landscape

Night Light

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A glowing paper lantern illuminates a dark, vibrant night scene with bright light. Surrounded by tree branches and leaves with hints of red and orange, the night light creates a striking, cozy contrast against the deep, colorful background.

Night Light is the first attempt to create the scene I was envisioning as a painting.  I realized too late, that I had made the street lamp too big relative to what I wanted to happen around it.  I would have needed a canvas three times the size to keep the perspective of what is in my head.  I therefore made the reluctant decision to leave it as is and start another canvas using the street light theme.

In the meantime, I hope you like the results of this one, as it has a few quirks to it.  Also, I hope you stick around for what will be the ultimate realization of the vision I have for the scene.


The scene here is reminiscent of what I see when I go for my evening walks.  I’m infatuated with light, and any unusual display of it will stop me in my tracks.  It’s kind of like “Shiny Object Syndrome”, only literally.  There’s a tree and street light combination on the corner of my block that inspired this painting.

This is 18″x24″, acrylic paint on canvas, April 27, 2017.

Castle’s Fall

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Nestled in the hills overlooking the sleepy valley, the Sandmen of Castle Dream-guard keep watch on the distance.  For in the far-off mists the armies of the nightmare realm gather for their nefarious purposes.

The castle is modeled on my favorite, Lichtenstein Castle.

Spray Paint and Acrylic on Canvas, 18 x 24.  Unframed. Available for purchase here.

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Harvest Knights

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A surreal painting depicts a vibrant, oversized orange moon against a pink and purple sky. In the foreground, a lush landscape with tall, dark trees and dense foliage evokes the Rites of Spring. A small arched bridge crosses a tranquil stream, with mysterious ruins to the right.

“Harvest Knights” Acrylic and Spray Paint on Canvas, 18 x 24. Deep in the night, under the blood moon a pair of knights rush along a deserted road, past ruins of long forgotten folk towards an urgent engagement. At least that’s the idea. The skills never match the concept.

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Rites of Spring

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A surreal painting depicts two gnarled trees with twisting, leafless branches against a dramatic gradient sky, reminiscent of the Rites of Spring. The ground is covered in warm-toned, orange-brown grass, with a small patch of vibrant green plants and colorful flowers in the foreground.

Deep in the night as the vernal equinox reaches its apex; while the moon blankets the land in cold light; the sleeping children of Nature stir.  The trees begin the dance of awakening, twisting and undulating in reverent celebration.  Their movement coaxes the Earth Mother to coalescence; like the creation of a galaxy, swirling, spinning, concentrating the forces of life against those of decay. The first buds begin to bloom, a supernova of light their birth cry – Spring has arrived.

That was the thought.  I’m fascinated with the pagan past of humanity, wrapped in rich mysticism which is completely the opposite of the modern fascination with the cold facts of science.  This interest is reflected in this painting.

P.S. There are no people in the painting.

The painting itself is a mix of spray paint and acrylic brushwork.  It is flawed, at least I see the big flaw, but until I figure out how to fix it without destroying the composition, I guess its finished.  The dimensions are 18 x 24. It’s for sale at $200 plus shipping (should be about $20, I’ll pick up anything above that).

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Back to my Roots

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A painterly depiction of a serene January night sky with a full moon partly hidden by misty, dreamy clouds. Below, vibrant swirls of green, yellow, and blue tones suggest a lush landscape illuminated in A Light Study fashion, interspersed with delicate white star-like specks.

I usually can’t sleep at night, so I took the pre-dawn hours and cleaned my garage in order to set up a spray paint booth. It’s much more sophisticated than what I was using when I started (and easier on the back). I even did a doodle to test it out. I know it’s not my standard work, but it is a doodle.

My plan is to mix the spray paint and brush techniques I’ve been using over the last several years and bring them to coalescence.

The Path and the Process

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I suppose I should talk a little bit about my process.  Every artist goes about her or his projects in a different way.  Most will sketch whatever comes to mind and come back to it later.  For me, I don’t use sketch books.  My ideas usually hit me either when I’m out getting some exercise … Read more

Getting Past the Background

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I’m finding it challenging to overcome a a certain aspect of painting.  I’m not sure about other artists, but backgrounds are my problem.  I’m not saying they’re challenging in that they are hard to paint, rather, that I find that I paint them in a way that I’m hesitant to alter them with what is … Read more

Tying It All Together

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I’m always practicing new techniques. This was an attempt at capturing the vision of running water through a forest.  The cool thing about practice, is that a piece can turn out horrendous, absolutely beautiful or somewhere in between, but it doesn’t matter.  I’ve already professed a love of nature, and have been trying to improve … Read more

Abstract Art

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As I post this, I have been on a viewing tour of the art museums in Baltimore and Washington DC.  Apparently, I was subconsciously impressed by what I saw in the abstract collections. I’ve done several works in the abstract vein as a result; drawing upon the likes of Gauguin, Seurat, Van Gogh and Cézanne … Read more