Old Path

 Pastel over watercolor - Arches paper

"Old Path" 5x7 pastel over watercolor. This is a color / value / composition exercise for a possible larger painting. I have tied to a create a nealy-abstract landscape.

Expectations - Path 5

Pastel on UArt, 6x9

I am always inspired by the early morning fog that saturates the pines and woodlands through which I go.  The trees recede into mist, and the pathway ahead is shrouded in delightful mystery.

Intradune Marsh, Anastasia Island

Pastel 9x12 on Wallis

I chose this view because of the contrast in linearity between the oaks and cedar in the foreground that show their bulk and roundness, the intradune marsh with is generally flat and horizontal, and the dunes in the distance which offered the horizontal with variations.  From where I had to stand, there was a large sign blocking more than half of the left side of the scene, so I had to walk a few steps forward to be able to see the image I was trying to paint.  I widened the path and removed some of the shrubs to give a view of the marsh and dunes.
This painting was originally done as part of a workshop with Kathleen Galligan.  The painting has been put away in a box for three years.  I got it out of storage last week, and today I retouched and adjusted the colors and values.

The Guardian

Pastel on Arches, 14x18

This painting is available, $250.00.  If interested, contact me.

This pine tree towers above the open meadow by the pond at the Arboretum.  This piece was originally done en plein air at the "Brush with Nature" paint-out.  Since the painting did not find a new home, I took the liberty to touch up the shadows and the highlights at Patty's suggestion.  The result speaks for itself.

"Thru the Oak Thicket"

Pastel on UArt 600, 9x12

To purchase on E-Bay, click here.

The woodland in front of Pablo Bay will be developed in the next year, and all the trees will be gone.  This painting was done from a photo I took some weeks ago, but the photo was out of focus. 

I've taken some license with the photo and added my own expression.  I pushed some of the color and the values and added detail where it seemed to be needed.  This small piece was done with the possibility that it could be developed into a larger work.

This picture was up on E-Bay under a different title - "Path to St. Paul's 1" - and did not sell.  I went back and punched up the shadows with some purple and lavender.  I removed the original photo and replaced it with the update, changed the name of the painting, and lowered the price.

"The Stairs of St. Barnabas"

Pastel on UArt - 8.5x5.5

Whenever Barnabas is mentioned, he is helping or accompanying another in the work of the gospel.  These are called the “the Stairs of St. Barnabas” because the pathway leads from the fields, and the stairs aid the weary laborers up the last steep slope to the level road beyond.  So it is in life – when weary with the work we must do, how welcome it is to have a Barnabas to come and help or just to walk beside us.

This piece was done on UArt using only NuPastels.  I like the combination of the hard pastels with the texture of the UArt paper.  I planned this painting to work out the design, values, and colors for a larger work.

I am debating how to offer this painting for sale.  If you are interested, contact me

"Late Day, Winter"

Pastel on Wallis, 18x12

This view of one of the old trails in the woods near Pablo Bay.  Late in the day, the sun slants across the trail leaving long, dark shadows.  There are few oak trees in this section, and the pine trees give it almost the air of an ancient church with a high roof and great stained glass windows.

There were a few maple trees that still had some yellow and orange, but most of the color had gone leaving the evergreen and gray of our southern winter.

Received Honorable Mention - 2012 Summer JCVA Show (Jacksonville Coalition for the Visual Arts)

"Sense of Passing"

Pastel on sanded gatorboard, 14x10

To purchase, click here
This painting was done from photos, drawings, and notes I made in the woods near Pablo Bay.  There are survey stakes all through the woods and new access roads being cut.  I wanted to get as much information and painting done here as possible - the woods may soon be a construction zone.

The day was overcast with few and infrequent breaks in sunlight.  The colors of winter dominated the scenes, but the gray overcast kept them muted and somber.

Everything seemed to be passing - the sun, the day, the weather, and soon the woods themselves.

I did make another confirmation as I worked on this piece.  I do not have to "explain" everything in the picture. The suggestion made with color and value does not need to be an explicit shape. I know this is true, but I still struggle with minimizing details.

"So Many Ways to Go"

Pastel on gatorboard, 14x11

SOLD

I did this painting on request.  I found this oak tree in the woods near our house.  The old hunting trails go in everywhere direction from here, and the sunlight gets through the trees making the pine straw and fallen leaves sparkle with color.  There are deer tracks everywhere!

Note - October 24, 2011.  The person for whom this was painted, selected another painting instead, so I did some revisions this afternoon.  I tried to punch up the value separations some - I like it better.

Sandy Pathways

Oil of canvas panel - 12x9

En Plein Air

Sold

These converging / diverging paths in the woods caught my attention as did the live oak with the yellow/orange leaves. At this time of year, the live oaks lose their leaves - some before others - and the contrast of dark green against the golden yellow was the part of the scene that caught my eye.

This panel was painted en plein air at the Ringhaver Park as part of the First Coast Plein Air Painters paint out. This particular scene is well off the paved path, and I only saw one other painter all day.