Woman in a Straw Hat-6x6-$50

$8 s/h
to purchase click on the "buy now" button to pay using PayPal or credit card

I fell in love with the pic this painting came from. i'm obsessed by it. i've looked for something like it on Flickr for a year. then one of my workshop students showed it to me in her pile of photos she thought she might want to paint. she was nice enough to make me a copy of it to paint. i love backlit ladies in beach hats. theyre so california impressionistic from the 20's and 30's. they capture my imagination.

This one will go thru quite a few renditions while i play with it, i'm sure.

Thanks for the pic Cookie!

Yellow Pepper-SOLD

8x6

A demo painting for the workshop class a few days ago. Who says it takes hours to paint a painting? this one was done in about 45 minutes and thats explaining what i'm doing as i go!

Orange Pepper-6x8

SOLD

Todays demo. i started painting everything as five different values of purple and then blotted it off so it wouldnt mix with what i put over it. see the purple remnant up in the far right top corner. you can faintly see other purple spots in the light green part of the table top. the purple and green are so close in value that i can leave parts of the purple unpainted and it doesnt shout "paint over me, PLEASE!" Thats how you know you have the values similar when you can hardly tell the difference between whats down and what you put over top of it.

then i mixed the real color and applied making sure that it matched the purple value i assigned each shape.

lastly, i showed the class how to put in the highlite on the pepper, blur the appropriate edges, and put a few finishing touches on it.

this is what i ended up with. done in less than 45 minutes.

The Attack-6x6

Wow! can you tell when the cold fall/winter weather hits in my neighborhood? if you follow my blog you know when you see still life's and figures from photos you know that old Mikey must be hanging out in the warm, dry studio right?

Conch Point Boat-5x7-SOLD

Did this demo painting today, the second day of the three day Morehead City Workshop. Love these three day workshops because i can take my time and explain the "how to's" of painting, and not just let people loose painting without instruction, which frustrates them and me.

Painting is a learned skill just like cooking. if you want to cook someone can show you how to make a nice dish if you use these ingredients, and put this in with that, and cook it this long. if you do all those things the way they said to do it, even if you've never done it before, it'll turn out. its not some mystical thing that only the "annointed" can do. hogwash. a little aptitude and a whole lot of "how to info" and you'll be painting. doesnt mean it'll be that good right away. like anything else, it takes practice practice practice.

i have a really good class this go round and they make teaching such a rewarding experience. thanks "girls" LOL

BW's Surf Shop-6x8-SOLD

From Ocracoke waterfront. as i was doing this one the guy must have been getting ready to close. he'd come out and take the surfboard down when i was halfway done with it and then came and got the sandwich board as i was painting it in real fast. then when i sighed with frustration over that a lady in a huge SUV parked right in front of me blocking my view of half the scene. she jumps out and says in her best i'm not going to move if you say yes voice, " am i blocking your view?" DUHHH!

i'm the one who doesnt belong in the middle of the parking lot painting so i say in my best you werent going to move if i said yes voice, "youre alright" Liar Liar pants on fire! thats why it pays to develope your photographic memory if youre going to plein air paint.

Sittin' on the Cooler-5x7

contact me or City Art Gallery in Greenville for this one

i've played with the photo i took of this guy several times, going back three years or so. this is my favorite painting of him to date. i came the closest this time to capturing his calmness, and the summer light, than on previous attempts. sometimes three times is the charm!

Ride Times Two-6x6-SOLD

$8 s/h
to purchase click on the "buy now" button to pay using PayPal or credit card

Just felt like doing some figures today since i've been on traveling/landscape painting tear for a while now. Took a bunch of photos yesterday on the Ocracoke to Cedar Island ferry. Got to hang out with Doug Hoover this week on ocracoke. he's the guy i got the idea for the ferry riders from. thanks doug!

Get this one before it dries and gets sent to the gallery!

Afternoon on the James-SOLD

4x5

A cloud study on the James.

