For Amanda & Beth

Ink on kozo paper - 12x18

I spent the morning entertaining two grand neices - Katherine and Lily Platte.  We drew cats and dogs and unicorns and butterflies.  We used charcoal and pencil and water color and lots of paper.  Finally, the girls wanted me to paint something "Florida" with palm trees and grass and flowers for their mother, Amanda, and their sister, Beth.  This is the result.  I must admit there is more love than skill in this painting.

Seaoat Exuberance

Ink on paper - 11x18

I love the abstract intertwining of the seaoats and the sense of freshness they present. This quick painting is an expression of exuberance after a day crowded with other tasks.  At the end of the day, I ground some ink, tore a piece of paper to size, and expressed my satisfaction with the events of the day.

JCVA Entries Spring 2011

December Road - Pastel on UArt, 21x15

Gull's Beach - Oil on Canvas, 12x9

I am entering these two works in the Jacksonville Coalition for the Visual Arts (JCVA) Spring Show.  I have shown both of these works in earlier entries, but I'm showing them here in their frames.  The pastel is mounted, matted, and framed behind museum glass, but the photo is taken without the glass. 
There's a story behind that - when I was finishing the framing last night, I dropped the glass.  While it was "out," I took this photo - no glare at all.

Trophies from Iowa

Culvert and Stream

The Old Tree in the Rain

Full page spread

Watercolor on paper - 8.5 x 5.5 - WC Sketch Book

Here are my trophies from Iowa.  These were done inside from sketches because the rain seemed to be constant.  I was trying out a new Watercolro Sketch Book.  I like the results.

Path Beside the Water

Ink and Watercolor on paper: 12x18
I had a few minutes late this evening, and I got out some old washi paper.  I wanted to see how it took the ink and color.  This is the experiment and expression.  Perhaps the last few days are expressed in the path over the bridge, up the stairs, and into the unseen distance.

Sea Oats

Ink on kozo - 5.5x16

This is a line study of sea oats.  They grow sparsely and their heads wave in the breezes.

I have thought about doing this or something like it all day, but interruptions and distractions....

Gull's Beach

Oil on panel - 12x9

The concept behind this painting was some sketches and photographs I took last winter when the beach was all but deserted by all but a flock of sea gulls - thus the title, "Gull's Beach."  The weather was calm, but a swell was coming in from the Atlantic. The sunlight on the gulls cast long reflections in the wet sand.

I began this painting on March 23, but coutless interruptions and changes and wipe-outs delayed its completion until today.

Daily Study - Pine Branches

Ink on paper - 18x12

The strenghth of the old pine dominates this painting. The old pine shows strength and anticipation, not anger or defiance.


I did this study late last night. I didn't want a day to get by without doing something.  I think it turned out well.

Green Candles II

Ink & Watercolor on kozo - 12x18



This was a day filled with distractions, but I managed to work this sketch in late in the afternoon.  I wanted to show the tree trunk as foundation and project the branch into the foreground.  I think it works.