two paintings on wood cross-cuts

10" x 14", acrylic on cut wood. $85 USD

8"x12", acrylic on cut wood. $85 USD

Park Angel

24" x 24", acrylic on board, Framed. $275 USD.

My wife and I spent a weekend in NYC a couple of years ago and I snapped a photo of the famous angel fountain in Central Park (I'm sure there is a better name for it but I don't know what it is). It sits at the bottom of a grand stone staircase that leads to a pond. It is a great meeting place and is filled with humanity and quite a few ducks. I've been to a lot of large cities in both Europe and this country and seen a lot of city parks but I will always hold a special place in my heart for Central Park...it is by far the most amazing public space that this country has to offer. It is truely a jewel.

Family Portrait

6"x8", oil on canvasboard.SOLD

Duck Pond

8"x10", oil on canvasboard. $125 USD

This is a pond near my house that is always filled with ducks and geese. I painted this using a combination of brush and palette knife in a thick style.

Fresh Snow on the Battlefield

6"x8", oil on canvasboard. $125 USD

This is based on a photo I took last week when we got about 8 inches of snow. It was taken at Valley Forge National Historic Park, which is not far from my house. I plan on doing a few more paintings of this snowfall in Valley Forge as part of a series I'm working on for an upcoming show in August...I'm hoping snow will sell in the summer :)

new pet portraits...

These were all done for the same client (as a Valentine's gift). They are all done in acrylic on 10" square canvases.

Prairie Dog

6" x 8", oil on canvasboard. $125 USD
Say it with me now....."awwwww"

Wild Island Cat

8" x 10", oil on canvasboard. $180 USD. Detail below:

I took a photo of this little guy in Nassau, Bahamas. There seemed to be a lot of wild cats on the island and this kitten was very vocal...not sure if he was guarding his territory or if he was just trying to get some food. I like the way he was somewhat camoflaged by all the palm shadows.

Single Mother / Two Kids

I just finished this today. I've only been able to work on it in bits and peices since Christmas due to the holiday runaround and the commissions I needed to finish for clients. I'm so glad it's done! It's inspired by a reference photo I took a couple of years ago at a petting zoo. It's the first of a series of animal paintings I'm working on for a solo show in June to be held at a local pet boutique..."Wag Your Tail", West Chester, PA.

16" x 20", oil on canvas, $750 USD

XMAS vacation...pt3

Here are two more pet portraits:

"Ty", acrylic on canvasboard, 8"x10"

"Jake", acrylic on canvas, 11"x14"

XMAS vacation...pt 2

Here is one of the pet portrait commissions (+ reference photo):
Reference photo:

"Samson", acrylic on canvas, 11"x14"

How I spent my XMAS vacation...pt 1

It's been quite a while since I posted...I've been busy working on commissioned portraits for Christmas. I couldn't figure out how to get all the photos together in a manageable way in one post so I broke this up into 3 pts. Enjoy ;)

"Hula", oil on canvas, 16"x20"

I just met a really talented animation artist at Thanksgiving dinner last night. Here's a link to her website: http://www.SarahDraws.com

Check out some of her numerous blogs and other sites as well...my favorite is a blog dedicated to the pursuit of the perfect candy... http://www.TheCandyEnthusiast.com

Stepping Stones

16" x 20", oil on canvas board ; $650 USD

This is a tranquil spot at the end of a creek bed full of boulders and small waterfalls in Chester County, PA called Saint Peter's Village. I've done several paintings based on photos taken while hiking around this area. It's one of my favorite places because of the peaceful energy there.

Still Standing

18" x 24", oil on canvas. Finished studio painting. $850 USD

6"x8" study, based on reference photo. I included the study to demonstrate the process that goes into a studio piece. I usually start by taking reference photos and making small studies from them to get a feel for the composition. It also helps me to get more familiar with the elements and details of the design. Sometimes there are things that get edited out or moved around to make for a more pleasing composition or to simplify the overall design. It's like practicing a piece of music before you play it for others.

Star Wars mural

"Battle of Endor",3' x 5' acrylic mural on canvas

Detail from the mural. This is actually the third Star Wars-themed mural I've done in the last year! I have to admit I was never a huge fan but all this research has sparked my interest (a little bit).

This mural was done in my studio on a sheet of canvas that will be installed on a bedroom wall in a client's home. It goes up just like wallpaper, using heavy-duty wallpaper paste (clay-based); and as long as the wall has been properly primed the mural can be removed in the future without damaging the wall or the mural. In this way it can be re-used and taken with someone if they move. It can even be re-sold on EBAY! I do most of my mural commissions this way...it allows me to work much faster and ship the finished mural to anywhere in the world (so I don't have to limit my client base to my home area). You can see more murals on my website: http://www.AMuralForAllSeasons.com

Just got back from Sedona...

What a spiritually renewing place! This was our first time to AZ (and to a desert for that matter) and we loved it. We hiked every day for a week, took a hot air balloon ride, explored the canyon in a 4x4 jeep, and took a day trip to the Grand Canyon. Yesterday it was over 90 degrees in Phoenix as we were leaving and we returned to a rainy, 50 degree Philadelphia airport! But it's always good to come home...now I can get working on a whole new series of paintings ;)

Garden Path

6" x 6" (15.3cm x 15.3cm), oil on canvas ; SOLD

Springhouse at Valley Forge

18" x 24", oil on canvas ; $700 USD

This painting is based on a photo I took of an old springhouse in Valley Forge National Park, which is not far from where I live. I'm thinking of doing a small series of Valley Forge scenes. There are lots of deer and cabins, but mainly I'm attracted to the vast fields of grass on the rolling hills. They change colors with the seasons and now that Autumn is here I should probably get myself back out there with my camera!

Angus

Just finished this 8" x 10" pet portrait for a client and thought I'd post it. It was done in pencil on high-quality drawing paper. These are always enjoyable to do because I love animals and it's challenging to capture the emotion on their face, especially in their eyes, which is much different than the emotional response from me that I'm trying to capture in a landscape. Pets have their own emotions and that couples with your emotional response to their expression and body language. The best pet portraits should simply make you go "awwwww" when they work well. I'm also adding it to the pet portrait gallery on my mural website, where you can see more more pet and house portraits, as well as murals and decorative painting commissions:
http://www.AMuralForAllSeasons.com

Bridge To Nowhere

11" x 14", oil on canvas board ; SOLD

I couldn't resist that title! I just finished this today... based on a photo I took while hiking in a gorge near Ithaca, NY last summer.

Belvidere Castle, Central Park, NYC

6" x 8" (15.3cm x 20.3cm), oil on canvas board ; $95 USD

This was painted from a reference photo I took in Central Park looking across the lake from Belvidere Castle. At this size the castle can only be suggested. However, I plan on doing a larger version of this composition which would have more detail. This study captures the feel quite nicely though. I find Central Park to be a magical place, mainly because of the way it was designed.

Breaking the Silence

36" x 48", oil on canvas ; $1,800 USD


This is one I've been chipping away at for a few weeks. I finally finished it and think I'll stick to smaller canvases for a while ;) I used a photo reference that I took a couple of winters ago on a bridge not far my home (SE Pennsylvania).

Butterfly

18" x 24", mixed (acrylic + oil) on board ; $650 USD

Cascade

12" x 24", oil on canvas, framed ; $450 USD