Oil Paintings

OIL PAINTINGS

For availability, pricing, or commissions please contact me [email protected]

2022

2021

2020

2019

MINERAL KING, CA. SOUTHERN HIGH SIERRA

16 X 20"
Oil on Canvas

Pete Sheperd took this photo and I painted it. There is a family cabin at the other end of the valley and when it snows the views are also fantastic. This view is looking south abut 7400 feet elevation. As I made revisions the painting got darker but my son likes it and he has it.

SUNRISE OVER NORTH CAROLINA LOOKING WEST

15 x 30"
Oil on Canvas

Phil Toomey took a sunrise photo in North Carolina looking west at the sun bouncing off the clouds and I painted it. The painting will be given to someone in Oregon.

2018

PORTLAND HEAD LIGHT MAINE

12 x 12"
Oil on Board Covered by Canvas

Rich Steip has provided me many excellent photos. As my family on the Elden side goes back to the Revolutionary War and beyond in Maine I thought this would be fun to paint. Originally the painting was for a Christmas show at Destination Art in Torrance. However the painting did not sell which was surprising. What made the painting difficult was of course free hand painting the doors and windows. What made the painting for me was the green water between the dark blue and the white surf. A cousin of my wife's saw the painting on line and immediately purchased it. The painting is now in the Chicago, Illinois area. I had prints made, one of which is with my baby sitter from over 70 years ago - she is in Colorado and sent it on to her daughter in Maine.

SNOWCAT TIMBERLINE MOUNT HOOD OREGON

12" by 16" Oil on Canvas Framed

My friends the Shulls do a lot of skiing on Mount Hood and anyone who does knows the snowcats. The photo has an iconic quality. Getting the snow right was easier than getting the snow cat right. They have the painting.

OREGON FLY FISHERMAN AT KING'S CANYON CALIFORNIA

18" x 24"
Oil on Canvas Framed

Pete Shepherd is a good friend and colleague in Oregon and an avid fly fisherman. I don't know who took this photo of him but there he is in the stream as it were. The rock face behind the trees was easy to paint and then things got more difficult. I was going to have the water be a slate blue but the more I worked with it green and shadows seemed to work best with the trees. And the colors make the painting unusual. The rocks near the water and the trees and the rock face behind are all fairly close to the original colors.

MOUNT HOOD AS SEEN FROM MOLLALA RIVER AT MARQUAM BRIDGE CANBY OREGON

12" by 16"
Oil on Canvas Framed

My friends the Shulls took the photo and I redid the painting several times to get it the way I wanted.

PEACEFUL FORREST

12" by 16"
Oil on board framed

This painting was planned for some time; I had permission from local outstanding photographer Philip Earl to develop a work from his photograph. I think his photo is called Aspen. I started the painting while in an art class with David Wolfram and finished it many weeks later. A daughter now has the painting.

2017

LUPIN FLOWERS FROM A PHOTO BY JUDGE DON DICKEY

11" by 14"
Oil on board framed

I really liked the colors in the original photograph and made sure the flowers stood out. I gave the painting to my friend Denny Vorndran.

Holy Trinity Parish Church Eastbourne Sussex England

12" by 12"
Oil on Canvas Framed

While visiting England in the late summer of 2017 with my daughter Heather and her family we visited great relatives Paul and June Snow in Sussex and attended their parish church in
Eastbourne. The congregation was a respectable size but not nearly enough to fill the beautiful church. On the way out I noticed the flowers and we took a photo with the idea I would paint later. The painting was given to a close friend of my oldest daughter.

Fiddlenecks

18" by 24"
Oil on Canvas

Good friend Rich Steip supplied this photo. Fiddlenecks are common in the South Bay of Los Angeles. It is the stem not the flower that provides the name. From this perspective the flowers are more important than the stems. I really like how this painting turned out. It has been given to one of my daughters.

Color from a photo by Rich Steip

11" by 14" Framed
Oil on Canvas

My good friend Rich Steip took the photo. I tried to give the painting depth but focused mainly on the bright color arrangement offset by some delicate stems particularly at the bottom. The frame by Jon Thornton was perfect. The painting was sold to a local photographer who visited the Malaga Cove California (Palos Verdes) Art Show where I had it on display.

Coast at Ranch Palos Verdes near Golden Cove

12" by 12"
Oil on Canvas Board

My good friend Rich Steip took the photo. The sky worked well in this oil painting. The same effect could not be done in acrylics. Using a good deal of foreground was a gamble. I gave away the painting.

Flowers in Glass Vase

12" by 12"
Oil on Canvas Board

The photo was supplied by good friend Shawna Martinson who really likes flowers. The glass vase was not as hard to do as I thought it would be. I took a palette knife and creased the paint vertically and the lines were perfectly spaced. Sometimes too much work is done when one has to just let the effort flow naturally. I had it framed and gave to Shawna and Todd's son for a wedding gift.

