Waterlily Trail

 

As the summer heat grows beneath a blazing sun, let us visit a marshland where the water flows and droughts aren't a worry. Here in lazy stream, waterlilies bloom in pink and reddish hues, catching the summer sun. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Dusty Prairie Storm

 

Spring this year throughout most of the US has been plagued by severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and flooding. Summer has now begun, bringing with it a terrible heat wave and early tropical storms. As bad as the severe weather is, storms can bring rain to drought-stricken regions, and they are beautiful when they are not dangerous. Here, we see some late afternoon thunderstorms billowing over the dry hills and grasslands typical of the plains and western US. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

Francis Scott Key Bridge - Twilight

In the early morning hours of March 26, 2024, the huge cargo ship Dali lost steering and tore through the western support pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge outside of Baltimore's harbor. In seconds, the bridge collapsed, sending six men to their deaths and forever changing the city's skyline. Some things seem so permanent; you'd never expect them to be gone.

This may be the most difficult painting I've ever created. I rarely paint cityscapes or architecture since fine details and complex perspectives are overly challenging. On top of that, the Key Bridge was a local icon with clearly defined features - I can't just create a generic bridge in its place. Finally, the bridge's main structure was an overwhelming lattice of trusses, something well outside the norm of what I paint - a maze of detail that can only be suggested and not actually drawn in fully. I hope I did it justice. 

Here, we see the bridge on an evening like any other with the lights of Baltimore's harbor in the background and peaceful sunset clouds in the sky. While it was just a bridge, I will miss it. Its distinctive arch could be seen from afar and welcomed me back to Baltimore. May those who lost their lives that dark morning rest in peace. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

2024 Solar Eclipse from Little Rock

I had the privilege this month to see the total solar eclipse from a farm and winery to the northwest of Little Rock, AK. Words fail when describing totality. The ominous, storm-like approach of the Moon's shadow, the strange sepia tones the world turns as the light dims, and then a sudden sunset followed by the ring of fire. As with 2017's total eclipse, this one is painted faithfully to what I saw. The flares in the corona are positioned accurately, the light to the lower right is a planet (Jupiter, I believe), and the eerie clouds that thankfully kept out of the way are included. It'll be 21 years before another total solar eclipse of note passes over the continental US, but I hope to see it. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17" 

Snow Covered Trellis in Winter

This is a photo of my first commissioned landscape painting; other sales have been of pre-existing works that customers enjoyed. This painting is based on a photo the client sent me of a snowy scene in his rural backyard with the focus on a large trellis covered with vines. Thankfully, the client liked the painting and it sold! 

Acrylic painting on stretched canvas: 30" x 24" (SOLD)

Moonrise over Snowy Pines

Winter has been relatively normal this year along the east coast of the US. We've had a few snowfalls, with another on its way, and some cold temperatures, too. Here, we see the moon rise above a cold northern forest, casting its warm glow on the snow as a few stars peak through the clouds - light without heat. Soon, spring will come and melt away the snow as life returns to the forest. 

Acrylic painting: 14" x 17"

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"