Will be on display in August 2011 at AerieArtGallery, Rehoboth Beach, DE.

August in Sussex County, 

12 x 24 inches

acrylic on panel 2011

Driving along Sussex County roads these days allow you to see  glimpses of the way it was in the ‘70s, like I remember it...or even earlier.  This was a modern scene which I backdated somewhat.  

 

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Not For Sale - Personal Collection

Yellow and Pink, 

18 x 24 inches

acrylic on panel 2011

Some years ago we noticed this grouping of buildings on our way from Millsboro to Rehoboth.  Given the unusual color combination I just had to paint it.

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Will be on display in August 2011 at AerieArtGallery, Rehoboth Beach, DE.

Grand Unified Theory of Everything, 

27 x 21 inches

acrylic on panel 2011  

There is always an attempt to come up with a Theory that mathematically explains how everything works.  This jumble of shells and rock and sand seemed to have that feeling to me.  Therefore, I call it G.U.T.

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On Patrol, 

18 x 24 inches

acrylic on panel 2011

I think seagulls can be feathered idiots most of the time.  But they are a part of the beach and they are fun to watch.  These two were cruising around as if “on patrol”.  Of course for them it was no doubt “garbage patrol”!

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Still Life with Goggles, 

16 x 16 inches

acrylic on panel 2011

 I do not specifically remember photographing this “still life”.  It was this odd pile of debris.  Don’t know why it was done; it was just there...so I “shot” it.  Recently, I was looking through old photos and there it was...begging to be painted.  I did have to remove a bean pod as it destroyed the composition.

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Not For Sale - Personal Collection

Left Behind, 

18 x 36 inches

acrylic on panel 2011

You never can tell what people leave behind.  Since we would usually arrive in early September, I’m guessing this beach chair was “Left Behind”.  No theological thoughts intended by the artist.

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Pick up Sticks, 

18 x 24 inches

acrylic on panel 2011

This mat of reeds was laid down probably by a late season storm.  When I saw the plastic sunflower stake, I couldn’t resist the photo.  These are the fun things to discover  for me.  I just love to take something that is laying flat and paint it and hang it on a vertical surface.  So long as I’ve got a good composition, it’s endlessly satisfying.

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Mobile No More, 

10 x 16 inches

acrylic on panel 2011

This “not so mobile” mobile-home is located in one of those tiny beach communities near Dover, DE, I believe.  It isn’t historic that I know of...but it is interesting.

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Before, 

9 x 32 inches

acrylic on panel 2011

I’m always shooting scenes with waves and sand going back into the distance.  I like this one better than the other hundred or so.  And then I turned it into a “before Europeans came here painting”.

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Will be on display in August 2011 at AerieArtGallery, Rehoboth Beach, DE.

Jewels in Chaos #2   12 x 24 inches              acrylic on panel

This two square feet of beach was my first beach painting.  I just have no   interest at all in generic scenes of sky, water, waves and sand.  I loved this conglomeration of flotsam that ended up in this spot at high tide.  I came along the next day and “saved” it with my camera.  Months later I carefully drew the scene rock by rock and shell by shell and then transferred that to a panel and got down to the business of turning it into a painting.  If you’re curious, no, it’s not exact…but it’s close.  This particular painting of this particular patch of Delaware beach is extremely popular with people who have seen it.  It’s pretty popular with me too.

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Lace by the Railroad, 

6 x 12 inches

acrylic on panel 2011

I’m not sure where this is anymore.  It IS Eastern Shore but I’m not sure what state it’s in.  However, is LOOKS like Sussex County.

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SOLD - through AerieArt Gallery, Rehoboth Beach, DE, 2011.

White and Rusted,

acrylic on panel, 8 x 12 inches, 2010  

This is somewhere along Hwy 9 maybe in Kent County. I worked real hard to get anything modern out of the painting. And then I was left with what I could imagine as "old Delaware." I really liked how white the house was but originally it was probably a faded gray. But, hey, the asbestos shingles are probably 60 years old!

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Shell on a Rail

8 x 8 inches

acrylic on panel 2011

This shell is something I’ve had around the studio for ages.  I decided to do it’s portrait and then I made up a “scene” for it to inhabit.

