Purple Iris

Painted in my front studio from life last Spring, this pale purple iris was from our yard, I believe. I love these flowers and go out of my way on my walks with the dog to visit them as they bloom around the neighborhood. Our house has two honey bee hives up high in the front columns, so I feel a bit more connected to the neighborhood blossoms.

One of the things I love about iris is the way they curl and shrink as parts die down and new flowers come on. The co-mingling of new and old, the living and the dead, both on one green tubular stem is something to note. I wish they would last longer, but fortunately, where I live, there is almost always something beautiful to observe and appreciate. And at least I do notice these temporal gifts, even if I don't always get it on paper or canvas.

I will try today to step into some new painting project, but I am so close to finishing my Wilmington pastel --I may just devote all my time at the easel to that. I'll post it here as soon as I have it signed and can scan it.

Steamer Neuse

The Steamer Neuse operated from New Bern to Washington, NC in the days before public ferry systems, bridges, and decent roadways. Having sailed much of the Neuse River I can appreciate how long it must have taken and what some of those trips would have felt like as the river is very wide and can fetch up some nice sized swells. While a pain for frequent travelers it must have been an exciting trip for the infrequent passengers and children. For those of us living in the 21st century (and you know there are some who are not), a steamer trip like this would have been much too long and dull. But what a great little journey for reading or snoozing, or just watching the shore line and sky. I like to imagine how ships appeared at night.

I'm posting older works as I'm in the middle of a 30 X 40 inch illustration of the Steeples and Spires of Wilmington, NC. I should have that finished in a few days and will have time to apply myself to more daily painting, which is something I'm longing to do and have been wanting to do for some time.

The Giraffes of Bentonville

Years ago I served a church in the country near the Bentonville Battlefied. Just north of the Museum and Battleground were these silos --they are gone now. Fortunately I photographed them just weeks before they were torn down. I always saw the shapes of giraffes from the rusty doors and the pipes and motors. When I pointed them out to my kids or other people they said, "Oh yeah!"

The oil original is no longer available but reproductions on canvas will be coming soon. I believe they are about 24" square.

The Nocturnal Visitor

Just northwest of Snow Hill this old structure always grabs my attention as I'm passing by on my way to Wilson and Raleigh on HWY 58 North. The beautiful silvery reflective metal is enough of a treat, but of course, the face formed by the symmetry of the windows and door is quite arresting. Usually I catch a glimpse as I'm moving by at 55 MPH in the daytime. One evening I stopped and actually got out of the car to observe the barn in partial moonlight. Here is a Google Map Link: 35.50067 -77.738197 -check out the street view.

Finding faces in common objects is something many people do --from seeing faces or shapes in clouds to noticing faces in simple things like faucets or the electrical wall outlet that looks something like the silent scream. Any painting I've ever done with rocks or stone has evoked the same kind of public analysis and provided entertainment to find the faces. The stark face on the old pack house barn is pretty hard to miss. I think it evokes a robot face similar to something I had as a Halloween mask and costume 45 years ago.

Of course, I've taken my liberties with this subject, but it is still a fair representation and I think a lovely nocturne of the building. This photo doesn't do it complete justice as the painting only looks this bright with full daylight or a bright lamp upon it. I currently have it hanging in a dark corner with subtle light from a nearby door softly illuminating the central part of the painting. Some things are best left as dark and dimly lit subjects. Passing by the painting, on the way to the kitchen, has almost the same effect as driving by the real McCoy.

Nocturnal Visitor is a 16 X 30 inch oil painting on canvas. It is framed with a dark distressed frame that suits the painting nicely. Contact me if interested.