Owl

"Owl" 

oil on panel, 24" x 30"

More Dogs on Wheels...

Beagle and Beamer, oil on panel, 9" x 12"

Chevy with Terriers, oil on panel, 9" x 12"

Here are two more paintings in my
Dogs on Wheels series. These were both done on request of specific dogs, and in the case of the top one- in specific cars. Happy Summer!

Forest Nocturne

Forest Nocturne

I am easily disoriented by

by the shortening days

as winter’s breath creeps up

and darkness looms.

But I forget,

and take a walk

that is a little too long

for the allotted daylight.

As the sun begins to settle

behind the trees

and the shadows lengthen

into nothingness,

I feel a presence in the woods.

The warm earth cools

and the rising mist

veils the rock masses

and fallen trees.

And the audience begins to assemble

in their usual places

for the evening concert.

I am the uninvited guest.

So I hasten my pace

towards home.

My book Mr. Hubbard's Heart- a story about one man's journey to discover compassion within himself, has just launched as a book app on iTunes and Amazon. I have been working on this book for close to sixteen years, and it means the world to me to finally have Mr. Hubbard out in the real world. I would love to have a hardback print version produced but the app is really wonderful because the paintings are beautifully illuminated on an ipad or kindle fire, and the music, which was composed by my nephew, Ethan Freeman adds magic to the story.
 Here is a link to iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mr.-hubbards-heart-storybook/id816548683?mt=8
and to Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Authorly-Mr-Hubbards-Heart-Storybook/dp/B00K02EUBS/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

And here is the trailer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcqnlLKzrZ4

When the Size of a Painting and the Size of a Wall don't Match Up

Sometimes it happens...A person falls in love with a painting they see in an exhibit. They take down the dimensions at the gallery, then go home and measure their wall, and they come to the conclusion that it doesn't quite fit.  In some cases the wall is expansive and the painting is just not quite large enough to engage the space. And in some cases the painting is too big or not the right proportions.  In the past year I have had two clients who originally saw one of my paintings in the gallery, but then asked me to do a similar piece for them, custom designed for a particular location in their home. I love to do this as it allows me to get to know them, and see the environment where the painting will go. It also gives me the opportunity to make the painting more personal.

I painted Oliver's Dream last fall after visiting the client in Hobe Sound, Florida over the summer. They live very near the ocean but do not have a view, so she asked that the painting open the space with a view of the water, and she also wanted to bring some of their tropical surroundings into the room. I used a palette that related to the interior while introducing some new colors such as the vibrant clementine wall.  I  painted a tile floor and worked with multiple point perspective with the eye level on the eye level of someone standing in the room to give depth and a feeling that one could walk right into the painting. I also incorporated some architectural elements from the room, such as the large Palladian windows, and symmetry.

My client asked that their adorable King Charles spaniel named Oliver be the main character in the painting, so he sits rather royally in the arm chair on the left, making eye contact with the viewer.  He loves to chase salamanders so there are salamanders of various colors hidden in the flora of the fabrics as well as on the glass table top and in the flowering vines. The client had especially liked my mermaid paintings so we placed a mermaid sitting on the windowsill, playing the flute for Oliver and the various seabirds. There is also a painting within the painting of her grandchildren, and the couple dancing below the palm trees by the water represents her three happily married sons.

Cello and Painting

Several years ago, I was listening to NPR and I discovered the music of the cellist Zoe Keating. I have never been the same since. Her cello has inspired many the the paintings in my recent show at the Jane Haslem Gallery and has fueled my creativity in general. I put it on in my studio and it makes my mind more fluid and lets emotion rise to the surface. Here are three of the paintings that are directly related to songs from her album "Into the Trees". And here is a link to her website. 

Thank you Zoe.

http://www.zoekeating.com/

Into the Trees

This is a painting I just finished titled "Into the Trees". It is oil on linen, 36" x  48". It will be exhibited at the Jane Haslem Gallery during February and March. There will be a Valentine's Day opening from 5:30-7:30 pm, so come and bring someone you love (spouse, partner, child, significant other, granny or grampa)
There will be a lot of drawings and  paintings, including "Stories from the Woods" and a number of "Love Letters".