Heron Flight

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

30 Paintings in 30 Days: January, 2015—Day 21 

Today is my son's 15th birthday. If there are such things a s spirit guides, My son's would be a Blue Heron. (See previous post here) So, here is a graceful heron gliding over the horizon of the lake. Happy birthday, son. 

Learning to Fly

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days: January, 2015—Day 17 

Last spring, I witnessed a baby robin learning to fly. His father coached him with worms. This painting is from an photo I caught of the two of them together in a beautiful family moment. After about 2 hours of mustering up the courage, the little boy learned to fly.

Flight of Inspiration

6"x6" Oil on Panel

with Palette Knife

NFS

30 Paintings in 30 Days: September, 2014—Day 20

Remember my post about my daughter's involvement in competitive jump rope? Well, this weekend, is a real treat for her. Some of the sport’s greatest athletes are in town to lead a rope-skipping workshop. These All-Stars give of their time to travel all over the world to further the sport of Jump Rope. Some of them you may have seen recently on television, competing on the show "America's Got Talent." 

One of these great athletes is Tori Boggs. She is a 9-time World Champion and a 14-time Grand World Champion. She holds 2 world records and is the current Captain of Team USA. And best of all, this weekend, Tori is our guest at home. If you can imagine Lance Armstrong, Peyton Manning, Shawn Johnson or Kristi Yamaguchi coming to visit you and give you a training workshop, you might get a glimpse of what Tori's visit means to my daughter. 

So, today's painting is of Tori Boggs performing a skill called a TJ. The image was referenced from an Ohio State promotional video spotlighting Tori's talent. The painting is in honor of her devotion and service to the sport.

All of these champions are nothing less than stellar, both personally and professionally.  They represent the best and most noble spirit of the sport. And, I can think of no better role models for my daughter than these shining stars. 

Blue Heron

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge—Day 28.

The Great Blue Heron will always hold a special place in my heart. On the day that my son was born, the bird mysteriously showed up in a field that backed up to my yard. Ever since then,  the Great Blue Heron has made his presence known around milestones in my son's life. This graceful creature reminds me that my son is part of a larger community, and belongs to someone greater than all of us.

Hummingbird

6"x6" Oil on Gessoed Panel

with Palette Knife

SOLD

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.