Richmond City Lights

 AN OIL PAINTING I JUST FINISHED that I've titled: Richmond City Lights. The painting is a palette knife, framed in a beautiful, thin floating frame, measures 24"x36" and is on display in my gallery space at Crossroads Art Center. 

Mount Ranier 2 of 2

HERE IS THE COMPLETED PAINTING OF Mt. Ranier from our trip last year to Washington. When I say I was working down to the final minutes...I literally mean that. With the number of commissions I had last year, I had little to no time for personal work. And because of the size scale of the painting (60"x48"), for a moment I felt like I bit off more than I could chew. I've never painted a personal work of art for someone...ever, at this size, but good god, it was worth it. Lynanne doesn't cry, like, ever but she broke down when she walked into the room.

Did I go over the top with this? No...not at all.

The painting 48"x60" and hangs in our living room. Prints of this stunning painting can be purchased at my etsy store: Mount Ranier Fine Art Print Washington Art Mountain Painting Mount Ranier Painting National Park Myrtle Falls - Etsy

Mount Ranier 1 of 2

ALL OF THE WORK THAT I post on my blog now is about my professional journey. I rarely show personal work because it's not something that adds to my professional brand. However, this is a painting I did for Lynanne last year for Christmas. It is the largest personal work I've ever done, and I wanted to share the progress pics of it. When we hiked a portion of Mt. Ranier, it's really deceptive. It's one of those things where the closer you get to it, the further it seems...almost like Alice in Wonderland...no matter how hard she ran she seemed to stay in place.

Our Washington trip was long overdue and much needed. Since caregiving, our trips are few and far between and except for a handful of away trips, most of our adventuring stays close to home. This was one of those moments that was heaven...and as stated, much needed. 

Why did I paint so large? Umm...because it's Mt. Ranier. 

Mural at The Painted Tree

 WHEN I HAD A BOOTH AT the Painted Tree location in Glen Allen, I painted this wall mural as a display to show potential customers what I was capable of doing, in case they were interested in getting something for themselves. I had a security camera at the booth and from time to time I'd pull up the daily feed and it wasn't uncommon to watch a person look over at the mural and then stop by to check out my booth. Even if people didn't buy from me, it definitely caught their attention. 

When I moved out of the space, a new vendor moved in and thought, you know what I should do with this mural? Cover it up. 

And by 'cover it up' I don't mean they painted over it. They slid a table in front of it and with some baseball card decorations because...why not?

Miles in Blue

I JUST FINISHED THIS PAINTING OF jazz legend, Miles Davis. A little-known fact is that Miles Davis was inspired by Pablo Picasso's Blue Period, and three of his albums reference this - Blue Period (1953), Blue Moods (1955), and Kind of Blue (1959). The background of the painting is a wash of Indigo Blue, and the gold in the trumpet is a glaze of Cadmium Yellow.

The painting is for Crossroads Art Center's Jazz Art Show in March and is framed with a beautiful floating frame. 

The original is 16"x20" and prints are available at my etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1861362130/miles-in-blue-fine-art-print-jazz-art

During The Superbowl...

 I'VE NEVER BEEN A HUGE FAN of football and while the super bowl was playing I decided to do some night pleinair painting. I went over to the Fountain Bookstore downtown near The Martin Agency and set up my easel. I've always wanted to paint this scene but with no cars. Unfortunately...that ain't gonna happen. The entire area is packed 24/7 so the chances of there not being a car there is zero. 

Anyway, I had a good time. A few onlookers heading to a bar to watch the game stopped by to chat. 

Riverbend Coffee Drawing

 

I DECIDED TO REVISIT ONE OF my coffee drawings from 2020. The original coffee shop drawings/paintings were literally created with coffee from each coffee shop. I don't know if I'll draw every single coffee shop, but I really love this particular location. For some weird reason, Riverbend reminds me of the bakery from the film, 'As Good As It Gets', when Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt are walking early in the morning, and they stop in to grab warm rolls. In reality, it looks nothing like the bakery in the film but something about it has that stereotypical 'good morning' feeling. The staff has always been friendly to us, and in the morning, there's a solid, warm glow coming from the windows, and on a rainy day, the reflections on the street just make it feel so welcoming. 

So, I decided to draw it. Prints can be purchased at my etsy store: Riverbend Roastery Fine Art Print Richmond Art Pencil Drawing Coffee Art Richmond Richmond Virginia - Etsy