Sunlight Trio

6"x6"
Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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Here's a more representational painting form the lake. This one is of three sunlit hay bales across from us.

Summer Sunset

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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30 Paintings in 30 Days: January, 2015—Day 7

Thinking of warmer days last July. Sunsets are always worth preserving.

Summer's End

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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30 Paintings in 30 Days: September, 2014—Day 23

Farewell to summer.  This is a plein air quick study capturing the last light of a late summer day.

Red Hot Salvia

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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30 Paintings in 30 Days: September, 2014—Day 19

Still in a floral mood—this time for something boldly red.

Zinnias

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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30 Paintings in 30 Days: September, 2014—Day 18

Still in a floral mood. I just love the colors in the sweet perennials.

Sunchokes

8"x10" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

for the Friends of Warner Parks
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30 Paintings in 30 Days: September, 2014—Day 17

Today,  I went to the park to do some plein air painting for an upcoming event with the Chestnut Group. I came across these beautiful yellow flowers and I just had to paint them. Afterwards, I asked the park ranger what they were. She said they were Jerusalem Artichokes, also called Sunchokes. You can read all about them here.

Reflections of Summer

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: September 2014—Day 12

Another abstract. This one based on summer afternoon colors reflecting on water.

Sweet Gum Turning

8"x10" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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30 Paintings in 30 Days: September, 2014—Day 2

On the lake, the first trees to show their Autumn colors are the ones on the banks—whose roots closest to the cool lake water. These Sweet Gums, clinging to the lake shore, are especially eager to change color—even in late August. 

In the Rain

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

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30 Paintings in 30 Days: September, 2014—Day 1

Happy Labor Day. While vacationing on the lake, my first entry is a plein air painting in the rain. The rain softened the colors and turned the sky and water into beautiful shades of gray. To paint the rainy gray, I resorted to lessons learned from last September's 30 paintings. One of those days, I painted with a limited "Zorn" palette. I learned how just ivory black and white can make a very nice sky. I can't wait to discover what new things I'll learn from this year's 30 paintings.

Tune in every day this month to see a fresh, new painting. 
Have a great day!

Kicking Up A Spray

8"x10" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

NFS

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: January—Day 18.

It's hard to believe that my oldest child will be turning 14 in a few days. He is an amazing young man—full of energy and ability. As a baby, he went straight from crawling to running and has never slowed down since. So far, his achievements are high academics, 3rd Degree Black Belt in Taekwondo and First Class Boy Scout. His additional interests are gaming, reading, Model UN, drama, band (trumpet), snow skiing, and lastly, waterskiing. That is the inspiration for today's painting.

This is a portrait of my son slalom skiing last summer. He had just mastered how to "kick up a spray." It was a real challenge to paint. But like many of my paintings, what seemed impossible in the beginning, ended up to be a great painting. I'm really jazzed about how the spray turned out—and was surprised at the amount of detail I got in the figure.

So, Happy Birthday, my boy! Keep on running!

Lazy Days

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

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30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: January—Day 11.

One third of the challenge is behind me. Time to relax and take a break, at least in my artist’s mind, in these cozy adirondacks on the gulf. 

The Catch

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

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30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: January—Day 3.

Today was a bitter cold January day. So, my artist's eye went fishing for warmer inspiration. Today's painting comes from a photograph taken from one of my plein air adventures last summer.

On the day I was painting in the Elk River, there was a fly fisherman near by. He learned how to use the fly rod from a troop of Boy Scouts years ago and has been fishing that way ever since. My wife caught a great photo of him scooping up a nice trout. As I painted the sunset on the river, the man said to my wife, "I've seen a LOT of things in this river, but I haven't seen ANYONE paint."—another testament to why plein air painting is so special. 

I love the grace and elegance of fly fishing. I suppose it brings a therapeutic serenity similar to that of painting. I guess, in a way, were are both fishermen—standing in the middle of the river—sharing a peaceful passion to bring in a good catch.

Misty Morning Lake

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

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30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge—Day 23.

Today's painting is a plein air piece from the lake. It was a cool and misty morning—giving us a taste of Autumn weather.

Summer Harvest

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

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30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: September—Day 10.

One third of the challenge already painted and feeling good about the progress. I am seeing much more color in the things I see. I am able to capture light better than before. I have been experimenting with new strategies and approaches to these daily paintings. So far, I'm pleased with the results. Time management is getting better, but still a challenge. Compared to last winter, I feel less weary at this stage of the challenge. I guess it's like learning to be a runner. You gain more stamina and speed with each and every run.

Best of luck to all of you other artists doing the 30 in 30 challenge. 
I hope you are having as much fun as I am.

King of the Hill

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

NFS

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge: September—Day 2.

As a child, I used to play a game called "King of the Hill" with my friends. One player (the King) stands atop a hill (or ditch as in our case). Challengers climb the hill and wrestle the king. The one who ends up staying on top is the new king. 

In this plein air painting from the lake, a solitary bale of hay rests atop a hill. This bale has been challenging me to paint it for some time. The best time to paint it is in the late evening when the light is the strongest, but fades fast. In the spirit of the 30 in 30 Challenge, I dared to wrestle that hill with paint. 

It was a tough fight. First of all, the sun vanished behind a cloud just as I was beginning. It returned just in time for me to record the dramatic light effects before setting for the night. The colors changed so fast. I mostly had only values to work with with fleeting moments of color checks in the setting sun. Assaulted by mosquitos and with hands covered in paint, I finally finished the painting by dusk. 

Although the bale of hay still rests at the top of the hill in this painting, I feel confident that I have overcome the challenge and won the game.

A Midsummer's Eve

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife
$50.00 + Shipping

Click HERE to Purchase

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge—Day 30.

Summer evenings are magical times. As the setting sun casts cool colors on the countryside, the fireflies come out to play. This is a 6x6 version of a favorite painting I made this past summer. It think it is a fitting image to end this 30 paintings journey. As the project comes to a close, I look at what has happened over the last 30 days with amazement and gratitude. 

I am grateful to my family for their patience and support. I'm grateful for Leslie Saeta for initiating the challenge. Most importantly, I'm grateful for all of you. Your interest in my work is cherished more than you will ever know.

I have a feeling there may be many more of these little paintings to come. There is so much more I want to try to paint. There are still plenty of conceptual pieces I plan to paint as well. Tomorrow is new day. I wonder what new things that day will bring.

Seaside Joy

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge—Day 23.

Our family loves the beach. We try to vacation there every year. There is something about the beach that just rejuvenates and livens the soul. As I long for the beach on this winter day, I painted an image of my youngest daughter splashing around on the shore. It sums up all of the feelings I love most about our vacations by the sea. 

Going Swimming

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

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30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge—Day 22.

By mid summer on the lake, the water temperature is perfect. Walking out onto a dock, you might find the lake calling you, with gentle ripples and sunny reflections, to go for a swim. And if you get in, you may never want to get out again.

Hummingbird

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

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30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge—Day 10.

"What are you painting next, Dad?" 
That's the question my kids ask me every day now.  They look forward to coming home from school to discover what I've painted for the day. My youngest daughter, who is an aspiring painter herself,  has been asking me for a couple of days to paint a hummingbird, her new favorite animal. So, here is a little labor of love in honor of my daughter.

Light Show

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

NFS

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge—Day 9.

Every July, our family gathers at Cove Lake in Jacksboro, Tennessee. We spend the day playing, eating and singing songs together. At the end of the day, when most people travel into town to watch fireworks, nature puts on a beautiful light show of its own in these misty mountains.