Snowman

I painted this snowman sometime around Christmas. I wanted a whimsical take on Frosty.

That one was quickly given away to a friend. So I painted another while in the mood.

Winter Barn

It's winter, and that means cold, snow, and dark evenings in Northern New York. This painting is a winter scene of an worn-out barn. Even the barb wire fence is old and tattered. The moon is bright enough to cast some shadows. I try to paint with the seasons as it just feels more authentic to me. However, sometimes the winter is just too dark and cold. That is the time to paint a vibrant green spring painting to warm things up!

This was painted on an 11x14 stretched canvas. In a painting like this, the barn could easily have been a small cabin, sugar shanty, etc. with a few different added features.

Misty Mountain

One of my New Year's goals was to do at least one painting each week. The painting below was the one for this weekend. I followed along with a Wilson Bickford DVD lesson. It used only 4 oil paint colors; Titanium White, Ultramarine Blue, Van Dyke Brown, and just a smidge of Cadmium Yellow Hue. The mountains are done with a painting knife while the rest was done with a 2" scenery brush, a fan brush, and a script liner for some of the small detail and signature. I also used a mop brush to smooth out some of the fine blending. Base prep was Fast Flo White. This was my first attempt at a mountain scene. The knife work is a new technique and one I need to practice.

Blue Jay

Winter is here and many of the birds have left (like quite a few of the retired couples who meander down to Florida for a few months... snow birds that they are). My bird feeders still have regular visitors, most of which are chickadees. But I do get the occasional blue jay. I think it takes a hardy bird to stay around here all winter. Below is a painting I did of a blue jay sitting on a berry bush.

This was painted on a stretch canvas. I used regular masking tape around the perimeter to give it a frame once the painting was done. Simply peel off the tape after the painting is complete and the remaining white canvas serves as the frame. These are so light they simply can be hung on the wall on a single pushpin tack. It makes it easy to change the painting as the seasons change.

Chickadee Birches

Living in upstate New York, the landscape has certainly influenced what I like to paint. I love birch trees and include then in a lot of my paintings. This one below has a single chickadee fluttering in to land on some unseen branch.

This was done on canvas paper; which is kind of low quality compared to stretch canvas or canvas panels. However, the canvas paper works great to cut to size in a picture frame. I buy used frames at thrift stores or garage sales and add the painting. It makes a nice gift for family and friends. Below are some other chickadee paintings I've done in the recent past.