"M" Cat #1

Click to Bid
Have you noticed that many cats have the letter M on their foreheads? This one's is very noticable. He looks like he is considering how nicely his name matches the sound he makes. MEOW!!
This piece is painted on gessobord that has a red underpainting.

ENJOY!!

McBully Mugface

Click to Bid

This great Bull dog looks to me like he is posing for a mugshot.  He isn't happy about it but is doing his best to look innocent.  I painted this doggie portrait on gesso board with a blue underpainting shown in the photo above.  I used a Tombow marker to do the drawing.  The advantage of using these markers is that they are water soluable allowing you to make changes in the drawing, but then the mark isn't affected by oil paint or mineral spirits so your drawing is saved.  Pretty neat .

ENJOY!!

Winter Aspens

Click to Bid

This is another winter landscape inspired by a hike in the snow in our neighborhood. I love Aspen trees, even in winter. I love the texture and colors in their bark and the gnarly shapes of their branches. This is painted on a board with a black underpainting, giving the piece a more graphic look.
Once again I found that I had to lighten some of the colors.  This is becoming a grand experiment, one that I am enjoying.

Old Friend

Click to Bid

In this painting, I am fondly depicting and old friend of mine. When I lived in Ohio, I frequently took a trail that passed under this tree while walking my dog. It was one of our favorite spots to walk and I loved seeing this tree. It's horizontal branch hung low and I always thought I would hit my head on it, but of course, being short myself, never did. It was especially nice walking here after a snow. It was always quiet and beautiful.  The path followed the river and afforded views of other wildlife as well.

ENJOY!!

Winter Hike at Silver Lake

The inspiration for this painting is from a photo I took while enjoying a winter hike in Big Cottonwood Canyon near Salt Lake City, UT.  It was a beautiful clear day among the pine forest surrounding Silver Lake.  I loved the sharp shadows cast on the snow and the texture of the trunks of the trees.  This piece is painted on a board that has been under painted in black.  One of the most difficult challenges in painting on black is remembering that colors appear darker because none of the color is reflected back from a light surface.  So many times I have had to lighten my colors to make them read the correct value.  It is a welcome challenge though because I love the graphic look of the completed painting.

ENJOY!!

Scrub Oak #1

Click to Bid

This small painting is a Daily Paintworks Challenge for the month of January.  The oak trees in Utah's higher elevations are small scrub oaks.  In contrast to midwestern oak trees where I was raised, they don't get very tall and they have tiny acorns.  But the leaves are just as beautiful and remain on the trees well into winter.  I collected this tiny branch on a recent winter walk into the hills surrounding our house. This piece is painted on a board with a black underpainting.

ENJOY!!

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Click to Bid

The inspiration for this painting is from a photo I found on the Morgue File.   I don't know about you, but I find sleeping dogs irresistible.  This bull dog looked like he was deep in sleep and I can just imagine he is having some good doggie dreams.
The piece is painted on gesso board with a black under painting.

ENJOY

Winter Glow

Click here to Purchase

This painting was inspired by a hike up into the Cottonwood Canyons near Salt Lake City, UT.
It was one of those bluebird days when the sky sparkled as much as the snow.  Walking through the forest was a spectacle in itself and we were treated to gorgeous views everywhere we turned.  I especially loved the quiet of the show covered terrain.  This painting is painted on a board with a black underpainting.

ENJOY!!

Distinguished

Click to Bid

This little Boston Terrier is ready to party, and he looks so distinguished in his red bow-tie.
I found his inspiring photo on the Morgue File and decided it was a good subject.  I liked his determined expression and wanted to take a stab at capturing it in a painting.  Many of my paintings start from photos,  and they are subjects that catch my eye in some way.  Most of the time, I change several things to make them a better compostition, and many times the color is adjusted. I have been experimenting with brightly colored underpaintings and find that I like the contrast, especially with simple subjects like this pup.

ENJOY!!

Curious Jack

Click to Bid

I found the photo reference for this painting on the Morgue File. I am a dog lover and though I am partial to larger breeds, I loved the expression on this little pups face. This painting is painted on a black toned board.

ENJOY