Michael's Frog

Michael's frog is a painting that was purchased many years ago. It was painted originally in oil but as the picture became lost I repainted it, over the original, in acrylic. This was a very large painting maybe 54 inches high by 40 wide. I have since painted several frogs because I just love them.

PENGUINS FRIENDS

This is a pastel I did last year of some friendly penguins. I did a lot of research to find several penguins in different views. The original is about 10 inches high by 40 inches long. I still have it in my studio, just because I love it. 

Conoy House in the Snow

This is a commissioned pastel of a log house in Elizabethtown, PA. Jim Showers the owner had seen my print of the Hans Herr House  and wanted me to do his house like that one. I had done that at night and in the snow. I like the little side element that is silhouetted on the left side of the house. Jim has a lot of unusual artifacts about his home

LOOK AT THAT!

This is a small painting taken 

from the cover of a daily 

prayer book I received.

I was sitting at a show 

with my little watercolor 

pad and started it in 

watercolor. Later at 

home I used some colored 

pencils just about everywhere.

LANCASTER FARMLAND

I just love the colors in this painting. So much that I am working on a long thin one with cows in it. Actually the  day I was out there photographing there were a lot of cows laying around. It is a watercolor and about 9 by 12 inches.

Joan Bremmer

My friend Joan died several years ago. Her husband George commissioned several of these pastels for family members.

Jack and Jill

Here is another picture I started about 20 years ago and have just completed. It is watercolor on illustration board.

Hummingbird with Red Flowers

I started this with watercolor 

and then went in with 

some colored pencil. 

The original is about 6 by 9 

and is available also in prints.

Jelskis Star Frontlet Hummingbird

Here is a rather small watercolor 

I did of a hummingbird. I had done 

the background last year and liked

it but couldn't decide what would 

look nice in such a busy background. 

I thought a bird that was dark might 

work. I am pleased with the results 

and might try the technique again.

Pen and Ink of Lancaster General Hospital

This is a pen & ink I did for the hospital. They framed some prints and then made it into note cards to give to volunteers. It is a view of their new wing completed recently. 

Star Barn rear View

Her is one of the watercolors of the star barn which has more detail in it. Getting the star to show but not ruin the entire view of the building was difficult. I also used some colored pencil in the planks on the barn. Prints are available in 8X10's and 16 X 20's.

Fish in Cement

This was done for a dear client and friend of mine. It weighs a ton. I like the finished results. I painted it several times before I liked it.

Ducks over the Star Barn

I had painted three Star Barn before I painted Ducks over the Star Barn. Those paintings had a lot of detail 

in the building. This painting was an attempt to do the Star Barn, in watercolor using the paint in a more fluid way. I was very pleased with the outcome. I still have the original, which is an 9 inches by 12 inches. 

It is also available in 8X10 or 16 X 20 print.

Boy with the Butterfly

This was a very small 

painting about 

4 by 6 inches. 

It was done in 

watercolor about 

a year ago. I was 

thinking of my 

son, David when 

I drew the boy.

He was always

so happy and 

thrilled with the 

things around us.

My Blue Pointsettea

I bought this beautiful plant that had been sprayed with blue paint and glitter. I just loved it. I also loved the way the watercolor turned out because it is realistic yet has captured some of the spontaneity that can be achieved in watercolor. I hung this one in my foyer.

The Round Barn

This is a watercolor painting of the Round Barn near State College. It is on Route 45 in Center Hall. The original is 13 By 48 inches wide. I can make very nice prints almost the same size using my inkjet printer. These prints are called giclee and are now very popular in the art world because of the detail they capture. A print actually looks like an original.

The Ballerina

This is a rather large pastel,  about 20 by 24. I was looking at a black and white photo of the dancer. I also wanted to experiment with the dark to light background. I was doing some portrait work and looking for some unique backdrops.

Lobster and the Peas

This is the last one in the kitchen series. They are all done on Arches paper 6 inches  by 9 inches. They are available as  matted or framed prints in a double off white mat in  5 by 7  or 8 by 10's.

Corn and Pepper

Another in the series. Watercolor 

and colored pencils overlaid.

Celery and Tomatoes

Here is another in the series. You may have received it yesterday with out the text as I was trying to set it up so the four of them would be sent out one each day. I am just not use to the blog ways yet. For your information, I created the effect in the background by sprinkling water on the paper before the blue paint was dry. This way the salt absorbs the pigment creating little white areas in the wash. 

