Art, Nature & Soul #3

I often find myself in the unique position of receiving a relatively objective critique of my work, unbeknowst to the viewer and critic. Sometimes that can be quite harsh given peoples diverse taste and appreciation for art. Even so I try to take something constructive away from that too. Most of the time though the overall take home is positive. There is much turmoil in the lives of people, including myself and so I strive to find those moments of quiet reflection. This work, has been in a group show on flight, a solo exhibit of my artwork and has been hanging rather prominently  on the walls of Proud Fox Gallery & Frame Shop over this summer. 

Some of the things I've heard are, 'How peaceful', 'Serene', 'Less is more',  'Nice approaching feeling on those birds. All due to knowing what drawing and paint can do in the eye.', 'This should have been the piece awarded', and 'How subtle' to name a few. Trust me I get my fair share of, 'My child could do that', 'I don't get it' and I think to myself, awesome buy your child some art supplies, sign them up for art classes and please get out to an art museum, but thats another story, for another time.

Sublties are something that has taken me along time to grow into. It's very easy to to throw color around, overstate with your brush and beat people over the head with the message and theme of your work. After many years of experimenting and studying, I'm currently using a more multi media approach to layer paint, build those ideas, and leave the bold for the finale and exclamation point. Please enjoy and always feel free to comment on my work.  

SOLD 'Meditations on Flight' 36"x36" oil over acrylic on canvas

Art, Nature & Soul #2

A most unsual piece for me to do, but inspiration just happens and I went with it. We had just arrived in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on the fringe of Cape Cod. I've been on a mission to learn about the plight of the endangered species of whales, especially those along the eastern coast of the U.S.A. It seemed to me, a good place to start was the New Bedford Whaling Museum. To uderstand why they are endangered, I wanted to understand what happened to bring this many leviathans of the sea, to the brink of extinction. Upon our arrival and parking, we noticed a church. It looked familar and turned out to be Seaman's Bethel. The same church that appears in 1956 film, 'Moby Dick', where Orson Welles gives his most famous surmon on the Jonah and the Whale. On to the museum, which was an indepth, and not just a study of whaleing but, the nature of whales. It turned out New Bedford Whaling was the largest industry at the time and was lighting the world, at a great cost, the near obliteration of several species of whale. Thankfully the discovery of our ability to harness electric and edison's light bulb, put an abrupt end to the whaleing industry, just in time.  This turned out to be one of the most fascinating museums I'd ever been to. Standing outside on the balcony of the museum, I beheld this panoramic view of the town and Buzzards Bay. It brought me back to another time, another place, with great awe and wonderment. 

 'Buzzards Bay', 24"x20", oil on canvas.  

Art, Nature & Soul

   Several years ago, I set out upon the Atlantic ocean in hopes of seeing, some whales, those majestic giants of the sea. I had wanted to go whale watching for some 25 years and I was now 50 years of age and on a mission. We had set out from Hyannis on Cape Cod one early morning, the weather was seemly perfect and the seas were calm. We had traveled out on the ocean, perhaps a mile, when a dense fog encumbered our mission. The boat now moved slowly, as to not collide with these creatures. Soon enough, we could hear their song as they voiced there signals to each other. Soon after we could smell their breath, as one after another, exhaled from their blow holes, their spouts. The fog was dense and we couldn't get close enough to see them. The ocean was calm and looked like liquid glass. Where ocean and sky met was barely distinguishable, and what appeared to be light dividing the sky, may have been a whale exhaling. This was thrilling and left a lasting impression on me. When I got home I painted my impression, first off. Not sure if I saw a whale that time but, days later on another tour we did and now we go every year to see them. Currently, we're following the migration paths, of the Endangered North Atlantic Right Whale from feeding grounds in Cape Cod to their calving Grounds in St Augustine, Florida in hopes of learning and making a difference.    

SOLD 'Blue Fog', 18"x14" oil on canvas   (private collection)