Tilly and I are in the garden when we hear some loud rustling in the woods right behind the house. Usually rustling means chipmunks or squirrels which are really nothing special but this was extra loud rustling. We had to take a look. We see black bears from time to time and know to stay calm and still when we do. Fortunately Tilly was on her leash just in case. Here were three adolescents, romping while in a line, heading north towards Kingston. They move beside the swamp which is beautiful as always. The recently built beaver dam is masterful. There are birds, turtles, a squirrel, and a red ..read more

This is the third piece in my series of portraits, a second wild turkey. Turns out I’m enjoying these small paintings. And you know I love wild turkeys. Here’s a quiet country road on a moonlit night. She passes the barn then stops and turns her head, wary, careful. There are other turkeys nearby but she’s heard a strange sound, maybe unfriendly, that stops her short. We see her here, her head catching the light, feathers glowing. She’ll be moving on shortly. “Portrait #3 - Wild Turkey” 6 x 6 inches Acrylic on claybord $450.00 If you’re interested in this small painting please leave a note be ..read more

“Portrait 2 - Porcupine.” Usually I work on paintings that are considerably larger than this, 24 x 18 inches is a favorite size. But I enjoyed doing the little Wild Turkey Portrait that you saw last month so I thought I’d try another. Here is Portrait 2: Porcupine. These portraits may become a series. I don’t often see porcupines near where I live and I’m grateful for that because if I’m walking outside I’m nearly always with Tilly. She is a mad hunter and I would fear the outcome of a porcupine encounter. I’m certain it would be bad. However I have seen and photographed porcupines and I like ..read more

“Portrait #1 - Wild Turkey” I wanted to paint but Christmas was consuming most of my time and energy ..read more

I began this linoleum print a while ago and as the process got more complicated for me, a first timer, I put it on hold. Recently I came back to it. This is the finished print, the only keeper out of ten attempts. It has several ‘mistakes’ but you might never notice them. I’m fairly happy with the result. This meteor shower image is one I’ve painted before and I’ll admit that it’s one of my favorites. Everything you see here is true. This is my house, my garage, my front yard. Yes, there was an impressive meteor shower and yes, the deer do come in the night and help themselves to whatever app ..read more

“3 O’Clock” This usually happens. Tilly and I are out for our three o’clock walk, we turn down Coxing Road and there they are, a line of turkeys crossing the road. These days there are twenty one in this flock. We stop at a respectful distance to let them pass and fortunately they move slowly, with only a slight flutter here and there, so Tilly is not inspired to chase them. I hang on to the leash just in case. On this particular day I focus on a pair who are caught in a shower of falling blossoms while they pass a garden in bloom. Hollyhocks and blue flowers. A few little houses too. Up in t ..read more

“Dog” I have featured black dogs in my paintings before. Sometimes I showed my own dog, sometimes the dog was a stranger to me. But this wild black dog is mine all mine. This is Tilly, doing one of her favorite things: tearing flat out through my garden in pursuit of an unfortunate squirrel. I have asked myself if I would have taken this dog home from the shelter had I known about her tremendous prey drive. It certainly was a shock to me the first time I watched her catch and kill a squirrel. And another squirrel. And then the poor ground hog. I’d never seen behavior like this other than on ..read more

“Emily’s Dream #3 - Christmas Eve” It’s been a while since I sent out a newsletter and this painting is to blame. Would you look at all the people? Nine. And because I’m not well practiced or particularly good at painting faces they took hours. However, finish I did and here you have another scene featuring Emily, my grandmother, and Christmas Eve at her house. It all started innocently enough when I found a bit of the wallpaper that had been on Emily’s living room walls. Then things got out of hand. I redrew the wallpaper pattern. It’s bold, don’t you agree? I remembered the olive green sof ..read more

“Smoke.” One morning, very shortly after I moved to the Hudson Valley, I looked out a second floor window and saw a flock of wild turkeys. I was entranced and delighted, as I still always am when I see turkeys, but there was something odd about this group. One of the birds was practically white. Knowing absolutely nothing about the wildlife in these parts I guessed that perhaps this group had welcomed a white hen or some sort of duck. Nope. I came to find out that the light gray, practically white bird, was a smoke phase turkey. Not a true albino it retains some of the natural coloring of a w ..read more

“Bloodroot” “Buttonbush” I find the most interesting plants growing in the woods and along the wetland edge. Here are small watercolors of two that I see, depending on the season: Bloodroot and Buttonbush. Bloodroot gets its name from its red orange roots that resemble carrots. Yes, I pulled one up so I could see for myself. The roots can be used to make ink or dye. The leaves are big and curvy, the flowers are smallish and white. In the spring, in the woodland shadows, this plant spreads and beautifully fills a lot of space. The second plant, Buttonbush, grows in wet areas and also apprecia ..read more