I taught a still-life painting class for six years, then stopped when I had a medical emergency close to two years ago. This is the first time I’ve attempted a still-life since then.

When I taught the class I emphasized filling the canvas and making the layout interesting, as well as using complementary colors. I always lit my subject with a lamp to show highlights and shadows to  create a dramatic effect.

The main technique I’ve used in this painting is “foreshortening.” The canoe and the front paddle are painted in a shortened manner which gives a feeling of depth.

My wife and I had arrived in Cape Cod with our daughter and her husband. We were on a trip to our ancestral home – Barnstable Massachusetts. We checked into the fabulous Ashley Manor, the best bed and breakfast in Cape Cod. We were so thrilled to be there . . . we felt the spirit of our ancestors so strongly!! The owner suggested we go to dinner at the Mattakese Wharf Restaurant. We did. We got there just as the sun was setting. The restaurant overlooked Barnstable Harbor. The view absolutely took my breath away! I had to paint that amazing scene!

I’ve tried to portray the feel of the air, the smell of the water  and the glow of the sun. Note the complimentary colors of the orange sun and the blue shadows. There is a strong contrast with shadow and light.  With these techniques I hope to have expressed the feelings we felt on that enchanted August night.

I remember when I’d had a particularly stressful day. When I got home I was really upset. I just couldn’t get over it. My wife suggested I get my oil paints out and paint something. I told her I didn’t know what to paint. She grabbed one of her mason jars, put my brushes in it, set some of my paint tubes next to it and said, “Okay, there you go.” At first I thought it was kind of stupid, but once I got started, I was having fun. I finished it in a half hour. I felt really happy.

The first thing I did was draw a quick outline of the objects. Then I looked for shapes and values and painted them in, one by one. Instead of being intimidated by the glass, I stared at it and saw shapes of color showing through from the wall behind it and from the table below it. Next I found the highlights and put them in. There were reflections of the light blue venitian blinds, so I  determined the shapes, mixed the color and painted them in. The brushes had a shadow on their left sides. I did a quick dark line for each of them, then on the right side I painted a single color on each to represent the non-shadow parts. I didn’t get detailed. You will see I did the same thing with the paint tubes – there are different shapes of white – some with a blue tint, others kind of yellow, etc. The diagonal is the edge of the table. I just painted it brown, like the color of the wood, then I did a quick representation of the wall in the background.

Artists often try too hard when doing a still life. If they simplify, they’ll have much better results.

One of my very favorite places to visit is Madison, Indiana. It is on the banks of the Ohio River just across from Kentucky. It’s main street has one of the largest historic districts in the country. There are dozens of old mansions and store fronts that look the same today as in the nineteenth century. There are art galleries, antique shops and  restaurants. My very favorite one is on a boat that is docked right on the riverbank. I enjoy eating there while looking across the river at the beautiful bluffs in Kentucky.

One of the most famous landmarks in Madison is the fountain on Third Street and Broadway. In this painting, it looks much closer than the vehicles or trees because I have used atmospheric perspective. The figures on the fountain are larger than the vehicles. The fountain is painted over the top of the trees. Both of these things give a feeling of depth. The viewer can feel as though they could walk into the picture. I’ve made the fountain look tall by having it go past the top of the painting. I’ve painted the bottom of the two bowls to create the illusion of looking up.

My favorite things to paint are people, cars, and buildings. Recently I was eating lunch with my daughter in a restaurant in Northville, Michigan. As I casually chewed my sandwich, I was struck by the interesting view out the window – the silhouettes of the window frames and tables inside the restaurant. A lady was seated at a table carrying on a very animated conversation with her friend. The wind blew her hair. At the same time, cars passed by. The shops across the road made an interesting background. I was so excited! I knew I needed to try to paint this scene!

The first technique I used is atmospheric perspective. It is done in layers. First I show the interior of the restaurant. You see the silhouettes of window frames and tables. Words are painted on the window. The next layer is the woman. Between her and the cars is the umbrella. The last layer shows the shops across the street. The items in each layer get smaller than the previous, giving a feeling of depth.

I have portrayed reflected light on the window sills, the tables, the cars and the woman’s face and hair. Finally, I have divided everything into shapes and colors.

I’ve heard it said that the eyes are the windows of the soul. In my mind, the most important part of any portrait is its eyes. If one looks at someone’s eyes they will see reflections of light on the iris. The “whites” of the eyes are never white. The edge of the bottom eyelid is showing. There are many other things that are apparent. Lips aren’t smooth. Look closely at anyone and their lips will have ridges which have highlights and shadows. These are a couple of things I should mention about this painting.

I had this model next to a window to have natural illumination on half of her face. This was done to show shadow and light and make it more interesting. I wanted to focus on her features, so parts of her head go off the canvas.

The most powerful technique in painting this portrait was emotion. Just as a singer or a pianist put feeling into their performance, I have tried to do the same with my art. Some might argue that I could have a more realistic portrayal with a photograph, but this is art, not a photo.

I love this painting.

I remember almost a decade ago when Norene and I visited Paris with our son-in-law Will, our daughter Jennifer, and their kids Ashley, Zach, and Natalie. We did all of the fun stuff there. We went up the Eiffel Tower. We ate at outdoor restaurants. I loved seeing the artist’s stalls at Montmartre. We visited the Louvre and Musee d’Orsay. I enjoyed a ride down the Seine. The kids loved to climb all over everything. This painting is of Norene with Will and Jennifer’s family standing along the Seine River.

I’ve tried to portray the sun shining on them. You can see light on their left sides. There is light coming through slits in the bridge. Probably the main thing I have done is painting shapes. Look at the white skirt on Jennifer. It has shapes that are different colors. The whole painting is just a bunch of shapes.

I believe in having fun while painting. That’s what I did with this picture. I just slapped the paint on the canvas. I don’t care what anyone else thinks about it. It’s great as far as I’m concerned.

This is a scene along the canal in downtown Indianapolis. It is beautiful at night because the city is reflected in the water.

I’ve painted windows into the dark background giving an illusion of a building straight ahead. That is what is actually seen. Your mind fills in the picture. I’ve used linear perspective – the canal is wider at the bottom than the top, giving the illusion of depth. The reflections are just squiggle lines directly below lighted areas. The couple walking on the right are painted with muted colors and very little detail. Again, your mind completes the scene.