Brunot's Island, 34 x 64, oil on canvas

This is a piece I've been working on for a few weeks. It is from a photo I took from Mt. Washington. Describing how colors change over distance is something that has always fascinated me. In this painting I'm contrasting a dense dark, shadowed foreground with a cool softer background. The Ohio River splits as it goes around Brunot's Island and makes its way toward McKees Rocks and then on to Sewickley and eventually to the mighty Mississippi. I wanted to show the extreme distance that can be seen from this vantage point.

White Hot Steel, 30 x 40, oil on linen

Last year I visited this steel making facility. It is only 8 blocks from my studio here in Pittsburgh and I didn't even know it existed! It is tucked away in an industrial area close to the river. The management was great, allowing photography which I have used for reference. For obvious safety reasons it would be impossible to paint inside the plant. This painting above, done just this week, is about the extreme heat in the foundry. Unless you are standing there it is almost impossible to describe the experience. The white hot molten steel flies out everywhere and illuminates all surfaces with blazing warm color. I've tried to create a painting that shows how it felt. It is not like anything you see outdoors. That is why painting a scene like this is such a nice contrast to working from the cool light of day. I also like the idea of documenting the steel making heritage of this city– an era that is quickly slipping away.

Lexi, 8x10, oil on panel

Last week Lexi laid down in the shade exactly when I was looking for a subject to paint. It was almost too good to be true. Would she really pose like this for an hour or longer? Usually a squirrel or a runner or something causes her to move. So I decided to start with her and see how far I could get. The background could be painted later if necessary. But to my astonishment she stayed in this position for about 90 minutes–long enough for me to do this sketch. She is such a sweet girl.

Mr. May Mouse, 6 x 6 inches, oil on panel

This little fellow was too clever to be trapped alive. Believe me, I tried. The internet is full of ideas to capture a mouse unharmed and the hardware stores offer no-kill traps. Unfortunately, he was causing so much trouble in the kitchen that my tree hugging tendencies quickly disappeared and my farm boy roots took over. It was the old fashioned mouse trap that did the trick. After thinking about this guy, I decided to honor his death with a painting. I wanted it to be quiet and austere, almost monochromatic. Sorry Mr. May Mouse, the dark chocolate was the last straw.

Fish on Sticks, 36 x 48, oil on canvas

This is my last week at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. The kids have been a lot of fun. I probably learned more from them – especially the young ones. I painted this while I was there. It was inspired by the small study I did a few weeks ago. The building in the middle was added a few years ago and was designed to echo a night light. The architect wanted to create a form that glowed in the dark. I chose to do this painting in late evening light to show the clear separation of warm light and shadow. The fish are in shadow along with the left planes of the buildings while the sky and right planes of the structures are bathed with light. The fish are positioned higher in the sky than they actually are. I liked the whimsical idea of fish swimming through the sky. The kids all knew it right away as the fish parking lot.

Paint Bag, 9 x 12, oil on Panel

This is my paint bag, yesterday. It is one of those things I use everyday but don't think much about–until its gone. That's what happened a couple years ago when my old paint bag was stolen from the back of my truck. I never did a painting of that one. It was a part of my daily routine for 15 years. Yesterday as the afternoon light raked across the brushes and wrinkled tubes of paint I decided to do this oil sketch. Everyday objects when painted become more important to us. In this case my common tool bag became a subject for a still life painting, which makes it not so common now.

Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, Big Fish

This large mouth bass is one of three huge fish outside the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. They are mounted on ball bearings so that the 400 pounders can move freely with the breeze. I'm the F.I.N.E. Artist in Residence for the month of April. As part of my first day I did this painting in the parking lot and then finished it inside. The kids really enjoyed seeing it because it is so familiar to them. I'm giving the kids lessons on seeing nature as shapes. I'm using cut-out cardboard shapes that are painted with solid colors to show the importance of seeing the silhouette. A common mistake for lots of artists is to render detail before painting the large simple masses. The kids got it right away. They just grabbed the biggest brush they could find and went for it.

This fish above is named "Al" for the Allegheny River. It is 9" x 12", oil on panel.