THINKING ABOUT SPRING

 With the early onset of Winter, I find myself thinking about Spring.

PIEDMONT PARK MAGNOLIA is an oil painting on canvas that I painted for the Coca Cola Company back in the late 1990s, I think.  They commissioned the painting as a gift to the Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI), and presented at their yearly convention.

At The Office

Monday afternoon, painting along Little River just above the ruins of the old Cherokee Rope Mill. My main subject is a red maple tree on the opposite bank. A very nice gentleman named Don passed by and snapped this pic on his phone and he was kind enough to email it to me.

Dig the super snazzy reading glasses!

My wife calls this my office.  The air conditioner doesn't work in the summer, but I sure can't complain about the view!

JAPANESE MAPLE Oil painting on panel

I painted this a few autumns ago - a la prima, plein aire and all that.  Set my old French Easel up in the front yard and painted the big blazing Japanese Maple that is across the street.  It was big for that kind of tree, and just as bright as I show it here.  Just a beautiful thing.

In a way, this has become a painting about resiliency and bouncing back.
That winter my neighbor decided to "prune" the tree, and he cut it back almost down to the ground.  Glad I went ahead and painted it when I did.

But it has been a few years now, and the old Japanese Maple has proven to be pretty tough.  It's growing back, and is already about two thirds the size that it was then. I think it will be just fine, and in time spectacular, like before.  Perhaps even better.  I also have a new neighbor, so hopefully this won't happen again.  Maybe in a year or two I'll revisit and make a new painting!

DEERPOINT LAKE, in the Florida Panhandle.

I painted this from a short pier that goes out into Deerpoint Lake.  A storm looked to be blowing in, and eventually it did, but I had plenty of time to finish the painting on site.  Had to rope down my easel because of the wind.  All in all, it was a beautiful day to paint.

Deerpoint Lake is unusual in that it butts right up into Deerpoint Bay, with a dam in between and a  road on top of the dam.  You can drive across, looking one way at fresh water and the other way at salt water.  People catch bream and perch from one side of the road and salt water trout and blue crabs from the other.

GANA IN RED

Thanks to Gana, who posed in a bright red jacket and hat for this rather quick painting.

JUST SOME THINGS ON A SHELF IN MY STUDIO

Some tools of the trade, on a shelf in my studio.  This is an oil painting on canvas.  I think Joanne made the blue ceramic cup when she was in college.