Fall Dancer

12"" by 12"
Oil on Canvas Board

The photo depicts a granddaughter flying high in the air off her trampoline at home. She is an outstanding gymnast. I gave the painting to my granddaughter.

Bandon Light Coquille River Oregon as seen from Tony's Crab Shack from a photo by Dale Geiger

24" x 18"
Oil on Canvas Framed

My good friend Dale Geiger gave me this photo of the Bandon Light on the Coquille River. He took the photo some time ago and I had it in my stack of things to get to. It was exhibited at the Independent Physical Therapy Office in Rolling Hills and folks enjoyed the blast of color. I also showed it at the Lexus service center in Torrance, California. The original photo was taken from Tony's Crab Shack looking Northwest. I have tried civil cases in Coquille, Oregon, most notably the defense of the State in a logging truck fatality and the retrial of the case. The state ultimately prevailed!

Seifert's Farm Supply Three Oaks Michigan

12" x 12"
Oil on canvas framed

I took several photos of this building in Three Oaks which has been painted in watercolor by local artists. I was on a trip in 2012 with my wife visiting good friends Charlie and Marge Bowers. I had meant to do this painting for a long time but was motivated to start it for an oil painting class by very talented artist David Wolfram in Torrance California. He made a couple excellent suggestions which I followed. As I painted I realized there were grooves in the canvas. These stretcher marks likely were there since the canvas was first primed. These marks or grooves were fairly easily repaired through use of Liquin Impasto. Shrinking the canvas from the reverse did not do the job. There was also an imperfection in the canvas which I took care of. The repairs forced me to take a closer look and the resulting ideas in the additional coats of paint made a better painting. Paintings of old masters have been restored but this painting was restored as it proceeded. I sold the painting to the owners of Seifert's.

Camden Maine Snowstorm

From a photo by Casey Maguire
12" x 16"
Oil on board framed

My friend Casey Maguire supplied a friend's photo of a solitary person making her way in the snow. I made some interpretations of the street itself. The painting was sold at the Malaga Cove Art show in the fall of 2017. I also sold a framed print to Casey.

Western Scene

From a photo by Judge Don Dickey
12" x 16"
Oil on wood board framed

I was taken with the colors in the photo by Judge Dickey and knew I had to make the painting. Sometimes oil on board works better than other times and this time was easy and effective. I tried to emphasize bold shapes as well as delicate grasses. The painting was donated to an auction at Willamette University College of Law for its Public Interest Law Project

Hayfield in Oregon

11" x 14"
Oil on wood board framed

This painting was Inspired by a photo taken by Walter Perry/Christine Chute former work colleagues. They also share my passion for support of the Oregon Campaign for Equal Justice. Good friend Audrey Hirsch obtained the framed oil at a Willamette Valley American Inn of Court auction to support Court Care for families at the Marion County Oregon courthouse. What I like about this painting is the fall colors working with the particular shade of green as well as the rolls of hay and their shadows.

Flowers in Oregon

From a photo by Marty Cloran
12" x 16"
Oil on canvas board

This is my second oil of this amazing Willamette Valley Schreiner's Iris Gardens farm of color. It was done on a canvas board provided by the Palos Verdes California Art Center for a fund raiser. The painting however wound up in England as a wedding gift to the granddaughter of Paul and June Snow.

Pink House in the South, Version Three

18" x 24"

Three paintings were for a good friend and fellow JAG officer from our tour in Subic Bay, R.P. during the Vietnam war. I began in oil but stopped and then began an acrylic. The acrylic took many weeks and along the way I did an abstract watercolor. I then finished the acrylic and using it as a template did this new oil painting. Each of the paintings has a different version of "pink".

2016

Manhattan Beach Pier from a photo by Dan Bradford

18" x 24"
Oil on canvas
Framed

My good friend Pastor Dan Bradford takes excellent photos in the South Bay area of LA County. His photo of Manhattan Beach pier at sunset was terrific and was just what I wanted to paint. Pastor Dan has a real heart for the hurting in the homeless community in the South Bay and weekly is at the piers and beaches where many homeless live. The painting was admired by a daughter in Colorado and that is where the painting is now.

Lone Tree at Yosemite from a photo by Rich Steip

12" x 16"
Oil on board
Framed

I think my friend Rich Steip spends his entire day taking photos. For some reason this painting came together easily though I redid a couple things at the end. I was about to add leaves to the tree but several folks advised against it. I think they were correct. My framer Jon Thornton did a great job putting a liner inside the frame.

