Abstracts

Two recently completed paintings.

24X24 Ocean Moonlight and the other is 24X24 Memories

Mahi Mahi

I've been wanting to paint a
Dolphin fish ( Mahi Mahi) for a while and here it is.
They are so beautiful in the ocean.
I really enjoyed doing this painting!

Here are some interesting facts about this fish:
The dolphin fish has bright turquiose, green and yellow patterns, which fade almost immediately upon death. This species may be distinguished from the pompano dolphin by its 55-66 dorsal fin rays, and a very wide and square tooth patch on the tongue.

Biological description:

Dolphin are fast growing, prolific and have a short life span - an average of 5 years. Average fork lengths for males and females ranges from 34 to 55 inches. Males grow faster and usually live longer than females. The spawning season varies with latitiude. Dolphin collected in the Florida Current spawned from November through July, and those collected from the Gulf Stream near North Carolina were reproductively active during June and July. Small females may spawn 240 thousand pelagic eggs, and fish larger than 43 inches may spawn several million. Dolphin are attracted to Sargassum, a floating brown alga, which serves as a hiding place and source of food. Other sources of food associated with the Sargassum include small fish, crabs, and shrimp. Dolphin may also pursue fast -swimming fish, such as flying fish or mackerels. Often man made garbage is entangled in the floating Sargassum, and is consumed by dolphin, which do not recognize the waste as a non-food item. Plastic wrappers, small light bulbs, rope and string have been removed form the stomachs of dolphin.

Green Parrot

Here's one of my favorite paintings. I love birds with all their beautiful colors.

Playful Art

I've been playing with this style of art and really love the fun of painting these!
The are very whimsical and I hope you like them.

New Work

Well it's been a while since I updated my blog.....this was due to recent shoulder surgery and a rather long recovery. Things are looking up now however and it's time to get back in the swing of things.
Here are a few of my newest abstract paintings for your enjoyment. Please feel free to leave a comment if you so desire.

New Abstract Paintings

I've recently been exploring more abstraction in my painting and find that I really like the freedom it presents. Here are two of my latest explorations, they are acrylic on canvas and measure 22"X22".
The first picture is called Vieux Carre' because of the colors which remind me of Mardi Gras. This Carnival season is just around the corner!
The second painting was spontaneous and after closer inspection I realized it strongly reminded me of a road, a bridge, and the ocean so it is called Road to the Beach.
I hope you enjoy these as much as I enjoyed painting them.

Playa Del Carmen, Mexico November Trip 2009

We needed a get away so we headed down to "Playa" Playa Del Carmen, Mx. This was a great chance to unwind and also visit some places we have wanted to see for some time now.
We had a great trip down to Chitzen Itza and saw one of the 7 wonders of the world, the great Mayan Pyramid there. Part of the tour included a stop at one of the early Spanish settlement towns, the Church was built in the 1500's. It will make a good painting. We stopped at an underground cenote to cool off.

Angels

Save as Draft

These Angels were inspired by my desire to use an old world pallet of burnt sienna, yellow ocher and paynes gray, also included was titanium white. I have been reading about impressionistic painters, Manet, Monet and others. I also attended an impressionistic abstract workshop recently.
I was working with a painting that I could not complete this idea came to me for the angels and I quickly painted a series of them.

The latest in a series I call Key Largo. I used acrylic gel for texture on the Angel Fish and then a smaller version. I also used quite a bit of glazing for this piece. Overall I am OK with the way it turned o

ut.

My Coco

I have a little Yorky who's name is Coco. He has been a part of our family for going on 14 years now.
We had so much fun with him throughout the years, seems like yesterday we were bringing him home from Nashville where he was born.
He's been on vacation with us many times. He loves to go boating and chasing squirrels .
I painted this little pic of Coco a while back on osb board and just wanted him on my blog as an honor to our beloved pet.

This is the second painting in a series I call Key Largo. I love the underwater world with it's vas array of colors, shapes, and textures. It is truly a world of it's own and I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to visit there. Angel fish are some of the most colorful and beautiful fishes. This painting is dedicated to them.

I recently tried a new line of paints. They are Holbein Acryla and boy are they vibrant. Also the consistency is wonderful making it so easy to blend. I was really thrilled with the way this pelican looks. I painted it on Friday and it sold on Saturday. I will be doing a few more of these. I painted this on OSB board.

Floral Study

I belong to an Artists Co Op Gallery in Fairhope, Al. The town is well known for it's artist's community. I have been mostly selling my art down at the beach.
The artistic tastes in Fairhope are much more eclectic. This is a great place to learn.
I work in the co-op gallery every other Friday. There are so many excellent, polished artists in this co-op I still can't believe I am really among them.
I am working on a few different things lately other than beachy, you know so much to do and so little time, it is frustrating. Here's an UNFINISHED piece that is really a surprise for me....it's not half bad. Fast sketch and loose painting.
I would really love to paint all day every day but gotta pay the light bill for now with my day job.
I will post the finished piece when it's done.

worked on this a little more...I think it's finished....

I worked on this flora yesterday. I'm really liking the florals.

Abstract

I'm very interested in doing some abstract art...the sky's the limit there. I'm working on a few ideas and this is one I tried and I like it. Don't ask me how it happened. It just did.
Any ideas for a name? I have a few choices but what do you think?

Beach House

I was asked to do a painting for some folks who live close to Nashville Tn.
They wanted a beach with a little cottage and they wanted it on OSB Board for the texture. The size is 24X36". They are in the process of picking the one which will work best with their decor.

New Generation of Mermaids

I have been working on a new generation of Mermaids. These are painted on pressed wood and I think they have evolved nicely from the original form that I started with. I have embellished some of them with beads as hangers to give them a little more whimsy. They also have names: this one (yellow) is Ann and she is a Kind Hearted Mermaid. The green one is Coleen and she is an Irish Mermaid.

Key Largo I

This is my latest large painting it is 24"X48".
My inspiration of course came from our many scuba diving trips. The name for this painting is Key Largo I. The water there is shallow usually around 30 feet which makes for a long dive time since you're only at 1 atmosphere of pressure and use very little air.
The reefs in the Keys are very beautiful and the fishes are so plentiful. I just love diving there. I hope to do more in this series hence the name Key Largo I.
Let me know your thoughts about this painting since this is the first in a seriers.

Wine and the Pewter Fish

This still life painting is one I wanted to enter in a local Juried Art Show.
The wine is imported from Chile. We found it in Mexico and also here at home. The pewter fish platter was bought in Playa from a little shop close to our place there. The shop sells talavera and pewter.
I thought these elements would make a nice painting. What do you think?

all images are copyrighted

Birds of a Feather

I love birds! They are gods creatures. It is very hard to capture the beauty of a bird in paint.
The Herons and Pelican are local to my coastal home. We live in the Wolf Bay area and I see them in my back yard the water birds are very abundant here.
The Macaw was a picture a friend took down in Mexico at a bird aviary. I thought he had a lot of personality and attitude.
Here are some of the birds I love.

New Palette Colors

This was a commission . The client wanted neutral colors.
So I'm glad I was lead down this path. I think the oster shell turned out beautiful!
I'll let you decided for yourself.