Salisbury Morning - watercolor

watercolor, 2017

available, 11"x15"

prints also available

      From a photo taken early one December morning in downtown Salisbury, NC. It was too early for pedestrians or even much traffic. The stark contrasts and long shadows caught my eye.

Charleston - watercolor

watercolor, 2016

available, 11"x15"

prints also available

      This is from a photo I took in Charleston SC a couple years ago. The building is a 19th-century warehouse just a short block from the riverfront. In the 1990s it was converted into offices.

Lee Street Alley - watercolor

watercolor, 2016

available, 11"x15"

prints also available

      An early morning scene behind a building in downtown Salisbury, NC. I was scheduled to take my daughter to breakfast one morning and went early to grab some photos of Salisbury's paint-ready downtown. I wanted to go loose, but I'm afraid I might have gone too far to the Primitive/Amateur side of "loose" on this one.

Art Movies - watercolor

watercolor, 2016

available, 11"x15"

prints also available

      A very loose impression of a photo of a particular area of (I think) Chicago in the early 1970s.

Trade Street, Asheboro - watercolor

watercolor, 2016

available, 11"x15"

prints also available

      There isn't much to say about this one. It's from a photo I took a couple years ago. Until recently I didn't think it had much to offer as a painting. I'm glad I proved myself wrong.

Trade St. Skater - watercolor

watercolor, 2016

original available, 11"x15"

prints and gifts also available

      From a reference photo I shot a couple years ago in Winston-Salem NC. The skater just whizzed by as I was walking down the street. So I jumped out and fired off half a dozen shots.

Hop's - watercolor

watercolor, 2016

available, 9"x12"

prints and gifts also available

      Just a quick, sketchy painting of a restaurant in downtown Asheboro NC.  There are only a few things I like about this one. It might be re-worked at some point.

24th St. Sunset - watercolor

watercolor, 2015

available, 11"x15"

      For the most part, I'm pretty happy with this one. There are some problem spots, of course. But there are a few great spots, as well. The biggest problem with this one, really, was the process. It should have gone more smoothly and faster. Instead, I had to fuss over it way too much. And, that always leads to overworking and screwing it up. Fortunately, I didn't go too far.

6th Ave. Garden - watercolor

watercolor, 2015

available, 11"x15"

prints and gifts also available

      One of the last pieces I finished last year. I think just about everything went right with this one.

Salisbury - watercolor

watercolor, 2016

available, 11"x15"

prints and gifts also available

      Downtown Salisbury NC in December with some of the city decorations in view. The reference was shot early one morning just before I picked up my daughter from school for Christmas break.

Immaculate Conception - watercolor

watercolor, 2015

available, 11"x15"

prints and gifts also available

      Virtual Paintout is in Ecuador this month and without even realizing it I chose the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Cuenca. It's fitting that I chose this particular church just before Christmas. But I didn't even know the name of the church until after I'd finished the painting and looked it up. Anyway, I'm quite happy with how this one worked out, though the perspective is odd since the right side of the building is almost perfectly in line with the viewing position. It looks like a flat Hollywood false front. And, of course, Google's photos always play havoc with vertical perspective, which I try to correct in Photoshop and again when doing the initial drawing. Still, I don't always get it right.

6th Street - watercolor

watercolor, 2015

available, 11"x15"

prints and gifts also available

      This was done from a shot I took a couple months ago while walking through downtown Winston-Salem, NC. I'm very happy with this one. There are only a couple things I would change and they're pretty minor. It hits all the loose, impressionism notes I've been struggling with while keeping plenty of realism and detail -- another one on the road to loose realism.
      I've started doing small sketches of scenes and subjects before trying them at larger sizes. This is a technique I've known for years but rarely used. When done right it really helps. You get a good sense of the subject, how the colors you think you want to use really work together and can see how your focal point relates to the rest of the image. When I finish a sketch I scan it and print it in color or copy it on a color copier and then make notes about changes, color usage and other things I want to remember when doing the larger painting. With this one, for instance, I made a note to include more of the scene on the left. In the sketch I had cropped it at the No Parking sign. That placement seemed to restrict the eye and made the image seem cluttered with all the sidewalk stuff. With some open space on the left of the sign the sidewalk seems more open.

Manteo - watercolor

watercolor, 2015

available, 11"x15"

prints and gifts also available

      It was cold, dark and cloudy the last time we were in Manteo and all my reference photos show it. It wasn't too difficult brightening things up. I added the pedestrian for some interest and movement.

Available Asheboro - watercolor

watercolor, 2015

available, 11"x15"

prints and gifts also available

      Another view from Asheboro, NC. I had just noticed this building and was pulling my camera up to my eye when this man turned the corner. I just waited for him to finish the composition.

Sidewalk Reader - watercolor

watercolor, 2015

available, 9"x12"

      This is from a reference photo I took a couple Saturdays back in Asheboro NC. This one is on the small side because I painted it over the course of a few lunch hours at work. It looks a little empty to me now that it's finished. I left out some clutter behind the seated man because it was -- well -- clutter. I might try this one again in a larger size and leave in some of the clutter. I'm pretty happy with it otherwise.  It's definitely a step in the direction I want to take. Prints, of course, are available here.

Lexington WiFi - watercolor

watercolor, 2015

original available, 11"x15" $125

prints also available

      Lexington NC is a forward-thinking little town with a thriving downtown that offers free wi-fi. I really wasn't thinking about that when I took the reference photo. But the red and white sign makes for a nice focal point. When I took the shot I was so intent on getting the pedestrians in the shot before they disappeared into a store that I didn't realize the trees and utility pole lined up the way they did. It looks a little odd, but I guess it still works. There's a lot of other things about this one that I got exactly the way I wanted, though.

Green Bike, Marshall NC - watercolor

watercolor, 2015

original available, 11"x15" $100

      Still struggling with a looser, more impressionist approach. While painting, I feel like certain things are working well, like the red and gold molding and the potted plant. Other things just don't seem right. Maybe it's just me. Maybe I just have to get used to seeing the finished product of a loose style and remember that I'm trying to get away from photographic realism.

Corner Store - gouache

gouache, 2015

original available, 11"x15" $125

prints also available

      This is a piece that was finished the day before my recent inner ear trouble began. It took a few days to get it scanned and uploaded since I was out of commission for more than a week.

Hayden Place 1987 - watercolor

watercolor, 2015

original available, 11"x15" $200

prints also available

      This is from a photograph I took in downtown High Point NC when I was in college and spending a lot of time with photography. This block looks very different today. For those familiar with the area, the High Point city bus station is behind the viewer and the North State Telephone office is just across the street to the left. And, that's my 79 Ford Mustang on the far left, my first car and I loved it and cared for it like a newborn baby.

Sunday, Fall Market - watercolor

watercolor, 2015

original available, 15"x22" $300

prints also available

      Here's the second attempt on this image. As much as I liked parts of the first try, I like this one much better. I got a little more impressionism into this one. Check that first post for details on what "Fall Market" means.