NATURE & WILDLIFE

If you are here you probably know my work and what I paint. Birds are often one of my subjects and, by far, I have painted Cardinals more frequently than any other bird. I am proud of all of them, but over the years my work has certainly improved. This recent 2024 painting is likely the best I have achieved to date and I am very proud of the result. Limited-edition prints are available and only 200 are being sold.  Prints are roughly 7.5" x 9.5” in a white mat with an overall size of 11” x14”.  They come in a  clear plastic sleeve along with a certificate of authenticity.  This print fits in a standard 11” x 14” frame.

Having lived in Pennsylvania for the first 42 years of my life, seeing bright red Cardinals in the snow was a treat to look forward to in winter.  Scenes like this always remind me of Christmas.  The original painting is no longer available.  Luckily, limited-edition prints are available and only 200 are being sold.  Prints are roughly 7.5" x 9.5” in a white mat with an overall size of 11” x14”.  They come in a  clear plastic sleeve along with a certificate of authenticity.  This print fits in a standard 11” x 14” frame.

These two bright red cardinals are featured in a bright autumn background and that guy in the front looks awfully curious. The original painting is no longer available.  Luckily, limited-edition prints are available and only 100 are being sold.  Prints are roughly 7.5" x 9.5” in a white mat with an overall size of 11” x14”.  They come in a  clear plastic sleeve along with a certificate of authenticity.  This print fits in a standard 11” x 14” frame.

Having lived in Pennsylvania for the first 42 years of my life, seeing bright red Cardinals in the snow was a treat to look forward to in winter.  Scenes like this always remind me of Christmas.  The original painting is no longer available.  Luckily, limited-edition prints are available and only 50 are being sold.  Prints are roughly 7.5" x 9.5” in a white mat with an overall size of 11” x14”.  They come in a  clear plastic sleeve along with a certificate of authenticity.  This print fits in a standard 11” x 14” frame.

Owls are one of my favorite subjects to paint. Although I have plenty of experience seeing them in the wild, I recall a specific interaction with one at the Congaree National Park in South Carolina where I was able to take some fantastic reference photos. The original painting has been sold.  Luckily, limited-edition prints are available and only 100 are being made.  Prints are roughly 7.5" x 9.5” in a white mat with an overall size of 11” x14”.  They come in a  clear plastic sleeve along with a certificate of authenticity.  This print fits in a standard 11” x 14” frame.

There are a few reasons that I immensely enjoy this painting. Great horned owls have the look you picture when you imagine a wise old owl and I am quite happy that this painting captures that look. Secondly this painting has both a sense of energy and calmness at the same time and that feeling resonates with me. But one of my main reasons for appreciating this piece is that it is another painting that features an element hidden in plain sight. Many people initially miss the Gray Squirrel in the lower right corner. Just as in nature, unless you take the time to stop and look you may not reap all of the rewards.

This is the original painting so there is only one.  It’s painted in acrylic on a 1 1/2” thick gallery wrapped canvas and the scene continues on the edges for a very finished look. No framing is needed, but if you like frames it can also be framed.  The size of this piece is 18” x 24”.

Great horned owls have the look you picture when you imagine a wise old owl. They’re stately and I paint them regularly.

Sometimes I have a scene in mind for weeks month or even years before I paint it. Other times I just need to paint so I pick a subject on the spur of the moment and start. This painting happens to be the outcome of just needing to paint. The result is a very still evening scene where I imagine watching this magnificent bird as it listens…he’s hunting…and the stillness won’t last for long.

This is the original painting so there is only one.  It’s painted in acrylic on a 1 1/2” thick gallery wrapped canvas and the scene continues on the edges for a very finished look. No framing is needed, but if you like frames it can also be framed.  The size of this piece is 11” x 14”.

I’m fortunate to have many dogwood trees on my property and many cardinals at my feeder, so there’s no shortage of inspiration in my yard and cardinals may be he subject I’ve painted most. The original painting is no longer available.  Luckily, limited-edition prints are available and only 100 are being sold.  Prints are roughly 7.5" x 9.5” in a white mat with an overall size of 11” x14”.  They come in a  clear plastic sleeve along with a certificate of authenticity.  This print fits in a standard 11” x 14” frame.

My most memorable interaction with Hooded Mergansers was photographing them at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. I was at a conference in Orlando and would drive out the refuge in the evening to take photos. Lucky for me, there were beautiful ducks hiding among the mangroves and I spent my evenings photographing them for a future painting. This is the original painting so there is only one. It’s painted in acrylic on a 1 1/2” thick gallery wrapped canvas and the scene continues on the edges for a very finished look. No framing is needed, but if you like frames it can also be framed. The size of this piece is 12” x 16”.

