Elephants oil 24 x 36

Here's a new painting. I haven't decided on a title yet.It shows a mum elephant and baby in the Chobe river Botswana. The startled birds are White faced whistling ducks.

Girraffe.18 x 24 oil

This Girraffe was wandering through a patch of those funny thistly things which you see everywhere in Africa that I have always wanted to paint. I even gathered seed and tried, but failed to grow them in my garden(rather naughty). So, If I can't grow them , at least I can paint them!!

Marabou roost 14 x 11 oil

This Dam in south Africa was the spot we would have our sundowner cocktails( well a beer). All the marabous were settling down at their roost.

Portrait 18 x 24 oil on canvas

I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted. I'm rather embarrassed!!
Here's another portrait from my Thursday evening group. Now I do understand that this doesn't represent my finished work, but I want my blog to reflect what makes me tick as an artist. Life painting is not only great fun, but allows me to shed my professional artist hat and try new stuff . It feels like I'm back at art college. Plus you get to hang out with artists and here all the latest gossip!!

Sorry, no new paintings. Julia, my friend and neighbour Walt, and I, have spent the last week building frames. It was like an assembly line. Walt cutting , me sanding ,spraying , and leafing, and Julia finishing. Whoever said it was a good Idea to make our own frames...Whenever I finish a batch..(23 in this batch) I think ...never again, but they do look great!! (although I say it myself.) A real joint effort.

Nyala buck (SOLD)

Dallas Safari club is just around the corner... A great excuse to go African!

"Little Dancer" (SOLD)

This painting shows my step niece on the beach. I loved her complete abandon as she danced in the surf(whilst wearing her smart summer dress!!) oil 24'' x46"

Grants Gazelles. (SOLD)

It's about time I posted some wildlife paintings. Here's a painting of two Grant's Gazelle bucks. I wanted to keep it loose. oil

portrait 20 x 16...

At long last I have started a weekly portrait session with a group of artists in Easton.
Here's last night's effort...

Sunday At The Beach (SOLD)

Well it has been far too long since I last posted any paintings...
I grew up at the seaside, and this is my Idea of a great way to spend a Sunday. My painting shows my good friends Tim and Sylvia and my wife Julia and mother in law Georgene, enjoying the pleasures of Ocean City MD.

Great Egret

I saw this great Egret in Costa Rica( although we get them on the creek) I loved the simplicity of the background and cool colours. oil 12 x 9

Sultana at st Michaels (sold)

The Schooner Sultana was visiting the Maritime museum during the summer. I loved the colours with the mast and rigging against the evening sky. oil 7 x 5

"Last Day of Summer"

We were treated to this wonderful sky on the last day of summer. The skipjack completed the scene. oil 24 x36

Breakfast on the Miles

We were out on the river one morning and came across the schooner "Lady Maryland" The crew were all up on deck having coffee. I just loved the sparkles! oil 18 x 24

Marsh Evening (Great Blue Heron)

The evening light was wonderful. Golden and shimmering.

A Good Catch

This Waterman is returning home after a successful morning crabbing on Leeds Creek

trot lining on Leeds creek (SOLD)

This mini shows a waterman trot lining on Leeds creek. The early morning light was gorgeous. I love to paint sparkles!!

"Precious cargo" (SOLD)

You really never know what to expect out on the bay. We came across this bride being lowered into a launch, on her way to the wedding reception.

Water birds 36 x 21 oil

This shows my painting , about half finished. I decided to leave out the white Ibis and go for a long thin composition. It's so nice to be painting birds again. I'll post the finished painting in a couple of days(hopefully). Top to bottom..... great egret, roseate spoonbill, snowy egret, juvenile roseate spoonbill.

Idea for painting oil

I have been playing around with an idea of a mix of water birds I saw in Costa Rica. This is a quick compositional sketch. Really just to show my creative process.

"Selina 11" oil 12 x 9

This shows one of those sudden summer squalls that seem to come from nowhere. "Selina 11" is a gorgeous old cat boat which sails out of St Michaels.

crab boat, royal Oak, oil 9 x 12

Julia and I spent a lovely morning at one of the many boat ramps painting the work boats.

Log Canoes 9 x 12 oil

Back to some paintings.... This shows another painting of the log canoe races.

Julia's office.... ha ha !!

bobbing around on the Bay

This one shows Patrick ,(my son) Steph (step daughter) and their cousin Sophie last weekend on the sailboat.

