Recently I have been focusing more on figurative paintings and enjoying it immensely. A chance happening occurred one day that sparked this interest in "figures in landscape" paintings. In early June my wife and I were returning home from our daughter's home in Hartselle, Alabama. As always, as we traveled along we were looking for potential painting spots. We noticed an interesting meadow filled with newly mown hay and bales of hay waiting to be taken to someone's barn. I liked the play of light and shadows on the bales and decided to stop to photograph the scene. I also noticed an inviting lane beside the pasture, and since I've always been the kind who wanted to see what was at the end of an interesting lane, around the next curve, or over the next hill, I could not resist driving up that lane. Waiting at the other end of the lane were two young boys who were visiting their grandparents' picturesque farm that was a wonderland of fishing ponds and other natural places to play. The boys reminded us of "Huck" and "Tom" as they dipped their hooks at the water's edge. Their dog, "Pinky" added another dimension to the painting's story. Watching the boys that day reminded me of summers at my childhood home when there was no better way to while away the hours than to dig some worms and go fishing in our farm pond.
Now I want to capture on canvas what I find on my journeys through the countryside . I ride the roads less traveled looking for the play of light and shadows on tranquil pastoral landscapes, beautiful horses, architectural structures, and people as they go about their everyday life. My goal is to create artwork that connects with people as it did one day when a lady told me, "I could not get your painting off my mind; I even dreamed about it." I hope that my paintings add a sense of peace and serenity to the lives of my viewers. Painting is so much a part of my everyday life that it would be difficult to live without it. Regardless of where I happen to be, I am driven to paint every day.