Clouds have to be done quickly. best thing to do is mix the colors so they're just close (before painting), and then paint very quickly. you can always go back to color/value correct but at least you have the shapes and approximate values/colors for when they invariably change in just a few minutes.

Little Camper-8x10

SOLD

Ocracoke Bend-6x6

$100 plus $8 shipping

Clouds Over the River-4x5-SOLD

Around the next bend of the James River trip. Was trying to nail the light key and color harmonies in the short amount of time a 7 knot cruise allows.

Silver Lake at 10 a.m.- 8x10
$350 framed
at Down Creek Gallery- Ocracoke
email me if you want me to get you up with them


After a long day of painting on Ocracoke i jumped up and sat on top of "ole bessie" for this parting glimpse of the big yellow orb. Somewhere floating on the cool breeze was the sounds of somebody playing jimmie buffet on a guitar, at the marina bar, on the dock.

i started contemplating all the places i've seen sunsets from this year and thanked God for letting me do what i really love to do, where i love to do it. i've stayed and painted on islands from cape cod to key west this year, and feel exceedingly blessed. i've met some of the finest folks on the planet.
thanks to everybody who's ever bought one of my paintings, taken one of my workshops, let me stay at their house, or showed me all the cool places to paint (and eat, and have fun) on their island. i hope God blesses you for your kindness to me, and that He allows me to keep doing what i love, where i love to do it (on an island)

i've got saltwater in my blood, and dont want to get more than a few yards from it for very long.

hope it shows in every brushstroke i make.

River Trees-4x5-SOLD

A painting off the top deck of the houseboat going down the James before that ill fated night when we were shipwrecked.

Dont forget that my Morehead City workshops start this monday and go thru the weekend. the class is filling up so give me an email if youre interested in attending. i'll take the mystery out of plein air painting for you. then you can go on houseboats and paint going down the river! LOL

The Spell Bound-6x8-SOLD

SOLD

From a dock in Portsmouth, Va.

Dreamy Waterfront-6x8

SOLD

Well....the story i'm about to tell you is what i get for bragging in previous posts!

here's the short version..... (see previous posts for the background to this tale)

we're in the norfolk area on the houseboat and we decide to go up in a bay and anchor for the night when the wind decides to kick up about 20-25 knots. we throw the anchor only to find that it's not grabbing the bottom and we're being blown towards the shore. its real dark and all i can see is the black silohuette of the tree line when i get a bad feeling about things. closer and closer we go as we're trying to motor the boat toward the anchor to get slack on it where we can pull it up. no go! the capt decides to cut the anchor loose and gun the engines and try to get the boat out towards the middle. this boat we're on is like 70 feet long and 70 tons of steel. long story short we get beached on the rocks on shore with the waves slamming the boat into the rocks over and over. we were very worried that it might take on water and sink right there a few yards from shore. the towboat he called tried to pull us off but couldnt because the tide was going low and we were grounded good! Next morning they came out at high tide and got us off the rocks and back into the bay. no apparent holes, so we cruise off to norfolk to get the boat pulled out of the water and inspected.

Left this morning driving south from norfolk for the next leg of my adventure, painting my way down the outer banks and jumping on the cedar island ferry, back home.

i'd like to thank boardman and mary bell for a great cruise and another one of my great adventure stories! they are great hosts and you dont find better people!

Warm Sky on the James-4x5-$20

$5 s/h
to purchase click on the "buy now" button to pay using PayPal or credit card

We've arrived downriver today, in the city of Norfolk, Va., after boating down the James River from Richmond. we ate supper last night on the top deck under the stars, with little light bulbs strung around the handrailings, out in the mddle of the river a mile or two from shore each way. it was amazing.

i'll probably get in some good painting of the shoreline from out on the water. i'll post whatever i do, as i go.

being on the water is the closest thing to heaven, this side of it!

James River Sparkle-5x5-SOLD

One of the top of the houseboat heading to norfolk.

