someday fly
Update 8/11/16 ---I replaced the original image of the painting with the new painting (the painting was stretched to a slightly wider size and parts were repainted . . . notably, the edges were fixed and the diagonal leg of the swing set was removed and I added the bright red and yellow squares of color throughout the painting). I like the new look even better.
Someday Fly, 40x28", $900
tree of life (Etienne de Boré oak)
For this quick painting, I used a reference photo from Aaron Younce's Instagram:
"This is the Etienne de Boré oak, but locals call it the Tree of Life. I live a couple of blocks away from it and I ride past it all the time going to and from the shop. Sometimes I stop to just look at the tree for a while, or walk around under it. There's a little plaque under it that says it was planted around 1740. This is one bad ass oak tree."---Aaron Younce (instagram.com/atomictortoise)
Tree of Life (Etienne de Boré oak), 18x24", $375
backyard landscape
I feel like this one fits right in my artistic wheelhouse. Some of my paintings end up more abstract than this one and some end up more realistic---this one is where the two extremes shake hands. Hope you like it.
Backyard Landscape, 39x37", $1400
mad symphony #4
Returning to this abstract flower/landscape series with shades of blue and yellow and orange.
Mad Symphony #4, 30x40", $1200
cup of joy
Something about the vertical lines in the early stages of this painting caught my attention and took me in this colorful direction. The distorted perspective of the coffee cup only adds to the quirkiness of the finished painting, as does the energetic color combination.
Cup of Joy, 30x30", $1000
a couple of recent paintings I forgot to post
Just realized I never got around to posting these two paintings on the blog here. Both are very strong and have gotten great responses from Art Market audiences. And, as of this writing, both are still available for sale!
Chickadee, 36x30", $800 (no. 1041)
NOLA Streetcar, 30x40", SOLD (no. 1040)
cypress trees on lake st john
Landscapes [and waterscapes, in this case] are fun to paint. So many variations to be had, ranging from realism to utter abstraction, with none of the worries that can come from painting portraits, for instance (placement of eyeballs, adjustments of skin tone, etc.). This waterscape comes from a reference photo taken at Lake St. John, where my wife's folks live. I wanted a long, horizontal view, so I went with a three panel painting (triptych), at twenty inches tall. I kept the detail to a minimum and the feeling of the painting style loose. To complete the scene I added the suggestion of American coot in the middle-ground and the lone egret taking flight.
Cypress Trees on Lake St John, triptych, 20x53", SOLD
untitled blue #3
Fresh off the easel, this simple image is one I've painted before [and still have in my studio]. I thought it would do well in this larger format. The painting's calm, somber simplicity is only amplified at this larger size.
Untitled Blue #3, 48x36", SOLD
substratum #1
After a few weeks away from the easel, I returned and decided to lean even more heavily toward the abstract side of things with this piece I'm calling, "Substratum #1." I very rarely start and finish a painting in the nonobjective abstract realm. Usually there is some semblance of familiarity, even with my abstract work . . . a horizon line, something resembling trees or people, something recognizable. In that way, this one remains a mystery.
I like the color choices I made, keeping the primary colors, despite the dark, brooding atmosphere of the painting. Initially, I had the idea of going with a Sunday comics theme, the yellow, blue and red suggesting the newspaper ink, but somewhere along the way the idea changed into something else, perhaps something more substantial. And somehow the energetic, kinetic application of color throughout the painting is kept in check with the subtle black border, conveying less an idea of excitement and more of an idea of static, inner turmoil, in my opinion (though it might be seen by others as frantic energy I suppose; that's fine). Anyway, I like how it turned out, and I plan to do more like this.
Substratum #1, 39x37", $1200 (no. 1042)
another slow river
This is an image I've painted a few times now---something haunting about it, if I do say so myself. This is Algiers Point in New Orleans. See the painting process video below.
Slow River, 36x48", $1400 (no. 1039)
vaughen's lounge
Vaughen's Lounge is located in the Bywater area of New Orleans. I painted this from a reference photo I found online. It took me around two hours to complete. I like the cartoonish aspects of the piece (ie. the poles on the right) and the red-orange rust of the tin roof. Upon further consideration, I think I prefer paintings like this---paintings of real places rendered in an interesting style---paintings that evoke a memory of a place in time. See painting process video below.
Vaughen's Lounge, 36x48", $1400 (no. 1038)
louisiana live oak
Here we see a large original live oak painting with overt hints of Mardi Gras colors throughout. Detail down below and a video of me painting this piece will be up soon on my YouTube channel!
Louisiana Live Oak, 36x48", $1600
Louisiana Live Oak, detail
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