A collection of souvenirs from my international travels. The colorful pattern on the Swedish “Dala” horse was challenging, yet definitely fun to paint. Fading into the background on the right side of the composition is a Maori “Infinity Symbol” from New Zealand. Various foreign currency fills out the foreground, punctuated by the brighter tones of a “fiver” from Australia.

12 x 16 – Oil on linen
2012

The subtle forms of an orchid petal were the basis for this still life. Capturing the luminosity of the white petals under a spotlight proved challenging. A careful balance of light & shadow was needed to accommodate the lighter tones of the orchid petal.

The majority of this piece was actually painted twice. About half way through I realized it wasn’t heading in the right direction, scraped off as much paint as I could, and started over.

7 x 9.5 – Oil on linen
2011

My theme for this still life was “fantasy literature and gaming”. I dug through my closet boxes and found a couple old paperbacks and playing cards. I paired those items with gaming dice (d4, d6 & d12) and a 72mm figurine I had painted a few years earlier. The faux marble ball & pedestal had been lurking on my wife’s bookshelf for a couple years.

The dramatic lighting for the setup was achieved by staging the still life in a crate covered in foam core to block out unwanted light. I eventually dropped some of the elements of the crate from the painting, opting instead to leave the composition more open.

15 x 10 – Oil on linen
2010