Houseboatin' Trip to Norfolk

i'm on a painting adventure (again you say?)

when i write posts about my painting exploits, i dont intend to make people jealous on purpose, it just works out that way. LOL

Just left the docks on Capt Boardmans houseboat to tool along the James River from Richmond to Norfolk (about a nine hour trip) to hang out and paint along the way for a few days.

What a life, eh? its tuff but somebody's gotta do it! so it might as well be me, right?

i'll post paintings along the way as they're completed.

The lovely and charming Captainess Mary and First Mate Rich

Captain Boardman oversees the course as we boat down the James River on the way to Norfolk

Blue Skies and Blue House- 10x8

contact me for availability

did this one with my painter friend (in rhode island) Kathy Weber. its fun to look at her blog and see hers and compare it to mine.

Bald Head Cottages-8x6

My recent efforts....

to purchase contact me for availability

Cottages in the Sun-8x10

to purchase contact me for availability

Eastern NC Morning-8x8

to purchase contact me for availability

Looking Down-8x10

SOLD

Low Tide Green Boat-8x8

to purchase contact me for availability

Flowing Bride-7x5-SOLD

Did a bunch of these bride paintings last winter and had the itch to do another last night. love how you can see thru the gauzey dress where she's pulling on it.

October Morning Glow-22x28

SOLD

Today was an awesome day to paint this one outside. cool temps and no humidity. i did this small at the beginning of the summer and have wanted to do this bigger since. the light was fantastic.

Tending Roses-5x4-SOLD

$45

in this one i'm doing a high key painting meaning the darkest darks are maybe a tad darker than a medium value. the range of values is severely narrowed and gives the piece more of a feeling of atmosphere and light bouncing around. one of the tools in the impressionists of old's toolbox. alot of claude monet's stuff was high key. he was after that elusive light effect where everything looks sun-filled.

Shimmering Water- 6x8

$390 framed

at Woods Gallery on Bald Head Island

Love this area of the island and always see something to paint. did an overcast painting from here last time i went. it looked totally different today with the sun reflection coming out from behind the tree and the clear, early morning skies after the previous days Nor'easter.

Skiff with a Yellow Rope-6x8-SOLD

Still on Bald Head Island. Landed a few commissions to paint of a previous marsh scene, a house portrait, and another persons ocean view from their back deck.

The demo went well saturday even tho' we had a Nor'easter blow thru with high winds and soaking rains all day. thanks to shawn for the invite over. its a great island and the vibe here is wonderful for painting. i'll post what i did in future posts.

there's not a cloud in the sky today so i'm off to paint some more!

Falmouth Curve-8x10

(note: the pictures a little off kilter- the water doesnt go down hill in the painting LOL)

SOLD

This one is from the cape cod trip. it was getting overcast but the sun was shining thru that one hole in the sky and backlighting the building. i thought i was going to have to work on it some in the studio but ending up liking it, as is, after being away from it all this time.

what a great week i've had. spent two days waterside near corebanks in Gloucester two days, and finished it off with three days on Bald Head Island, off mainland Southport. there arent any cars over here and you have to go everywhere by golfcart. i was doing demos all day at their Food and Wine Festival and decided to stay on to paint for my gallery over here. the suns just now trying to come out after rain and clouds all day yesterday and this morning, so i'm off to do my thing! as one of my friends always says,....."enough frivolity!"

Marshallberg Waterway-5x7

Private collection- NFS

That house was the site of the Gloucester workshop i taught yesterday, and it was something to behold. we convered the basics of value, how to mix colors and i did a talk in the morning about how to pick out subject matter for a painting, and alot about the in's and out's of the process.
i did this painting for Faye, our gracious host as a thank you gesture.


Conch Point Houses- 16x12

contact me if you like it and we'll work something out

Trying to mix all the colors on the canvas and keep it very Cape School with the emphasis on the light, making even the ordinary subject "painting worthy". the light's the star.