Junk Food Joe

 Acrylic  5x7 on Cradled Board   SOLD

Maybe you see a sloppy crow with his feathers a tatter, but the kids in the neighborhood love him as Junk Food Joe the Crow. He hangs out in the park waiting for a bit of ice cream cone, or a hot dog. His diet is not the best, but his heart is open and bold. He says bugs in fact do not taste like chicken. He delights the children with his low flights over their head to attract their attention. They happily share their snacks for a chance to be near him, and watch his silly antics. He likes to tease the dogs in a good natured way. But mostly he considers himself a teacher. He shows that his species is not a dark entity associated with scary witches at Halloween, but a fun loving comrade with a vice for pizza, more like his human friends than the myth of the bird.

Yellowstone Wolf

 Acrylic on Canvas Board  12x16

"The gaze of the wolf reaches into our soul," a quote by Barry Lopez noted author. Of wolf books my favorite is, "A Wolf Called Romeo," by Nick Jans. Sometimes the only way we can know the beauty of wolves is by reading about them, or painting them. You can see more of my larger paintings of wolves here.

Wolf in the Willows

 Acrylic on Canvas Board  12x16

Several years ago I visited a research park where they study wolf behavior. I was able to enter the enclosure to photograph the wolves. It was not easy to get good reference photos as we were not allowed to kneel, or sit on the ground lest the wolves see us as vulnerable and try to push us around. There was a very large pond in this habitat, and one of the wolves decided to swim across to an island and back.  As he emerged dripping wet he pushed his way through the willow growing on the bank. This is the first in a series I am working on. To see more in this series click here.

Coyote at Dawn

 Oil on Cradled Board  8x10

Coyotes are also known as "song dogs" because of the variety of yips, howls, growls and sounds they make. They have made themselves at home in our urban areas. If you want to learn more about how they live, a woman in San Francisco has an interesting blog at coyoteyipps.com. The more we know the less we fear, and come to appreciate these beautiful animals.

Puff the Raven

 Acrylic on Cradled Board  6x6

A raven can fluff out his neck feathers to show status and dominance. They also have "ears" or feathers at the top of their head that they can raise to communicate. "Pants" the feathers at the tops of their legs are more pronounced than in the common crow, and it is one way you can tell these two similar birds apart. I painted this with many layers of transparent glaze to emulate the iridescent coloring of the feathers.

Loyal Sheltie

 Oil on Board 6x6   SOLD

Have you ever woken up in the morning to find a stick on your pillow? No? Then you don't have a Shetland Sheepdog. On walks, sticks tend to follow them home hitching a ride on their velcro like under fur. At night, while you are sleeping these crafty sticks migrate their way into your bed via your sheltie's self groom. At least they don't hog the covers. The sticks I mean, the shelties take up most of the bed, AND the covers.

Little Bear Blueberry

 Oil on Board 5x7   SOLD

It seems as I paint animals I tend to make up stories about them in my head. Maybe it helps me bring out their expression, I don’t know, they just pop into my head. So I will let little Blueberry tell you his story in his own words as he told it to me.

My momma told me not to sniff on the ants because one could fly up my nose and get stuck there! But I gots to! I gots to know if they really smell like licorice like my brudder said. If they do I’m gonna eats all of dem. Many as I can find! Signed, Love, Blueberry.

 

Snowy Wolf

 Oil on Board  5x7   SOLD

I sometimes like to paint with more exacting detail like some of my favorite wildlife artists Robert Bateman and John Seerey-Lester. I was aiming at capturing the intense stare of this wild wolf, and the fluffy flakes of snow piling up on his fur.

Morning Dog Walker

 Oil on Board  5x7

My dog insists on his morning walk no matter the weather, or if I am not feeling well. He doesn't care! I have to admit once he drags me out there I really enjoy it and appreciate the still quiet of the mornings. This particular cityscape is a scene I would see on my drive to work in the mornings. Fortunately we have green spaces near by, and historic homes and gardens on our route.

Tower Raven

 Oil on Cradled Board   8x8

I was influenced to paint this while reading the book, "RavenMaster" by Chris Skaiffe. I thought it was going to be mostly about the ravens at the London Tower, but unfortunately it was mostly about his life and very little about the ravens. I'm not quite finished with it but find myself skipping large sections of it. It's not that it's a bad book, but just not my interest. I wanted to know about the ravens. None the less it prompted me to think of them again and paint this character.

Budgie Gossips

 Oil on Cradled Board   8x8   SOLD

These two look like they are up to no good. Are they sharing the latest details about their hooman care givers? Are they plotting to fly to the top of the curtain rod so they can shout orders to the family dog? Only they know, but you can bet they will make you laugh with their bold antics.

Indoor Coconut Tree

Oil on Cradled Board   6x6

This was a coconut palm we grew indoors. I worked as an interior landscaper for many years in this amazing garden. The office space was like nothing you could imagine. Eventually the tree got so big it had to be cut down. It was a sad day for me.

My Budgie Can Count

 Oil on Cradled Board  6x6   SOLD

My bird can count, can you fly? An old joke, but so true that we can not underestimate the talents of such small creatures. Budgies are not "disposable pets" as I once heard them called! They are amazing, intelligent beings worthy of great care and respect. I once had the privilege of caring for a prolific talker named ironically "Whistler."