canadians crossing

Canadians Crossing
4x6" | sold

evening cafe

Evening Cafe
7x5" | $55

river crawfish

River Crawfish
5x7" | $55

Please leave me a comment. And if you’re interested in purchasing this or any other painting, contact me with the name of the painting you’re interested in. Thanks!

sailboat

Sailboat
5x7" | sold

This was painted from a reference photo I took while at the art market in Madisonville. A lone sailboat on the banks of the Tchefuncte River (yeah, I had to look up how to spell it).

December's Painting-a-Day

For the month of December, I'll be posting a new postcard-size painting every weekday. Yes, I've got a few already finished ahead of time (it would be difficult for me to find the time and motivation everyday during the Holidays). So, stay tuned and contact me if you would like to purchase any of these. (It starts tomorrow)

Taking better photos

With Thanksgiving in a couple of days, and the Christmas season hot on it's tail, I thought I'd throw up a
quick post on taking better photos - just general tips. Hope they are helpful. Here we go:

1. Fill the frame - too many great smiles disappear when they are a mere fraction of an inch in the photo. Get up close and use your zoom lens if your camera has one - fill the viewing area with that great smile.

2. Be aware of everything in the frame - sometimes a good photo is ruined by distractions in the background. Make sure to check everything in the viewing area before taking the picture. Is there anything distracting behind your subject? Is there a better angle that would make a better photo? For instance, in the photo of the teacup to the right, the dark shirt of the person in the background provides a perfect foil for the light cup and saucer in the foreground - had the angle been lower, the photo might have been ruined with too much white in the background

3. Think about your shooting angle - This especially comes up with shooting pets or kids (with cameras). When taking photos of kids or pets, get down on their level - this can be inconvenient sometimes, but trust me, it makes a big difference in your photography.

4. Camera orientation - Most photos are probably taken with the camera held horizontally, but don't forget you can also take vertical photos. Be willing to change the camera's orientation depending on the subject matter - if the subject matter is mostly vertical, like an individual or, I don't know, a candle, it would be harder to fill the frame with a horizontal shot . . .

5. Use a flash indoors and out - Your camera's flash is good for low-light, indoor shots, but also good in bright afternoon sunshine. When the sun is high in the sky, facial features lose all nuiance - dark shadows fill the eye sockets and beneath the chin, not to mention underneath hats. To make a better portrait, try facing your subject(s) away from the sun (to reduce squinting in your subjects) and shooting with the flash engaged (to brighten up the face).

6. Take lots of photos - snap away. The more photos you take, the better your chance of getting a great one. That said, don't take the same photo more than twice (and only twice if you think someone was blinking in the first photo) - move around, get different angles and compositions. Here's one way: start with a broad establishing shot, then move in closer and closer to your subject, then move around the subject for different perspectives. Just a thought.

Well, that will get you started. For further reading, here's a link to Kodak's: Top 10 Tips for Great Pictures

In another post, I'll describe my post-processing secret-sauce that'll give your pics some professional polish. Happy Turkey Day!

horse and carriage - painting process

Just another painting process wherein I rough sketch the scene, fill it up with color, adjust the shapes and colors and lines, and finally start adding details and finishing the piece. Enjoy.

Horse & Carriage, 12x12" $100

After finishing this one, I realize I must be ready for Christmas...

met the artist

Just got back from the Meet the Artist shin-dig put on by Inside Northside Magazine (followed up by a burger meal at Outback). A great time was had by all. I'm a bit tired now, but I just wanted to post a big Thank You to all you who made it out tonight - it was great meeting you all, I'm sure :-) Thanks!

More later.

Ave. F - Bogalusa | painting process

Here's another painting process. Just a note: I failed to correct the white balance of these photos - they are, in reality, less yellow-brown in color - the photo of the finished piece is pretty close to correct. Not the most dynamic of subject matters, and this is one case where I like the photo still a little better than the finished painting. Still there are aspects of it I love - I'll point them out later. Here's the initial sketch:

...and I think that's one of the main reasons I like the photo better than the painting - notice that I cropped the photo severely to better match my canvas. I thought this would emphasize the center of interest better (the red building and its leaning metal pole), but in reality it lessened its impact. (Hindsight is 20/20)

And then it's just a matter of paint-by-numbers. Filling it all in with paint.

et cetera...

et cetera...

And adding in the darkest darks and lightest lights.

And starting to fiddle with things - adding the trees.

And then it's just more detail work, until the final piece:

Ave. F - Bogalusa - 11x14" - $75

The details I love about it are the telephone pole in the background - I left the initial china marker sketch and just painted around it. That gave it a nice effect, I think. Also the building just below the telephone pole - I like the way it turned out . . . almost a watercolor look to it. I also enjoy the sidewalk/curb running along the bottom - the waviness of the hand-drawn lines give it a certain charm i think. The colors are not quite as contrasty as in this photo, by the way, and be sure to click the photo for a closer look - otherwise those details cannot be appreciated.

I'm pretty sure I will be returning to this photo in the future - a wider-aspect canvas and a more muted color palette would work wonders, I'm sure. Any thoughts?

Two Quick Sketches

Ah, the elusive sketchbook. I always admired the idea of a sketchbook - always at the ready for a quick sketch in-between the goings and doings of real-world things. But practically speaking, I never quite got the sketchbook. Sure, I could fill up a sketchbook if it was for an assignment in art class - especially as a deadline drew nigh - but carry it around with me? Sketching those precious little vignettes of life at a moments notice . . . just for the joy and experience of it? Nah, I just didn't get it.

