About the Paintings
I paint vivid, impressionistic oil paintings that capture the feeling of being alive. My joyful paintings are inspired by my travels on trails and beaches near my home in Virginia, to Italy, France and across the U.S. My technique is done with expressive color and loose, calligraphic brush strokes, in a wet-on-wet technique known as alla prima. Alla prima comes from Italian, literally meaning "at first attempt" and is loosely applied to any painting that is done in a direct, expressive style.
I work with a limited 6-color spectral palette, painting over a color-toned, textured canvas reminiscent of my favorite pastel papers. While my inspiration begins with the scene, each painting is also fueled with a fusion of feelings present at the moment of its conception. It might be the marriage of a child, or the birth of a grandchild, or memory of a parent. The joy of life infused with my passion for living, in good times and through trials, heals the heart in each and every painting.
Hanging Your Painting
All my canvases are wired and ready to hang. To help keep your painting level, I recommend hanging your painting from two picture hanging hooks spaced apart on the wall.
Framing
My oil paintings are offered both framed and unframed. We are happy to help you find the perfect frame for your new painting. The larger paintings, which are done on 1-1/2" canvas, are best framed in floater frames, or left to hang unframed on the wall.
Floater frames are designed to cradle deep canvases. A small gap around the painting, allows the canvas to "float" in the frame. Floater frames can be made in a variety of finishes, including gold, silver, black, white, and in any type of hardwood and stain finish. I am partial to the gold and black shown here. However, your decor may require a special touch, which we are happy to recommend.
In the Best Light
DAYLIGHT Your painting will look different depending on the changing quality of the surrounding light. Natural ambient light will create a nice feel for your painting during daylight hours, as the colors subtly change throughout the day.
AT NIGHT Art galleries use warm or cool-toned spot lighting to accentuate the colors in the painting, and they usually intensify the light on the painting's center of attention. You can imitate this effect in your own home by installing halogen or LED directional spot lighting in the ceiling above your painting. These lights are surprisingly inexpensive to install. An electrician can install them in a few hours. If you wish you can purchase the fixtures and bulbs yourself online.
Use the Right Bulbs
The wrong color bulb can cause your painting to look "muddy." Use cool lighting to illuminate a painting that has predominately cool colors, and use warm lighting on a painting with mostly warm colors.
Many houses are already fitted with recessed ceiling fixtures. These can be adapted to directional spot lighting by a handyman. Even without direct lighting on your painting, your artwork will still look good with nearby incandescent lighting.
Enjoy!