I first picked up my brushes and began working in oils as a hobby at age 15. I taught myself by reading "how to" books on drawing, painting, and by closely studying oil paintings in galleries and museums. All through high school, college and into my adult life, I painted whenever I could, taking one "intermediate" painting course as an elective my senior year in college and winning a prize in the Jr./Sr. Art Exhibit. After leaving a career in facilities management in 1993, I pursued a lifelong dream of painting full-time. I've since studied under national award-winning artists Jim Wilcox and Scott Burdick, among other fine artists. My plein-air (open air, onsite) oil paintings of rural Virginia, the James River, the Tetons of Wyoming and the wind blown shores of the Outer Banks of North Carolina offer a balance to my more detailed, retrospective works of historical Richmond. To view these works click on "Available Paintings" on the home page and take a tour. Be sure and check out the "Italy" and “Tetons” sections from my recent trips, too, as well as some of my best "sold" work in the Archives.
Artist Statement
Oil painting has always fascinated me from an early age. The rich colors, the depth of a three-dimensional reality on a two-dimensional canvas, the thick impasto strokes over thin oil washes, the feel of buttery paint at the end of a brush, the rich smell of linseed oil and the exotic fragrances of aromatic varnishes–all add to a full, sensory experience.
I enjoy capturing the many moods of nature with a loosely-rendered realism, be it a peaceful, relaxing vista, or a fleeting, windswept moment. My goal, whether in the studio or out painting a “plein air” on location, is to interpret what I see in a way that stops the viewers in their tracks and causes them to appreciate the beauty and majesty of the natural world in an inspiring new way.
Juried Competitions & Exhibitions
Paint America 2ndMini50 in 2007 (2 paintings)
Arts for the Parks Top 200 in 2006 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming (2 paintings)
Oil Painters of America 2006 Eastern Regional Juried Exhibition
Corporate Collections
Media General (21 paintings, including 3 large paintings for the boardroom)
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
The Medical College of Virginia
The Richmond Times-Dispatch - Selected to create a painting and produce the limited edition print “Morning Delivery” to commemorate their 150th anniversary and raise donations for the Richmond Christmas Mother Fund.
Johnston-Willis Medical Center
Awards
"Judges Choice Oils/Acrylics" Arts on the Lawn, Johnston-Willis, 2002
“Second Place Oils/Acrylics” Arts on the Lawn, Johnston-Willis, 2001
“Second Place Oils/Acrylics” Hanover Artfest, 1999
“Best in Show” and “First Place Oils” Hanover Artfest, 1998
“Judges Choice” Arts at Bellgrade, 1998
“First Place Oils/Acrylics” Arts on the Lawn at Bellgrade, 1997
“Honorable Mention” Arts on the Lawn at Bellgrade, 1996
“Second Place Oils/Acrylics “ Arts at Valentine Riverside, 1995
“Best in Show” Arts on the Lawn at Bellgrade, 1994
Memberships
Associate Member, Oil Painters of America, 2005-Present
Jack Woodson Sketch Club, 1997 - Present
Member, Metropolitan Artists Association, Richmond, VA 1994 - 2003
Galleries
The Berkley Gallery
40 Main Street
Warrenton, Virginia 20186
540.341.7367
http://www.berkleygallery.com
Gallery 5800
5800 Grove Avenue (At the Corner of Libbie & Grove)
Richmond, Virginia 23226
804.285.0774
http://www.gallery5800.com/
The Little Gallery on Smith Mt. Lake
16430 Booker T. Washington Highway
Moneta, Virginia 24121
540.721.1596
http://thelittlegallerysml.com/about.html
Limited Edition Print Portfolio
"Dawn on the Great Turning Basin"
"Boarding at the Packet Office"
"Cruising on the Canal" - Modern day interpretation of the historic Kanawha Canal
"Skyline of Richmond, c. 1858" - Historic view across the James
"Skyline of Richmond" - Modern view
"The Rotunda" at Longwood University
"Summer Sunset Over the ACL Bridge" (giclee)
"The James at Pony Pasture" (giclee)
"The James below Pony Pasture" (giclee)
Photo by William G. Smith (an extraordinary artist in his own right)
