Let's Talk

Let's Talk 12" x 12" oil on canvas. Available at Etsy.

This was just a fun exercise with color! I wanted the blues and greens of the birds to really pop! The orange isn't quite as bright as the top photo shows.

Blue and Orange II

Blue and Orange II 8" x 8" oil on canvas Sold

This is the second of a pair I painted last week. I am playing with the texture of the paint and trying to simplify shapes and color.

Blue and Orange

Blue and Orange 8" x 8" Sold.

After working on the mural restoration project at the Ridglea Theater in Fort Worth, I am now back in the studio painting! And it feels good. This is one of two similar country house paintings I did last week.

I have been working with art conservators on the restoration of the 1950 Ridglea Theater Murals in Fort Worth. The murals are by Eugene Gilboe, a prolific painter, who also worked on the Dallas Fair Park Murals. I was also part of that large project back in 2000, when 14 murals were restored.

The Ridglea Theater is scheduled to re-open in late September. The murals have some water damage and large areas of missing paint, which are being re-constructed. Luckily the building is now on the historic registry and will be brought back to its original glory.

More information and images are here.

The Gift to be Simple II

The Gift to be Simple II 12" x 12" Available at Etsy

My paintings are a kind of Contemporary Americana, celebrating the rural landscape. The title of this piece comes from a Shaker melody: 

"'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight."

The Clothesline

The Clothesline 8" x 24"oil on canvas. SOLD

This is painted with a palette knife with thick impasto and lots of bright colors. I love the long narrow size and am planning to do more!

Promise of Living

 Promise of Living. Oil painting on canvas 24" x 24". Available on Etsy.

This is a larger version of a painting I did a few months ago, which was very popular and was sold by Serena & Lily Bazaar. The title comes from a piece of Aaron Copland's Tender Land opera. It is a simple image, but is painted in thick impasto with a lot of great texture. I always paint the edges, so it can be hung with or without a frame.