My wife and I were visiting an old restored tourist town called Metamora in southern Indiana. We were sitting in a train waiting to move on to another location, when out of the window I saw the cutest old couple sitting on a bench eating ice cream cones. It was so tender. I was touched by the scene.
You will notice that the portion in the shadow area has a blue tint to it, while the sunlit half is yellowish.
I feel like having persons in a painting adds interest.
Filed under Artist Tips by on . 2 Comments.
My wife and I had lived in Indiana for only a short time. I wanted to drive up north to see Notre Dame University in South Bend and the shore of Lake Michigan. She wasn’t interested. I tried to talk her into going up there several times. Finally I just said we were going, no matter what.
We loved the university. We ate in their very cool cafeteria. Then we headed to Indiana Dunes, the state park right at the lake. There were huge sand dunes. We loved jumping down from them, but the most wonderful thing was the view of Lake Michigan. It was in the late fall and it was cold enough to wear jackets, but Norene just had to take her shoes off and go wading and dancing in the water. She loved it. I did too, and had to paint her enthusiasm.
Filed under My Inspiration by on . 3 Comments.
As a kid I spent a lot of time crawling around in weeds and other vegetation, looking for grasshoppers and other insects. I remember how it seemed like I was in my own little world. The sun would shine through the leaves. I liked the shadows and light and the shapes and structure of the various plants.
I was driving along a farm road in Indiana. The corn was tall and beautiful. I noticed at the end of one row some interesting growth – I was told later on that it was poke berries. There were little black berries hiding behind the stalks and leaves. I climbed back into them and found the same magic I felt as a child. Here is my interpretation. I hope you like it.
Filed under My Inspiration by on . 4 Comments.
The center of Indianapolis is Monument Circle. The Soldier’s and Sailor’s Monument is there, with a red brick road going around it. Indianapolis is known as The Circle City because of it.
My painting is of that area. The woman stands next to the road, waiting for cars to go by. It is raining. I have tried to show the wet road with reflections of headlights. I have also used atmospheric perspective – the cars that are closer are portrayed larger, the ones further back are painted smaller.
This is a romantic area. Two of my children were engaged here. Horse carriages take passengers around here and through the city at night.
Filed under Oil Painting Technique by on . 5 Comments.
I was taking my wife for a ride in the farm areas. There were a bunch of cows in a field. We pulled our car to the side of the road. I think they thought we were the zoo – they all walked together to stare at us.
Filed under My Inspiration by on . 5 Comments.
I found out that my brother-in-law Clyde, has cancer and has only two weeks to two months to live. He and his wife, Rene, were going to fly from Utah to visit their son’s family in Missouri. I just had to go see him and say goodbye.
My wife and I drove from Indiana. It was great to see our nephew’s family, but it was especially great to see Clyde. He has been in the family for twenty five years. He always has made me feel so good. He is a wonderful man. I told Clyde and Rene that I wanted to do a portrait. It was really all I could do for them. It was an emotional experience for me to paint them.
God Bless you, Clyde. Thanks for the wonderful times.
Filed under My Inspiration by on . 12 Comments.
One of the things I like best about living in the Indianapolis metro area is that only five minutes from the city I am in the farms. If ever I feel stressed out, I can jump into the car and take a relaxing drive through the cornfields, past the cattle, the barns and silos.
This painting shows a typical Indiana scene. You see cows walking in a line. In the background are cornfields. I have tried to portray the direction of the sun. The grass in the foreground has a lot of yellow in it. That is what sunlight looks like. My wife really likes the trees. This painting makes me feel relaxed and at peace.
Filed under Oil Painting Technique by on . 5 Comments.
I absolutely love reflections in water. One evening I was in Madison, Indiana, right along the Ohio River. There was a fantastic sunset – the sky was yellow and it reflected in the water. There were some boats docked. Against the yellow they were almost a silhouette. There were very few other colors. I just loved the magic that these colors created. I hope that sharing this painting with you will create the same emotion I felt.
Filed under My Inspiration by on . 2 Comments.
Subscribe to this site's RSS feed.
Recent Comments