8 x 16 Oil on board
This was painted for a juried national show that is held in New England every year.  It is called White on White.  Every object in the composition is white, but since white is every color, it is up to the artist to find the color in the object.  It is also a soothing group of objects because of the white that is held in common throughout the painting.

11 x 14 oil on panel
This painting is in the collection of Jim and Ann Carol Eagon.  In order to get the candle reflection and the glow from the light, I had to take photos with just the candle lit, then with lights on low, etc.  Then I had to paint from life for the real feel of the textures.  It's probably time to do a candle picture again.  The lit candle symbolizes life in Western Cultures.

This was inspired by the Carousel in Holyoke.  I used to be president of the Holyoke Art League and we  met across the Canal from the historic carousel.  This painting was purchased within minutes after it was first displayed at the Majestic Theater, when I had a one person art show there. 

Oil on Board
This commission was completed the week of 9/11.  The Delnero family makes furniture in upstate New York.  These items are significant for the family.  Poppy Delnero played the mandolin, brought his sons and grandchildren fishing, played regular baseball games with the neighborhood and made the wooden boat.  The newspaper picture in the center is Poppy Delnero.  The painting is hanging in the office of the company with some of the items shown here on a small shelf below.

Oil on board
I dreamt about this painting last night.  Spring is only a month away, time to think about planting pansies.  The sugar bowl is from a set of china I had.  This piece is call Smiling Faces, for obvious reasons.

Lenox Gallery sold this, I think they said the buyer is from Texas.  I wish I knew who owned it.  It's hard to let go.

8 x 24 acrylic on panel
This painting is from the collection of Connie Galli.  The surface was deliberately prepared with rough or bumpy gesso, so the light catches all the irregular shapes.  The pears are from one of my student's trees.  They had never been treated with chemicals, so their skin had many imperfections, which are more interesting in a painting than perfection.

16 x 20 Oil on Panel
This bucket interests me.  The texture  and the stains on the wood, and the bands of metal were a nice contrast.  It seemed like an outdoor object, but I didn't want to distract the viewer from the bucket, so I used plain sky for the background.  This is another paintings without a good name.  Any suggestions?

9 x 12 Acrylic on hardboard
Last summer I did a series of acrylic paintings using a new product called Open Acrylics.  These paints don't dry on the palette, so they give me time to mix color and experiment a little with the mixes.  There are two paintings from that series left.  Maybe the bright, bright colors appeal to people.  The name of this painting is Lemon Drops.  Does anyone have any clever suggestions for the name? 

This piece is 24 inches by 36 inches, much larger than my normal paintings.  I call it Nature Rules, because the objects in this still life represent man's knowledge and culture, but the sun flowers say it all and grab your attention.  It is hanging in the office of Nick Lapier, a local accountant..

This painting was purchased at my first museum art show.  It is in the collection of Mary McGarr.
The diagonals on the table cloth save this from being 'just another stillife.'  The warm colors are very typical of my paintings, both landscapes and still life. 

Another painting from our trip to Alaska.  This is an abandoned cart in the Crow Creek Gold mine near Anchorage.  It looks like the miners just walked away and left everything behind.  This was the last wheel standing on this cart. There were shacks, rusty tools and even a train track.  The wheel captured my interest because it survived over 100 years, I felt like I was touching history.

Swan in Alaska

This painting is done in Open Acrylics by Golden.  I consider myself an oil painter, but these paints are semi-transparent like oils and give a beautiful glow.  Each layer of paint adds to the effect.  Water is particularly interesting painted like this.  This swan was one of two that came to visit us at a lake in Wasilla, Alaska.  The painting is in the collection of Christine Costanzi.

This was at the opening reception for the Artists at the Crossroads last night (February 15) .  The top picture is Jim Hutchinson and myself in front of my paintings.  There are 11 Crossroads Artists, all professional and all local.  I'm very proud to exhibit with them and to be included in their shows!

This rose bowl belonged to my grandmother on Dad's side.  The roses are all from the same rose bush in my front yard.  As the roses bloom, they start out light and on the yellow-orange side and turn darker as they open wider.  It was lucky to find so many blooming at once.  The light from the side window helped emphasize the colors.

This is an unusual color palette for me.  It is much cooler.  The photo is cropped a little too close to the left, it is not as crowded in the original.  It never did get named.  The new owners must call it something by now.

This is a painting of my friend's granddaughter when she was 4 years old.  Her name is Charlotte.  She is a grown up 9 years old now, but I can still see her 4 year old personality when she visits. I don't get to paint enough portraits, but I love it.

This painting is in the show at J.H. Miller Frame Co. in West Springfield this month.  This was done from a photograph and the angle was almost a mistake.  It adds some tension to the composition.  The key and the leaves were an afterthought.  They help draw the eye to the right and up and back into the painting.  Old wood is enjoyable to paint.  We'll have to look for more barn board when the weather is better.  It is a beautiful New England product.

This is a detail from an abandoned steam engine in a National Park in Alaska.  The park is called Hatcher's Pass, this engine was used to power the carts that went into the mountain side to pull out the ore. 

We were quite high in the mountains, and the light was bluer than normal. The shadows were very interesting because the sun is low in the sky.

I used two colors for the entire painting, Thalo Blue, and Burnt Sienna.  I don't count white as a color.  At the very end, I applied a little Cadmium Yellow to the rusty area.  Color can be much more interesting with a limited palette.

Fall Harvest
I painted this many years ago and it remains one of my favorites.  It is in the collection of Jonathan Clark in New Jersey.  The red onions were directly painted and never touched by brush again, very unusual for me.  I like to keep playing with color and texture on most still life items.  Someone has to catch that Italian Tomato!

My newest completed painting which will be shown at the next exhibit by my group of professional artists (Artists at the Crossroads).  These are Northern Spy Apples from a visit to an apple orchard last fall.  The opening reception for the Exhibit at Miller Frame will be on Feb. 15.  If you want to attend, I will send you an invitation.