Reflecting on Spring

This painting was an interesting challenge since there's technically no sky in it. Instead, we see a grassy riverbank with some trees next to the water, with the sky reflected above. Pink flowers are mirrored in the water, with petals floating by on the slow current as spring passes.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Sunlit Sequoia Duo

High in the Sierra Nevadas, the sunlight gleams through ancient sequoias that stretch skywards, seemingly forever. This was a challenging painting for several reasons. The unusual perspective with the trees sweeping up overhead, the typical difficulties in painting a forest interior scene without it feeling confining and cluttered, and finally the tricky nature of depicting sequoias themselves. Their bark has an unusual mix of red in it without being overtly red, and their crowns, furrows, and burn scars are very distinctive to the species. While this was not an easy painting, I think the end result was worth the effort.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17" (framed)

DC Cherries at Dawn

As the land warms and the days grow longer, the cherry trees begin to flower. A rite of spring in Maryland and DC each year, the cherry blossoms draw crowds to enjoy their stunning colors in defiance of winter. Here, we see the sunrise, back-lighting a trio of old cherry trees somewhere near the waters of Washington DC.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Swampy Winter Sunset

Today was snowy, so I decided to paint something appropriate to the weather. Somewhere far from the big cities, the sun sets in fiery colors beyond a soggy marshland, the reflected light the only real warmth on this cold day.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Aurora in Winter

I decided to go with something unusual for this painting - a scene in the frozen north, near the point where the trees fade away, of the aurora borealis in winter. It was an interesting challenge to paint since it's a nocturne with strangely colored, glowing ribbons across the sky, but I think it turned out reasonably well given the challenges.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Christmas Sequoias

High in the Sierra Nevada mountains, snow falls across a landscape of ancient giant sequoias, bringing needed water to this fragile ecosystem. In the valleys below, humanity prepares to celebrate Christmas and other holidays near the winter solstice; here, in the mountains, the years tick by far slower amid towering trees that stand strong for millennia.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17" (SOLD)

Autumn Aspen Climb

Aspen trees are a symbol of the mountain west in America; these beautiful pioneer trees form massive groves across middle elevations and cooler climates. The root systems can live for centuries, and they turn a distinctive golden color in the fall. Aspens are also rather challenging to paint. Their bright golden leaves risk disappearing against the sky, hence the need for strong blues and darker mountains, and the pale bark of the trees offers little contrast against the yellow foliage. Finally, the bark patterns are distinctive and the technically white bark really reflects colors around it and should never be painted stark white. In all, they are beautiful, symbolic, and tough trees to paint well; I hope this painting has captured their majesty accurately.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"