Patapsco: Autumn Rail Valley

There's a small valley near the railroad tracks and a popular hiking trail in Patapsco state park. The tracks sit up on a hill that sweeps in from the left, forming a small valley filled with trees that turn beautiful colors in the fall.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Natural Bridge, Virginia

Back in 2004 on our way to the Smoky Mountains, my brother and I visited the Natural Bridge of Virginia. This amazing wonder of the world is a classical subject for landscape painters - enjoy!

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Hazy Summer Morning Walk

As August rolls on, the worst of the summer heat fades away, leaving hazy mornings well suited for a walk amid the trees and fields. The goal here was to handle a mix of greens with subtle hues and variations; the misty background trees provide a nice backdrop to the contrast created by the shadows of the foreground trees.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Evening Fields and Trees

Evening casts long shadows across forgotten fields and trees. I love the pinks, purples, and flecks of orange that color the clouds near sunset, and the sky is the showpiece in this scene. The low-angle light provides nice contrast in the trees, each lit up with bits of gold.

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"

Sycamore Drive

Towering sycamores glow in the sun as afternoon shadows are cast along an old country road. The light worked out very well in this painting - the shadows from the trees on the left contrast well with the illuminated sycamores on the right, providing a feeling of late afternoon. The trees and road worked out particularly well here, and the scene has a good sense of depth to it despite not actually stretching on for miles.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

May Storm in the Mountains.

It's that time of year again, when thunderstorms echo through the rolling mountains and valleys of the Appalachians. The old trees on a hilltop stand against a dark sky as the wind builds before the storms. Rolling hills are a fun subject, and once one has visited this part of the country, the place will stay with you for a lifetime.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"