Valley Forge - Spring Clouds

Last weekend, some friends and I went on a road trip up to Valley Forge National Battlefield, which is outside of western Philadelphia. The weather was great, which is unusual for March, and we enjoyed our walk around the perimeter trail. Like most eastern US battlefield parks, Valley Forge is steeped in history and has a quiet dignity to it. You can also get great open views across the rolling fields and scattered trees, which is a rarity in the densely populated and forested parts of the country. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Storm over Ukraine

I don't usually mix politics with painting, but some situations call for it. In the past week, the Russia army started the largest war in Europe since the end of WW2 with an unprovoked invasion of the independent democracy of Ukraine. This war is symbolized in this painting; the composition and colors are drawn from the Ukrainian flag, and the sunflowers - the national flower of Ukraine - stand in defiance of the storm. There's another message here as well; how hateful, grasping tyrants cannot enjoy even the simple beauty of nature, such as a storm passing over a field of flowers. All they can do is destroy and then wonder why they are still empty.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Frigid Winter Dawn

Winter has been chilly here on the east coast of the US. Here, we see the sun rise across a rolling field covered with snow, the warm colors in the sky contrasting with the frozen air. Conifers stand in dark relief against the brightening light, each waiting for spring to return.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Welcome Mountain Snow

A straightforward scene celebrating the return of much-needed winter snow to the western mountains of the US. In the low light of winter, the wind swirls the snow between the pines before another blizzard descends upon the rocky peaks. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

November Gloom

November is a gloomy time of year in the Mid-Atlantic region - daylight savings time ends, making the days feel shorter, and fall color peaks early in the month and quickly fades to browns and greys. Cold weather blows in, erasing the gentle temperatures of autumn, and clouds block out what little sunlight that remains. This painting was inspired by a walk around a local lake with friends this weekend. We see the last sparks of autumn color as the sun swings low behind the trees and clouds on a cold and dreary day.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Lake Elkhorn in Fall

Lake Elkhorn is one of the better-known man-made lakes in central Maryland, and it has a nice walking path around it, as well as connected paths that lead off into the woods. This painting is inspired by a later afternoon view from earlier this weekend, where the fall color and low-angle light mixed beneath blue skies for a great fall scene.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Autumn Ignition

An oddity of autumn is that the fiery colors - the ignition of reds, golds, and oranges in the leaves - is caused not by light and heat, but by the opposite. As the sun swings lower and the weather cools to proper fall temperatures, we look ahead a month to when the autumn leaves will be at their peak here on the east coast of the US. Look up into the towering trees and enjoy blazing colors against a clearing blue sky.

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"