 | 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. SOLD |
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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. SOLD |
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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. SOLD |
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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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