Asparagus and Lemons

Last Year I did a series of paintings that have a blue & white dish in them. The dishes are from a collection of things I have from my grandmother on my moms side. The fruit and vegetable are taken from some wall plaques I once had. These were started in watercolor but the  paint wasn't getting are dark as I wanted so I picked up my colored pencils. I really liked using them. There are four paintings in this series.

Ballons

This watercolor is one 

done many years ago 

but last year I played 

around with it 

experimenting 

with the clouds.

It is avery 

small painting

about 2 by 6.

My Angel

I started this years ago. It was a mother and daughter. I was using the last piece of paper in a really old watercolor block. I was not happy with the way the paint was absorbed by the paper. Also, I never found a picture that captured the women's expressions the way I hoped. I left it alone for a few years and finally picked it up again. I played around with the colors which are really nice on the original and added the wings making the women an angel. Someday I might find the perfect face for her and go back into it. It was done mostly in watercolor but there are some pearlized paints that I used to see what they would do on top of the watercolor. I really love the effects.

STAR BARN

This was the first view of the Star Barn I painted. 

It is a watercolor and is done on arches paper. 

It is the view from the back of the property.  

Prints are available in 

8 X 10's and 16 X 20's.

Scott Hartzel as a Confederate Soilder

This was done for my son, 

David and his wife, Michelle.

It is of Michelle's father,

Scott Hartzel.He was an often 

seen in his Confederate uniform, 

which he worn to staged battles,

that he attended with his brother. 

He passed away several years ago.

River Road Produce

Here is a painting of the roadside stand where I get my flowers and produce. The painting was done as a commission for the owner. River Road Produce is on Route 441 in Bainbridge, PA. This was done in watercolor.

Drops of Light

A painting of some crystal 

chandelier drops in my window.

Accomac Inn and the Snow Geese

This Painting was done over several days. I first took a piece of watercolor paper and covered it in a light yellow wash. I then put my small John boat in the Susquehanna River at the Marietta Boat Club boat ramp access. I rowed upstream to an island and then drifted back and started the painting. I also took some pictures so I would have good reference materials back in the studio. I found some good pictures of the snow geese and added them to the sky. This spot is home to thousands of birds during the winter months. 

I used and airbrush to add the blue to the sky. An even thought this reproduction is dark I just loved the colors I used when doing the water.

The original is sold but reproductions are available.

The foxglove and the Bees

I started this painting last year. 

I made prints of just one stem. 

It took forever but I loved it. 

I never sold many prints and decided 

to work on the design of the painting.

After doing a lot of thumbnail drawings.

The selected design had me adding a few

more stems. Then I added little insects, the bees. 

I needed some life form in the top area and had 

considered , butterflies or hummingbirds. 

But I loved the detail of the flowers and

 did not want your eyes to be focused on 

something else. I am really happy with the outcome.

Penguin Friends

Todays picture is a copy of my pastel done last March. I just like these little animals so much. I have prints of them available for sale as well as the original.

THE HUMMINGBIRDS

HERE IS AN OLD PAINTING. IT IS A WATERCOLOR.

Bath Time

I started this painting several years ago. I had a piece of watercolor board that I wished to use since it had been hanging around my studio for years. Unfortunatelly, it had developed a film on it and resisted the paint. Today's painting is mostly gouache but there is also colored pencil. It started as a watercolor. I ended up covering the painting with gesso so it would accept the paint.I often found when I tried to darken an area it picked up all the previous colored I had laid dowm. That is one reason the wall was done with a sponge . Using the sponge to blot on color I was able to darken the wall. It was a real challage topaint. I am pleased with it many years after the rocky start.

Butterfly in Cone Flowers

This is another Butterfly painting for my collector friend.
It was done in watercolor then I went over the
flowers in colored pencil.
Finally, I painted a mask on the butterfly, then used an airbrush
and sprayed on a paynes gray watercolor over the edges to throw
the flowers more into the background.

The Life of a Butterfly

Today's picture was done for a butterfly collector. I used her photos as reference. It the painting is a caterpillar and larva also from her photo collection. I used gouache to paint the foliage as I really like the colors and large range of greens the paint give you.

The Robin in the storm

 Here is an acrylic that I started a year ago. It is an illustration of a story about a robin in a storm. 

Bunnies

Here is a new picture, not finished yet.

feb 11,2008

hope I can get this #

Willow Leaves

In this very large painting I used watercolor on Arches 500lb Paper. This is part of a larger painting which I will post tomorrow. For purchaseing this painting check Ebay.