Bumble Bee (SOLD)

I found out this morning that I have been juried into dailypainters.com. When I got the email congratulating me, I was so excited that a little bit of pee came out.

Oil on canvas 5"X7"(SOLD to a repeat collector)

Pimp My Crab (SOLD)

She said "..why don't you pimp my crab?"
I said "......how much time do I got?"

She said ".....You got all the time in the world."

Oil on canvas 16"X12"

(Sold to a repeat collector in Va.)

The Last Esso in Red Oxide (SOLD)

This is the last Esso station before you get to the Outer Banks. Its on the west side of US158 in Currituck County. I hosted a painting workshop today. We all paint the same thing. This is my version. We spent the day in class just finding these shapes. Unfortunately, by her own admission, Deb said nothing clever, but Donna bought a painting. Way to go Donna. Try harder Deb.

Oil on canvas 9"X12" (SOLD)
Oh! I have approximately 35 to 40 paintings hung in a one man one month show at the Full Moon Resturant in historic downtown Manteo. I took pictures of it yesterday, but they were terrible. I will get better ones. Stop by for lunch and say hello to my Paul Dillon in the gallery. I have a few more paintings there. I will be having a press release coming soon about a new photo and painting workshop I will be hosting at the DCAC gallery in Manteo in about a month. Real Hightec Gritty Stuff, a dulled cutting edge thing.

Dancing around Delphinius (SOLD)

This is the Delphinius docked in Wanchese Harbour. I start with a red stained canvas. I have spent a lot of time dancing around painting the letters DELPHINIUS. I had a painting class today. I painted this early this morning before the painters showed up. I have spent most of my time just on a few of the most difficult shapes. The bow line is always a deceptive shape.

Oil on canvas 12"X9"

(SOLD to a repeat collector)

I raised my claw (SOLD)

A art critique asked me if I could describe my new voice. I told him that I said "Yahh, you betcha". Just like the girls in Fargo.

Blue crabs 6"X12"
This painting is sold.

The Replacement (SOLD)

Do you have a cat? We have three cats now. The oldest is an ancient calico named "Prissy" or "Prissie". I am never sure. About 2 years ago Cindy noticed Prissee was slowing down a lot and perhaps only days away from death.

It was decided that the time had come to activate a cat replacement plan. A plan that would ease the inevitable pain that accompanies dead pets. We collectively decided that the best replacement was another calico. To ease the bereivement, the replacement must shared all the markings that calico cats have. We hoped to find one that was good enough to fool the neighbors into thinking a death never happened. A seamless transition from one cat to another. We try to think how our decisions will effect others.

We found the kitten depicted as a full grown cat in this painting. Her name was "Shirley", but her name tag said "Shirlee". I just ignored it. I could not, however, ignore her twin sister, Laverne. We left the shelter with 2 kittens. Laverne and Shirley. As luck would have it, Laverne died within 48 hours. It was now apparent we needed a replacement for Laverne. A new search began. The neighbors never saw Laverne, so we were less particular about this replacements general appearance. We found a skittish pastel calico in another shelter. We called her "Lovee" (I am certain it wasn't "Lovey").

We considered calling her Laverne, but it didn't seem right. I believe that our neighbors think we have two cats.

Oil on canvas 9"X12" (SOLD)

Descriptively Seeking Idols

A secret spot.

I am hanging this and a lot of paintings that are not in galleries into a one man one month show in Manteo, NC. I will post pictures of it when all the paintings are hung.

Oil on stretched canvas 18"X22"
I donated this painting someplace.

Kingfisher and Painted Ladies (SOLD)

put it on. wipe it off. put it on.

"Live to fight another day, Lads. Take some R&R. "

Its late in the day by the docks. The Shell Shop out on the highway is closed. That huge garage door is open. A kingfisher is eyeing the water below. Odd, I don't see anybody around. Sportfishing boats in Wanchese Harbour, NC.

Oil on canvas 16"X12" (SOLD)

Official Intermission (Furlough Boys) (SOLD)

I have 2 groups of 3 beginner painters come paint with me in my "studio" (aka mancave). They are all fun interesting people. Today one group all painted the painting above. I worked on it a little after they left. If you would like to come paint with us once or twice a month, contact me. Sometimes Deb says really clever things.

Oil on canvas 11"X14" (SOLD to a repeat collector)
How goes the battle then, boys? Some progress and a lot of paint on my rags, but, ".............Muck in boys. We can't win the war if we are a man short."
Oil on canvas work in progress

Boogie Shoes (on intermission)

Boogie Shoes

Oil on canvas 6"X12"

I took a break from the battlefield for refreshments.

Great generals instinctively know the moment to do that.

"Ok boys, you hold down the fort."

Welcome to the Battlefield (SOLD)

I never can get to 100% or photo real, but I can see the shapes are correct enough.The battle really is won when you decide to do "Something". In my humble opinion, the wrong line or shape will let you see the right one. Thats the way I draw, I just keeping moving the pen or brush around and eventually I will strike on the right line or shape. I believe your eye wants to forgive my errors and they fall away like texture or dead soldiers. I don't care about the color. Most of the paint or color here is just muds left over from my last painting. At this point I feel comfortable really "painting this". I will use lots of clean colors and bold brush strokes. I will wipe away the right color if I am not liking the brushstroke that make it. I try not to overwork them. I have not wiped away any shapes, yet.

