Two Palms

 

oil on canvasboard, 8" x 10"

This little number started out as an abstracted flower painting.  I can still see the yellow echinacea in it that I was thinking of when I painted it.  

Isolation Isle

acrylic on canvas, 24" x 24"

I started this painting in 2020 during the COVID lockdown period.  I kept imagining a little piece of paradise floating in tropical waters.  It was all but finished except that it needed a figure, and I remained undecided forever about it . . . that is, until recently.  Even though isolation can foster a feeling of NOT belonging, I wanted the figure in this scene to have a sense of place, of belonging there, as if isolation is a chosen thing.  

Purple Honeycreepers

oil on panel, 10" x 10"

My fascination with tropical birds continues unabated.  The purple honeycreeper is native to northern South America, mostly in the Amazon Basin.  Honestly, how does Mother Nature come up with these gorgeous designs and their astounding colors?

Another World

 

acrylic on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

This is a study of a tropical scene that I am playing around with, hoping to adapt it to a larger composition.  Fish are fun to paint, so I'm betting I'll be painting more of them.

Rosie

oil on cradled panel, 20" x 16"

It's back to the birds with this painting of a roseate spoonbill wading in shallow waters.  I've been wanting to paint this bird for quite a while, a member of the ibis family commonly found along coastal regions of North and South America.  I just love that long spatulate bill!  And of course, the gorgeous colors of her (his?) feathers.

Fish

acrylic on canvas, 16" x 20"

This simple painting of a tropical fish was the first part of a two-part exercise at UNM.  The first part was to paint anything -- an object, still life, landscape, portrait, whatever -- in a representational manner, and the second part was to paint an abstract iteration of that first painting.  I will post my abstract interpretation of this one tomorrow.  Spoiler alert:  it looks nothing like this fish, but perhaps someone will see a connection between the two paintings.  I found this exercise to be a fun way to approach abstract painting.  I'm doing another now.

Ain't Talkin'

acrylic on canvas, 8" x 13"

This was just for fun.  The reference photo I used for this painting is of a nicobar pigeon.  I was intrigued by it, especially by its hidden head, which made me wonder, what else is it hiding?

Sous la Mer

oil on wood panel, 6" x 6"

Another colorful abstract made from leftover paint on the palette, done with a palette knife, the implement of my choice lately.

Swimming in Miami

iPad painting, 14" x 10"

My response to the recent heat wave here in Northern California.