Exoplanet - Winter Lights

The winter season on Earth is marked by festivals of light to push back the darkness, but night has a different meaning on other worlds. Here we see a young, cold exoplanet covered in winter snow. The night sky is illuminated by an enormous nebula and the blazing light of countless new stars. Dark dust clouds are silhouetted against the glowing gases, and particularly brilliant star clusters cast their light across the frozen wastes. This world is far too young for life to have formed. Perhaps in billions of years - long after the nebula fades and the most massive stars in it die off - a sentient species like us will create their own winter festivals to drive back the darkness. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Fall Sycamore Thicket

As autumn color winds down, we go for a walk in the woods while there's still sun remaining. A mix of sycamores, both old and young, tower overhead, their leaves turning to crumpled bronze as they fall from the trees. Low light bathes the mottled bark; winter is when sycamores are at their finest. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Maple Lake in Fall

Autumn has finally arrived here in Maryland with falling temperatures and leaves of changing colors. Here, we wander northward, where the chill air has already turned the maple leaves to warm fire that contrasts with the cold waters of a large lake. The low sun stretches across this scene of bright colors in the cold air.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Abstract Autumn in a Pond

We've only begun the autumn season here in central Maryland, with the first trees turning hints of color and the temperatures finally becoming more seasonable. A month from now, colorful and fading leaves will float in our rivers and ponds like confetti tossed from summer's party. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Cumulonimbus Sunset

This scene was inspired by a line of violent thunderstorms that swept through the area last weekend. While those storms happened in the late afternoon, this painting imagines them in the glow of the evening sun, cloud tops illuminated while shadows fall under the storm's anvil. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Quiet Beach Dunes

On a lazy summer afternoon on a distant beach, waves lap against wet sand with rhythmic splashes. A breeze tosses the sunlit grass as shadows are cast along the dunes. The heat of the sun is balanced by the gentle winds from the ocean, and all is still. 

Acrylic Painting: 14" x 17"

Cinder Dawn on the City

The rains ended in April, followed by drought and now wildfires burning across Canada. Smoke blanketed the east coast of the US for days, leading to hellscape skies of ash across major cities, such as New York. Under the light of a seemingly dying sun, we look upon a stylized version of the city's skyline choked in ashes. A sickly tree struggles in the foreground, reminding us of what we are losing. Scenes like this are sadly going to become more common. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Chesapeake Bay - Cruise Sunset

Earlier this month, I went on a week-long cruise around the Chesapeake Bay to see various historical sites, such as Jamestown, Williamsburg, the Harriet Tubman Museum, and small villages like Saint Michaels. The trip was a lot of fun and I had a great time! This painting was inspired by a photo taken from the restaurant at the stern of the ship one day as the sun was setting. You can see the rough water left by the ship's wake to the right under a blazing sky full of clouds. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Abstract Rainy Skyline

We're now on at least the third weekend in a row defined by at least one day of torrential rain here in Maryland, so I decided to paint a scene inspired by the lousy weather. This painting is more abstract than most of my works, and it depicts a fictional city skyline on a soggy night. Misty clouds drift near the tallest buildings, streetlights blaze away, and everything has a watery feeling. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Spring on the Shoulder

All over the eastern seaboard, along highway shoulders and medians, spring has arrived. Scattered throughout the old pines and dried brush from last summer, flowering trees appear in pastel colors. While one's eyes should be on the road, it's hard not to sneak a peek at the chaotic whirl of colors living next to the pavement. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Swift Winter Sunrise

Winter has been basically nonexistent this year in the eastern United States, so we'll just imagine an appropriate scene. Here, the sun peeks above the distant trees, quickly bringing a bit of light and warmth to a frigid, snowy scene. Clouds roll by, perhaps remnants of whatever storm brought the snow. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Frigid Woodland Sunset

It's been a warm winter here in Maryland without a trace of snow in most of the state, but the season isn't over yet. Here, we see the low winter sun set in a tangled forest of old trees and vines, all coated with snowy silence. Spring will come eventually, but until then enjoy the winter.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"