West Virginia Church from a photo by Phil Toomey

14" x 18"
Oil on board
Framed

My friend Phil Toomey came across this simple elegant church driving through West Virginia. It was difficult to paint for many reasons. The subject matter had three basic colors and those colors for some reason did not want to work with the wooden board. I repainted it many times to get the colors right and the church size and landscape setting in harmony. One interesting outcome was the texture of the board gave texture to the building. I sold the painting to Phil.

Iris Gardens from a photo by Marty Cloran

16" x 20"
Oil on canvas
Framed

A friend Marty Cloran took photos at Schreiner's Iris Gardens in Salem Oregon. The photo that inspired this painting led me to return to a looser impressionistic style. The painting was donated to a 2016 auction for Victory Academy a school for autistic children in Sherwood Oregon.

Soca River at Bovec Slovenia from a photo by Ana Pirnat

18" x 24"
Oil on canvas
Framed

The Soca River runs with an emerald color from the Julian Alps through northern Slovenia and then through northern Italy to the Adriatic. The painting is based on a photo by Ana Pirnat a friend of missionary Andrea Fountain. I visited what is now Slovenia in 1962 and the people were kind and the scenery terrific. I don't recall the Soca River but I do recall a Roman tombstone used in a stone building.

Coast at Rancho Palos Verdes CA

2' x 2.5'
Oil on canvas
Framed in a beautiful wood frame

This painting is from a photo by Rich Steip. I started it and put it aside for several weeks. It was somewhat difficult to get the ocean the mystery dark color I wanted. After I finished I realized the sky was too somber and painted over it a couple times. It is not unusual for the sea to be dark and the sky much brighter. I was pleased with the final result; this was my first larger landscape in the coastal area of Rancho Palos Verdes. It always fascinates me folks often live near the ocean and then seem to carry that love over to the art they own. I would have thought more art would be of different themes and different geographic locations.

Point Vicente Lighthouse and Statice Flowers Rancho Palos Verdes CA 2016

Based on photo by Rich Steip
Oil on canvas
Framed

My friend Rich Steip continues to supply me with excellent photos and he keeps traveling so there are plenty. I also research similar scenes or personally observe and then go for it. Statice flowers do well in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County. The Point Vicente Lighthouse is a popular attraction. I sold this painting to a friend at King's Harbor Church whose
girlfriend has a fondness for lighthouses.

2015

Kentucky Snow

14" x 18"
Oil on wood board
Framed in a beautiful silver wood frame

My friend Rich Steip has provided several photos of a Kentucky snow storm in 2015. This painting was redone several times to get everything right including the sky and the barbed wire fence. The technique on the barbed wire fence was fairly new to me. Darker layers were painted beneath the snow and then at the right time lines were scratched revealing dark lines. The technique is more difficult than it sounds because the rest of the painting around the lines has to be correct before the painting is finished. If the surrounding area is not correct the entire process to reveal lines may have to be repeated. I gave the painting to my good friend Dr. Anthony Pratkanis.

Danielle Skiing Above the Clouds at Timberline Ski Resort Mount Hood Oregon

12" x 16"
Oil on canvas

My good friend and former law colleague Andrew Shull now has several of my paintings. He has an oil from over 50 years ago and also the oil I painted this year when I returned to that medium. He has given me some photos of him and his wife Danielle skiing at Timberline Lodge,Mount Hood Oregon. The painting “Danielle Skiing Above the Clouds ...” shows a common event where one can literally look down on the shaded area of the ski resort and be in total sunlight. I worked from the photo I was given but changed the colors slightly being true to what I think it looks like. It was difficult to paint a small figure and have it recognizable as a skier and it took about fifteen attempts. I kept the painting simple and did not try to bring objects out of the shadows and eliminated some distractions. I gave the Shulls this painting.

Empty Pews

12" x 16"
Oil on canvas board
Framed in a black floater frame

My good friend Todd Martinson got down on the floor to take an extraordinary photo inside the First United Methodist Church in Seattle. Photo taken in 2012 and my painting while not copying the photo exactly is fairly true to the light patterns he captured. This painting shows an empty church; but light creeps in. Will this church sustain or not? It may have to do with numbers. It may have to do with withstanding winds of doctrine. It may have to do with letting in light. See the book of Ephesians. My friend Todd now has this painting.

Flowers Arranged by Shawna

11" x 14"
Oil on canvas

This painting was done in a looser style that I employed many years ago. Shawna and her husband are good friends and on a recent visit showed me a photo of a flower arrangement in their dining area. I jumped in, added and subtracted, made some modest color changes and am very happy with the end painting. I particularly like the vibrancy of the softer colors and how the colors all seem to work together. The vase worked well as you can see the stems inside (through the magic of painting). The painting wound up with Shawna.