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Dozers, 

14 x 14 inches

acrylic on panel 2011

I caught these guys dozing in the sun.  They were near one of the WWII towers, which I added in .  This is a little bit different for me technique-wise...a little more painterly or impressionistic.  Ah well, change is good too.

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Walls of Freedom, 

18 x 24 inches

acrylic on panel 2011

I remember how surprised I was when I first saw “snow-fences” set up to impede the progress of sand dunes.  I’ve always like the combination of dunes, fences and grass.  Places like this were our walls during WWII.

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Bubbles and Foam, 

5 x 7 inches

acrylic on panel 2007

Foam and bubbles abound at certain times.  And depending on where the shells and rocks are...you can find some interesting things like this clamshell chalice.

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Eroded Conch, 

6 x 9 inches

acrylic on panel 2007

I love finding conch shells that have be worn down to the central spiral.  Beautiful stuff...every one of them.Foam and bubbles abound at certain times.  And depending on where the shells and rocks are...you can find some interesting things like this clamshell chalice.

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Broken, 

9 x 12 inches

acrylic on panel 2011

Broken shells are a dime a thousand at the beach.  The fact that it was broken yet still “attached” even though the small dunes had formed, was the most interesting thing about this “scene”.

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Formal Portrait, 

7.5 x 7.5  inches

acrylic on panel 2011

Unlike my usual paintings from some nearly forgotten snapshot, this is done from the actual shell.  Shells are a whole lot of fun to draw and paint.  I learn a lot this way.

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For Sale at the AerieArtGallery, Rehoboth Beach, DE.

Christ Church 

acrylic on panel, 2010 

Christ Church was built in 1771. It is one of the few Colonial churches that has not been restored, rebuilt, or altered. The man in charge of building the church was a shipwright and it is thought that ship carpenters worked on the building.  There was a small community around the church but the town of Laurel is the community that grew and prospered. Christ Church has sat there through the centuries... and not every church can claim that. This view is obviously from the back in the churchyard.

Click here to enlarge. 

For Sale at the AerieArtGallery, Rehoboth Beach, DE.

Jetty Wave

acrylic on panel, 10 x 18 inches, 2010 

I think this jetty is what supports a drain for runnoff water from one of the main streets that run perpendicular to the shore. You are not allowed to swim near the jettyies and that would be wise in any case. However, you can get some interesting patterns in the waves. I forget what the sign says and, anyway, it messed with the composition so I just clipped it off.

Click here to enlarge. 

SOLD - through AerieArt Gallery, Rehoboth Beach, DE, 2011.

Resting

acrylic on panel, 12 x 16 inches, 2010 

Sometimes I get a shot of a seagull that seems interesting. I had enough detail in the feathers and the patterns on the head to make a portrait. The beach is imaginary but accurate enough to indicate the Delaware Seashore Beaches.

Click here to enlarge. 

This is something I photographed somewhere south of Dewey Beach on the Delaware Seashore Park.  It’s just a typical pile of matted debris.  I wouldn’t have bothered except for the gull’s feathers.  There’s something about white against the color of the sand.  You have to be careful of the color white but if you find it and you can get it right, it’s worth the effort.

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SOLD - through AerieArt Gallery, Rehoboth Beach, DE, 2010.

A State of Disrepair

acrylic on panel, 12 x 32 inches, 2010  

I'm pretty sure that the front porch of this house in Millville (I think) was added later. It doesn't look like what I think of as an "Eastern Shore house." The back section in front of the barn looks like the kitchen to me and might be original but it could have been added. But these old houses submerged in corn fields are what Delaware used to look like more often than not. It is only about two or three miles from the beach... if it's still there.

Click here to enlarge. 

For Sale at the AerieArtGallery, Rehoboth Beach, DE.

Hurricane Hannah   

12 x 15 inches, acrylic on panel, 2009

This is a scene from the boardwalk in Rehoboth in 2008 as Hannah came through.  Waves were crashing and the wind was blowing.  All in all, it was an interesting view of what the beach can be like when the weather changes.

SOLD - through AerieArt Gallery, Rehoboth Beach, DE, 2010.

The Three Graces and Reality, 

16 x 20 inches

acrylic on panel 2010

 It was some years ago when we were at the "boardwalk beach" at Rehoboth  and I saw this scene. Luckily I had my old Pentax K1000 at hand and I was going to "shoot" these three young Mennonite women wading in the surf. Just as I was about to take the picture another young woman started heading toward the water. I knew it was going to be good. I had to subtract a few extraneous  folks from the background. Otherwise the figures you see  were wearing exactly what you see, I changed nothing... everybody was in blue.

