Wires to Heaven, 16 x 20, oil on canvas

There was a time when wires were edited out from my cityscapes. I now include them because they show our time here in a historical context. These wires appear to extend right up to heaven – a direct line. Everything will be wireless soon and I'll miss all the linear clutter.

Ghosted Sign, 24 x 30, oil on canvas

Students have often asked how my process evolves. Here is an attempt to show nine steps, start to finish. (I must say it is hard to concentrate on a painting and then stop to take photos at regular intervals!) I often look at something for years until I see it in a particular light and it triggers an idea for a painting. That's what happened last week when I drove by this old brick building. The wall facing west was illuminated by warm light and I could almost read the hand painted sign. There are a lot of these "ghosted signs" here in Pittsburgh. Sometimes you can read them, but most are just faded images. What were they and what are they still trying to say? To me they are grim reminders of the weathering effect time has on all things, especially us.

Pittsburgh Winter, oil on linen, 48 x 68

This is a painting I did this past December when we were all excited about snow. And there have been years when the snow came and went. That is why I was determined to do a large painting that depicted how Pittsburgh feels with snow. Little did anyone know that we were going to be buried in this stuff until April! With over 70 inches of snow so far this year I think it is time for spring.

I first painted a small 8 x 10 inch of this alley and then took a terrible photo. Both were used as source material. This particular area of Lawrenceville is tightly packed with buildings. By pushing the dark masses close to the top the viewer is forced to stay down near the alley. I think of it as an urban canyon painting. The light patches are used as elements that break up the space and also create the illusion of depth. The colors become less intense and the value of colors become closer as you move further back into the painting. It is a combination of linear and atmospheric perspective that takes the viewer up this snowy path.