Tag Archives: art

Moose in Fall

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“Moose in Fall” 2010 acrylic on canvas board

The moose is one of my favorite animals, and I’ve been lucky enough to see them in the wild myself on several occasions. The moose is a massive animal – the sheer size of them is something to behold, with 7 feet their average height at the shoulder. The older bulls can grow antler spreads up to 6 feet wide that weigh 90 pounds! Can you imagine carrying around 90 pounds on your head? The antlers grow in at the rate of up to 1 inch per day, and are shed yearly. Another interesting fact – moose have 4 more DNA chromosomes than humans.

Of the more exotic animals I’d like to throw a saddle on and ride, the moose is up there with the giraffe. Here and here are some examples of other people with crazy ideas about saddling moose or hitching them up to wagons. The latter seems to be more popular.

Either way, moose are spectacular animals, and I enjoy capturing them in my artwork.

“Moose in Fall” was painted for and hangs at my parents’ home.

Purple Sunset

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“Purple Sunset” 2007 acrylic on canvas board

One of the places that I have always wanted to visit is Hawaii. I’ve visited beaches from California to Florida and Mexico, and each of them I have found uniquely different from the other. I’d love to walk on the black volcanic sand and see the green cloaked mountains rising sharply from the sea, eat some local food, and enjoy the island life…if only for a short while.

Someday I will make it to Hawaii. But in the meantime, images of its beaches and sunsets have been the subject of a lot of my art. I’d love to climb into this scene and drift in the breeze in that hammock!

This piece was painted for a friend and brings the scenery of Hawaii to a Colorado home.

Pikes Peak in the Clouds

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“Pike’s Peak in the Clouds” 2010 acrylic on canvas board

As some of you may know, Colorado was my home for many years. I spent many mornings driving to work with picture-perfect scenery just beyond my windshield. Painted here is a very familiar scene to me–the Front Range rising up from the eastern plains, with Pike’s Peak at its apex, shrouded in clouds….or covered in snow, or wrapped in the sunrise….Needless to say, I took lots of pictures, even from the front seat of my car.

Pike’s Peak stands at 14,114 feet, a far cry from the elevation of my current home at 23 feet. Pike’s Peak is the famous place referred to on all those covered wagons headed west for the gold and silver rushes (Pike’s Peak or Bust), and Colorado itself has a long mining history. Today you can drive to the top of the peak during the summer months for a dizzying walk in the thin air, and there is still an annual “Pikes Peak International Hill Climb” where daring race car drivers from around the world race up the mountain. If I haven’t convinced you to become a tourist yet, just take my word for it and get in the car.

This painting belongs to my dad.

Teton Morning

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“Teton Morning” 2010 acrylic on canvas board

“Teton Morning” combines my love for nature and animals. I seem to have a fondness for large, hoofed mammals, as they seem to be up there on my favorites list. I’ve always loved horses, but I also adore moose, and of course, pictured here, the elk (or wapiti…I recently learned from my global postcard swapping that in Europe, the Eurasian elk is actually a moose!).

One of the coolest things about elk, aside from their size and incredible antlers, is their call, or “bugle”. I’d relate it to the sound of a whale’s song. Here is a link to a youtube video so you can hear it for yourself if you’ve never heard one before.

Elk like this are very prevalent in Colorado, and my many trips to the wilderness there inspired this painting.

It hangs in the home of a friend.

Coral Beauty

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“Coral Beauty” 2012 acrylic on canvas

One of my new favorite hobbies is snorkeling. There aren’t a whole lot of *great* places to go a short distance from my home, but a few hours drive and I’m in the prime underwater real estate for the most colorful and beautiful places I’ve ever beheld.

I was so inspired by my snorkel trip to the Keys that I decided to paint this. The Coral Beauty has been my favorite reef fish since I started doing saltwater fishkeeping at home. I did not see this particular fish on my snorkel trip, but I did see many other colorful fish, lobster, squid, and a myriad of other creatures from the underwater world. I was astounded at the colors that occur naturally underwater. From above ground, you would never know they were there. But stick your face beneath the surface a few inches, and all the mystery beneath the water is there for you to see.

I truly enjoy snorkeling, and can’t wait to do more of it soon.

Palm Sunset

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“Palm Sunset” 2006 acrylic on canvas

I painted “Palm Sunset” to match a bedroom I had all adorned in tropical theme. I have great interest in interior design, so naturally, painting goes right along with that. If I want something to go on the wall to match the room, I just paint it.

My bedroom is now black and white, and “Palm Sunset” brightens the home of a friend.

I’ve always loved the ocean, warm weather, and beautiful sunsets, and I’m thankful to now live in a tropical setting. I can look out my window and watch the palm fronds swaying in the wind. Inspiration is everywhere!

Goldfish

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“Goldfish” 2012 acrylic on canvas board

I’ve kept fish at home since I was in High School. I’m not sure why I have taken such an interest in them, but I guess everyone loves seeing colorful fish flutter by in a tank, don’t they? I’ve read that they keep fish tanks in doctor’s offices because it calms people and lowers their blood pressure.

Over the years, I’ve kept all kinds of fish, from simple community fish, cichlids, piranha, and I’ve even done a full saltwater setup. Today, I’ve got two fish tanks. A small one for my betta named Fred and his snail friend Barney, and a 30 gallon setup with community fish, ghost shrimp, and a very large apple snail I plucked from the local pond named Gary.

They’re easy to take care of. Food once a day and keep the water level up. I don’t subscribe to the notion of regular water changes. A good filter and ecosystem in the tank should take care of everything. And, I’ve had a lot of luck doing things this way. I couldn’t stop many of my fish from breeding, even.

Some of the fish I’ve owned were the inspiration for this piece. I’ve had goldfish in the past and enjoy them to this day. I’ve even broken more aquarium rules and had them cohabiting with other community fish without problems.

Just call the me the rebel aquarist.

This painting is on display at the home of a friend.

Chained

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“Chained” 2013 acrylic on canvas

This is one of my most recent pieces, which I decided to call “Chained”. I don’t usually dabble in the darker subjects, but sometimes when an image strikes in my head, I decide to put it on canvas. Perhaps this one is representative of the protections I’ve put on my own heart….and carefully selecting who to give that precious, ribboned key to.

This particular piece is in the home of a friend.

Wildfire

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“Wildfire” 2006 Acrylic on canvas

I thought I’d kick off my new blog with one of my favorite pieces. I created this painting to serve as a color piece for my living room. It turns out a lot of other people love this painting, too!

I decided to enter this piece in the Gulf Coast Art Directory’s “Dreams Within Me” online art contest. You can see the current entries here. If it makes the final 10, I’ll be on here soliciting your votes for the winner. 🙂

This painting took on a whole new meaning for me in 2012 when my hometown endured a raging forest fire that almost destroyed my family’s home. To me, one of the most compelling things about art is its ability to invoke different, and even changing, feelings for each person viewing it, in every season of their lives.

I hope you enjoy and I welcome your comments and feedback!