Jona's Garden, 20 x 30, oil on canvas

Occasionally I'm commissioned to paint a backyard. This painting required several trips to Point Breeze to determine the exact timing of the sweet evening light. It is titled Jona's Garden. Notice BB the cat in the shadows to the lower left.

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.

Garbage Cans, 24 x 30, oil on heavy linen

It is always fun to check out what people put out for trash, especially on bulk pickup day. I've done my share of dumpster diving. This alley is at the end of Smallman Street. I did another painting here in the middle of winter so this warmer version was a nice contrast.

Fisk, 30 x 40, oil on linen

This one was a struggle to enlarge from a 9x12. I wanted to get the feeling of warm light at the last moments of the day. This location is just around the corner from my studio. The building that is barely visible at the back is the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Lawrenceville branch. It was one of his 2,811 free libraries, built in 1898.

Fisk, 9 x 12, oil on panel

This little study is now being made into a 30 x 40. I'll post the completed larger piece later this week. My drawing group, which has been meeting for 26 years every other Monday night, gave meet a critique of this one. They mostly liked it. A few thought the sky could be a tad lighter.

Shearing Time, 16 x 20, oil on panel

A couple weeks ago I watched sheep being sheared. It is really wild. Something like a wrestling match with an animal. But the whole thing is done rather quickly. These pretty gals were in line for the spring trim. The light coming in from a nearby window was illuminating them in a soft  glow. And here comes the art lesson: when cool, blue light is the source the shadows are warm. In other words, the shadow areas are yellowish. Why? Well that is the next lesson. Just take my word for it and enjoy the sheep. Count them carefully and you will feel drowsy.

Last Days of Steel, 50 x 68, oil on linen

This is the last painting I'm doing for the Johnstown exhibition. I titled it, Last Days of Steel because it was painted from rare film footage shot in the mill before it closed. It was a complete happenstance that I met Greg from The Magic Lantern. His small multimedia company is located about 200 feet from my studio. It was there I sat down with an editor and selected the frames that would be my source. The original painting is 4 x 6 feet, oil on linen. I'm having limited edition prints made for the Johnstown exhibition. Also due to increasing pressure I set up a business page on Facebook. Check it out if you are interested.

Staple Bend Tunnel, 9 x 12, oil on panel

Over the last 15 months I've done about 60 small plein air paintings of Johnstown. Most were done while standing next to my truck. This one required a bit more effort. It was a 2-mile walk from the parking area, which meant carrying my supplies 4 miles to do this. This tunnel, just 4 miles east of Johnstown, was the first railroad tunnel built in the United States. It was constructed between 1831-34 and is 900 feet long.
The exhibition, Scenes of Johnstown and Cambria County opens April 14.

Champagne Lane, 30 x 40, oil on canvas

I'm having an exhibition in Johnstown, April 14. It will feature about 65 paintings from the last 15 months. I think of it as a portrait of the rust belt city. The above painting is Luzerne Street, actually in Westmont. It is the last cathedral-arched boulevard left in the United States. There are 195 elms, the longest continuous stand of American Elms in the country, planted along the street. I call it Champagne Lane because, not only is a lovely street, an elm tree has a champagne glass shape to it.

Lights On, 8 x 10, oil on panel

On a walk the other night I noticed this scene, which is a little different for me. One of my favorite times of the day is when the sun goes down and there is still enough ambient light to see. It about this time some interior lights come on, giving spots of warmth to the overall darkened cool landscape. I painted it from a very grainy iphone pic and memory when I returned to my studio.

Behind Art's Tavern, 16 x 20, oil on canvas

I did this from a photo taken at a stop sign in the strip district. It was one of those things you see and say, wow look at the sunlight on that painted building. This is an example where the light would be changing so rapidly that working from a photo makes sense. The telephone poles echo the vertical panels of the fence and reinforce the geometric shapes. Yes that is a dumpster in the lower right. I almost edited it out but liked how it anchored the painting and created another overlapping shape.

Magnet Machine, 16 x 20, oil on canvas

This is the second of the scrap yard series. This baby picks up anything, as long as it is made of steel.  It's technical name is Link Belt 5800, but I nicknamed it the Magnet Machine. Can you imagine how much fun it would be to move huge pieces of metal around with this? Probably a boy thing. I painted it from the front so the extreme foreshortening would add drama and depth to the painting. Next subject, the CAR CRUSHER!

Scrap Yard, 30 x 40, oil on canvas

Landscape painting can encompass just about anything. Here we have a scrap yard. This holds a lot of memories for me and a close friend who used this as their playground. The entire area is a cornucopia of shapes and colors, all waiting to be recycled. The large yellow machine on the top shears it all into small pieces before being shipped to a steel mill. I choose to paint it with snow because it introduces a lighter value and delineates the forms.

Twin Windows and Chairs, 9 x 12, oil on panel

This is part of my Johnstown series. I was taken by the twin windows and chairs, not to mention the twin shadow slices.  Sometimes the most mundane setting can be a piece of art. Degas once said, "Art is not what you see, but what you make others see".

My painting Blue Awning was just used for this book cover, Emily Alone. The novel, which is set in Pittsburgh, has received good reviews. Here is the link, Emily Alone, Penguin Books

House Alone, 30 x 40, oil

This is a house I've painted twice before. I like the way it sits on the edge of a hill all by itself. The trees seem to be guardians that frame it to anyone who approaches. I left out the parked cars and junk piles. Let's just call it artistic editing.

For anyone interested I'll be showing at First Night in downtown Pittsburgh, Dec. 31. The exhibition, The Painted City, is at 937 Liberty Ave. 6-11 pm. Here is the link for more info.

http://www.firstnightpgh.org/fest_event/the-painted-city/

Reaching Tree, 16 x 20, Oil on Linen

Sometimes a simple shadow is the reward for seeing. I titled this Reaching Shadow because it appeared to extend the entire width of this oddly windowed house.

I usually don't paint interiors, but this one done seven years ago at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art was just acquired for their collection. I'm so proud to say this is the third piece of mine in their collection of American Art. Thank you to the Westmoreland Society and the museum for making this possible.  http://www.wmuseumaa.org/

Pigeon Cluster, 30 x 40, oil on canvas

Sometimes I walk the streets near my studio wondering if there is anything new. New in the sense that I haven't noticed before that is worthy of becoming a painting. Usually it is a light and shadow situation which catches my eye. But here were a bunch of pigeons clustered together on telephone wires. (I suppose they were getting ready for bed.) The thin vertical telephone pole shapes, wires and birds broke up the sky space while also adding an authentic texture to this city scene.

Windswept, 24 x 48, oil on canvas

This painting is from a collaborative effort with my twin brother Don. While here in San Francisco he shared a photo from the coast he took this summer. I liked it so much that this painting was created. During last visit here I did a lot of coastal studies which came in handy for additional reference.

Back of Home, 36 x 60, oil on canvas

This group of houses is on Home Street - such a great name for a street. Actually this view is from the back. The alley ways and backyards have become a rich source of inspiration lately. I'm influenced by the Ashcan School of painting and especially the NY tenements that John Sloan painted in the early 1900s. I also find it interesting that a guy from Lock Haven, PA became the visual voice of New York City.

Illuminated Peaks, 36 x 60, oil on canvas

October has always been my favorite month. It seems like the skies are more interesting, especially towards the end of day. Recently I noticed how the evening light was illuminating house peaks in an area known as Friendship. The idea of using cast shadows from objects outside of the image is something I've used plenty of times. Here the opposite side of the street shows us a street light, trees and roof lines. It creates the illusion there is much more going on but is only implied.