Wilmington: The other end of I-40

Five years ago, we packed up our Plymouth Voyager and set off on a great adventure. We were moving from Southern California to Asheville, North Carolina. As we got on interstate 40, in Barstow, CA, there was a sign that read "2,554 mi to Wilmington, NC."

Well, to celebrate 5 years in Asheville, and a couple of other big milestones we took a family vacation to Cape Fear - to the other end of "the forty".

A good time was had by all. We visited the USS North Carolina, went to the Aquarium, the Cotton Exchange, and treated ourselves to leisurely afternoons at the beach.

From my sketchbook - a drawing of the fisherman's wharf at Carolina Beach.

We stayed on the north end of Pleasure Island, (Carolina Beach). You can expect to see some paintings of boats, harbors and the island in the near future.

South Asheville Vista - New Painting

Recently finished painting from Pinchot Forest: "South Asheville Vista." Acrylic on gessoed paper, 8.5 x 13 inches.

Santa Barbara Courthouse Double-Take

When I saw it I did a double take.

On the web I had found a painting of the Santa Barbara Courthouse that looked very much like one I had done. But it wasn't mine.

The similarities are remarkable. The compositions of each painting are almost identical -images have not been cropped. (The image on the right is mine, the one on the left was painted by Santa Barbara artist Dorothy Nalls.)

As it turns out, Dorothy, my artist counterpart, and I have never met face to face. However our canvases show that we've crossed paths more than once in our searches for subjects to paint.

Dorothy Nalls is a plein air painter, specializing in Santa Barbara landscapes and seascapes.

Visit her on-line portfolio at http://www.dorothynalls.com/

Brookwood Snow

It snowed in Asheville. Again.

Near our house there's a large parcel of land which used to be the Brookwood Golf Course. It was purchased by developers and graded in preparation for building condos or something probably less attractive than the golf course. But apparently they ran out of money, because the project has been at a stand-still for a year or so.

Snow has a wonderful effect of covering everything and restoring the "natural" appearance of the landscape. The marks made on the earth by construction equipment and earth movers are hidden by the white blanket.

Brookwood Snow - South Asheville / Arden

Acrylic on Canvas

16 x 20 inches

(Location near the intersection of Mills Gap and Weston Road.)

I am looking forward to Spring and warmer weather.

I've recently joined the Western North Carolina Plein Air Painters group. - An informal club of Asheville area landscape painters who get together from time to time to paint on location. I'm especially looking forward to painting with Richard Oversmith and Stuart Roper.

(click for larger image)

This image shows the development of the painting. I started with a warm undertone - something close to the color of raw linen. Then I "pushed" the color palette toward the blue tones. The final image on the right shows a more balanced warm / cool spectrum of colors.

Winter Views - Pinchot Forest, S. Asheville

I was born and raised in Santa Barbara, CA. I never heard of the term "winter views" until my wife and I started looking to relocate to Asheville in 2005.

In the Blue Ridge Mountains, each season has its delight. Spring brings waves of new growth and wild flowers. Summer has its long warm lazy evenings with fireflies and cicadas. Fall has the brilliant color of the changing foliage. And in Winter, after the leaves have fallen, opens up the long vistas that were previously obscured by the vegetation.

From Pinchot Forest, there are many handsome views (in all seasons) but this one is one of my favorites, since the road winding down the mountain creates a clearing in trees.

Winter Views - 14 x 18 inches, Acrylic on Canvas

Communication Strategies

Here's a digital painting for use by my friend Diane St. John as a self promotion image for her consulting business.

Detail showing some of the brush textures used for the foliage and the rocks.