Saturday, November 15, 2014

Truth, Goodness and Beauty

"The Way"
 Parkway Series # 437    36 x 24   oil    SOLD



"Beside Still Waters"
Parkway Series # 438   12 x 16   oil   $195.

These are two of the newest paintings to be on display at Second Helpings Gallery  Nov 18th. through Dec. 10th.  The Show entitled "Truth, Goodness and Beauty" will feature me, Susan Oller and Rachel Lawson.  Come by and check it out; we will also have prints and cards available.

Blue and Orange Autumn

Parkway Series #436    12 x 16   oil     Sold


Thursday, September 25, 2014

Campbell Angus Farm




Parkway Series #434 and #435     oil       SOLD

Friends who own a 200 acre angus farm offered their log cabin for a "painting" weekend and bought the plein air paintings that were done.  Because these sites were in Goose Creek Valley below the Parkway with a view of the Peaks, I have included them in my Parkway series.

Friday, August 29, 2014

Summer Paintings "En Plein Air"

Parkway Series #430    12 x 16  oil    $195.

This summer the Ridge and Valley Plein Air Painters have had several outings to paint on location.  This was painted at Explore Park.

Parkway Series #431   12 x 16     oil     Sold

We will be painting at the Peaks of Otter on September 27th from 11-5 for Art and Music in the Mountains.  Please come by and visit!

Parkway Series #432    12 x 16   oil    SOLD

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Teaching the next generation

Parkway Series #429  oil    12 x 24    SOLD

Could there be a better place than the Blue Ridge Parkway to teach the next generation about God and country and the conservation of nature?  Thanks to those who are passing it on!!!

Monday, July 14, 2014

Illuminated Thoughts

Parkway Series #428     12 x 16   oil   $195.

Have you ever looked at the light coming through a tree and felt a tingle of excitement?  Is it a feeling of hope or beauty or truth or a revelation of the Presence of a Creator?  Maybe it is all of this rolled into an experience that my heart wants to capture in paint.

Enjoying the Day III

Parkway Series #427    12 x 16   oil    $195.

Enjoying the Day II

Parkway Series #426    12 x 16  oil    $195.

Enjoying the Day!!!

Around the Bend at Sunrise

Parkway Series #425  12 x 16     oil     SOLD


Peaks of Otter Lodge and Reflection

Parkway Series # 424  11 x 14   oil   Sold

I will be painting again at the Peaks on  Saturday July 19th.  Come on up and paint with me!  My plein air group usually  paints at the Peaks once a month.   This is the plein air painting of the lodge I completed last month.  Also, the Ridge and Valley Plein Air Painters show has been extended.  Susan Oller, Rachel Lawson and I have paintings on display in the lodge until the end of August.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Spring at the Peaks II

Parkway Series #423    12 x 16  oil    sold


Spring at the Peaks

Parkway Series #422    11 x 14  oil     $195

The Ridge and Valley Plein Air Group painted at the Peaks of Otter on April 26th.  This is one completed on location.  We will back up there on May 25th.  Come on up and paint with us!

Friday, May 16, 2014

Garden Club Tour of 2014, Roanoke, Virginia


Garden Tour 2014, Davidson Home    12 x 16 oil    $195 each

The day was exquisite for plein air painting!  These are the two paintings I completed at the Davidson home on Somerset  Street in Southwest Roanoke. The Ridge and Valley Plein Air Painters really enjoyed painting in the gardens of these beautiful homes on tour.  Thanks so much to the Mill Mountain Garden Club for the invitation!

Monday, March 3, 2014

Pure Joy

Parkway Series #421     12 x 16   oil    Sold


The optical illusion of space on a 2-d surface is achieved with value.  The correct light and dark values are hard to get right with the element of color added to the mix.  When it happens it is pure joy!!!!  This painting along with other new original Parkway paintings will be on display at the Peaks of Otter Lodge, milepost 85.6 in April, May and June.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Where the Red Ferns Grow

Parkway Series #420   12 x 16  oil    $195.

I read the book "Where the Red Ferns Grow" many years ago and I have always thought of it in the fall when the ferns on the Parkway turn red.  Of course red is my favorite color and that too drew my attention to this image of the warm fall colors so beautifully gracing the mountainside.

