Mazatlan Market

When I was in Mexico a couple of years ago, I took several photos of the colorful markets. The colors, smells and busyness of the markets excite my imagination. So, on a recent dreary day, I dug out my Mexican photos and and decided to go for color. The painting posed a number of artistic problems and it was a struggle. But, what the heck, the struggle makes it all worthwhile.

Saltwater Cowboys

I completed this one last month. Every July in Chincoteague (pronounced Chink-o-teek), which is a small coastal town on the eastern shore of Virginia, the volunteer firemen hold an event which has gained national prominence and is attended by 40-50,000 visitors.

On Assateague Island national seashore there is a herd of wild ponies that roam free and are untamed. Perhaps you've heard of or read the children's book, "Misty of Chincoteague." In Maryland, those pony herds are totally left to fend for themselves and are untouched except to keep track of them. In Virginia, the herds are thinned each year in this event called the Chincoteague Pony Penning. So what happens is that on the 4th Wednesday in July, these volunteer firemen called "saltwater cowboys" cross over the bay from Chincoteague to Assateague Island and round up ponies. Then they herd those ponies toward the water to cross the bay and into Chincoteague, where they are penned up and sold at auction on Thursday. Quite a sight to see all of those ponies swim across the bay.

Out of the Funk

I guess I've been in an art funk lately. Kind of like writer's block. Nothing I've turned out in the past few weeks has been to my liking. Expect today I finished one that I like a lot. This one is a pastel. I'm drawn to skies, so here is my sunset over the Gulf of Mexico.

Learning with a Tutor

The other day I spent the day being tutored by Tressa Homel, a pastelist from the Annapolis area. I certainly learned a lot. Here are pieces from that session. The first one was a plein aire piece done fairly quickly while being attacked by ants. The second one was done in the comfort of the studio from pieces set up in a still life by Tressa.

Sacred Embrace

This is my first attempt at religious art, which I've wanted to try for a long time. I created it for a recent show. I will definitely do more symbolic art. It meant a lot to me to create this one.

Ocean City Paintings

The "View of the Inlet" was done in the hot sun as a part of the art league's Ocean City Paint-Out. I had fun doing it, but I got sick that night from too much sun. Boy was it hot! The painting is in oil, done 99% with a pallette knife. I like the freedom and looseness of working with a pallette knife as opposed to brushes.

Here is one in pastels - "Sunrise Over Ocean City". I decided to push the colors in this one. Color is really my forte', and I'm happiest when I allow myself to really go for it.

Horses on the Brain

Why have I been thinking about horses lately? Don't know, but these wanted to be painted. "Equine Friendship" was done in a loose, expressionistic style. The other one, "A Horse With No Name" started with a bright red underpainting. It then evolved, almost as if it painted itself. Wow! First time I had that experience. Both are done in soft pastels, which is becoming my medium of choice.