Paintings in Traditional Media 

As a professional artist all my adult life, I've tried nearly every medium. Each one has its strengths and limitations, and I've loved just about all of them. Now I've settled mostly into using pastels, oils, and occasionally watercolor or charcoal for my commissions, and usually pastels for demos, because of their speed and versatility.

Click here for more paintings.

Photography

I've taken most of these images with an iPhone, first the iPhone 4 and now the 4S, because I always have it with me, it takes great pictures in low light and close-up situations, and it's small enough to fit into little spaces that a big SLR can't manage. Also, there are several useful apps that work only during the picture-taking phase.

I originally took photos mainly to cultivate ideas and materials for paintings, both layered photographic paintings and traditional media, but now more often the original photo is strong enough to stand quite well on its own. 

Check out these recent series ...
Picture
From the Copper Dreams series.

Paintography and
Layered Photographic Painting

I create hybrid images with layers of photographs and digital processes, using these elements like tubes of paint - some of this one here, a little of that one there. I also digitally draw, paint, add or change colors or textures, whatever the painting needs.

With such an abundance of excellent image manipulation tools now available, if I can imagine it, there's a way to make it happen.

Although I often work with photographs and photographic tools,  my goal is a compelling image with the soul of a painting, evocative and richly textured and colored. My work covers a wide range of subjects, but the real subject is the composition - the abstract shapes and colors and textures, and the relationships between them.

To see more paintography, click here.