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Guiding Light

Parkway Series #419   12 x 16   oil   $195.

Another bridge painting at the Peaks of Otter shows a continuing improvement in style.  Softer backgrounds and deeper values in the foregrounds are the focus of my newer paintings.  Of course the light is always an important factor in each painting.  My goal is to achieve a guiding "Light"  in the work, a Light that speaks to the viewer from behind the canvas and one that invites the viewer into the moment.

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Psalms 23:3

Parkway Series #418    12 x 16   oil    SOLD

Do you feel the sunlight in this painting?  When I was teaching full time,  I used to leave the school building at lunch and sit in the sun for a while to re-energize.  There were days in the winter when the sun literally pulled me outside with a force somewhat like gravity!  Intuitively, our bodies know when we need the vitamins and energy we absorb from the sun.  God made His Son similarly;  we need to sit in His light  each day to re-energize.  Our souls know when we need more of Him and He pulls us to Himself to "restore our souls". (Psalms 23:3)

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Eternal Truth

Parkway Series #417   12 x 16   oil    $195.

To be high above the earth, to sit on the rocks and observe the life below, to breathe in the cool mountain air, to see the mist rising on the mountains..... this is the essence of living in the Blue Ridge.  Those who are too busy to attend this drama are missing out on much more than recreation.  The theater of the universe is also a school of thought that brings us to an incredible understanding of eternal Truth.

Monday, February 24, 2014

When the Sky Opens Up

Parkway Series #416   12 x 16   oil   Sold

Whenever the sky opens up, I seem to automatically wonder if today's the day for the Lord's return!  The awesome wonder and glory of the sky shows God's beauty in ways that little else can.  I sense a Presence, a Hand reaching down, as if to say "Look Up" and a reminder to be ready;  He is coming soon!


Friday, February 21, 2014

Fall Memories

Parkway Series #415    12 x 16   oil   $195.

I am working from some of my favorite old photographs.  The fall of 2009 was one of the most colorful I can ever remember.  And it is very interesting to compare old paintings to my newer ones.  The style has changed but the memories remain the same!

Thursday, February 20, 2014

The Road Less Traveled

Parkway Series #414    12 x 16   oil    Sold

We have many choices in life and many roads to travel.  The  "Road Less Traveled"  is the one I have chosen to illustrate.  There are no yellow lines, no speed bumps, no smells of gasoline and it is not even paved but the beauty, the sounds of nature, the slow pace and the enduring walk continues to draw me into a divine Presence that rejuvenates my soul.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Peace Like a River

Parkway Series #413    12 x 16   oil   SOLD

I have tried painting this scene several times, over the last few years, with no success.  This one seems to be my favorite so far.......  interesting how each attempt is different.  Maybe the "peace" I feel as a developing Christian artist is translating into the paint, giving me more confidence, therefore allowing me to achieve the desired effect with more success.  In any case, I am entirely dependent on my Creator for any skill or improvement or success He chooses to bring my way and I am very thankful for it!

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Parkway Series Continues

 Blue Ridge Parkway Series #410    12 x 16    oil    SOLD

 Blue  Ridge Parkway Series #411   12 x 16    oil     Sold




Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Roanoke Country Club

Roanoke Country Club    16x16     oil       $300
Roanoke County Club #2    12 x 16    oil     $250.

Roanoke Country Club #3  12 x 16   $250.          
I really enjoy painting people in the environment.  Whether on the Parkway or on the golf course, I love being outside.  On this cold January day, I have had fun remembering the warm days of summer.  Looking forward to Spring!!!

Smith Mountain Lake State Park

Smith Mountain Lake State Park    12 x 16   oil    Sold

The Ridge and Valley Plein Air Painters met at the Lake last summer;  I can't believe it took me 6 months to finish this painting!  Many times I begin a painting on location and finish it later.   What better way to spend a snow day than to remember the hot summer sun from last August!

Thunder Ridge

Parkway Series #409          12 x 16   oil    $150.

My plein air group met at Thunder Ridge back in the summer to paint. (milepost 74.7) The early morning clouds were just lifting from the valley.  This is one of the overlooks where the Appalachian Trail intersects the Blue Ridge Parkway so it is always fun to talk with hikers about their trail adventures!