I know this is meant to be an art blog, but here's "Frida, our German Shepherd

I was asked how the ospreys on our platform were getting along. Well I'm very pleased to say that 2 of the 3 chicks have fledged and left the nest. The 3rd chick died during a heat wave in early June. The mum was incredible. She shielded the chicks from the sun moving her body like a sun dial, only leaving the nest to plunge into the creek to cool down and drip cool water on the babies.
Here's a couple of recent snaps. "Great pooping action"!!

Plein air

Julia dragged me out plein air painting recently. Actually I really had fun. This is an old car ferry that used to plow the waters of the great lakes and ended up as a work boat on the Bay. The artist in the foreground is Julia.

Race Day 18 x 24 oil

I have just finished this painting. It shows a log canoe passing a skipjack in the entrance to St Michael's harbour. I loved the sultry atmosphere of that day... hot and sticky. I had lots of fun with the composition.

Log Canoe

Here's another 9 x 12. We watched the Log Canoe races a couple of weeks ago... Very exciting . They go like the clappers!!!
"Gassing Up" has just been published as a giclee. This one's next. I'm calling these "The Chesapeake series" 4 giclees.

Luna

I have just finished this painting of "Luna" our friends' Spinone. Sadly poor Luna died in an accident a couple of weeks ago. Frida(our German Shepherd) lost her best friend. Luna was a beautiful dog , and Incredibly well trained. My painting shows her on a bird hunt last winter.

The Fishing Party

This mini shows Ello's Beach on Leeds creek. This is a favourite picnic site for boaters. The beach is located just before the creek joins the Miles river. It belongs to the "Pink Castle" ( actually an Italian villa which according to the locals, was moved here in the 20's brick by brick from the Italian Riviera. (Michael Jackson recently tried to buy it... The villa not my painting!!

Hello everyone.
Here's a new painting "Gassing UP" oil 12x9. It shows St Michaels harbour on a summer weekend. Lots of colour and bustle. St Michaels is very proud of outwitting the Brits during the war of Independance, by raising all the lights of the town so that the Brits fired over the town. Ive also heard that the British fleet thought St Michaels wasn't worth the effort so the sailed past ha ha.Anyway we are all friends now and as a Brit I enjoy seeing all those Union Jacks fluttering in the harbour. I love St Michaels... I got married there.

Costa rican fishing boat 5 x 7 oil

< Here's the latest... I have just finished it. I saw this boat and pelicans in Playa Flamingo, Costa Rica a couple of weeks ago.

Easton Banner auction

Hi folks,
Sorry about the lack of blog entries. I have just completed my painting for the Easton Banner Auction. It will hang from a lamp post in Easton all summer. I had so much fun painting it.

I saw this great Blue heron on a summer evening at St Michaels. The light was fantastic. I kept it simple, because it's really about the glorious light.

The Gallops, Lambourn.

This was a fun mini. During a visit to my good friend James Potter, I went up and watched racehorses being exercised up on the Gallops.

Sanderlings on a sandbar

Here's the finished painting.....

The first shows my crude underpainting, really just an Idea with a wash. The second shows some blocking in and defining the shapes.

"Sanderlings on a sandbar"

I love seeing how paintings develop. From an idea, to the finished painting. Of course I always forget to take photos while I'm painting , however I did manage a couple of "in progress" shots for"Sanderlings on a sandbar"

We are so excited to have new neighbours. Julia will be giving a daily "Osprey" update on her blog, but I had to show a snap also. This was taken a couple of hours ago from our living room!!

"August on the Miles river"

I was pleased to see another skipjack appear on the river. It was one of those lovely summer afternoons when everyone was out sailing.

"Twilight sail"

I love that time of the evening when the light has almost gone and you are treated to a fleeting display of wonderful smokey turquoise. The skipjack was on its way back to St Michaels after a long day spent showing tourists the Miles river. It really was a beautiful sight.

"Charging Tiger"

This one was inspired by my German Shepherd piling into powdery snow after sticks. I wanted this to be all about movement., so I kept it loose (well kind of).

Peacock portrait.

Julia and I had the opening of our joint show at the Troika Gallery on Friday. Although gales and private views are not a great mix, it went well. I am full of admiration for a large group of intrepid art enthusiasts who braved the elements!!!! Here's another one from the show....

"10 minute warning"

Here's another sailboat piece. Julia is in one of the boats. She crewed with one of my neighbours in the wed night races on the Miles river last summer. I just love painting sparkles!!

LazyLucy...

I saw this catboat on the Miles river this summer. I painted it using the Alla-Prima (wet on wet technique). I also changed my palette for the painting. It's really an exercise in mid-tones. I just had so much fun painting it!!

I have been busy painting for our upcoming show at the Troika gallery in Easton. It's a mix of exotic wildlife and local landscapes with birds and boats. Here's my center piece. I hope you all like it!!