Glass and Apple

 12" x 12" Oil on Wood

Below images show some of the progression. 

White Bucket - Still Life Study

It has been more than a year since my last painting. I felt like I needed to get back to some basics and work from direct observation.  Think i'm just going to stick to doing these little paintings for a while.

12" x 12" Oil on Wood

Below are photos showing stages of this painting as it progressed. (start at the bottom)

Sugar Mill

24" x 30" Oil on Canvas SOLD

This view is from the Atchafalaya basin levee looking back toward the Franklin Sugar Mill. This was a bit of a challenge for me. It was initially painted over a two day period in the middle of the South Louisiana summer heat while fighting off mosquitoes and sporadic rainfall. The sporadic rainfall turned into constant rainfall for about 7 days so finishing touches had to be done in studio. 

Water Hyacinth

29" x 26" Oil on Canvas SOLD

This is a study I did from direct observation. It was painted in about a 3 hour period. My house backs up to the Bayou Teche and in the summer it becomes full of this water hyacinth. Not indigenous to this region, the water hyacinth has to be killed off using herbicides each year to get rid of it. Legend has it that one of the McIlhenny's (Tobasco Sauce Family) were given a gift of the Hyacinth for their ponds in New Iberia, but the Hyacinth quickly spread into the surrounding bayous and waterways. 

Back Porch

Oil on Wood 24" x 24" NFS

It's been difficult to find time to paint from direct observation, but I finally managed to find a window on weekends during my toddler's 3 hour nap. This was painted over a period of about 3-4 weeks, painting about 2 hours at a time. Special thanks to my wife who gave up precious hours during nap time to sit for me in this muggy South Louisiana heat.

Backyard (Fall)

36" x 36" Oil on Canvas

This is a view of our backyard during a gray, overcast fall day. The contrast of the blue, almost turquoise, pool against the gray backdrop is what caught my eye initially.

Bayou Teche (Dusk)

28" x 30" oil on canvas SOLD

This is another view of the bayou that we live on. In the late afternoon the water gets really still and provides these great reflections.

Teche Theatre II

28" x 30" Oil on Canvas SOLD

I did a painting of this art deco theatre in downtown Franklin 6 years ago and had always wanted to do another one. The front of the theatre has more of the art deco feel but this view from the side seemed more interesting to me. Definitely feel like Mondrian had something to do with the composition.

Main Street

28" x 30" Oil on Canvas SOLD

This is a view looking down Main Street in the small town of Franklin where I live. It is the quintessential southern main street. The street is lined with beautiful antebellum homes and I often see tourist from other countries pulling over to take pictures here.

Last night Franklin held it's second annual Promenade de Arte (Art walk). This was one of four paintings sold. It was a lot of fun and great to see a small town come out in big support for it's artists. Special thanks to Tony Scelfo for being a great host and providing the best wine selection in town.

Hazlewood

28" x 30" Oil on Canvas

This view is taken from the little road leading into our subdivision. This particular day was overcast with a little fog. We take a lot of walks on this road and it was only a matter of time before it got painted.

White Building

24" x 24" Oil on Wood SOLD

This building is not far from where I live. I would always see it across the sugar cane fields in the late afternoons when my wife and I would take our son for walks. Something about the way the light hit the building kept getting my attention, so I finally decided to paint it.

This was done in two sittings from direct observation. On the second sitting there were some late afternoon thunderclouds rolling in which is typical in South Louisiana. I did some minor touch-ups in the studio because I could only paint for about an hour and a half before it would be too dark.

Martin Bird House

12" x 12" Oil on Board Sold

My next door neighbor has several of these Martin Bird Houses in his backyard. The houses are suppose to attract birds that are in turn suppose to eat mosquitoes, which is a pretty important thing in South Louisiana. Not sure if they actually work or not.
I painted this in about 2 hours from direct observation. There is no substitute for painting from life.

Belle River

24" x 33" Oil on Canvas SOLD

One of the unique things about South Louisiana is its numerous bayous and waterways. Historically, these bayous were used in much the same way that we use roads today. Transportation by boat was often the easiest way to travel through the dense swamps and for many people the bayou also provided all the food they could ever need. As a result, many communities sprang up right on the bayous. Today, there are still many thriving communities lining these waterways. This painting of houseboats in Belle River is typical for the region I live in. On a calm day the water is like glass creating a perfect mirror image of the modest dwellings.