Using a found North Carolina license plate, I made this bird house especially for Carolina Wrens and they have used it for several years. Building something gives you a really strong basis for knowing how to paint it and I have built and painted quite a few bird houses through the years.

Carolina Wrens are very vocal and sing beautifully. They have one of the loudest songs per volume in the bird world. In other words, little bird but BIG voice. I appreciate having them around my home all year long.

The original painting is no longer available.  Luckily, limited-edition prints are available and only 200 are being sold.  Prints are 8" x 10” in a white mat with an overall size of 11” x14”.  They come in a  clear plastic sleeve along with a certificate of authenticity.  This print fits in a standard 11” x 14” frame.

In ecological terms a snag is a standing dead or dying tree…and they have enormous benefits for wildlife. I have snags on my property and they provide homes and sustenance for all sorts of birds, mammals, insects, and amphibians.

I photographed this snag during an amazing Artist Residency at Wildacres Retreat Center in Little Switzerland North Carolina in 2014 and it became the inspiration for a painting in 2020. Wildacres is nestled along the Blue Ridge Parkway which also provides the backdrop of this scene. I added a few Downy Woodpeckers that are frequent visitors to my birdfeeder and a Gray Tree Frog to keep things interesting. As I painted I imagined all sorts of creatures coming and going to check this place out for a potential meal or homesite.

This is the original painting so there is only one.  It’s painted in acrylic on a 1 1/2” thick gallery wrapped canvas and the scene continues on the edges for a very finished look. No framing is needed, but if you like frames it can also be framed.  The size of this piece is 12” x 12”.

Birds are one part of nature that engage me every single day. I can sit and watch them for hours and hearing their beautiful songs deepens this enriching experience even more. While sitting in my yard and photographing hawks in the spring of 2020, two Titmice flew near and I snapped a few good photos that later inspired me to paint them. This is one of those paintings and I particularly like how the light frames the bird in this piece.

This is the original painting so there is only one.  It’s painted in acrylic on a 3/4” thick gallery wrapped canvas and the scene continues on the edges for a very finished look. No framing is needed, but if you like frames it can also be framed.  The size of this piece is 6” x 6”.

This painting was chosen as the cover of the 2019 North Carolina Wildlife Calendar and I consider that to be among my greatest achievements in art.

This piece is among my paintings that experiment with elements hidden in plain sight. Although an alert Mockingbird is featured prominently, there are two egrets in the background of this piece that are more subtle than they appear in this photo. Roughly half of the people that view the painting don’t see them until I point them out. That is SO often the case in Nature in real life, too. In order to see what nature has to show us we need to be patient and still and let enough time pass for our eyes to be opened to what is right in front of us.

This is the original painting so there is only one.  It’s painted in acrylic on a 1 1/2” thick gallery wrapped canvas and the scene continues on the edges for a very finished look. No framing is needed, but if you like frames it can also be framed.  The size of this piece is 18” x 18”.

In 2014 I took a few months to study light at different times of day and different seasons. I painted this same birdfeeder in Summer, Winter, and Fall and have great appreciation for what I learned by doing this - It made me a much better painter.   The original painting has been sold.  Luckily, limited-edition prints are available and only 50 are being sold.  Prints are roughly 7.5" x 9.5” in a white mat with an overall size of 11” x14”.  They come in a  clear plastic sleeve along with a certificate of authenticity.  This print fits in a standard 11” x 14” frame.

In 2014 I took a few months to study light at different times of day and different seasons. I painted this same birdfeeder in Summer, Winter, and Fall and have great appreciation for what I learned by doing this - It made me a much better painter.   The original painting has been sold.  Luckily, limited-edition prints are available and only 200 are being sold.  Prints are roughly 7.5" x 9.5” in a white mat with an overall size of 11” x14”.  They come in a  clear plastic sleeve along with a certificate of authenticity.  This print fits in a standard 11” x 14” frame.

In 2014 I took a few months to study light at different times of day and different seasons.  I painted this same birdfeeder in Summer, Winter, and Fall and have great appreciation for what I learned by doing this - It made me a much better painter. 

In this version, Autumn, the grays and blues of the Tufted Titmouse, White Breasted Nuthatch and Blue Jay are complemented by the orange light and leaves. Nuthatches and Blue Jays remind me of my grandmother. Her home was the first place that I ever saw a Nuthatch and was awed by them. An even stronger memory is that of the Blue Jays that nested in her apple tree one year. I couldn’t resist climbing up to get a peek at the eggs and later baby jays, but the parents were quick to let me know I wasn’t welcome and flew at me aggresively until I left. I still smile in remembering the adventure.

