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Morning Pleasure
Every year I visit Catalina Island off the coast of
California to take part in art shows. I have a routine
where I get up early and do a small painting along the
crescent harbor as the sun rises. It’s a great way to
start the day. One of the attractions at Catalina Island
is the aqua green Pleasure Pier pictured here. 6 x 8” in
an artist-made, gold gilded, traditional frame. |
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Pienza
Throughout Tuscany are centuries old towns built on top
of hills with high walls around them for protection from
the neighboring invading town. Inside these walls are
narrow stone pathways or streets with wonderful shops,
homes and public buildings. It’s a wonderful feeling
knowing that people walked these streets hundreds of
years ago. That’s the way I felt as I did this painting.
9 x 7”, oil on canvas on board in a black, antiqued
frame built by yours truly. |
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This Ain’t Heaven
I think Iowa is way underrated for beauty. It’s a
wonderful place for artists to paint outdoors with
lakes, rivers and rolling farm country. I painted this
in Spirit Lake, Iowa at the Pearson’s Lake Art Center
Annual Plein Air Competition. The title comes from the
movie Field of Dreams where Kevin Costner exclaims “This
ain’t Heaven, it’s Iowa!” This small painting won second
place in the competition. 6 x 8” in an artist-made, gold
gilded, traditional frame. |
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Meandering through the Eucs
To me, this is a wonderful, stereotypical California
farm scene. Tall Eucalyptus with roads meandering
through them. You can find that throughout central and
northern California if you just get off the beaten path.
The day I did this it was drizzling and gray and that’s
what I tried to capture in this small painting. 8 x 6”,
oil on canvas on board in a in a turn-of-the-century
style gilded frame. |
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Catalina
Icon
The green Pleasure Pier (as it is known) on Catalina
Island is a favorite of artists and photographers. It's
one of those iconic structures that make for an obvious
post card painting. But I'm a sucker for that kind of
subject matter and sometimes can't resist. I painted
this one early in the AM while sipping a coffee from
Joe's cafe. (A nice way to start the day in Catalina). 6
x 8”, oil on canvas on board in a gilded
turn-of-the-Century style frame. |
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Elkhorn
Slough
This slough is located just inland from Monterey Bay in
California. In the early 90’s I painted there a lot.
It’s a sanctuary loaded with wild life and an ever
changing look from the ebb and flow of the tide. I did
this small painting this past spring and I think it
captures the feel and color of that day. 6 x 8”, oil on
canvas on board in a in a turn-of-the-century style
gilded frame. |
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The Old Biffy
This old, run down outhouse was in beautiful Door
County, WI. It’s weathered wood, over grown vegetation
and broken in door spoke of another era, a simpler more
humble time. I’ve painted several outhouses and people
seem to like them as an artistic addition to their
bathrooms. 8 x 6 in an artist-made, gilded, traditional
frame. |
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Winter's Dawn
South Minneapolis has a beautiful inner city creek that
runs through it with many fine bridges that are built of
indigenous stone. Tastefully designed, they have nice
lines and a real good Arts & Crafts feel to them. This
one is located at 54th & Upton and I’ve painted it many
times, in all seasons at all times of day, never tiring
of it. 6 x 8” in a gilded frame hand carved by me. |
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Gold Medal
Highrise
These grain silos at the Minneapolis Riverfront are an
iconic symbol of Minneapolis’ roots and industry. The
city was founded on the transportation, storing and
milling of grain grown on the great Midwestern plains
then shipped by rail to Minneapolis. The silos are now
the center of the riverfront and it’s grand rebirth. 8 x
6”, oil on canvas on board, in a turn-of-the-Century
style gilded frame. |
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At the Border
I painted this in southern Arizona near the town of Arivaca
close to the Mexican border. It’s typical of the
dilapidated shacks surrounded by mesquite that you find
in that part of the country. I was attracted to the
color and character of the place and felt it would not
be there much longer. 6 x 8 in an artist-made gilded,
traditional frame. |
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Bail Bondsman
I don’t have much experience with bail bondsmen or
getting out of jail, but I do know that bail bondsmen
don’t have as cute of offices as this one. It was
surrounded by planters and the different colored lights
hitting them made it irresistible. This is in
Mississippi near Natchez. 6 x 8 in an artist-made
gilded, traditional frame. |
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Once a Prairie Home
This old, abandoned house in northern Minnesota spoke
of an older, by-gone way of life. “One large room held
an entire family”, I was told by some neighbors who saw
me painting this. The threatening sky just seemed to add
to the story. 6 x 8 in an artist-made, gilded,
traditional frame. |
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Madison County
Yes, this is one of the famous covered bridges in
Madison County, Iowa, glamorized by the book and later
the movie starring Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood. Most
of the bridges are well preserved but no longer in use.
They attract visitors from around the country. The thing
I remember most about this painting was almost getting
attacked by a pack of angry farm dogs. Had it not been
for a quick acting owner – who knows? 6 x 8 in an
artist-made, gilded, traditional frame.
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The Hockey House
I found this old boat house on the west end of Lake
Minnetonka in Minnesota. A large lake, it serves
sportsmen year around. This shack that sat between the
lake and an adjacent pond served as a hockey warming
house in the winter. The sight of many hockey games, I’m
sure. The early morning view at sunrise looking east
seemed to give it a nice feel. 6 x 8 in an artist-made,
gilded, traditional frame. |
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One of Ten Thousand
Minnesota is known as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes” and
they all add to its richness and culture; inner city
lakes, suburban lakes and wilderness lakes. This is Lake
Itasca in northern Minnesota. The river flowing from it
is the beginning of the Mississippi River. 6 x 8 in an
artist-made, gilded, traditional frame. |
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Elvis’ Place
This is the house that Elvis Presley was born and
raised in. Located in Tupelo, MS, its representative of
many of the small sharecroppers or Hurricane houses of
that period. Built by his father in the early 30’s, it
is two rooms, one behind the other. Today it is a museum
visited by fans from around the world. 6 x 8 in an
artist-made, gilded, traditional frame.
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CCC Tower
The Civilian Conservation Corps was an offshoot of
FDR’s WPA Program and New Deal. It employed young men
who did rural construction projects that ranged from
building bridges, roads, cabins, etc. that were part of
our parks and wilderness areas. The structures were of
indigenous materials and were always beautifully
designed with an Arts & Crafts feel. They are just today
being appreciated as an art form and social program.
I’ve painted many of them and plan to do more. This one
is on the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota. 6 x
8 in an artist-made, gilded, traditional frame. |
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Mississippi Modern
Old Art Deco styled trailers are a favorite of mine,
particularly the ones with that forward leaning design.
It’s like they’re going nowhere fast. I found this one
in an impoverished, run down area of rural Mississippi.
It looked “modern” in comparison to it’s surroundings. 6
x 8 in an artist-made, gilded, traditional frame.
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The Petrol Shack
This old corrugated tin shack is in south Minneapolis
is the office of a wholesale gasoline station. With the
old truck along side, it felt like it was 1940…and I’m
always a sucker to paint something that feels like 1940.
6 x 8 in an artist-made, gilded, traditional frame. |
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