Biscuit : 2026-11

Biscuit

03 November 2026

Acrylic on hardboard

15.5 x 19.5 inches (39.4 x 49.5 cm)

FOR SALE

This was painted for several reasons. First, it was a repurpose of a rather dead painting, Sand Dollar Ridge from almost three years prior. Second, I wanted to experiment with different cloud techniques and third, it was initiated by a call for art called, Contemporary Landscapes. I ended up submitting Nooka, but this was fun to work on. The call for art required a deeper 'wrap' so I added some 2x4 strips and painted it. You can see it below. The title...I enjoy titling my paintings and often they make no sense unless you have the backstory. This title is based on material history. The prior painting was Sand Dollar Ridge. That was title such as it was painted over an image of a sand dollar. I didn't want to stick with Sand Dollar Ridge, so I called it Biscuit. Sometimes sand dollars are called biscuits.

A gif showing some work along the way. I didn't mind the orangish sky but

it didn't pop the way I wanted and I was going for a more abstract look.

There is no frame currently holding Biscuit as it is in a museum wrap.

I thought a dark, admiral/Navy blue would work well.

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Nootka : 2026-10

Nootka

26 October 2026

Acrylic on hardboard

9.75 x 20 inches (24.7 x 50.8 cm)

FOR SALE

I painted this after I started reworking Biscuit. It was also for the Contemporary Landscape call. This is one I went with - it's simpler and probably more contemporary, but I also wasn't 100% on Biscuit. This couldn't be framed and had to be 1.5 to 2 inches deep. Some canvases are sold that way - as wraps. I put this on a box frame. I call it a box frame, but it's basically a natural wood museum wrap. I could have painted it, but was running out of time. Fortunately, I had some hardboard that I could make into a surface. I was going to make a 1:3 ratio but that looked too tall. Instead, I went with just over a 1:2. I like how the raw hardboard makes a cool ground effect. The title has no relation to material history since it's 'new'. So I went with a less common name for a Cyprus tree. Unfortunately, it's also the name of a company - guess we had the same idea.

I was a bit under the gun wo it was a quick painting and only two stage shots made the lens.

The 'frame' currently holding Nootka is a box made from

pressure-treated redwood-tone southern yellow pine.

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Founder : 2026-10

Founder

24 October 2026

Acrylic on hardboard

14 x 11 inches (35.6 x 27.9 cm)

FOR SALE

I wanted to paint something abstract and the timing was good as I had a piece of hardboard available and there was a call-for-art mandating a specific size. I wish I'd taken more stage pics, but sometimes you just get into a groove and/or don't feel like taking pictures - especially if you don't like the piece at the time. This seemed to take the form of a dancer or someone stumbling or an abstract head of a bull. That's kind of the fun of abstract...you can essentially see what you want - regardless of what the painter says. And, the other hard reality of art is people like it or they don't. Having the hopes someone likes something is poorly placed hope.

Above left is the only stage shot I took. The pic on the right is what it

would look like if I need to cut it to 10x10 for an exhibition.

This is the frame currently holding Founder.

It's the best one I had of this size and frames are easy to remove.

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Salome : 2026-10

Salome

22 October 2026

Acrylic on canvas

24 x 18 inches (61 x 45.7 cm)

FOR SALE

I wanted to put a painting in for an exhibition (a call-for-art) with the title, "TENEBRISM - A celebration of light and shadow." Tenebrism is a term used to define a rich and even shocking contrast of bold lighting against heavy saturated shadows, with many compositions being dominated by the negative space of darkness surrounding the subject matter. What I missed was the request 'to illuminate their subject with a single candle'. I think it could still be a stinge candle - it's just not in the shot. I painted it the afternoon of the deadline so I read the explanation too quickly. What you can't see here is a silver line across her shoulder - which is to be a rudimentary blade

This is Simone. She is the daughter of Herodias who was Herod's second wife. Salome danced on Herod's birthday and it pleased him so much, he promised her anything - up to half of the kingdom. Her mother, Herodias told her to ask for John the Baptist's head on a platter. While Salome assuredly didn't do the cutting herself, I added the blade to better make the association.