This is the original painting so there is only one.  It’s painted in acrylic on a 1 1/2” thick gallery wrapped canvas and the scene continues on the edges for a very finished look. No framing is needed, but if you like frames it can also be framed.  The size of this piece is 16” x 20”.

This painting has been chosen to be included in the 2022 North Carolina Wildlife Calendar.

It captures a scene of a family of Red Shouldered Hawks that nested in my yard during the Spring of 2020. The mother hawk is feeding one of four babies as the father flies from the nest. Note the way that one of those babies is stretching his wings to fly like his dad. Having three siblings of my own, I see this piece as a little bit of my own family portrait. See my Blog for the complete story behind this family of red shouldered hawks.

This is the original painting so there is only one.  It’s painted in acrylic on a 1 1/2” thick gallery wrapped canvas and the scene continues on the edges for a very finished look. No framing is needed, but if you like frames it can also be framed.  The size of this piece is 36” x 36”.

Growing up I didn’t really see Bluebirds very often, but that was around the same time that there was a large push to build nest boxes to aid their population recovery. Due to those efforts that started in the 1960’s and 1970’s, we can see them in much larger numbers these days. I have built Bluebird nest boxes and actually built the one that I’ve featured in this painting. Ten years later I still have this one hanging in my front yard.

In this scene, I imagined my bird house on a post in the front garden of a farm house surrounded by purple coneflowers. As in some others I’ve painted, there are some small hidden elements in this painting. In this case it’s a few lady bugs hiding among the flowers.

This is the original painting so there is only one.  It’s painted in acrylic on a 1 1/2” thick gallery wrapped canvas and the scene continues on the edges for a very finished look. No framing is needed, but if you like frames it can also be framed.  The size of this piece is 16” x 20”.

Herons, egrets, ducks…I have painted many of them and never get tired of water birds. Moreover, as of April 2020 four of my heron paintings have been used on book covers for the annual Heron Clan poetry anthologies that feature works from poets around the world.

This is an imagined scene of an impending storm coming in off the coast near the Currituck Lighthouse in North Carolina. I’m a fan of sunny weather but can definitely appreciate the beauty of a storm, especially at the coast where you can see it approaching from miles away. I particularly like the way you can almost feel the wind blowing this bird’s flight feathers around as he lands.

This is the original painting so there is only one. It’s painted in acrylic and oil on a 1-1/2” thick gallery wrapped canvas and the scene continues on the edges for a very finished look. No framing is needed, but if you like frames it can also be framed. The size of this piece is 24” x 30”.

Growing up in Pennsylvania, there was no song as sweet as hearing the first Robins of Springtime. Their song still brings back great memories of childhood when the snow had only recently melted and kids were outside until it got too dark to play. I continue to enjoy robins these days and see them almost year round but still see them as a symbol of spring, lengthening days, and warmer weather.

This is the original painting so there is only one.  It’s painted in acrylic on a 1 1/2” thick gallery wrapped canvas and the scene continues on the edges for a very finished look. No framing is needed, but if you like frames it can also be framed.  The size of this piece is 30” x 40”.

Herons, egrets, ducks…I have painted many of them and never get tired of water birds. Moreover, as of April 2020 four of my heron paintings have been used on book covers for the annual Heron Clan poetry anthologies that feature works from poets around the world.

This particular heron is a Green Heron and, in my experience, they are often more difficult to find and photograph. I have taken some good photos in marshes along the North Carolina coastline as well as in Everglades National Park in Florida.

This is the original painting so there is only one. It’s painted in acrylic on a 3/4” thick museum series clayboard panel and the scene continues on the edges for a very finished look. No framing is needed, but if you like frames it can also be framed. The size of this piece is 12” x 16”.

It isn’t unusual for me to paint a subject after I have had an encounter with it in nature. I enjoyed watching several Cedar Waxwings at Duke Gardens in Durham North Carolina in the winter of 2020 and this painting was the result.  

This is the original painting so there is only one.  It’s painted in acrylic on a 3/4” thick gallery wrapped canvas. The canvas sits in a wooden frame that has been painted to loosely continue the scene. The outside of the frame measures roughly 8.5” x 8.5”.

This painting has been chosen to be included in the 2021 North Carolina Wildlife Calendar.

