Painting

Plein Air Paintings (Part 2)

Plein Air Paintings (Part 2)

(This is #2 of a 4 part series.) Across The River Hominy Creek Park is home to a section of the French Broad River Greenway, a bike and pedestrian pathway that runs along the west bank of the French Broad River. On the opposite bank, directly across the River, is the world famous Biltmore Estate. On this cloudy day, there were some unexpected colors playing in the reflections of the water. French Broad River Park French Broad River Park (West Asheville) painted on an overcast day in April. (I'm particularly pleased with the…Read more
Plein Air Paintings (Part 1)

Plein Air Paintings (Part 1)

(This is #1 of a 4 part series.) Parkway Overlook From Asheville, traveling South West on the Blue Ridge Parkway, one winds up through Pisgah National Forest. Just past the Pisgah Inn, at Milepost 409 there is a spectacular view of numerous peaks including Funnel Top Mountain. This painting was done in the morning before the clouds rolled in and completely obscured the view. Bearwallow Vista Bearwallow Mountain is situated on the Eastern Continental Divide with commanding views in every direction. The vista I chose to paint overlooks Henderson County's apple country, Fruitland,…Read more
Plein Air Paintings

Plein Air Paintings

For Your Viewing Pleasure Last weekend I was painting at the French Broad River Park with a local outdoor painting club. I realized I hadn't photographed and shared most of the plein air paintings. (Plein Air is simply a French term that means "outdoors".) So, over the next couple of weeks I'll be sending out a series of 4 emails, each featuring a handful of plein air landscapes for your viewing pleasure. What makes plein air paintings special? While an artist is painting directly from nature the sun moves and clouds may pass…Read more
Painting Demo – Basilica of St. Lawrence

Painting Demo – Basilica of St. Lawrence

On Tuesday morning, I gave a painting demonstration for a group of painters. The subject of the painting is the Basilica of St. Lawrence, a remarkable Spanish Renaissance building in downtown Asheville that boasts the largest unsupported dome in North America. The paintout that followed the demo was well attended by at least 20 local painters. (One artist even drove up from Charleston, SC to attend!) Overcast skies and patchy morning clouds eventually gave way to sun. The event was arranged by the Asheville Urban Landscape Project, a vibrant arts initiative spearheaded by…Read more
Telling Your Artist Story

Telling Your Artist Story

Inspiration and advice for artists. In the process of building my artist website I ran across a wonderful online photo-journal that absolutely inspired me. In The Make – http://inthemake.com is a beautifully produced website that documents studio visits of West Coast artists. Each article features dozens of large photographs of the artist, the artist’s work and studio in order to tell the story of the artist’s creative process. Interspersed between the photos is the transcript of an interview with the artist. Artists fascinate people. Folks who are interested in your artwork also want…Read more

Painting Studio Shelf

During the holidays I built a 4 inch wide shelf that runs the length of one wall in my painting studio — and I love it! It looks good and it just works! I tend to work in batches — that is to say, I have several paintings going - at various stages of development - at any given time. The shelf allows me to conveniently display the works-in-progress, and then exchange the painting on my easel to work on for a while. Here you can see my studio with several unfinished canvases…Read more