Mountain Bluebird & Indian Paintbrush Miniature

I've begun this new commissioned painting with a rough sketch.  The Bluebird is perched on a twig among three stems of paintbrush (represented by the oval shapes).  The colors and textures of this painting should come together nicely.

 

Mute Swan Bathing Miniature

Here is a rough sketch of a new commission I've started.  I will be adding a color photo of the painting soon.  In this painting (sketch), I particularly like the angles of the mute swan's right wing.  It shows a lot of motion, especially once the splashes of water are added to it.  I also like the light in my reference -- It should be fun to paint.  The painting is for a miniature art collector from New York that requested an energetic swan.  

 

 

 

 

 

This is a rough color version of the commission.  I will be adding more detail to the piece, but wanted to get the feeling of light in the painting right away.  I will continue to update the progress of this piece.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here you can see how I've progressed, adding detail to the swan, water, and some of the splashing water.  At this point, the painting is nearly finished.

 

Giraffe Miniature

 

 

This is a new commission I'm working on -- my first giraffe piece.  I recently gathered the reference for this piece while we were visiting the East coast.  The giraffe is from the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C. 

 

--This painting has been completed.

Mute Swan & Cygnet

This is a commission I completed for Harvard University's "Who Mentored You?" program (www.whomentoredyou.org).  I am honored to have been selected to create this image for their organization.

 

This project is especially meaningful to me because of all of the people who mentored and encouraged me to follow my dreams.  It is amazing how much impact a few kind words can have on a young person.  I certainly would not be be an artist without those people in my life. 

I will be updating this image as the painting progresses

 

 

This is the painting after I've started the color phase. will be adding more details  and crispness to the piece and bringing out the opalescence of both of the adult swan and cygnet.  I plan to also continue to bring out the feeling of light in the painting.  I was drawn to the mute swans during our photoshoot because of the beautiful reflected light, glow, and intricate structure of their wings.

Great Horned Owl Miniature

This is a commission I am working on for one of my clients in Europe.  I was very pleased to find that the Great Horned Owl and a number of other North American species of raptors are also found in that part of the world.  This painting will be a miniature (approx. 5x7 - 4x6).  I particularly like the strength of the gaze on the owl's expression.

The owl featured in the painting is Samantha from the Minnesota Raptor Center in St. Paul.  I was able to "meet" her several times -- I feel it has helped me to capture more of her personality in my work.  She is an amazingly beautiful bird that captivates me every time I see her.

In the second picture (right) you can see I've started to refine the shapes of the owl.  I have been roughing in some of the detail of the feather patterns as well as layering in the feathers and adding contrast. The painting has been completed.

 

Polar Bear Painting

The Polar Bear commission has been completed.

 

 

 

 

 

Children's Book Illustrations

I recently finished illustrating two children's books with Karen.  The books feature wildlife, people, and places of Minnesota (in V is for Viking) and the World (P is for Passport).  We are very pleased to have been able to illustrate the "J is for Jungle" portion of the world book.  They are now available at bookstores nationwide - "P is for Passport, a World Alphabet" (letter J) and "V is for Viking, a Minnesota Alphabet".  They are also available online at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com.

The painting on the left was used as a fundraiser for the Como Zoo's new rainforest exhibit this past spring during "Como Fest".  Unfortunately it was mortally wounded in an accident.  I am in the process of painting them a replacement.  The second painting will be posted here in my studio when it is finished.