"Afternoon Stroll"

This area isn't far from my home and I walk this trail all the time. It runs along the Merrimack River in Bedford NH. It's a beautiful place. There are many views to enjoy along the trail and this is one of them. This was sketched mainly with charcoal pencils and a little graphite too. The two figures give just a hint of human presence in the vast scenery. This kind of scenery reminds me of times gone by. I think I'll be doing more sketches from this area. Thanks for visiting!

"O Christmas Tree"

This was a quick sketch I did originally without much background or shading. After about a year I went back to it and created a more finished piece. I used charcoal, sharpie pen, white conte´pencil, kneaded eraser and my fingers! It's an interesting mix of textures, values, mediums, and methods. I hope you like it! Thanks for visiting!

"Self Portrait 2015"

This is my first self portrait. I have sketched a few other portraits in the recent past though. I think it's a pretty good likeness. It's a new endeavor so I'm in the experimental phase right now. I'm just getting a feel for the mediums too. This is mostly vine charcoal with some compressed charcoal and a lot of kneaded eraser. I may try a self portrait every year for practice and to see how well I improve in my art skills and perhaps how well I age too! Thanks for visiting!

Not For Sale

"The Matriarch"

A portrait of the matriarch in my family. I put a lot of care into this piece and it seems to have come out very well. I did the whole piece in vine charcoal which is a little lighter and softer than regular charcoal.  Vine charcoal is very forgiving when it comes to erasing and making changes but it smudges very easily so one must be careful throughout the whole drawing process. Thanks for visiting!

"Shed in the Sun"

A plein air sketch of a nice rural scene in the town of Hollis, NH. It was a beautiful summer day and the area was very quiet. I have driven by this many times and always wanted to do something with the scene. On this day I was in the mood for sketching. I worked it up in the studio to finish things up and correct any areas I wasn't happy with. Thanks for visiting!