Click here to enlarge. 

SOLD - through AerieArt Gallery, Rehoboth Beach, DE, 2010.

Backroads, Again   

9 x 19 inches, acrylic on panel, 2009

Many, many years ago I was driving the backroads of Sussex County and stopped to sketch this abandoned house.  I have always been interested in the architecture of these old homes.  They are stark and bare,  but they also have an elegance that really catches my eye.  I'm betting this place is not there anymore but I think this scene presents the reality of southern Delaware in the seventies.

Highway 9, Crossroads  

8 x 28 inches 
acrylic on panel, 2008

During a trip from New York to Rehoboth a few years ago, we came across this intersection .  Some structures separated by trees and punctuated by telephone poles.  This is definitely Delaware.   It reminds me of trying to get from 113 to 13 any time of the year.

Crashed Spaceship/Dead Horseshoe Crab  

16 x 24 inches              acrylic on panel

Horseshoe crabs are a dime a dozen at Delaware beaches but this one really caught my eye. First, it was circular. I originally planned to center it in the middle of a square panel. But then I liked the composition that you see here; I had to scoot the stem that was sticking up out of the sand around until it felt right. These are complicated "mechanisms" as you can plainly see here. I worked really hard to get everything in the right place. And then the only descriptive title I could come up with was "Crash" and the only thing this crab looked like was a space ship... or flying saucer.

Click here to enlarge.

Cat's Eye Bubble   16 3/4 x 16 3/4 inches              acrylic on panel

Of course, foam and bubbles are another part of the beach that don't get as much notice because they fade away so quickly. I really like the bubble filled clam shell with the foam fast fading into the sand. I know it's not clear to most viewers, but I really enjoy abstractions and, for me, this painting is highly abstract... bubbles in the shell relate to the smaller bubbles out of the shell... all of it relating to the white oval of the shell.

Click here to enlarge.

SOLD - through AerieArt Gallery, Rehoboth Beach, DE, 2007.

Empty and Broken 

15 X 18 inches  acrylic on panel

Here we have a horseshoe crab and a broken clam shell.  A friend of mine and life long native of Delaware , pointed out to me that the horseshoe crab is not dead; that’s just its leftover shell.  That’s why I call that one “empty”.  The “broken” part I believe to be fairly evident.  I cannot describe how wonderful it is to see these bone-white shells scattered along the beach.  The sunlight and foam and light colored sand all seem white.  But the weathered shells are really white.

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The Wave    12x24inches acrylic on panel    2006

 

I never had much interest in painting a wave even though I love to sit and watch the waves crash.  I have many snapshots of waves but nothing interested me until I came across this particular photo.  The colors seemed to be a perfect reminder for me of how the waves stir up the sand into that yellowish green just before you hear the crump and thump. Another thing that appeals to me are the streamers of foam that define the shape of the wave.  This might be my first but I hope to do several more.

 

Click here to enlarge.

SOLD - through AerieArt Gallery, Rehoboth Beach, DE, 2007.

Windblown Clam    

 

One of the interesting things about the beach is how the sand gets blown around.  It covers shells up and uncovers them a few days later.  Or maybe the sand covers them up and the waves excavate them again.  The baby dunes that ebb and flow around the various leftovers on the beach are fun to watch.  I like the big dunes with snow fences submerged along their edges…but it is entertaining to watch a tiny dune form next to a shell.  That can happen while you watch with a good wind zipping down the beach.

 

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Bill's Bucket   11 x 14 inches acrylic on panel    2007

 In the early 1970's, I took a photo looking into an old house outside of Georgetown, Delaware. You could see some cleaning equipment sitting on a rough counter in what could have been the kitchen or a back porch that had been closed in. Dust covered everything. Some years later the house was demolished. I never touched the photo except to look at it once in a while over the decades. This past year I decided to do a painting based on the photo. The reflections, to me, made the picture more interesting. It became more than just a "still life" of junk. Further, it's saved from being too pretty because of the plastic container and its odd color. Someone was cleaning up and just ran out of steam... for real. 

 

 

Click here to enlarge.