White Ibis

oil on panel, 16" x 16"

The white ibis is said to be a symbol of optimism and good luck, which I could use a bit of right now.  With this painting, here's hoping the new year uplifts the spirit and brings good luck to all.

Black and Yellow Irises

oil on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

Flower study.

St. John

 

oil on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

This portrait of the great jazz saxophonist John Coltrane is the latest in a portrait series I'm doing on extraordinary Black American musicians, artists, and other creative types.  In addition to being a trail blazer in contemporary jazz, Coltrane was a spiritual seeker and wanted to bless people through his music.  Years after his death, he was canonized by the African Orthodox Church.

Hanalei Palms

 

oil on panel, 18" x 18"

I'm on a palm tree kick right now, as I gear up for a narrative painting that includes palm trees.  This one is of palm trees near Hanalei, Hawaii on the island of Kauai.

Japanese Moon Moth

oil on panel, 8" x 8"

It's been a while since I last painted a butterfly or moth, so here's a little painting of a beautiful moth.

Landscape in Green and Gold

oil on panel, 8" x 16"

Just trying to work quickly and intuitively with this study, not get fussy.  I especially like the gradation of colors from the minty green foreground to the pale yellow hills in mid-distance, to the gold ochre sky.

Capped Heron in Flight

oil on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

The capped heron is, to me, one of the most beautiful birds in the world.  The colors, I mean, c'mon, that turquoise beak against the warm yellow of the breast is inspired!  

Of Beauty and Bravery

oil on panel, 12" x 9"

This is an alla prima portrait of Waris Dirie, a Somali model and activist who was the subject of the film "Desert Flower."  I saw that film some years ago and had nightmares over it.  The subject matter was, essentially, female genital mutilation (FGM), a horror that was visited on Waris at the age of 5.  As a teenager, she fled her homeland, scraped by in England for a while, and was eventually saved by her beauty, forging a very successful modeling career.  Later, she opened up about her early childhood trauma, helping to bring the issue of FGM out into the open.  Her bravery is simply staggering.   

The Comfort of Strangers

oil on panel, 9" x 12"

Just a fun, quick study.

Down in Dreamland

oil on canvas, 20" x 30"

I've had it in mind to do this painting for a long time, so it shouldn't have surprised me how quickly it came about.  I had done a loose digital version of this figure a long while back that I quite liked, but I'm happy with this version, too.  My aim was to evoke a sense of deep relaxation, and I achieved that, at least to my satisfaction.

Pedernal with Cottonwoods

oil on panel, 8" x 8"

Taking a trip down memory lane with this little painting of Cerro Pedernal from a photo I had taken from Ghost Ranch in New Mexico a few years ago.

Smoke and Mirrors

 

oil on canvas, 20" x 20"

Don't know what got into me, but here it is, a narrative painting of a love triangle.  I used a still from the French film, "La Baie des Anges," for the two figures on the left, then added a third figure to complete the story.  I decided to leave her hair sketchy and barely painted because when I stepped back to look with fresh eyes, it seemed to shimmer and glow, so what you see is mostly bare canvas.  Overall, I'm happy that I pretty much was able to execute my vision for this painting. 

Abstracted Landscape Study 10.30.22

oil on panel, 6" x 6"

A study in greens was the purpose of this exercise.  I like pairing cool and warm greens side by side.  

Melodious

 

oil on panel, 10" x 10"

It's back to the birds with this painting of an Australian magpie, an accomplished songbird, apparently, with quite an array of vocalizations.  Having never heard its song, at least I tried to make the painting sing.

Letting Go

 

acrylic on canvas, 24" x 24"

I took the opportunity to work through some issues in paint here.  It was cathartic.

Under a Blue Moon

oil on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

 I had wanted to do a version of this subject on a large panel but didn't have the right format in my inventory, so I did a study instead.  It was a useful experiment.

Wingin' It

 

acrylic on canvas paper, 12" x 12"

Just a quick little free form piece done at the end of an intense painting day.  

Complementary Couple

acrylic on panel, 6" x 12"

This is the result of my desire to make a painting with the complementary pairing of reds and greens exclusively.  I chose these two red hollyhocks because they are among my favorites.

Black Heron Study

 

oil on panel, 12" x 9"

I started this study months ago, then got distracted and so it went into the timeout zone.  When that happens, sometimes the painting becomes a guinea pig for experimentation.  Such was the case with this one.

Abstracted Landscape Study 10.3.2022

oil on panel, 6" x 6"

Another quick little palette knife study of an imaginary landscape.