Portfolio of Works

For seven years, I did nothing but what one judge called "Portrait-Landscapes." They are large (usually 48" x 24") portraits of people that are life-size from the mid-chest up, placed in a landscape that says something about them. The size makes it seem like the person is in the room with you, or you are in the landscape with them. Sometimes they have their back to you, sometimes they're turned in profile, and sometimes they face you. These paintings have won me a lot of awards in shows and competitions, and I love them; but eventually I realized that most people want either a portrait that they commissioned, or a landscape that they imagine themselves in - not someone else. So I don't do as many of these anymore. But they still make great conversation pieces. You can purchase any of them as fine art prints.

I recently became interested in equestrian art because I had a painting of a horse and rider in a show that folks seemed to like, and suddenly I found myself getting commissions for other horse paintings. I like horses because my dad and granddad were both horse people. Horses encompass the best of all animals: they're strong, they're beautiful and they're fast. And they love their freedom. It's amazing that humans have been able to tame them.

I've been an illustrator most of my life. I started out illustrating Bible stories, then moved to magazines and books, and finally to the Internet. The highpoint of my illustration career was doing a series of watercolors for the Travel Channel. I like illustration because there's a story behind every piece, and you'll soon discover that I like stories as much as paintings. These pieces are not available as originals, because they were commissioned. But you can order most of them as fine art prints. Just let me know what you're interested in.

As you can imagine, most of my "Vertical Oils" are trees. I love trees, and one tree in particular - a 200-year-old beech in my front yard. It was part of the original plantation that my property was carved out of. I've had to fight for that tree through the years, as power companies and others have tried to take it out. But it has continued, unharmed, and I've painted it many times. This underwater scene is relatively new. I'm not a diver, but I'm fascinated with the ocean, and especially sharks. People find that it's easier to make space for vertical paintings than for horizontal. I've never had that problem. :)

Plein air painting is the most rugged of all painting because you take your studio OUTSIDE into the elements, rather than bring the outdoors inside to you. You have to battle heat, cold, wind, rain, bugs - you name it. But the results are usually worth it. I've been painting en plein air for the past several years, and the more I do it, the more I like it. Outside + painting + friends = a great experience AND (usually) some great artwork. I'm not giving up my studio; but this just gives me one more means of expression.