Mango pair

Another little studio painting between larger pieces. Mangos must be in season, wherever they come from, they were only a dollar a piece at the grocery store. Very tasty and hard to paint. It's difficult to achieve a three-dimensional look while trying to capture all the varied colors.
Oil, 6" x 6"

Small works

I've been working on some small pieces in the studio the past couple of weeks. There's an upcoming show I want to enter, but it is also both good practice and satisfying. It's nice to be loose and bold and not worry about messing-up a big canvas. And it's nice to have a finished piece in an hour or two.

Here are a couple that were done with plein air and photo reference from my trip last year to Kauai.


Outriggers, oil, 6" x 6"


Hanalei view, oil, 6" x 6"

A winter day

Here's a little winter scene I finished recently--to go along with our weather here in the Midwest. We got about 18" of snow in my neighborhood last night. I shoveled for a couple of hours then into my studio for some good painting time.

Winter shore, oil, 9" x 12"

Snow and a show

I have finally gotten around to painting a seasonal scene. A warm location is always my first choice, but winter shadows on a sunny day are hard to resist. One of the things that attracts me to a subject like this, is contrast: shadows vs. light, cool vs. warm, sharp focus vs. soft. These things can make about any subject more interesting and dynamic. Trying to capture them is one of the reasons I don't get tired of painting. Winter brook, oil, 14" x 10"

On another note, I just installed artwork for a group show of the Glenview Art League at The BookMarket in the Glen Town Center. I was happy to find out another graphic designer/painter I knew joined the group: Deb Anderson. She has some great pieces in the show and she's also, like me, a North Park University alum.

More palms

I almost forgot about this one from my trip. Started on the beach with the other painters from the workshop, we were interrupted by a sunshine shower. Finished it up when I got home. Palms at Manele, oil 12" x 12"

I've been putting off winter subjects. I think I need try one next.

One more from Lanai

My last afternoon on Lanai I painted this little one near the Four Seasons Manele Bay resort. All the essentials of a tropical paradise: warm sunshine, golden sand, turquoise surf, and rustling palm fonds. I worked on this for an hour or so, and could resist the call of the ocean no-longer. A great place to snorkel.

Ocean front, oil, 8" x 6"

Another Sweetheart

Another view of Sweetheart Rock on Lanai. I'm always drawn to scenes with distant as well as foreground subjects. The afternoon light made the rock so dimensional and I love the blues and purples of the islands of Maui and Kahoolawe. Afternoon at Sweetheart Rock, oil, 10" x 16"

And here are a couple of shots of our workshop group painting around this little bay that day.