Seems like it has been a while since I posted any recently completed landscapes. That’s because it’s been a while since I have completed anything I could post. So here’s something, inspired by a striking photo in this month’s Tennessee Home and Farm magazine. (The featured photos in this publication are eye-catching and usually give me something to think about — if not to paint.)
Tobacco barns different from storage or cattle barns in that they are taller and thinner and their sides open up at different levels to help the tobacco dry or “cure.” These “flaps” give the barns an unusual visual flavor.
About the painting
15 x 22 inches, Watercolor on Arches 140 CP paper.
This painting is not offered for sale since it is a derivative work from someone else’s original work. It is available for a contribution to a charitable organization, however.
Football is becoming a distant memory, but before it fades completely and we get to the serious business of baseball, here’s one for the road. The quarterback is the center of the action in football. You can’t win without a winning quarterback. The Super Bowl winner this year is the latest example of that tenet.
So, let’s devote one more memory to football.
Baseball is coming. And so are some new pieces of art.
About the painting
The Handoff, 11 x 14 inches, watercolor on 90 lb cold-press paper
Price: $125
The football season has about a month to run, but this is probably my last football painting of the year (maybe).
College football will wrap things up tomorrow night with the big game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Florida Gators. It’s some bowl somewhere, but I have lost track of the name or place. It’s really the national championship game, and that’s about all you need to know.
In honor of these two teams, I have deviated from the usual orange and crimson and donned these players with the colors of those schols — more or less.
The catch — 10 x 14 watercolor
Price: Not priced (make an offer)
About the painting
I had this sheet of watercolor paper in a stack of paper, and I’m not sure of the brand. It must be pretty cheap (Strathmore, maybe) because of the way the color surrounding the player has dotted up. That part of the painting was thoroughly wet when I painted it, and that is a characteristic of cheap paper. Still the figures turned out fairly well, and color within them is bold and has a range of values. So, all in all, I am pleased with the way this one turned out.
My wife says I should do more still lifes. So, that’s one of my New Year’s resolutions: “Do more still lifes.”
Here’s the first:
I gave my wife a Waterford crystal vase for Christmas. We moved into a new house this fall, and we have a dining room in the front of the house that gets a lot of morning sun. I thought the vase would look good there, catching a lot of sun rays.
Sally bought a couple of roses, set it all in the middle of her grandmother’s diningr oom table, and I got inspired. I did one painting, which was ok, but I wasn’t satisfied with the background, so — in a rarity for me — I did it again. I am more satisfied with this one.
I need more practice at this still life thing.
About the painting
The paper for this painting comes out of a book of Daler-Rowney 200 lb. paper that I caught on sale at the end of the summer. The paper is very nice to work with — good absorbancy and transparency both.
8 x 10 watercolor, 200 lb paper
(The painting is a bit brighter than it shows up in this photo.)
Price: Not for sale
One of baseball’s early 20th century superstars was Christy Mathewson.
In an era when most baseball players were rough and tumble blue collar guys, Mathewson was a cultured and well educated player, who had an unhittable fast ball and who looked good on the field — and even better in front of the camera. He was tall and had striking good looks. Some of the photos of him are amazing.
Mathewson was what the lords of baseball wanted all of their players to be — cultured, well-mannered, modest and discrete. Fortunately, that did not happen, and instead we got personalities like Ty Cobb and John McGraw, along with the likes of Mathewson.
Still, there was no denying that Mathews had an “it” about him that few other players possessed on the field and in front of the camera.
And that’s probably he has inspired more than one painting or drawing from this artist.
11 x 14, watercolor on Bristol board
Price: $75
About the drawing
I was experimenting a bit with color here and am not sure this works. But, still, it has an appeal, at least to me. If it doesn’t sell by New Year’s, I think I’m going frame it for my office wall.
(This is an original piece, not a print.)
One of the most exquisite structures on the beautiful Emory and Henry College campus is Memorial Chapel. The building is striking for the design and height of its steeple. Even more striking is its sanctuary (something I had always meant to paint but never got to it), which is the soul of simplicity and elegance. From 2003 to 2006, I was privileged to be on the faculty of Emory and Henry, a small Methodist College in the mountains of southwest Virginia, about 25 northeast of Bristol. The campus has been on that spot since its founding in 1836. It is one of uncommon beauty, as is the surrounding area. The place inspired many paintings, one of which was put on this site in August. Another three are located just below this entry, and here is a fourth.
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10 x 14, Watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold press paper
Price: Not for sale
About the painting
This painting is one of a series that I have donated to Emory and Henry College.
(This is an original piece, not a print.)
For almost the entire existence of Emory and Henry College,, there has been a Wiley Hall. During the Civil War, the college was closed, but Wiley Hall served as a hospital for Confederate and Union soldiers. That building burned early in the 20th century and was replaced by the one shown in the painting below. From 2003 to 2006, I was privileged to be on the faculty of Emory and Henry, a small Methodist College in the mountains of southwest Virginia, about 25 northeast of Bristol. The campus has been on that spot since its founding in 1836. It is one of uncommon beauty, as is the surrounding area. The place inspired many paintings, one of which was put on this site in August. Another two are located just below this entry, and here is a fourth.
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15 x 22, Watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold press paper
Price: Not for sale
About the painting
This painting is one of a series that I have donated to Emory and Henry College.
(This is an original piece, not a print.)
Byars Hall, on the campus of Emory and Henry College, serves as the home for the theater, art and music departments. From 2003 to 2006, I was privileged to be on the faculty of Emory and Henry College, a small Methodist College in the mountains of southwest Virginia, about 25 northeast of Bristol. The campus has been in existence on that spot since its founding in 1836. It is one of uncommon beauty, as is the surrounding area. The place inspired many paintings, one of which was put on this site in August. Another is located just below this entry, and here is a third.
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15 x 22, Watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold press paper
Price: Not for sale
About the painting
This painting is one of a series that I have donated to Emory and Henry College. More of those paintings will appear soon.
(This is an original piece, not a print.)
From 2003 to 2006, I was privileged to be on the faculty of Emory and Henry College, a small Methodist College in the mountains of southwest Virginia, about 25 northeast of Bristol. The campus has been in existence on that spot since its founding in 1836. It is one of uncommon beauty, as is the surrounding area. The place inspired many paintings, one of which is already on this site. Here is another.
15 x 22, Watercolor on Arches 140 lb. cold press paper
Price: Not for sale
About the painting
This painting is one of a series that I have donated to Emory and Henry College. More of those paintings will appear soon.
(This is an original piece, not a print.)
Baseball produces a series of set plays that make it exciting for the fan. The slide by a runner trying to beat a throw to a base is just one of those plays, and it always draws the attention of the crowd. The slide was developed early in the history of baseball as a way of avoiding the tag and the out. As this painting depicts it, the slide was just as exciting during an old time baseball game as it is today.
11 x 14, Watercolor and pen and ink on Bristol board
Price: $75
About the painting
This piece is the fourth of a series of four rendered with pen and ink and watercolor. (See below.) They all examine baseball players as they looked more than 100 years ago. They can be purchased individually or as a set (with a generous discount).
(This is an original piece, not a print.)
