summer creek study

This creek runs along a farm at the end of the road on which my childhood home is located. When I was very young and had to ride the bus to school every morning, we passed over a tiny bridge on the dirt road that passed the farm, and I always loved the way the farm sat back in a hollow. I plan to paint a large rectangular version of this image soon.

golden autumn study

This is a detail study of a piece I worked on today. I found the reference on a drive through Muhlenberg County, Kentucky last fall, and it is reminiscent of older work of mine with warm open fields and a single tree. Lately I have been painting more imagery from deep woods and mountains, and it was somewhat comforting to return to a familiar subject.

figure class

I returned home late from my figure study class and did not finish the painting in time to post it before midnight, so I decided to post both today together. It has been wonderful returning to the figure as a subject. I have always enjoyed the process and this time I have the opportunity to teach the class! This piece is created somewhat from memory, referring to a drawing I did during the figure session. I normally prefer to have the subject before me when I paint, but it has been a good exercise to recall the light and tone I witnessed earlier that night and decipher the shorthand of my drawing.

maldonado

Today I saw a former coworker and friend of mine, Eric Maldonado. I had always threatened to paint his portrait when we were working together, and now that I am painting full-time, I decided today would be a good day to do it. Much in the fashion of the 'ol boys club that was my former workplace, I always referred to him by last name only. "Maldonado" is a great guy, hard worker, awesome dad, and, if I may say so, wonderful portrait subject.

lower broad

Driving home from my studio this afternoon, I decided to take my favorite route. Contrary to common sense, I like to drive straight through downtown Nashville, down Lower Broadway where all the most famous bars and music spots of Nashvegas can be found; and then left on Second Avenue, past the rest of the tourist destinations to the Woodland Street Bridge. I have found that during rush hour, most people are fleeing the downtown area, clogging up the interstates. Often it is actually faster and far more interesting to head to the heart of the city. There is nothing like downtown Nashville on a weekend night, lights and music and colorful characters everywhere. During the day, though, it waits in quiet anticipation of the coming crowds, humming along like any other 9-to-5 downtown. Only with more cowboy boots. And neon.

frozen wetlands

On our walk through the Shelby wetlands yesterday, we noticed that one area had flooded, then frozen, leaving a hard, glassy surface to reflect the brilliant sunlight. In the summer, this particular area is usually overgrown with brush or soft and swampy, but we were lucky enough to catch it at a time when it offered a rare solid base for the dark trees sprouting through; yet another example of winter's harsh drama.

shelby marshes

It was another beautiful day for a walk, and today we chose Shelby Park. A little way up the path, we saw a small trail leading through some puddles to a marshy pond. In the summer, the pond is invisible through the thick brush that grows in the wetland area, so it was a surprise to us to discover it. Shelby has a great little ecosystem in the middle of the city for birds and other wildlife, with plenty of nesting boxes provided. We even found out today about a new wildlife center in the works for the park. Our short afternoon walk was a good opportunity to give thanks for such a unique place so close to our city home.