Apaches - watercolor

watercolor; 2020

available; 11"x15"

      Just a couple old Chevy trucks left to guard the shed out back. There's a fair amount of dry brush in this one.

Path - watercolor

watercolor; 2020

available; 11"x15"

      Something left over from a couple months ago that never got posted. I have another winter scene to post. I might wait until it's much hotter for a little juxtaposition.

Farther Out Edgefield Road - watercolor

watercolor; 2019

available; 11"x15"

      Another little landscape from Edgefield. I think this was the Johnson farm.

Ballybunion - watercolor

watercolor, 2019

available; 11"x15"

      A view of Ballybunion Castle on its cliff for St. Patrick's Day earlier this week.

Sunday Morning - watercolor

watercolor, 2019

available, 11"x15"

     A quick look at a northwestern church with a classic car parked out front.

Proleek - ink + watercolor

ink & watercolor, 2019

available, 8"x10"

      A quick ink and wash of the Proleek portal tomb in County Louth, Ireland.

Avebury - watercolor

watercolor, 2019

available, 11"x15"

      A quick landscape of the Avebury stone circle.

Beltany - watercolor

watercolor, 2019

available, 8"x10"

      Just a quick little landscape of an Irish standing stone.

Wasteland Buick - watercolor

watercolor, 2019

available, 11"x15"

      Just an old Buick left to its own devices on the prairie. I used a little thinned gesso to knock back some of the color intensity in the bottom corners. I like the look of the gesso rather than just lifting with a wet brush. There's also a considerable amount of dry-brush to get the lightest grasses.

Belfast 55 - watercolor

watercolor, 2019

available, 11"x15"

      This is from a photograph shot in Belfast back in 1955, hence the title. I loved the graphic nature of the monochrome shapes and thought a watercolor version might be fun.

Kinbane - watercolor

watercolor, 2019

available, 11"x15"

      On the Irish coast. There's a lot of dry brush on this one for everything from highlights to rock and sand shapes.

Between Derry and Bushmills - watercolor

watercolor, 2018

available, 11"x15"

      A simple little landscape.

Peterson's Farmall - watercolor

watercolor, 2018

available, 15"x22"

      I took a slightly different approach with this one and made the simplification of details easier on myself. Doesn't hurt that I'm finally trying a half-sheet again. Since I've started photographing my paintings, I can go bigger again for better effect. I haven't done anything larger than 11"x15" in several years.

      This one turned out just about as perfect as I can probably hope to get. There's only one thing I would change. That's pretty good for me.

Chrysler Farm - watercolor

watercolor, 2018

available, 11"x15"

      Milton's rusty old Chrysler hasn't run in 50 years.

      There's a fair amount of dry-brush on this one. I also used some thin acrylic gesso to wash out corners.

Peterson's - watercolor

watercolor, 2018

available, 11"x15"

      Peterson has a big spread just outside of Edgefield.

Castle Roche - watercolor

watercolor, 2018

available, 11"x15"

      Castle Roche is a 13th century castle in County Louth, Ireland. 

      Painting so many landscapes - especially of Ireland - has forced me to come to terms with my issues with green. I think I'm getting somewhere; at least, I'm seeing more natural greens. I'm especially happy with how the modeling worked out here showing the undulations of the ground. 

      The tree and some of the rocks are done with a technique often called dry-brush using paint almost directly from the tube with little or no water on the brush. This allows the normally transparent paint to be opaque so I can paint light over dark and build texture.

Tybee #2 - watercolor

watercolor, 2018

available, 11"x15"

      Another painting from reference photos I took last summer on Tybee Island, Georgia. The three stair-stepped trees aren't inventions of mine. They're actually there. I just eliminated some of the background clutter behind the lighthouse.

The Quick And The Dead - watercolor

watercolor, 2018

available, 11"x15"

prints and gifts also available

      I couldn't resist juxtaposing a rusting out hulk of rolling sculpture that's only about 70 years old against the still-chugging steam locomotive that's probably well over 100 years old  in the background. There are a couple issues here, but everything pales in comparison to how well that smoke turned out.

      The title is from Sam Raimi's mid-90s Western. I thought it was appropriate.

Cashel - watercolor

watercolor, 2018

available, 11"x15"

prints and gifts also available

      Just a loose landscape with Cashel Castle in the background. I think I went a little British on this one, but not too much. I'm pretty happy with the sky and the aerial perspective with the castle itself being a little indistinct.

Brownshill - watercolor

watercolor, 2018

available, 11"x15"

prints also available

       A distant view of an ancient portal grave in Ireland.