Crimson Tide Elephant

My nephew is attending college at Alabama University.  He loves it there, but is getting tired of the the Crimson Tide Logo and Hounds Tooth pattern everywhere.  He requested that I do him a painting of an elephant, but different than the logo.  I tried to make the elephant realistic and put in a subtle background that hearkened to the Alabama experience.  He loved it!  It was fun, albeit challenging to paint. 

Miniature Paintings

I purchased some miniature canvases the other day and thought I would try my hand at that.  My nephew and his wife went to a tropical location for their honeymoon and got a kick out of the sea turtles.  I did this for them as a small housewarming gift.

 

So it begins.....I was then asked to do a painting for my sister for her new home.  She wanted a rooster painting for her kitchen and informed me that she likes impressionistic paintings.  Not my chosen style most of the time, but definitely a change of pace.   

Now one for mom's bedroom.  Are you seeing a pattern here?  Ok mom....as you wish.

Coyote in Color Pencil

One of my good friends is a predator hunter and has asked me for years to do him a drawing.  I had a new set of Prismacolor Pencils that I wanted to try, so here is my first attempt with them.  It takes awhile to get used to the blending properties of these pencils, but I was pleased with my first attempt. 

A Watch Face Commission

I really had a good time with this one.  I was asked to paint a watch face with a wood duck scene for a sportsman that was referred to me.  This was small enough that I had to paint it under magnification to get the details correct.  I wanted to have a photo of it set into the watch, but wasn't afforded that luxury.  I was told it turned out really nice.  Enjoy.

The Old Man and the 'Tea'

My father drinks Ice Tea constantly from a distinctive Stein that has a Painting of Geese under the acrylic.  He always drips some of this on the floor, and I couldn't resist doing a carving of him.  Here is the finished carving before it was added to a trophy base.  On the base I attached a tongue and cheek message plate that simply said, "The Old Man and the Tea".  

Some Pen and Ink Drawings

Drawing in Ink has always been a passion of mine.  It relaxes me and I can get lost in where the drawing takes me.  Here are a few of the pen and ink drawings I have done.  I did the metal detecting ones below for group hunt I attended.  The design was put on t-shirts and used as a fund raiser to send a young woman to see the Presidential Inauguration a few years ago.  The Little Mermaid and Thomas Tank Engine were done for my niece and nephew.  They hang in their home to this day.

Blast from the past. Time to Share my earlier work......

I pulled out some of my older artwork that I had never post and thought I would start sharing some of it.  I carved this box nearly 20 years ago!  I was proud of the fact that I won first place with it at the SEMO District Fair, and also Best of Show.  What a valadation that was to me early in my art career. 

I wanted everything to be carved from wood and added no wood filler.  It was quite a challenge to fit everything together inside the top of the box.  The shell handles were carved from a large dowel rod, and aged to look like vintage paper shotgun shells.

Finally, I carved the acorn closure for the box and added an unexpected touch by carving a turkey feather for the inside of the lid.   I remember what an ambitious task this carving was for me at a young age!

I hope you enjoyed seeing this and it adds inspiration for those people wanting to try their hand at carving.

Everything but the Kitchen SInk!

Just finished a commissioned piece.  The girl pictured is receiving this from her friend as a gift.
I was asked to incorporate many of the things she is into. 
Among them:
Her name (starts with D), she loves cactus, she is from Greece, she likes basketball, taekwondo, galaxies, music and Captain Morgan.  It was difficult to make these things flow but I thought I would share.