"Big Finish"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
SOLD


This one was a very quick study. I mainly wanted to get a little color back in, but to maintain the looseness I have achieved in the last few paintings.

"Late Night"- Updated

12" x 18"
Oil on Masonite
$150

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

I didn't do much more to this one, but added just enough detail for me to feel like it was completed. I called this one "Late Night" because I imagine that this club is closing down, and most everyone has gone home for the night except for these two men in the background, engaged in conversation, and these two people who simply cannot stop dancing while there is still music playing.

"Late Night"

12" x 18"
Oil on Masonite

I took a risk last night and did an even larger piece. As this one is so much bigger than usual, I have given myself permission to work on it a bit more tonight. It occurred to me that the act of painting is much like dancing. Creating a piece like this one, I really focus on the movement of the brush across the surface, and how I move the paint around to create the image. Both take coordination and skill, plus a good bit of fun. And for me, both involve playing great music to set the mood!

Hello all. I spent last night catching up with some friends who I hadn't seen in a while, so no painting. However, I thought I would share a thought with you. I was drinking a bottle of tea several days ago, and it was one of those brands that puts quotes under the lid. This specific bottle had a quote from Van Gogh, which said "If you hear a voice within you say 'you cannot paint' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced." Besides being slightly surprised to find this quote on a bottle of tea, I thought it was such a beautiful and inspiring idea. There is nothing harder for me personally than to make myself paint when I don't feel "good enough", or when I'm not "up to it." Even though painting is the thing I love to do the most, there are days when it is an incredible struggle. But, it is often on those days when I don't feel inspired, but am able to overcome it that I feel the most satisfaction in my work. Often it is not inspiration that brings about good work, but the work itself that brings about inspiration.

"Swing Out"

10" x 14"
Oil on Masonite

This piece is a companion piece to the one I posted last night. The perspective on this one is a bit unusual, but I love how the arms of the couple in front keep you from going very deep into the background. You can see that there is a lot of activity behind them, but you can't quite tell what it all is. Again, this one is not currently for sale, as I hope to submit it for an upcoming show.

"In Flight"

10" x 14"
Oil on Masonite

Once again, here is one of my favorite subjects- swing dancing. This piece is larger than my typical daily paintings, but I still completed it in one day. The added space in the same amount of time forces me to loosen up, and gives the piece a more impressionistic feel. This piece is not currently for sale because I will be submitting it for an upcoming Upstate Visual Arts show. More details on that to come.

"Crowd"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

I don't have much to say about this one. I wanted to do another piece with fruit, but I wanted it to have a greater variety of colors than the previous ones. This one was also done earlier in the day than the others, so the light is much more bright and sunny.

"Pair"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
SOLD


My painting professor in college used to tell us to just "shut up and paint" if he thought we were thinking to much about our pieces rather than actually working on them. I think with these daily paintings, this is exactly what I am doing- painting first and thinking about it later. I guess my typical view has been that I should paint something because it is beautiful or meaningful. However, recently I believe that something can have beauty and meaning because it has been painted. Doing a painting a day forces me to paint something first and then figure out why. This also lets me paint more freely and not worry if it is "good enough" or "meaningful enough." The result is that these pieces, no matter how simple the subject, reveal more about who I truly am.

"Reflected"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

Good Morning friends! Sorry I didn't post this last night, but I fell asleep and didn't remember until this morning that I hadn't done it. Good thing it is Friday! I had thought about calling this one something like Alone, or Fallen, but the bright colors and the shape created by the reflection seemed to contradict those darker titles. I will post another piece tonight.

"Trio"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

I really enjoy painting these pieces of fruit. They have allowed me to loosen up a bit in my technique, and focus more on the color and brushstrokes than on faithfully rendering the form of the object.

"Forbidden Fruit"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
SOLD


I realized the other day how infrequently I pray for God to show me the subject of my next daily painting. I often pray for the process of creating the piece, and thank Him for the ability to paint, but I rarely ask for a subject to paint. Sunday night, though, I prayed specifically that God would show me what I should paint the next day. About mid-morning on Monday, one of my co-workers came into my office and said I needed to take a picture of another co-worker's large, and beautiful pear. And, there was my answer. It is not an amazing or deeply meaningful piece of art- simply a pear sitting on a desk- but I had such joy in creating it, and such freedom from searching around for something I deemed "worthy" to paint. It just goes to show that I need to have faith that God will provide for the small decisions, as well as the large.

