moon

The Watcher

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My favorite time of the year is here, Fall/Halloween. I’ve geared up the darker art to celebrate. This one I call “the Watcher”. I love gargoyles, so I painted one. The bushes are a combination of fantasy and berries I encounter on my daily walks. 

Techniques used include spray paint, acrylic paint, brushwork, finger-painting,  and the use of these styrofoam balls one can find in a craft store.

I wanted to do rain, but you can’t have a full moon in view with rain falling, apparently. I wanted to keep that accuracy.

Ghost in the Well

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A surreal painting shows a lone figure meditating beneath an abstract, twisted tree. The landscape features red, swirling shapes resembling eyes, leading to a staircase that ascends to a cliff where the whispered legend of the Ghost in the Well beckons. The sky is a deep blue, creating a mystical atmosphere.

This piece was initially the result of a dream. I went through many versions in my head before I settled on something I could actually execute on canvas.  The overall tone comes from my subconscious, of course – that sense of helplessness in a world bigger than you.  The subject is a girl trapped in a well, the moonlight streaming down to comfort her in her prison.  She’s not seen another soul for decades, yet still wonders if someone will come to her rescue.  Humanity, it seems, has passed the girl by, yet Nature, in a moment of tenderness has forged a place for her in the natural order.

20 x 24, abstract mixed media (spray paint and acrylics) on canvas, February 2017.

Available on Etsy: Being Koi

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Flight of the Raven

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A vibrant painting depicts a large, luminous moon surrounded by colorful clouds against a pink and orange sky. In the foreground, a dark blue bird with bright, reflective eyes appears to gaze toward the moon, an enchanting moment in the Flight of the Raven, framed by abstract, swirling shapes and colors.

My first finger-painting since the third grade.  I’ve always wondered how effective it would be. The answer? For a guy with big fingers, I can’t get any detail.  I’m going back to brushes for the next one, but it was fun to ‘roll around in the mud’, if you will, and stretch my wings.

As I’ve said, no brush touched this canvas.  It looks like it, right? The story, a raven soars in the evening sky, trees below and a gibbous moon riding high in the sky, illuminating it’s coat as it searches for a throne upon which to perch… or something like that.

Acrylic finger-painting on canvas (good thing its not the Middle Ages, where this stuff was not cheap). Comments welcome, I have mostly thick-skin 🙂

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Eye of Heaven

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A painting features a dark central circle with a glowing, textured spot in the middle, resembling the Eye of Heaven, surrounded by vibrant streaks of blue, green, and orange radiating outward. The colorful patterns give a sense of energy and movement contrasting with the dark core.

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If you ever look at a human eye up close, it’s one of the most beautiful natural creations. I was thinking of this when I started this project.  At the same time, I wanted to create the impression of what one would see looking up at the moon.  The moon here represents the reflection of natural light in the eyes, where the forest is the myriad of colors that make up the rest.  It’s also a reflection on life, eternity, and the wonder of natural things.

Mixed Media (really because of the pumice I used to make the moon (it’s somewhat 3-D) on canvas, 11 x 14, and already sold.

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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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.