Splash of Orchid Color.

My work is all about color, pattern, shape, nature
of course and color. Did I mention Color? I like to
surround myself with things that inspire me.
Things that I enjoy seeing every day such as
elements of nature. One of the things I enjoy as a
hobby is growing Orchids. As you can tell, tropical
and exotic subject is a passion of mine. So, growing
and successfully blooming these 'Jewels of the Jungle'
is very rewarding. Not all orchids come from the
jungle but they all do have an exotic quality. I thought
I'd share some photos of some of the Orchids from my
collection. The orange ones at the bottom are definitely
one of my favorites. This plant currently has 8 blooms
on it.

The 'Spots' have arrived!

Well here they are in all their glory. The spots have arrived!
I believed that I have achieved my goal which was to bring attention to the stars of the show, the Orange Spotted Filefish, while I pack the stage with an array of colors and textures that is a feast for the eye of the audience. The fish here are the main attraction but their surroundings are too interesting not to look. The Filefish may be the first thing to catch your eye but you can't stay there for long, scanning around the canvas finding a place to rest the eye and quickly moving on to see more only to arrive back at the filefish.
My work here is done!
Added note: The spots are swimming away just as fast as they arrived. Their new home is in Irvine, California where Holly, (art collector of the sea) lives and where "Filefish Oasis' will proudly hang.
Holly is a previous collector of my work and I am pleased that she has yet again chosen my work to adorn the walls of her unique and colorful space.
Thank you Holly.

Work in progress 'Filefish Oasis'

'Filefish Oasis' is the smallest of three paintings I'm currently working on. This is a small canvas, (10x15 inches). The subject began as these very brightly colored fishes in shades of Turquoise with Orangy-yellow spots all over there bodies and are about 4 inches long. The spots will be arriving soon! These fish feed on coral in the warm Pacific waters where reef life is abundant. As I began to imagine the diversity of life that make up their home I decided to pack this small canvas with many colors, shapes and textures. With my larger paintings I usually create a path for the eyes of the viewer to follow but in this case I've enjoyed creating the opposite where the viewers eyes can dart about the landscape resting on particular points of interest. 'Filefish Oasis' will soon be completed and I will post the finished mini-masterpiece by next week.

I'm back!

I'm back! Going on Safari in the wilds of Africa and seeing the Amazon Rain forest was beyond my wildest dreams. And still is!!! I wish I could use the excuse of these travels as a reason why I'm not keeping up with my blog. But no excuses for me. The extent of my safari is my studio full of Orchid plants and a small zoo of pets all of which are considered family members.
I intend to make a blog entry once a week or may I never step foot in Africa or the Amazon.
(In this lifetime!)
I've spent the final months of 2008 working on making ACEOs or Art Cards, Editions & Originals and trying to improve traffic to my eBay store. (link at right)
By February of 2009 I was able to begin work on a couple of new smaller paintings. One is a commissioned piece of King Penguins titled, 'The King and the Prince', being shipped to PA this week. Another is of the Queen Parrotfish which the new owner of this painting found captivating on her trip to Aruba. I am currently working on three other paintings which I will keep you posted on. I'll be back after my next adventure!