Warehouse

24" x 33" Oil on Canvas

Not sure why this random warehouse caught my eye, but I think it had something to do with the red racing stripe.

The Quarter

24" x 30" Oil on Wood SOLD

When I first started this painting I wasn't sure how it would come out, but I am really pleased with how it developed. Learning something new with each painting. Long way to go...

Poolside

12" x 12" Oil on Board

I got about 30 minutes into this painting of my wife sitting by the pool, before she had to leave to attend to our newborn. It is good though, to paint fast and see what can happen. Too often, I think we (painters) tend to over-work our pieces and as a result, end up losing some nice moments.

Evangeline Theater

24" x 30" Oil on Wood Panel SOLD

Driving around the small towns in Louisiana I really enjoy looking at the old buildings and architecture. I particularly love coming across an old movie theater like this one. The Evangeline Theater (now known as The Sliman Theater for the Performing Arts), was built in 1930 and was used as a theater for 30 years. It's wonderful art deco style really sticks out in the town of New Iberia, which mainly showcases beautiful antebellum homes and turn of the century brick buildings. Fortunately, it has been restored and has been added to the National Register of Historical Places.

Clementine

24" x 30" Oil on Panel SOLD

This is a painting of main street in New Iberia, LA. The painting is not so much about the location as it is about the relationship between light and dark. That being said the restaurant "Clementine", was named after the celebrated South Louisiana folk artist named Clementine Hunter. On a personal note my wife and I have had a couple date night's there and really enjoy the food and atmosphere.

Confederate Rose

12" x 18" Oil on Panel SOLD

This is a painting of my confederate rose tree on a cold and gray December day.

Bridge Study

16" x 20" Oil on Canvas Board

This is a little bridge that goes across the Bayou Teche. I Painted this from direct observation. Really trying to work on fine tuning my color mixing.

Bayou Study

16" x 20" Oil on Canvas Board SOLD

So, I recently moved to a small town in south Lousisana and the only painting I have done in the past two months have been the walls of our new house. I am finally getting back at some painting and this is one of the first studies I have done in my new environment. There is a wealth of visual inspiration down here and I am excited to about the possibilities.

Great Egret

60" x 48" Oil on Wood SOLD

This is another commission piece I did for some close friends. They recently bought a new house and were looking for a main piece for the living room. Thankfully they were really open to my ideas and let me have creative freedom.
I've never been a guy that paints animals but I guess it's gonna happen sooner or later if you live in South Louisiana. A lot of the country roads in South Louisiana run alongside bayous that were probably once used for transportation. As I drive beside them I see a lot of these beautiful Great Egrets. I really like the contrast of their white feathers against the dark, almost black, bayou water.
Not only was this my first "animal" painting, it is also the largest painting I've worked on. I will say I have definitely developed a deeper respect for people who regularly work in larger formats.
I really enjoyed working on this piece and hope you like it as well.

Peonies

36" x 36" oil on wood panel SOLD

This is another commission piece for a good friend in Dallas. She loves peonies and loves the color red so here you go. The challenging part was that the flowers actually open up rather quickly and then begin to wilt. So I had to keep them in the fridge over night to preserve them. I had to work fast, when I placed them back in the set-up, because the flower would keep opening up more and more with each hour that passed altering the composition. With a smaller painting it would not have been too difficult, but 36" x 36" is pretty big to work from direct observation if the subject matter is constantly changing.
All that said, I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out.

Loyola University

30" x 24" Oil on Canvas SOLD

This is a commission piece I did for a graduate of Loyola Law School in New Orleans. It's a beautiful school on St. Charles Avenue. It was a bit tricky getting a picture with both the trolley and the front of the school in it but I think this composition works well. Especially tricky was trying to express details of the ornate school without getting too deliberate with painting them.

Magnolia

18" x 24" Oil on Canvas SOLD

One of my college painting instrucors, Michael Crespo, once told me that a "flower" painting is the hardest painting to pull off. I think he meant that it could be perceived as decorative art or cheesy...Not taken seriously.

Hopefully this painting, done for my sweet mother-in-law, has passed the test. My mother-in law is a true Southern Lady and says that every Southern home should have a painting of a magnolia in it somewhere. So here it is. Happy Mother's day!