"Natural Wonder"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

I don't do many landscapes, but I just love the beauty of this scene. This is from a picture I took at a family reunion up at Lake James, NC. Our whole family piled on to my aunt and uncle's houseboat and rode out on the lake to see the sunset. It takes my breath away to see the beauty of God's handiwork. My own piece is but a shadow of that wonder.

"Shall We Dance"

6" x 6"
Pencil on Masonite
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

This piece is from one of my favorite pictures of me and my dad. We are dancing at my friend's wedding. I think I prefer doing portraits of the people I love the most, because then I am able to capture a bit of their personality along with their likeness.

"In the Sun"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
SOLD

This is one of my sister's puppies lying on the stairs in the sun. I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said that this is this dog's favorite pastime!

"Open Book"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

I have started doing a book club with some friends of mine on Monday nights, so that was the inspiration for this piece. This is also in great anticipation of "Harry Potter" coming out on Saturday!

Self Portrait Saturday

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
SOLD

As you can tell from the lack of posts last week, I didn't get much painting in. Part of that was because it was a very busy week, but I was also having some problems with motivation. To help get myself out of that, I decided on Saturday to paint something completely different than my typical daily painting. A self portrait is something I haven't done for a while, but I also approached this one with a little more of a free, expressionistic style. I believe it served its purpose. Now, back to work...

More Progress

This has been a crazy week for my daily paintings, but I have made a bit of progress on this larger one. I am really working on getting the singer to jump forward. You can always tell what I am the most concerned about because I leave it for last...

"Perk Up"

6" x 6"
Pencil on Masonite
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

This is an antique coffee pot from my collection. A conversation with some friends this evening has really gotten me thinking about the purpose of pieces like this one. I don't think anyone would argue that this piece is particularly thought provoking, meaningful, or "spiritual" in any sense. Often times, because of this I am tempted to dismiss these pieces as mere exercises, with no real purpose. However, if I devote myself fully to Christ and to the work that he has given me to do, then whatever I create, no matter how trivial it may seem, will be a reflection of Him. It is a thought I need to constantly remind myself of as I am dashing off a quick painting between work and all the other things I am committed to.

"Reflections"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
SOLD


This is the same subject as a couple of days ago, just a different angle. The thing I like about painting reflections is that they border on the abstract. This piece is completely identifiable as a coffee press, but the color and the randomness of the reflections almost become something else. There is so much color in this object, even though most people would describe it as being "silver."

Progress

My dad's suggestion for a title - "In the Mood"

"Fresh"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
SOLD

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

I love holidays. They give me so much more time to paint! I'm really happy with this one. Hope you enjoy it, and happy 4th.

The piece I intended to post tonight was actually started last Thursday. It was another one of my 40's magazine covers, but after wiping the face out three times, I have currently abandoned it. Instead, here is a larger work in progress, currently untitled. If you have any suggestions, let me know.

"Grouping"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

I had my family staying with me this weekend, and all the mugs sitting around gave me the inspiration for this one. I like how the light shining up through the wicker table reflects off the side of the ceramics.

"Yellow Flowers"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

I allowed myself to be a little bit looser on this one, and I think it turned out pretty well. Enjoy!

"Lady in Blue"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

Another magazine cover. What I like about this one is the background. In some of my pieces, the background tends to be an after thought, but here the pattern really seems to integrate with the figure.

"Purple Hat"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

I recently came across a bunch of 1940's magazine covers. They are so much more interesting and artistic than magazine covers today, which just seem to picture the same celebrities in the same poses, wearing the same clothes. I just love the beauty and class the women in these older covers seem to have.

"Lead"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

As promised, here is the other half of the painting from Friday. I like to think that the group of people in the background are the singing group coming on next. I wonder what the "N" on their sweaters stands for...

"Follow"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

This piece is one of two. If you know anything about swing dancing, or any kind of partner dancing, you will know what the other one is titled. Tune in for the second half on Monday.

"Spilled Milk"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

Someone said to me recently that these paintings of spills make them think about the mess they would have to clean up. For me, that is exactly the reason why I feel I should paint them. How often do we spill things, and we are so busy dashing for the towels to clean it up that we don't take the chance to appreciate the beauty that is in the mess. I am not saying that we need to stand around admiring things we have tipped over, but simply that beauty is all around us in some of the most unexpected places. Take a moment to admire it.