This is very early on in a work in progress. I am just trying to get the shapes defined. These red boats are moored in Wanchese Harbour.

Stephen Austin spent his salad days teaching architecture at TAMU. I was fortunate enough to have him as an instructor in my first design lab. One day while I was busy tearing up my latest version of whatever we were designing, Professor Austin paid me a compliment that I did not appreciate until years later. ".....Rick, your designs look like a battlefield." I think anyone that has been forced to design anything with real world components that has to somehow function would agree. Good design never just happens. It is trial and error and only the winners should leave the battlefield. Thank you for looking.

Oil on canvas 16"X12"
This painting is sold.

Scared Crab (SOLD)

Oil on canvas 7"X5" (SOLD to a repeat collector in Mclean, Va.)

Chair Man on the Board

Oil on canvas 11"X14"

Yell Ohh

This might be considered a typical photo I would get (after a bit of cropping) while driving north on NC12 in Kitty Hawk. I love these buildings. You can see my antenna in the foreground and a slice of the Atlantic.

I had my left arm out the window holding my camera over the top of my pickup looking northeast.

I was eating a taco. My hair was perfect.

This KDH ocean front house had a new paint job this year. I don't know if anyone was fortunate enough to watch it happen or to witness the paint dry. Last year it was blue with kelp or something painted on the sides. You can miss so much not living in a big city like Kitty Hawk or Kill Devil Hills. I have always liked this house for its simplicity. I have been photographing the beachroad for 2 years now and I am more aware of the sun angles during the different times of the year. Right now this stretch of NC12 is dead on perpendicular to the sun and some sections of the beach road are not. I have never felt I got a good enough image of this house to paint it. My reference photo was very grainy, most of them are. I use the shotgun approach to photography. I click as quick as the camera will let me while driving at 35 miles an hour with the camera out the window. Don't worry, I usually don't eat or talk on the phone while I'm doing this. I have no idea what my short road trips will yield until I load them into my computer.

Oil on canvas 11"X14"

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $185 USD plus $12 USD s/h
Or, send me an email

Call Girl Blues(SOLD)

Lots of guys come to the Outer Banks on vacation. A lot of them get anxious or depressed because they don't know how or even what to call the local girl crabs. A lot of local crabs pass through Wanchese, and you may find the locals to be real helpful. If you go down there after the "Shell Shop" closes and hang around by the docks, one may approach you. Should you ask for names, you might get a wary ".....the "Shecrab?", you can spot her by the painted red claws, that's Sally. She's pretty young. Her mother has a bit more experience, we just call her Sook."........." ..the boys? well, you must be talking about Jimmy."...."..no.nobody named John around here.........anyway, what's your name, sailor?"

Oil on canvas 14"X11"

If you really want to see some bits, click here
This painting is sold.

Unassuming in Blue Green (SOLD)

This unassuming ocean front cottage is along the Beach Road in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

My town. Oil on canvas 24"X12"
This painting is sold.

Manly Flowers (on coming out)

I have come out in the past and declared that I rush to avoid painting flowers. I am of the belief that there are more manly subjects requiring my artistic attentions. Last night, however, a chain of events set into motion the eventual creation of this work. About midnight last night I awoke to a hissing sound near the kitchen sink. A water pipe under our house had burst. I shut the water off at the meter. I am not the kind of guy that would ask his wife more than once to deal with this in the wee hours. She says she is a very sound sleeper. We spent the night and a brief part of the morning without water. I could have hired a plumber, but I did the plumbing myself. He would have charged me tens of dollars, but it was its not always about the money with me. I had the leak located at first light. I was at Home Depot with the contractors, and I had the leak fixed by 9:30 AM. With that type of thing under my belt so early in the day I tackled this subject without fear of any silly stigmas or ramifications. My manhood never in question, and it didn't take me very long either.

oil on canvas 12"X16"
I gave this painting to my daughter. damn it.

Punk Ass (Open the gate, Homer) (SOLD)

I started this painting yesterday with my Tuesday painting guys. I finished it today. I bought 2 paintings today. Something I have never done. Both by the same artist. Something else I have never done. I bid 600% higher than the minimum bid on one painting and about 250% higher than the previous high bid on the other. I hope I get them.

Oil on canvas 12"x16" (SOLD)

Bad Instructions

It is only now, decades after it happened, that I can bring myself to discuss it here with you. I was a victim of bad instructions. What is worse is that I believe I was singled out for this conspiracy. The worst of it happened at university during my second attempt at linear equations. It was not limited to one of my math instructors, I look back and see that the entire math department was in on this cruel prank. There were times when 3 or 4 instructors and tutors would tag team me and show me bits of some equation and describe the bits in smaller pieces. I am certain that none of the other students were subjected to this barrage of instructions and they all did fine. Afterwards I would have less understanding of their bits and logs with rhythm than I had before the class began. I thought it was me.

Oil on canvas 8"X6"

Nice Kitty

She wanted fish up front.

If anyone wants this painting, I will give it to you. If you don't already own one of my paintings and if you send me an email, and if you pay the shipping, I will give you this painting.
(Joe S. in Duck got it. Thanks Joe.)

Oil on canvas 6"X12"