Hill Country Winter Sunrise

After several years without measurable snowfall, winter returned to Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic region this week, with frigid temperatures and two snowstorms that each dropped several inches of snow. Here, we see the snowy weather from the rolling, forested hills of western Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania as the sun rises on a quiet, freezing day. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Untamed Wilds

In the rolling mountains and wild forests, a cool autumn breezes whips through the trees. Limbs creak with age, and leaves are tossed on the wind, each a spark of fiery color that floats through the air. This painting was inspired by a mix of things, including fall in the mountains of the eastern United States to the artwork on an old Magic card by the same title as this painting. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Autumn touches Skyline Drive

At the end of August, I went on a business trip to Charlottesville, Virginia to teach an engineering class. On the way back, I stopped off at Skyline Caverns and Skyline Drive. It was beautiful sight, looking out across the rolling mountains and valleys; I hadn't been there in over a decade, so it was well worth the trip. Here, we see Skyline Drive as the first brush of autumn passes over it, turning the vines, shrubs, and trees red, orange, and gold.

Acrylic painting; 14" x 17"

Antietam peaceful field

Two weeks ago, I finally visited Antietam National Battlefield, out in the mountains and rolling fields of western Maryland. It was a great trip, and the park is peaceful and beautiful with nice hiking trails and great views of the nearby mountains. Fortunately, it was a relatively cool day since there's not a lot of shade there - bring a hat and sunscreen. This view is from a point just a bit south of the main road in from Boonsboro, looking east towards the mountains. When you see the battlefield now, it is hard to believe that such carnage took place in such a tranquil place.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Hilltop Giants in Spring

Ancient conifers stand in a hillside clearing on a cool and sunny day as a faint breeze stirs their branches. It can be tricky to create a good sense of scale in a painting - how does one convey the concept of a tree that stands over 200-feet tall on a canvas less than 2-feet tall? Relative sizing works well, as does putting in extra detail - the mind reads the thick, fluted and gnarled trunks as large and ancient.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

First Snowfall in the Smokies

We haven't had much snow here on the east coast this winter, and so I figured I'd paint a scene somewhere in the Smoky Mountains where snowfall is more common, even in early winter. Enjoy!

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Autumn Oaks on a Hillside

Yep, it's autumn, and that is a good reason to paint trees clad in copper, red, and gold. This image of a hill covered mostly by large oak trees on a sunny fall day. A cool breeze blows through the rustling leaves, offset by the low angle sun.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Rainy Hillside Evening

Here we see evening come to a hilltop clearing somewhere in the mountains; the rain still beats down on the ridge of hills in the distance, and puddles cover the foreground. Night is swiftly coming to this quiet corner of the world, and more rain may be on the way - but, for now, enjoy the colors of sunset.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

An Autumn Glade for the Autumn Glade

Well, I named this blog "The Autumn Glade" since I love the woods, particularly in autumn. Then, I realized I didn't actually have any really good paintings of a clearing in a forest in autumn! That lead to my latest painting, which is of an open area in an mostly oak forest near a hilltop somewhere in the mountains (probably the Smoky Mountains or Blueridge Mountains.)

It was an interesting challenge to add enough color to the autumn leaves without making them look fake and over saturated. I particularly like how well the depth regression turned out in this painting - there are multiple "layers" in the painting of landscape features, each further away from the viewer. The hole in the treeline leading to the far-away clouds and mountains worked out well; the clouds are on the colorful side, but I find that I like to paint them with stronger colors to add more depth and interest to them vs. "chalky white clouds."

Acrylic Painting 14" x 17"