Fort McHenry Cherry Trees

 

2026 has been a horrible year so far. My mom passed away in early February after months of decline, and her loss has been crushing. The bitterly cold winter produced a huge sleet and snowstorm in January that damaged my home (at least that's fixed now) and killed all the plants I had in containers outside. Sometimes it feels like there will never be another good day ever again. It has been difficult to find any inspiration to paint, but I gave it a go today.

On Friday, I visited Fort McHenry while the cherry blossoms were in bloom - their peak time is about a week later than those in Washington DC. The historic fort is worth exploring and you can easily spend a few hours walking the grounds and learning the history of the place. The cherry trees added a nice blast of spring color to the scene, which I tried to represent in this painting. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Sunfire on Snow

It's been a miserably cold winter so far in central Maryland, though thankfully this year has brought very little snow so far. This fictional scene is of a colder place where snow covers both the ground and many conifer trees all winter. The fiery light of the rising or setting sun is the only warmth offered here until spring. This painting is a bit of an experiment since I intentionally created it looser than most of my paintings. It has larger blocks of unblended color for a more impressionist feel. I also swapped the red and yellow iron oxides out with Pyrrole and Cadmium Free Yellow Deep. Those new colors will provide brighter and purer red and yellow colors at the cost of a bit of opacity. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Early Snow in the Woods

Some parts of the nation have seen rather early snowfall and frosty autumn days more appropriate to the middle of winter. While it's been cold and gloomy here in central Maryland, we have thankfully been spared any early season snow. In this scene we can go for a walk in the woods as a light coating of snow dusts the brown leaves still clinging to the trees. I hope this winter is milder than the last one.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Bodkin Creek in Fall

Bodkin Creek is a small stream that flows through parts of Downs Memorial Park and then into the Chesapeake Bay. It barely gets a mention on a map, and you'd have to know where to look for it, but like all rivers and streams it's full of life and beautiful, particularly in the fall. Here we see the creek on a late autumn afternoon in Downs Memorial Park. The low sun casts long shadows and only illuminates the tops of the trees or those along the riverbank. Everything else is lost in shadow as a cold breeze passes through, rattling the drying leaves. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Lunar Eclipse Over Mountains

 

Lunar eclipses are considerably more common than solar eclipses, but that doesn't make them any less beautiful or eerie. In the snowy peaks of a distant mountain range, we see the moon turn a deep orange hue as Earth's shadow passes over it. The snow reflects the light, the only warmth in this frigid winter landscape. 

Acrylic painting 14" x 17"

Gulf of Mexico Sunset

 

As summer winds to a close, we must be respectful of nature's power. The days grow shorter but hurricane season still looms as a threat. Here, we see the sun set along an empty, grassy beach on the Gulf of Mexico. The sky is heavy with grey clouds that threaten torrential rain. Or perhaps the storm has passed, and better weather is on its way? The cycles of nature are eternal, beautiful, but also uncaring about humanity's expectations. Enjoy the moment for it is ever-changing.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Orange Coneflower Sunrise

It's well into summer now in the Mid-Atlantic region, and all the flowers are in bloom. Here we see a clump of orange coneflowers up close as we look across a flower-filled meadow at sunrise. Light gleams across the grass and wildflowers as clouds part and the sun rises. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"