The paintings below range from my first oil painting back in 1986 to an acrylic painting of my youngest son from 2013/14. I am posting them partially for archival purposes, but also to look at the progression of my work. I cringe at the images clearly from photos. It would have been unwise to stand on a street corner, in the middle of Baltimore, at night with an easel and paint. Also, my young son would not have sat on his grandfather’s lap for the required time for a portrait and it would have been torture to force my father-in-law to sit with baby Elliot for that amount of time. However, the images are stiff and the shading predictable as in any photo. They lack life and spontaneity.  The small California landscape in oil captures life. Although, now, I wish I had added more detail, but then I was searching for nice, round forms. This little painting reminds me how wonderful oil paint is, the sheen, pure hue, and texture.

My first oil painting from 1986. Oil on canvas, and I built, stretched, and primed this canvas. Not large, it is roughly 12″ x 18″

A small oil of a friend’s kayaks behind someone’s house. I was mostly interested in the dappled shade in this picture.

Another 8″ x 10″ oil painting of a California scene. Probably Palo Alto foothills, near the Dish.

Oil on canvas, 11″ x 14″ of my father-in-law holding my first son.

A small oil on canvas painting from photo. This is a street corner near Guilford and 33rd during the D.C. Sniper attacks. It turned out the two men where staying nearby (within blocks).

Another small oil painting, 8″ x 10″, of a kayaker heading into a wave. Probably from 2003/2004.

2013/2014, acrylic on canvas of Tilden in the Grass. I love this painting, my son was angry with me and refused to look at me. I painted him quickly as he was. The surface beyond the grass is painted silver.