From photo to sketch to painting

Twilight in the Evening Sun, 18" x 18" oil on canvas.

Ladybug in Flight

In Flight, 11.5" high x 5" wide. Oil paint and wax medium on salvaged wood, with found jewelry and beads.

This is for a little girl named Amelia.

Crow King

Salvaged wood, oil paint and wax medium, found glass jewel. 3.5" x 5" x 1" thick.

I found the wood, complete with interesting holes, along the railroad tracks a block from home. The jewel, I found about 15 years ago along the street where I grew up in North Ft. Myers. I had no idea what I'd ever do with it, but I simply couldn't let it go.

Now I have; the Crow King is sold and is winging his way to his new home with my friend MJ, down in DeLand, FL.

Egret canvas commission

36" x 48" oil on canvas, finished last night. This is for Mary Ellen Gardiner of M. E. Gardiner Interior Design, here in Minneapolis.

Railroad Landscape sketch

Done this morning around 9:30, along the tracks near East River Road and 694.

Farmall Tractor and Greyhound Number ... Seven, I think?

Dangerous Crossings -- Freight Train #2

Dangerous Crossings, oil and wax medium on canvas, 6" x 12".

This is another sketch for the possible restaurant commission, but I did it primarily because I wanted to. I love the energy and motion and potential menace of freight trains.

Barriers -- Freight Train #1

Barriers, 6" x 12" oil and wax medium on canvas.

This is a "thumbnail sketch" for what will be -- if I get the job, for which there's considerable competition -- a 6' x 12' painting. The prospective clients want "urban abstraction" and didn't guess I'd be interested, what with my portfolio full of wildlife and flowers and such. Truth is I don't confine myself. I love this kind of thing and really hope I get to do it on a large scale.

Whether or not I win out on the job, I really like the painting and am about to begin a companion piece.

Genuine old-fashioned, non-toxic paint

While stumbling around the internet today I found this site:

http://www.milkpaint.com/

Next time I have a painting project I'm going to try this stuff. Check out their Gallery page -- the results people get are just gorgeous.

Wax medium and salvaged wood

This little block of wood was lying beside the railroad tracks on Friday. I picked it up because I liked the holes that were cut in it. Yesterday, I decided to use it to experiment with Dorland's Wax Medium for the first time.



This is a work in progress, although I think all I'm going to add is a jewel for the heart-hole. I'm liking the simplicity of this one and don't think I'll add much more to it. Size is 3.5 x 5" and 7/8" thick.



This fellow has been sold already, and I am planning to create more of these wax-paint on wood things, as I enjoyed the process so much.