The Shepherd's Watch

The pastor of the church where I work and worship, asked me to do a painting to go along with his Christmas Eve sermon.  So after a couple of conceptual discussions I came up with the idea of having a nighttime scene of a shepherd looking toward Bethlehem.  With the star in the sky illuminating the town and lighting a pathway from the shepherd to the manger location.  So, if you are wondering what comes first, the sermon or the painting?  Answer...the painting.  Our pastor tweeked his sermon to talk about Jesus as the Good Shepherd.  Here's the painting.  Also, if you want to hear a wonderful message about the Good Shepherd , check out Menlo.church and click on Messages.

Lisa's Sister

I love this painting from the standpoint of the setting.  A friend of mine at work commissioned me to paint this.  Somewhere in the Pacific northwest her sister took this selfie.  I love the peaceful setting, and the fact that she appears to have the place to herself.  The sky and clouds are about as complex and dramatic as any sky painting I have attempted.  I am pleased with the results, and Lisa my co-worker is excited to give this painting to her sister for her birthday.  I really appreciate doing this sort of painting that has significance for the owner.  This is the 5th painting in a row that has been a commission, and it's been some of the most fun I have had over the past 7 months creating them.  Next up is a very special project for Christmas...stay tuned!  Thanks.

Sally and Marc's Grandkids

It was fun to paint these two kids making their way to the beach.  The sister and brotherly love in this work is such a joy to see.  I appreciated the composition, the colors, the challenge of the dunes and vegetation.  Friends from church for many years, and a client of my wife, Sally and Marc gave me the opportunity to do this painting, and I hope it's going to be a nice memorial for them for many years.

Stockholm Harbor

Here's a painting that was quite a challenge.  A friend of mine commissioned this painting so I didn't post any work in progress photos fearing he might see it.  Anyhow, my friend Dave took this great photo a few years ago, and it means a lot to him, because his father was born in Stockholm.  Of course I wanted to make this work, but the photo I received was kind of a low resolution, so I looked on the internet for other similar photos of the harbor, which might give me more details about the architecture.  Fortunately, there were a couple.  Dave's photo has some drama in it with the clouds, the lighting, and the chop of the water.  Very cool, very challenging.  Thanks Dave!

Camino de Santiago

So here's a fun story...as you may know last fall Elke and I walked the 500 mile Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way.  A lady that I work with is going to walk the Camino next summer.  In anticipation she commissioned me to do a painting for her of some place along the Camino that she can find.  A gave her a bunch of photos to choose from, and this is the watercolor I just completed for her.  She and her husband will walk about a month before arriving.  You'll note that at the upper right hand side between the house and the tree is one of the many Camino landmarks.
Next up...another commission from a friend who took a great photo of Stockholm  harbor, that he wants memorialized in paint.

Capri, Italy

Just finished this exciting commission.  Capri, Italy, or better yet, just off the coast of Capri, Italy.
I really enjoyed the composition, and colors of this subject.  The tilt of the horizon with the chop of the water, does give a nice sense of motion.  The couple I am painting this for spent part of their honeymoon last year at this spot, and on this boat.  I'm happy to be able to memorialize this special time for them.  The photo attached is a bit darker than the original painting.  Up next is a photo from our walk across Spain last fall...more memories!!!

Friends on a log

I finished this painting over the Christmas and New Year break.  I started this painting about nine months ago, but set it aside to accomplish a couple of other works.  This painting is from some photos I took at a pond in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.  It took three different photos to come up with this design.  The duck's body and head are a mix of two photos, and third helped with some of the feathers.  The turtle originally was somewhat blocked by the duck's body, and I separated them.
here you go...