Inspired by MANY fun fishing outings as a kid, this painting reminds me of camping trips alongside Lake Jean at Ricketts Glen State Park in Pennsylvania. I was always a fan of the water so creeks and lakes were a huge attraction for me. I vividly recall standing on the shore and peering into the crystal clear water as perch and bluegills peacefully fanned their fins. Those memories easily flooded back decades later to help create this painting.

There are two options to enjoy this piece:

Original Painting - The original is painted in acrylic on a 1 1/2” thick gallery wrapped canvas and the scene continues on the edges for a very finished look. No framing is needed, but if you like frames it can also be framed.  The size of this piece is 12”x16”.

Limited-edition Prints are available and only 200 are being sold.  Prints are roughly 7.5" x 9.5” in a white mat with an overall size of 11” x14”.  They come in a  clear plastic sleeve along with a certificate of authenticity.  This print fits in a standard 11” x 14” frame.

I have encountered plenty of Alligators during the last 25 years or so. Many of them have been in the Florida Everglades which is one of my favorite National Parks. However, this particular piece was inspired by an encounter at Greenfield Lake in Wilmington, NC in May 2021. I was lucky enough to spot this Alligator as he was just starting to climb the branch of a sunken tree. During the course of a half hour or so I watched as he slowly climbed out of the water and balanced there in the sunshine for a bit, then slid back down into the water on the other side. Always having my camera ready for just these occasions, I took some photos showing the amazing details and patterns on these beautiful creatures.

I have paired this ancient animal with a beautiful Green Heron who is definitely eyeing him with caution. Although the two were not in such close proximity, I also saw Green Herons in my walk around the lake that day. As usual, this painting reminds me of treasured memories of an enchanting encounter.

This is the original painting so there is only one. It is painted in acrylic on a 1 1/2” thick gallery wrapped canvas and the scene continues on the edges for a very finished look. No framing is needed, but if you like frames it can also be framed.  The size of this piece is 24” x 30”.

Before moving to North Carolina in 2009 I didn’t know the joy of encountering Box Turtles in my own backyard. It isn’t an everyday event and I consider myself very lucky when I see them a few times each year. I know they are always near since they have a home range that is normally a diameter of just 750 feet! So if one is born in the middle of my yard they may scarcely visit my neighbors.

My encounters with them in the backyard inspired this painting and I wanted to include another rarely seen creature that lives in the same habitat so I chose the American Woodcock. Shaped like a shorebird with a bill designed to catch earthworms, this bird is also known by many other names. Some of the more memorable are Bogsucker, Mudsnipe, and Labrador Twister.

I envisioned the two meeting in this little clearing and neither much caring to see the other since they both tend to be solitary creatures.

This is the original painting so there is only one. It is painted in acrylic on a 1 1/2” thick gallery wrapped canvas and the scene continues on the edges for a very finished look. No framing is needed, but if you like frames it can also be framed.  The size of this piece is 16” x 20”.

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. It's what the sunflowers do.,” ~Helen Keller

The title of this piece was inspired by descriptions of sunflowers written in letters from Vincent van Gogh to his brother Theo. The letters can be found on-line and interesting to read because they express his boundless excitement about painting. My actual painting inspiration came from seeing a stunning sunflower field at Dorthea Dix Park in Raleigh North Carolina. Stunning yellow flowers at the peak of their bloom in perfect morning light created a scene I couldn’t refuse. I can’t help but smile when I look at this painting.

This is the original painting so there is only one.  It’s painted in acrylic on a 1 1/2” thick gallery wrapped canvas and the scene continues on the edges for a very finished look. No framing is needed, but if you like frames it can also be framed.  The size of this piece is 30” x 40”.

Inspired by a summer visit to a Sunflower Field in Raleigh North Carolina, the original painting was 24” x 30” but is no longer available. Luckily, limited-edition prints are available and only 200 are being sold.  Prints are roughly 7.5" x 9.5” in a white mat with an overall size of 11” x14”.  They come in a  clear plastic sleeve along with a certificate of authenticity.  This print fits in a standard 11” x 14” frame.

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. It's what the sunflowers do.” ~Helen Keller

Cardinals have easily caught my attention ever since I was a little kid. That flash of red can’t help but make me look. So I paint a lot of them and enjoy every single painting. This one is a favorite since it is one of my multi-canvas creations. Instead of just painting on a flat canvas, sometimes I connect a few of them in interesting ways to create a more sculptural painting. The edges of each canvas continue the scene to the next canvas and it is interesting not only from the from but from the sides, too.

This is the original painting so there is only one.  It’s painted in acrylic and oil on three permanently attached and overlapping gallery wrapped canvases with painted edges to create a three dimensional effect.  The overall thickness of the overlapping canvases is 3”.   No framing is needed.   The size of this piece is approximately 21” x 24”.