"To Go"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

This piece covers my other two favorite subjects- coffee and spills! I think this is a familiar sight for many of us- the top of a coffee to go cup. This piece is the first that I have done that is not from an actual still life or photograph. It was a combination of a photo of the lid of a cup, a little experimenting with making rings, and the memory of some of the other spills I have painted recently. It was a good experiment in creating a composition from several sources.

"Jitterbug"

10" x 14"
Oil on Masonite
$150

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

This piece was done from a still of an old swing film. It is larger than my typical daily paintings, but I still did it in one day, so it has a much looser, more impressionistic feel. I really love the people in the background who, up close are only a few strokes of black and white, but from a distance seem to have a lot of mass. This is one of my favorites so far.

"40's Glamour"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

Perhaps because of all the swing dancing I do, I have become obsessed with the 40's- the clothes, the music, and the style. This piece is just a first step into using this theme in more of my work. I would really like to push this idea much further, using color within the black and white, trying different styles of painting. But for now, here is a look at a glamorous 40's movie star.

"Dashed Hopes"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

Yes, I believe dashed hopes would be a spilled bottle of chocolate sauce. I feel I must explain that I did not make this spill. It was done for a video at work, but it was such an artistic spill that I, perpetually on the look for things to paint, couldn't help but photograph it!

"Brew for Two"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
SOLD

I have been told that the piece "Morning Comfort" that I did two weeks ago was highly coveted, and there was much disappointment when it was sold. So, for those of you who missed that one, here is another coffee piece for you. Plus I know how excited Laurie gets when I take her suggestions! What could be better than a nice cup of coffee, except for sharing a cup with someone else?

"Tools of the Trade"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
$80

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

This chest is my great-grandmother's box of glazes that she used to paint china. I love the carefully labeled drawers with all her colors neatly sorted and ready to use. She used these things to make her art, but to me it is a piece of art in itself.

"One Woman's Treasure 2"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
SOLD

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

A number of weeks ago, I drew this same image from a fan that my great-grandmother had kept. At that time, I had also considered doing a painted version of it. The high popularity of that drawn image inspired me to go ahead and do a painted one. I don't know what it is about this woman that attracts people so much. For me, I think it is that she seems to have a level of class and sophistication that you don't see often these days. Plus, we don't wear such fun hats anymore!

Cazbah Paintings Available!

The pieces I did for the Cazbah Wine Festival are still available for purchase. They are $100 each, framed in a black metal frame with a white matte.

Cazbah Wine Festival

"Wine Rings"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
$100- Framed

"Crying Over Spilled Wine"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
SOLD

These two pieces will be on display tonight as a part of the Cazbah Wine Festival. This event is a fund raiser for Greenville's Make a Wish Foundation, and features wine tastings, food, and wine themed art. The event happens tonight on Trade St. in downtown Greer. Come check it out!

"Cookie Monster"

6" x 6"
Pencil on Masonite

This guy is absolutely my favorite model! This is another one of my nephew, this time wearing a pair of Cookie Monster glasses. I never run out of fun things to draw or paint with this little guy around.

"Swing Motion"

14" x 18"
Oil on Masonite
SOLD

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

This is another larger piece, which I finished this week. Aside from painting, one of the things that I love to do the most is to swing dance. In this piece, I hoped to capture some of the motion and excitement, and the "blur" of swing dancing. Once again, I painted this piece using palette knives to create a sense of motion in the paint strokes.

"In Among Blooms"

10" x 14"
Oil on Masonite
$150

To purchase, email me with the title in the subject line.

This is a larger piece that I started last week. I like the feeling that you are right in the middle of the bunch of flowers. I also like how the blooms seem to be moving off into the upper left corner. I painted this piece with a palette knife- not my usual technique when doing my daily paintings- but I feel like it adds to the sense of motion in the piece.

Art in the Market

An Excuse to Eat Chocolate #1
$100 (Framed)
For Sale through Upstate Visual Arts


An Excuse to Eat Chocolate #2
$100 (Framed)
For Sale through Upstate Visual Arts

Beginning today, you can see these two pieces on display as part of the "Art in the Market" Show at the Whole Foods on Woodruff Rd. here in Greenville. The show is put on by Upstate Visual Arts, and features food themed art from artists all over the upstate. These two pieces were a chance for me to keep eating chocolate until I found the perfect "models."

"Photographic Impressions"

6" x 6"
Oil on Masonite
SOLD

When I first started working on this piece, I intended it to be a very realistic and detailed rendering of this old camera. But, once I got going, I liked the idea of doing a more impressionistic rendering, as a contrast to the hard lines of the piece of equipment. This is one of my dad's old cameras.