Autumn River

 Somehow I always find myself wanting to go back to paintings rivers, so I do. So I'm working on keeping my brush strokes loose so the paintings I paint will have more of a free flowing feel to them. I'm always tempted to go in and try to add more fine detail but for me, at this point in my painting practice anyway, fussing over tiny details takes the joy out of painting and I actually want my work to look more like paintings and not like some photographic replica.. if that makes sense.

The painting itself is actually quite bright and seems to show up a little darker on the computer screen. I'm thinking about painting this on a larger canvas just because I really love the country red hues and dappled sky, and just how this came together in general. It's painted on a 6x6 archival canvas board.

Willow River

This painting is done with oils on a 14x11 gallery wrapped canvas. This painting is based on a photograph I took of the back-waters of the Chippewa River. There are a few decaying trees along the far bank. The large tree in the foreground has strong roots that are highlighted with gold, and I decided to paint a willow tree in the distance because it just seemed to belong there. This painting is available for purchase in my Etsy shop. For more close views of this Willow River painting click here.

Mississippi River

This painting is done with oil paints and a palette knife on a 14x11 gallery wrapped canvas. Mississippi River The colors drop from the sky like a mosaic rain of emotions, and the river carries them away. This painting is available for purchase in my Etsy shop. Also, for more close-up views click here.