Snowy Frozen Pond

While this winter has been warm so far here on the east coast of the US, the same is not true everywhere. Heavy, wet snow falls over a northern forest, coating the trees in white and the nearby pond in a glaze of ice.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Red Maple Creek

While peak autumn color has faded here in Maryland, the trees still put on a good, though late-season show. Along a rocky hillside that spills into a stream, we see the autumn leaves change colors, and a fiery red maple dominates the scene with its blazing hues.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17" (SOLD)

Hannum Road - Hannibal, NY

Wandering around internet map sites can lead to interesting discoveries. My family traces part of its heritage back to Upstate New York, in Fulton and nearby towns. One town over, in Hannibal, NY, there's a Hannum Road. There's a good chance the road was named after some distant relative of mine - perhaps a farmer who owned the property in that area - but that story is probably now lost to time. Here, we see this rural road in fall beneath the waning light of day.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

An Art Gallery Visit

On Friday, I visited a local art gallery (Benfield Art Gallery) to learn what it would take to be represented there, and it was an interesting experience. A few things I learned:
- As expected, the art market is rather saturated, even in fine arts. Considering how few people actually buy fine art for their homes, this market situation is not surprising.
- Art galleries in bigger cities (Baltimore, Annapolis, etc.) have greater reach and more customers, but also tend to cater to better known artists, with even more competition to be represented there.
- Representation can happen if you catch people's eyes during open shows, which happen once, maybe twice, a year. Still, you need a resume of sorts regarding artistic achievements and such to be considered by art galleries. (This illustrates the importance of an internet presence, where there are fewer barriers to entry.)
- Pricing for framed watercolors on paper that are comparable to my works typically range from $200 to $450. Lesser known artists charge prices at the lower end, of course.

So, while they liked my work, there is still a process involved to even be considered for representation, but the visit was still worthwhile. I recommend that any artist who's looking to sell their work visit a local gallery since it is a good way to learn more about the art market. Pricing examples in particular are worth the visit since there's almost no good information on the internet about that topic.

Autumn Impressions

A colorful, impressionist look at autumn leaves on the trees above as the late afternoon sun lights them afire in color.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Daylilies and Drizzle

On a cloudy, drizzling day in late June, orange daylilies bloom by the side of a rural road, adding a spark of color in place of a hidden sun.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Waterrock Knob - Sunset Stormscape

About a decade ago, my brother and I went on a roadtrip through the Smoky Mountains. We saw the sunset amid storms near the top of Waterrock Knob. While I painted this scene once before soon after the trip, I decided to approach it again, using what I've learned since then. The end result better captures the infinite hills and rolling, illuminated clouds, though nothing compares to actually having been there.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Getting out of Town

The Independence Day holiday approaches, and what better time to get out of town and go for a long drive through farmland with a setting summer sun?

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Evening Lakeside Storms

Low evening sunlight stretches across a vast lake, catching the shores and tree tops in a warm glow. Miles away, storm clouds are illuminated in the waning light of day.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Lazy River Driftwood

A lazy, clear spring river meanders along under the shade of tangled trees. Here and there, driftwood lies in the water, the only reminder of a harsh winter.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17" (SOLD)

Defiant Spring

Along a muddy forest path, the cherry trees bloom under a cold, cloudy sky. Though winter seems unwilling to give up its grasp, spring flowers bloom in defiance of the gloom.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

A new home for my Megaman games

One of my other hobbies has been creating video games, in particular a couple of Megaman fan games. These were created in Gamemaker several years back, run on Windows, and have been updated over the years. They were originally stored on Yoyo Games (the creators of Gamemaker), but they got rid of their "sandbox" area for developers late last year as they switched to a different business model which is... less conducive to hobbyist game developers.

I then decided to put the games up on Google Drive, where they still exist, but I also recently found another website that freely hosts indie games and hobbyist games - gamejolt.com

A link is provided below.

http://gamejolt.com/

If you search on "Megaman," you'll find the latest version of both games ("Megaman: Dr. Wily Wanders Off" and "Megaman: Dark Legacy") You probably have to create an account with gamejolt to download the games (fully self-contained executable files under 5 megs in size.)

Megaman: Dr. Wily Wanders Off

Megaman: Dark Legacy

Note that Megaman and all associated IP is the rights of Capcom. These are fan games and not to be sold. Enjoy!

Glen Burnie Whiteout

I generally don't paint urban scenes since they are tricky in matters of perspective, detail, and scale, but this image, inspired by yesterday's weather, begged to be painted. Wind-blow snow roars through the center of downtown Glen Burnie, MD on a cold February night, obscuring everything for the few drivers on the roads.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Fiery Winter Sunset

A blazing winter sunset sweeps across a snowy field and through a few small groves of trees, adding a warm glow to a frozen scene.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"