A gif showing some stage shots. The first frame shows the first sketch which was a sketch of the sketch on the right. It's from 2004 when I was making an angel birthday card.

I have no picture of the frame currently holding Salome, but it is similar to the holding Aridity. 

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Eclipsed : 2026-10

Eclipsed

16 October 2026

Acrylic on hardboard

16 x 20 inches (40.6 x 50.8 cm)

FOR SALE

This was a modification of Moonrock - I thought it was the perfect setting for the subject. It was the second painting for an exhibit - Celebrating the Birth of Christ - which is explained in Anointed. Anointed was the other contender. I placed Jesus, Mary and Joseph outside a city, small, and rather alone. It is a commentary on Christ being and outcast and/or a second thought in our lives. Hence, Eclipsed. Let me not live a life where Christ is eclipsed. The city is more modern than Bethlehem would have been to bring timelessness to the arrival of Jesus.

There is no frame currently holding Eclipsed, but it would be similar to what held Moonrock.

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Pino : 2026-10

Pino

15 October 2026

Acrylic on canvas

20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)

FOR SALE

I was invited to participate in a Holiday Show in a local gallery. I originally planned to use Oblique, but I felt it was a bit unrelated to holidays. With this I wanted to make some dramatic clouds and place one or two pine trees in the snow. I played with just canvas for the snow (below left) and then added very light shadows (below center). I liked them but the contrast wasn't as strong as I wanted. The darker shadows (below right) gave a good contrast but I felt like I was losing the snow look. The final version is the compromise. Every painting is a journey. The title needed to be new (no material history) so I went with Pino which is simply Italian for pine/pine tree.

There is no frame currently holding Pino, but it would be similar to that holding Steppe.

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Anointed : 2026-10

Anointed

14 October 2026

Acrylic on canvas

20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)

FOR SALE

I painted this for an exhibition entitled "Celebrating the Birth of Christ". To be honest, I was tracking this competition but was surprised by the deadline. I like the concept of this but felt a little rushed. The idea was from a sketch I called Wise Buildings back in 2003. It's shown below. The original concept was Christ amid the three Wisemen. That could still hold true here, but for the exhibit, Jesus, Mary and Joseph had to be present. Therefore, I made two of the figures with the same color (Mary and Joseph) and the tertiary figure is whoever we want it to be - maybe one of the first shepherds to arrive. Jesus is very small here. Babies are small, but His impact is portrayed in the explosion of light. His light is with us always.

On the left is the sketch of Wise Buildings.

There is no frame currently holding Anointed, but it will be similar to the one holding Steppe.

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Eiteljorg : 2026-10

I returned to Indianapolis after only about a week. I had visited the Newfields the week before but was actually closer to this museum, the Eiteljorg. I realized that after I left the week before so was grateful I could return. It's a nice building as you can see above. Above left is the guide book and the shirt tag proving admission. Following are images/works that caught my eye. If you're in the neighborhood, it's certainly worth a visit.

L: Logan Maxwell Hagege, Land with No Time, 2015, oil on linen

C: William Herbert Dunton, Elk in the Aspen, undated, oil on canvas

R: Victor Higgins, Palo Duro Canyon, c. 1923, oil on canvas

Hagege has a very signature look and it was good to see on in person. The next two are here because the trees - while very different - caught my eyes. The more I see depictions of trees, the more I associate them with flowers and/or birds. I.e., you can essentially make up any flower, bird or tree and can make them convincingly real.

L: Charles Schreyvogel, The Messenger, c. 1909, oil on canvas

C: Sean Michael Chavez, Rebeldes Look (Noche), 2025, oil on canvas

R: Frank Tenney Johnson, On the Camarillo Rancho, 1938, oil on canvas

I took this shot of The Messenger because I like the dynamics of Schreyvogel's work. His breakout was My Bunkie, which earned him almost overnight fame. I like Cavez's style which isn't photo realistic but is realistic in its own right. Hid did a day version of the same painting. Johnson's painting is here because I'm a fan of moonlit scenes.

