I begin to wonder who is more fascinated with the moon? Is it my grandson or is it me? I find the moon to be a recurring theme in my work. Maybe it is the peaceful quality that it conveys. Maybe it is that sense of awe when looking at it. I am sure that this is not the last time that I will use the moon. I continue to prepare for my annual open house and hope that these sneak previews of my new paintings are interesting to you. This is one of a pair of paintings. Tomorrow I will highlight the second work. For now I must get back to work painting. Keep your aspirations as high the moon and the stars.

An artist's life is not all black and white. This painting is actually very colorful, but I elected to post it in gray scales to show the values(lights and darks). You ask why this pattern? I was reading an article on the demise of Polaroid and how it is going to effect the work of certain artists. Chuck Close was one of these artists. I have always liked patterns. He certainly uses them in the creation of his large portraits. Gustave Klimt also has nice patterns in his work. I encourage you to look for these artist's work. I am sure that you are familiar with it. You might not associate the artists name with the work. Artists are influenced by many things in their lives. One of these influences is historical art work. I hope that you enjoy my "Close " call of painting my rooster. It is going to be a beautiful day.

It is a great day to be outside. Because I have some discipline, I will stay inside and continue to paint. (My open house is less than a month away.) Just as snow blankets the earth, I ,too, have blanketed my landscape with the "Ohio Star" quilt pattern. This is one of four prints in which I have used local homes and quilt patterns for my subject matter. I still enjoy working with patterns as a method of unifying my work and adding a different look to my subject. I hope that this painting brings a sense of serenity to its viewers. The historical homes are Lancaster, Ohio. Enjoy!

Good morning! It's a rainy Friday, but our weekend looks bright. We will see both of our children and their spouses , our grandson, plus a visit from my wife's sister and son. Busy! Talking about busy , today's painting is one of two paintings that I created for Hocking College. It depicts the small, southeastern Ohio community of Nelsonville. I am known for "rearranging" community landmarks. I have elected to show the downtown area with its active Opera House. This small community has become an art haven. It has many art galleries, art walks , festivals and theatrical performances. It is also home to Rocky Boots. The train station, volunteer run, is quite impressive. Parts of the college and other historical pieces of the community complete this work. In the summer a train will take you to a small community of log homes with artisans.and in the winter there is a ride with Santa. Nelsonville, Ohio is certainly a small community worth visiting. I had fun doing this and met many nice people from the area. Meeting nice people seems to go with being an artist. I am sure that we all count as a blessing those nice people who play a role in our lives. Be safe!

Unfortunately, that keeper that I had hoped to accomplish is still on the board. I get a bright idea and then stay up all night working to finish it. The new one is a little tedious- interesting, but tedious. I hope by now that you have all surmised that it would be hard to pick my particular style. I think that this is due to teaching students to be creative and be problem solvers. I also need to challenge myself to solve problems. Today's work consists of actual small squares that are cut and overlapped(1/4"each). When viewing the actual work shadows are cast by the individual squares onto the one beneath it. Throughout my various types of paintings patterns have been very important. I have a brother-in-law who creates work using this technique. His are all very large and color field types of paintings. He uses color match-like paper to do them. He is an architect by trade. I think that he should pursue his painting. We are all impacted by that which surrounds us. On this beautiful Monday afternoon, I hope that you have taken the time to step outside and smell, feel , hear and see the day.

Good morning everyone. Today's comments will be short. I want to thank all of the well-wishers for all of your birthday greetings. Today is the actual day. The boys(Matt and David) and I are going to do the Zip line- yeow!!!!!! I'll call it male bonding and fun. We celebrated last night. So on this actual day, I hope to create a keeper. Thanks again for the thoughts and happy painting everyone.

I hope that this painting is a pleasant surprise. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this person's work, it is a painting that my Grandmother created. It's title is "The Day My Father Died". Her name is Tella Kitchen. She was a great story teller, not only through her painting medium, but also through her ability to tell a story. I often think that I gained some of my desire to tell the history of my community because of her. I find her paintings fascinating. She was discovered by Robert Bishop former curator at the Ford Museum and eventual curator to the American Folk Art Museum. He felt that she was destined to be greater than Grandma Moses. In my eyes and heart there is no comparison. I am giving a talk in Bexley, Ohio in a room named for Leland McClelland. He was how I started. I often would talk about my Grandma to him and he thought that it was just a loving grandson talking. He visited her and as curator of the Art at the Ohio State Fair, she became the featured artist twice. Her work can be found in many prestigious collections and in books on American Folk Art. I recently spotted a piece in Architectural Digest. So on this Friday afternoon, I pause, I smile, and I think of Grandma. Take time to think about those good stories that you have in your history. Pleasant thoughts!

It is a rainy Thursday morning. I hope that the colors in this painting will soften the gloom of the day. The pastel appearance of this painting is created through the use of my transparent paints being mixed with opaque white. I think of myself as a painter first and a transparent watercolorist as a matter of category or medium. I like the appearance of transparent watercolor but occasionally I enjoy not worrying about painting around the objects in the paintings. I also find myself returning to a theme that I like- water and the circular shape of the moon or sun, each helping create some type of mood in the piece. I hope that you have a worry free day.

Who among us can not appreciate the effects created by the sun. Having stood at the ocean's edge with groups to watch the sun set, I have been in total awe of the speed and the beauty of the sun "sinking" into the water's edge. I am assured by the applause around me that I am not alone in this appreciation. I hope in this painting that I have created a feeling for the power of light on our earth. As a painter, I am always aware of lights and darks(values). I hope that you will take time to look at all of the elements around you- lights and darks, colors, textures, shapes and lines. Take time to study how they all work together to make interesting visual images for you .

Enjoy your mornings, your afternoons and your nights!

I have made it to Saturday. Above is another painting that uses the moon . This is a more traditional painting. I return to using water to carry your eye to the focal point. Yesterday's landscape painting was not as literal. I enjoyed painting yesterday's rendition much more than today's. I find it more stimulating to paint and respond to what I have just placed on the surface. I like the "what if" and the "aha" of discovery in creating some of my paintings. I like solving problems. There are times that a tight drawing makes me feel as though I have no freedom in the direction of the work. I would like my work to have a more spontaneous look. Maybe the next one. Enjoy your evening. I'm off to paint.



I must now go back to work on the next painting. The first of May is not that far away. Have a pleasant evening.