Well, I still don't carry one with me everywhere - nor do I find myself wanting to sketch much more than once or twice a week, truth be told - but I do find myself enjoying the finished product of my sketches of late. Who knows, I may even assemble them into a little book one of these days. Here are a couple of quick sketches of boats I drew the morning of the Madisonville art market, as I waited for the market to begin. Now that I think about it - these weren't in my sketchbook at all; they were sketched in my moleskinne. [Maybe I should at least get one without lines?]

Geese Landing #3

Geese Landing #3 | 12x12" $100

Inside Northside magazine article

I just noticed that the article on me in Inside Northside Magazine is available on their website. If you're interested in reading it and aren't able to pick up a copy where you are, here's the LINK.

Painting Process Roundup

I've done several posts in the past on the painting process - my painting process, that is - and I thought I'd dig those out and put them into the spotlight for anyone interested. So, here are four links - enjoy!

• Process: At the Big Table, in which I complete one of my favorite paintings


• Painting Process: Street Cars, in which I paint a New Orleans scene


• Marathon Portrait, in which I struggle with completing a face


• Pug Mug, in which I paint the mug of a pug

gallery change

I just changed up the gallery on the site. I used to have it hosted on a different site, but decided to move it back here and host it myself. So check out the new gallery page!

Madisonville Art Market

Yesterday was my first showing at the Madisonville Art Market. The weather was terrific all day, and the unobstructed view of the river was peaceful and worth the trip all by itself. Before the show started, I spent the morning watching a lone pelican making passes along the river, dive-bombing for fish, gulping them down, and taking to the air again (I think he had moved on by the time the market started).

The show got off to a slow start with only a handful of people strolling along the waterfront. My booth was the last booth but I frequently joked that it was, in fact, the first booth (a couple of people even thought this jest was humorous and gave a chuckle for my efforts). Before long, the parade of art lovers grew to a constant stream - never too much to handle, but satisfyingly steady - and most of the crowd made it all the way down to my end, despite the empty twenty foot (?) space between me and the "second" booth.

The photo above shows my meager setup - I put the American flag right up front to draw in the large contingent of Americans. In the afternoon, the breeze picked up a little - just enough, in fact, to pick a fight with most of my paintings, pushing them around a little and making a general disturbance of itself. One of the 11x14" paintings of my son, Mason, suffered a small gash when it was blown over by one of the larger gusts of wind - don't worry, I'll patch it up . . . shouldn't be a problem.

Long story short: I sold a couple of paintings, gave a LOT of business cards away, received a sizable number of compliments on my work, and met quite a few people interested in having a portrait or pet portrait done by me in the near future. What I was most impressed with was the high percentage of people who stopped by my booth and took the time to talk a bit about the art - that doesn't happen too often at these art markets, in my experience - the people of Madisonville must be above average :-)

I was also honored to get some praise from a few of my fellow artists yesterday - one was amazed with my sense of design and loose brushwork (I was, in turn, amazed with his tight brushwork - but that's how it goes, I guess), another gave me his thoughts on which of my styles I should focus on in the future (a question I had posed to him), he suggested that happy medium in which most of my paintings tend to dwell: halfway between realism and the abstract. "Make sure your paintings have movement," he went on to say, pointing to my New Orleans Street Car painting, "like that one." That made me happy because that was a direction I was already headed.

Anyway, this was a great show for me; a good confirmation of the direction I am headed. If I can only get myself on a more consistent work schedule, week by week, but this is a problem that has plagued me for some time now. Thanks to all those who came out yesterday in support of the arts. I am grateful for you.

That's all for now. Please leave me a comment, especially if you were in Madisonville yesterday!

Chocolate Puppy

Chocolate Puppy 20x16" $250

Just another cute puppy painting. Everyone loves a cute puppy painting.

Yet another website redesign

I keep returning to these simple, colorless web designs. I don't know what it is; it's just nice and clean. Anyway, let me know what you think - especially if you have an idea for improvement. I'll take it under advisement.

Also, my painting, "30 Minute Commute," is on the cover of Inside Northside magazine this month with a nice little article within. So that's something.

Four Dragonflies

Four Dragonflies 10x20" $250

Testing, Testing, Is This Thing On?

Madisonville Art Market - Saturday, November 8th

Located along the Madisonville riverfront. I'll be there!

Time of Recovery

The Northshore Art Market went well last Saturday, I thought. The weather was cooperative, and I sold enough small paintings to cover the booth fee for this one and the next. Thanks to everyone of you who stopped by long enough to have my business card slapped into your hands! A few of you even made allusions to wanting a portrait made in the near future (bless you - email me a photo and I'll get started right away).

Anyway. I returned home only to find a construction zone where our utility room used to be - don't get me wrong, I was expecting this. In fact, I had helped in the demolition of the utility room floor the day before (major flooding during Hurricane Gustov made the renovations a must). And so, after a brief nap I went to work.

...Skipping, skipping, skipping - and three work days later - I found myself finally able to rest. And rest...

So, tomorrow is Thursday and I think I will, at last, be able to actually do something creative (it was only today that I found myself able to imagine life without these aches and pains once again, though it may take the rest of the week for that to become a reality). Much of today was spent making lists - paintings I need to paint, items I need to purchase, emails I need to send, work I [still] need to finish around the house - and there is nothing like a good long list to get a person motivated and going and doing.

Sometimes there is work to be done - sometimes lots of work. For anyone else out there facing a time of physical or emotional difficulty, remember to take some time to recover. Remember that it's okay to do nothing. To reorganize. To plan ahead before getting back to the grind. Stephen Covey calls it "Sharpening the Saw" [GTD].

All that to say, expect more content soon!