot.

Snowbound

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During a harsh winter, she’s lost her way. The torch has died, the wind impossible. She comforts her companion, using her mana to create some warmth. Then, off in the forest, she sees someone, a stranger looking at her, wearing clothes unlike she’s ever seen before. Who is this person looking through a portal at her?

Aurora 

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A vibrant painting depicts a night sky filled with green and white splashes resembling stars, nebulas, and hints of an aurora. Below, a forest of leafless trees is rendered in dark red hues, creating a striking contrast against the illuminated, cosmic background.

Like most of my paintings, this one started off in another direction. I tend to go where my artistic Muse takes me, so planning is the first thing out the window. 

I started playing around on the canvas and eventually ended up with this. The scene in the painting is ostensibly a forest under the night sky, in abstract form, of course.  I named it ‘Aurora’ because it reminded me of a bucket list item, seeing the Aurora Borealis. 


A variety of techniques went into the creation of the artwork. I assume they have proper names in the art world, but I used a combination of wet canvas / color bleed, spatter (as the result of playing air-drummer while my favorite music was on), and using black gesso to fill in the branches.

Overall, I’m going with a win for the rescue of the painting. 18×24, acrylic on canvas, April 30, 2017.

The Forest

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The Forest scene features towering redwood trees with thick, reddish-brown trunks. Sunlight filters through the canopy, casting soft, natural light onto the forest floor, which is covered in green foliage and plants. Shadows and light interplay throughout the image.

I originally was going to use this as a background for a Halloween painting. Halloween has come and gone, and so I decided to let it stand on its own.  Most people don’t appreciate the woods, but every time I’m in nature, I feel that connection between man and the environment. So, while the painting may be boring in a media-filled, sound-byte ridden world, I think there’s a certain peace to it.

New techniques to be found in this? Linear painting, maybe? I’m mostly practicing things I’ve developed in the past.  The hardest part of art , in my opinion, is getting light right in the woods, as there are so many contrasting areas of light and dark colors. Throw in streaming sunlight and one is tempted to cast aside the brush and bow to nature’s perfection. This is an imperfect representation of that beauty.

18 x 24, acrylic on canvas. Part of the closet series.

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