The daily dose of art THE DOT- Maybe more nonsense than art

What is a soul to do in those last few hours of a midnight shift in the ER?  The treatment rooms are empty and there is one patient in x-ray, so sleep in not an option.  For  me the answer was the small sketchbook that never left my side. 

It may not be art, but is was the art of surviving.

The daily dose of art COMMISSIONED WORK

Over the years I've been asked to paint schools, businesses, houses, and selected landscapes.  There have been several unusual requests; unfortunately I do not have a photo of one - a local junk yard that I painted as a surprise gift for the owner.  Here are two more:

The Family doctor's office  pastel on toned paper

Washington Street Barbers  watercolor

The daily dose of art MY MOST AMBITIOUS WATERCOLOR PAINTINGS

It seems fitting that the two paintings both have NYC as the subject.  In this first painting, the challenge was the two point perspective in the sweeping broad background buildings.  The painting is approximately 15x35" and I had to add extender on the drawing table to plot out the perspective.

 Union Square  watercolor  image 13x34 framed to 22x43  price on request

In the second piece I worked from a series of photographs, and the challenge was to arrange all the buildings in a way that achieved some semblance of geographic accuracy.  Obviously a bit of creative imagination was necessary to do this.

America's City  watercolor  16x45

The daily dose of art FAVORITE PENCIL DRAWINGS

The first drawing - Oops - was done in the mid 1970s, the second drawing was done 3 years ago.

The daily dose of art ARCHITECTURAL FAVORITES

Most of my architectural paintings are done with watercolor.  These are two paintings that I am especially proud of.

Philadelphia Museum of Art  watercolor  15x45

Bicentennial Poster from watercolor

The daily dose of art MORE FAVORITES -MIXED MEDIA

I don't know whether to call this piece a construction or collage.  It was my first effort, and I think my best, at creating something using various scraps of wood, plastic, and metal, as well as acrylic paints and pastels.  I was an avid model railroader before moving to Paducah and had an abundant supply of scale lumber and sheets of scale metal siding and roofing at my disposal.  I used everything in this piece.

One More Time  Mixed media  24x36"  Framed and under glass

Price in request

The daily dose of art MORE FAVORITES - PASTELS

Among the many pastel paintings I've done, these are two of my favorites, contrasting the elegant architecture of NYC with the high plains of Nebraska.

NYC skyline  pastel  30x40

High Plain Hills  pastel   40x30

When I look at these I wonder why I don't spend more time with the pastels.

The daily dose of art MIXED MEDIA

Autumn trees #1 and 2 

A combination of encaustic and pastel on clay mono types.

The daily dose of art MORE FAVORITES

It is harder for me to select an absolute favorite of my watercolors, the best I can do is select 4 or 5 that I am particularly fond of.  The two shown here were created specifically to be printed, and each measured approximately 12-16 x45".

St. Michaels

A Philadelphia Skyline

The daily dose of art MY FAVORITES

It is not easy picking a favorite piece out of so many paintings, but I'm going to try, selecting what I consider my best 2-3 paintings from the different mediums, starting with works on canvas.

The Gate  acrylic on canvas  36x36

I think this is the best landscape I've done.  Everything in it - the colors, the light, and the mood - works together.

The daily dose of art THE SKETCHBOOK

Another day in the past, at least for the next few minutes.

 Another horse show

 Between flights

Trinity church - Boston

The daily dose of art FROM THE SKETCHBOOK

It is amazing what you can find in an old sketchbook.

 An exercise in learning shadows

 A quick line drawing

Mindless ramblings

The daily dose of art A PEN HAS DIED

Sadly, even the felt tip pen doesn't last forever, and the pens that served me so well during the ER days has a life span shorter than usual because they worked overtime - on the spot sketched, doodling, writing, and a generous  share of mindless scribbling.

The daily dose of art IMAGINING LANDSCAPES

A Point of View  acrylic 36x36 on gallery wrapped canvas  (price on request)

The daily dose of art HEADING TO CHICAGO LAND

I'm sitting in a comfortable coach seat on the train to Chicago to spend a few day with my daughter and her family in Oak Park..  So it only makes sense that today's fare is from the village of O P.

The daily dose of art...ON OUR WALLS

For a change of pace I want to share the art we have collected from other artists over the years.  It seems appropriate that I begin this exercise with some family art.

Clown  oil  by my mom

Quilt painting  watercolor  Beth Renzulli

Ponies  watercolor  Sara Renzulli

The daily dose of art TUSCANY ON CLAY

The iconic Tuscan landscape is almost impossible to forget, and even more difficult to stop painting it after visiting the region.  I found this out first hand, after spending  week in Tuscany in 2008.  Seven years later and I'm still at it.

The following paintings were all done on "scraps" of clay prints with pastel:

Only in Tuscany

Tuscan Countryside

Tuscany in clay

 Tuscan Country side id approximately 12x36" and is available, un-matted and unframed.  Contact me for price and details.

The daily dose of art WASTE NOT

When working with the clay it is easy to quickly accumulate dozens of prints in a matter of one or two days, many of which do not deserve to be made public.  Over time I have learned to use them as background support for small drawings and paintings, usually done with pastel, ink, or acrylic.  Most of these are small, usually less than 12x12".  Here is a sampling of these "enhanced clay prints":

Autumn Barn  6x4

Purple and Green  6x4

Tuscany on clay  6x12

The daily dose of art MORE CLAY TODAY

THREE CLAY MONOTYPES   each 32x14"

The daily dose of art NEW CLAY MONO TYPES

It has been a long time since I've been able to share anything new coming off the slab of clay that has been sitting so patiently in my studio.  Earlier in this still new year I decided to get my hands dirty once again...and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Here are three prints from a series of four, each measuring 27x12"