L: Edmund Paul Mell Jr, Blue Square Cloud, 1994, oil on canvas

C: William S. Phillips, Scattered Rain Showers En Route, 2009, oil on board

R: Frederic Remington, O Gray Wolf of My Clan - Shall We Have Fortune?, c 1900, oil on linen

I thought the geometric shapes of the clouds and colors are great in Mell's piece. He is known for his vibrant, semi-abstract and panoramic landscapes of the American Southwest. This was probably a rare Phillips work. He painted many aviation images and it inspires me to do the same. It's a bit ironic that I don't paint more aviation scenes - unless you consider the sky. Remington is here because I've seen his work elsewhere and I really enjoy his monochrome work like this one.

Woody Gwyn, Snow/Interstate, 1987-90, oil on canvas

This was a pretty cool painting - average scene - but well done. You're also not able to appreciate the size with this picture. I labeled the scene 'average; but that is kind of his goal. He likes to examine the relationships between humans and the natural world. Here he contrasts the smooth curves of the road with the rough cuts that reshapes the hills but allow for the road.

L: Billy Schenck, Before the Storm, 1990, oil on canvas

C: Daniel Smith, Stillwater Crossing, 2009, acrylic on canvas

R: Nathan Solano, Quarter Moon Over Wild Horses, 2026, acrylic on canvas

I like Schenck's pop-art style and that the cowboy in this painting is his neighbor. The Smith painting is mainly here because it was a good perspective. He is quite famous for his realistic wildlife painting. This buffalo is in the collection, but Solano's piece was part of a western art show which was an excellent part of the museum. And it was good to see what these artist's charge for their work...and what people will pay. This Solano piece is here because of its simplicity and use of subtle light. Another artist in the show was Nelson Tucker. He does some really impressive work with scratchboard.

L: Dean Mitchell, Yellowstone, 2026, acrylic on canvas

C: Howard Post, The Shallows, 2026, oil on canvas

R: Mark Kelso, Chorus in the Marsh, 2026, oil on panel

These are all from the show - not part of the collection. These are all famous painters. Yellowstone is here because I really liked the style and use of light. The Shallows are here because it's very indicative of Post's style and just the right amount of realism. Kelso is very famous and his realism deserved a picture. I also placed The Shallows next to Chorus in the Marsh next to each other as a comparison of art pricing. Shallows sold for $24,500 while Chorus was $2,500. Yellowstone was sold for $25,000.

L: David Jonason, Red Rock Storm, 2026, oil on canvas

C: Terry Cook Hall, Under a Montana Sky, 2026, oil and cold wax

R: Luke Anderson, New Mexico Sunset, 2026, acrylic and oil on canvas

I thought Jonason's work is a nice blend of reality and geometry. Hall's work is a little pop-artish and thought that is an interesting approach. Anderson had a few pieces there and he does good work of blocking out his shapes.

L: Luke Anderson, Wild Things, 2026, acrylic and oil on panel

C: Jim Denomie, Blue Eyed Chief, 2008, oil on canvas

R: Kay Walkingstick, Le Alpi e Le Gamble, 1999, oil and gold leaf on wood

Another nice piece from Anderson - liked its simplicity. The colors of Blue Eyed Chief inspire me to use more colors. I liked the hills of Walkingstick's piece and while I'm unsure about the gold leaf, it does make an interesting sky.

L: Rick Rivet, Box of Rain, 1998, acrylic and collage fabric support

C: Rick Bartow, Rodeo Tom, 2015, acrylic on canvas

R: Rick Bartow, Buck III, 2015, acrylic on canvas

These are here simply because they caught my eye. The abstractness and the colors and the well-placed detail - especially in the face of Buck III. Bartow was a Vietnam Veteran and you can see the loss he experienced in his art. Here's a good article on Bartow. His "Buck" (similar to Buck III) is another self-portrait which had been in the Smithsonian.  Great museum!

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