Since moving to North Carolina in 2009 I have had the good fortune of seeing many red foxes. They live in my yard and the surrounding woods and neighbors yards. Being mostly nocturnal, I consider myself lucky when I spot them and almost never see them at rest like I have painted this one. But, I am an artist and sometimes use inspiration along with my real life experience to create a scene that I would like to see. In this one I imagine that this sly fox really is “Just Looking” at the moment but I still feel as though the Cardinals may not want to let their guard down too soon, and I feel as though there is an allegory waiting to be written from this scene.

This is the original painting so there is only one.  It’s painted in acrylic on three permanently attached and overlapping gallery wrapped canvases with painted edges to create a three dimensional effect. The overall thickness of the overlapping canvases is 3”. No framing is needed.   The size of this piece is approximately 19” x 25”.

This scene was inspired by a little stream that runs through my front yard. It is a fantastic feature of the property and it attracts all sorts of wildlife. Birds particularly love this section that I have painted since it is shallow enough to splash and take a bath. The challenge I created for myself in this painting was the water. There are places where you can see through to the bottom, places with very light reflections and others with strong reflections. Because of the interesting water, you may not at first notice that there are four birds depicted. There are two American Goldfinches and two American Redstarts. All of these elements combine to create lots of interest on top of its three dimensional construction.

This is the original painting so there is only one.  It’s painted in acrylic on six permanently attached and overlapping gallery wrapped canvases with painted edges to create a three dimensional effect.  The overall thickness of the overlapping canvases is 3”.   No framing is needed.   The size of this piece is approximately 22” x 30”.

When I originally painted this cow back in 2013 I had no idea it would become one of my best selling prints. In fact, until this painting I was not even making prints. This piece started a whole new series of cow paintings.  The original painting is no longer available.  Luckily, limited-edition prints are available and only 100 are being sold. 

Prints are roughly 7.5" x 9.5” in a white mat with an overall size of 11” x14”.  They come in a  clear plastic sleeve along with a certificate of authenticity.  This print fits in a standard 11” x 14” frame.

This piece was painted so that people that had purchased “Hamburger is Cow?!?” could have a companion piece. However, she’s also one of a whole long series of cow paintings.   The original painting is no longer available.  Luckily, limited-edition prints are available and only 100 are being sold.  Prints are roughly 7.5" x 9.5” in a white mat with an overall size of 11” x14”.  They come in a  clear plastic sleeve along with a certificate of authenticity.  This print fits in a standard 11” x 14” frame.

Mildred is also one of a whole long  series of cow paintings.   The original painting is no longer available.  Luckily, limited-edition prints are available and only 100 are being sold.  Prints are roughly 7.5" x 9.5” in a white mat with an overall size of 11” x14”.  They come in a  clear plastic sleeve along with a certificate of authenticity.  This print fits in a standard 11” x 14” frame.

It’s not uncommon to find me standing by a farmer’s field photographing cows as inspiration for future paintings. I was doing just that in Rougemont North Carolina as these ladies slowly made their way to see what I was doing. They weren’t obvious about it. Rather, they did it while grazing and pretending they didn’t notice me in any way. But once they all arrived their curiosity got the better of them and they were overtly checking me out. Of course I enjoyed every minute of it.

This is the original painting so there is only one.  It’s painted in acrylic on a 1 1/2” thick gallery wrapped canvas and the scene continues on the edges for a very finished look. No framing is needed, but if you like frames it can also be framed.  The size of this piece is 16” x 36”.

This painting is likely the brightest painting I have ever painted and it is sure to bring a smile to anyone that looks at it.   The original painting has been sold.  Luckily, limited-edition prints are available and only 100 are being sold.  Prints are roughly 7.5" x 9.5” in a white mat with an overall size of 11” x14”.  They come in a  clear plastic sleeve along with a certificate of authenticity.  This print fits in a standard 11” x 14” frame.

Inspired by photographing meadowlarks on a crisp spring morning in Hillsborough North Carolina, this piece sings good morning to me. My experiences in nature often precede a painting. In this case, seeing and photographing these colorful songbirds did exactly that. Each time I look at this painting I can hear that song and feel the stillness of that peaceful setting. The pair of pintail ducks flying over the pond in the background are an added bonus.

This is the original painting so there is only one. It’s painted in acrylic on a 1 1/2” thick gallery wrapped canvas and the scene continues on the edges for a very finished look. No framing is needed, but if you like frames it can also be framed. The size of this piece is 16” x 20”.