A Little Faith

A Little Faith| 5"x7" | oil on hardboard

This painting started out as another in my short series of birds. Prior to this you've seen a cardinal and a bluejay. It changed direction a bit when I was inspired by artist David Arms, who does imagery similar to this.

I hope you like it.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. - Hebrews 11:1

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The Time is Ripe

The Time is Ripe| 5"x7" | oil on hardboard

Fruit is the classic still life subject I suppose. Artists and art students have been painting and drawing these for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years and they still are ap-peel-ing to look at (sorry, I couldn't resist).

I think part of the reason why is that they are simple shapes, yet they are still challenging to capture on canvas. To create the illusion of the third dimension is always a thrill for me, no matter what the subject is.

I should eat more fruit. I try to take a piece along to work each day, but as you can see by the condition of the banana in the painting, our fruit is not always eaten in a timely manner.

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Spring Chicks

Spring Chicks| 5"x7" | oil on hardboard

I started this painting prior to our vacation, with the intent of posting it for Easter. I ran out of time so I finished it this weekend.

I have childhood memories of going to Jim's Feed Store here in Maurice to see the chicks when the shipment arrived in the spring. Fast forward 40 years and I find myself driving my son and his friends down to the local farm supply store to buy chicks.

JBC (Joe, Branson & Caleb) Poultry Farm is what they've dubbed themselves and they certainly have an entrepreneurial spirit. They started off their poultry hobby with 9 full-grown chickens that didn't lay too many eggs, and now they own 100+ chicks that are growing rapidly and no longer look anything like these cute chicks in the painting.

I think we'll still be waiting a while to see the farm fresh eggs from these beauties.

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Tennessee Road Trip

Hopefully there are a few of you who noticed that I didn't post a painting this week. Our family took an old fashioned family road trip vacation down to Tennessee this past week. We really had a great time and it was so much fun to see the sites, culture and people down south. We were primarily in Nashville and Memphis and they are two very different cities. I'm wondering if all of us Yankees should start calling each other "darlin" and "hon". Southern hospitality was very nice to experience, and I have to say that the food was wonderful too.

I've downloaded my photos and it looks like I limited myself to only 402 shots. I could have shot a bunch more, but I showed some restraint mostly due to the fact that I didn't have enough memory cards for my camera. My wife and boys always are patient with me while I'm shooting photos of everything in sight, no matter how odd it may seem to most people. They have grown accustom to my ways. Below you'll find 4 of the 402 pictures. There could be some paintings coming out of our trip. Y'all stay tuned...

Cardinals game in St. Louis on our way to Nashville

The Grand Ole Opry

Memphis BBQ at Rendevous

On the steps of Graceland

Mom's Bread

Mom's Bread | oil on canvas

It was my Mom's birthday a couple of weeks ago, and I had intended to post this at that time, but of course it slipped my mind. So I thought I'd share it this week instead. This is a large portrait I did of her. Click on the photo to get a little closer look.

I featured Mom's cake on my very first blog painting back in September of last year. As I mentioned at that time, she loves spending time in her kitchen and homemade bread is one of her specialties. In the painting she's holding my favorite bread that she bakes. It's an oatmeal bread that is unbelievably wonderful....just like Mom.

Chapel of Love

Chapel of Love I | 5"x7" | oil on hardboard

Chapel of Love II| 5"x7" | oil on hardboard

This is a small commission for a friend. She is giving it as a wedding gift to a couple who were recently wed in this lovely church in upstate New York. The church sits on a the edge of a lake.

I painted the more detailed version first, and then decided to do a version that was a little more loose and painterly. There are things I like about each version. I'd be curious to know which version you prefer, and why.

Sunlit Tulip

Sunlit Tulip| 5"x7" | oil on hardboard

Spring is here. Whew–it was a long, cold and snowy winter here in Iowa so we're all ready for spring. I was just outside and saw that our tulips are just beginning to emerge from the dirt.

I dug through my photos from last spring and found some I shot in Orange City. My good friends, Brett and Nora Mulder, are the owners of the Tulip Town Bulb Company and their gardens last year were in glorious bloom with every variety of tulip under the sun. I took a lot of photos there.

Brett could tell you exactly what variety this is, but I'll just say it is the red/yellow kind.

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Coffee Couple

Coffee Couple| 5"x7" | oil on hardboard

The pleasure of a great cup of coffee is tough to beat, unless you combine that cup of coffee with the conversation of a good friend. Then it's even better.

I think I like the old lady and all the stuff in the background better than the figures in the foreground.

In the midst of your busy day today, take time to enjoy a cup of joe with someone. You'll be glad you did.

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When the Chips are Down

When the Chips are Down | 5"x7" | oil on hardboard

There are several flavors of Doritos these days, but my favorite is still Nacho Cheese. My wife's famous taco salad is the main reason we buy these, since we try to limit the junk food in our cupboards. I picked the empty bag up off the kitchen counter and was ready to throw it in the trash, when I was struck by the colorful shiny bag of reds and golds.

Maybe it's because I'm a graphic artist, but I love good packaging. I think when most people go to the grocery store they look at the food choices. I look at the color, fonts and design of the labels and boxes.

I like the contrast between the bright red sunlit side of the bag and the deep cooler colors on the dark side.

An empty Doritos bag and an economy in recession inspired the title.

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Picasso Coffee Pot

Picasso Coffee Pot | 5"x8" | oil on hardboard

The percolator coffee pot. It was the common form of brewing coffee until the 70s, when the automatic drip pot became the brewing method of choice. Remember the Joe DiMaggio commercials for Mr. Coffee?

I picked this pot up at the Goodwill store in LeMars a couple months ago thinking it might be a good subject for a painting. This is a pot made by Hoover. The little knob at the base allowed you to make it mild or strong.

The title of the painting came from the first thoughts I had as I started to paint the chrome. I was painting the shapes and reflections as I saw them (see detail below), but when I'd look at the painting, all I could see were odd shapes of a variety of colors, much like a Picasso cubist painting. Then, all of a sudden those random shapes started looking like the chrome coffee pot I was attempting to create.


Picasso Coffee Pot | detail

You've got to admit that the shape and style of these chrome beauties sure are nicer to look at than a Mr. Coffee maker.

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