Night Oyster Fisherman Chesapeake Bay

14" x 18"
Oil on board
Framed in a heavy gold wood frame

My brother in law Michael J. Reber is an outstanding photographer and loves the Chesapeake Bay. He and his wife Mary Jane want the great resource that is the Bay and that we have damaged to be fully restored. I did an abstract painting for them of a skipjack oyster dredging sailboat. I had researched skipjacks so when I was inspired by a photo of his of skipjack Kathryn, my painting of that name was easier. (The Kathryn is a National Historic Landmark and has been restored).

I was also much taken with another photo of Mike's taken some years ago. He calls the photo Cold Harvest and it was taken off Annapolis. His photo and similarly my painting show a waterman dressed for the cold and dredging for oysters in a patent tonger. The fisherman means business no matter the time of day or weather conditions. I honestly knew little of the boat or mechanics until done as I had copied his slide to a disk without his information.

Mary Jane informs me the oyster boat is called a patent tonger and named after the equipment used to gather oysters. It's a 4' x 4' grab using hydraulics to lower, grab and collect the oysters. The Rebers have the original painting.

Boat at Sunset Golden Cove Rancho Palos Verdes CA 2015

Based on photo by Rich Steip
16" x 20"
Oil on board

My good friend Rich Steip provided yet another great photo which inspired me. The boat on the copper sea – where has it been. Is the sea too big or the boat too insignificant? I like the Pacific Ocean having spent three years in the Philippines and Vietnam. And both my parents are buried near Midway Island. In any event the rolling copper sea is deep and powerful and holds mysteries. The painting was sent to an auction for legal aid services at Willamette University College of Law.

Yosemite Bridge from a photo by Rich Steip

16" x 20"
Oil on board
Framed in heavy gold wood frame

The bridge in Yosemite in the photo supplied by my good friend and excellent photographer Rich Steip has been depicted many times. I experimented with color to make the scene come alive and simplified some of the landscape. I did keep the shadow references much as they were in the original photo. Viewers so far have like the depiction of the water; I put my initial effort into many layers of paint to give the water the right look. I made the redwood tree on the left have personality and hit on a way to show some of the rocks covered by water. I possibly could have further decreased the number of rocks on both sides of the river but everything in the composition points to or emphasizes or contains the water.

Kentucky After a Snow Storm from photos by Rich Steip

12" x 16"
Oil on canvas board

My friend Rich Steip visited family in Kentucky in the spring of 2015 and was there for much snow. Rich took some excellent photos. This particular scene had several features which were omitted in the final painting; but the inspiration came from the photo which was fantastic. I omitted a barn or shed that was close in on the right as well as some fencing just behind the trees. These features were not necessary and prevented the viewer being taken easily to the ridge line. The canvas is not framed at this time. The painting was purchased by my friends the Shulls.

Old Red Barn in Franklin Tennessee

12" x 16"
Oil on canvas board
Framed

I enjoy Franklin, Tennessee and the polite Southern culture and Civil War history. This barn is close to a home and back from the road. Black wood fences are popular in Franklin. I liked the casual deterioration of the structure which may still be in some use. I drove by this barn several times. The frame can be changed out for a more elaborate one.

Jason Surfing at PV Cove from a Photo by Dr. Ed Anorga

14" x 18"
Oil on wood board

This framed oil was inspired by a photo taken by my good friend Dr. Ed Anorga. It is of Jason, a surfing friend of Doctor Ed’s son. The painting seemed to come together quickly but was a challenge nevertheless. Doctor Eddy and I debated the title but PV Cove near the PV Peninsula area of LA County is what stuck. The frame is a beautiful substantial gold wood. Dr. Anorga obtained the painting and gifted it.

Catholic Church in Slovenia from a photo by Andrea Fountain

16" x 20"
Oil on canvas
Framed in beautiful wood frame

I met Christena and Shawn Werdebaugh in Salem Oregon last year while they were home on leave as missionaries to Slovenia. I have visited that general area and asked if they would send me a good photo. Andrea Fountain is also a missionary there and she provided this photo of the church of Saint Bartholomew in Kočevje Slovenia. I took minor artistic license with the church and adjacent buildings while being truer to the water and vegetation. I hope the painting has done justice to the remarkable deep blue water in the foreground as well as the vibrant marsh colors. I really enjoyed painting this painting. This is the fourth or maybe fifth church I have painted, one fifty years ago in Venice and the others more recent. My framer Jon Thornton likes this painting a lot.

Skipjack Kathryn Working off Sandy Point Chesapeake Bay from a photo by Michael J. Reber

12" x 16"
Oil on canvas
Framed in black floating frame

My brother-in-law Michael J. Reber is an outstanding photographer and loves the Chesapeake Bay. He and his wife Mary Jane want the great resource that is the Bay and that we have damaged to be fully restored. I did an abstract painting for them of a skipjack oyster dredging sailboat (Sailing in Close). I had researched skipjacks so when I was inspired by a photo of his of skipjack Kathryn taken some years ago when she was working off Annapolis this painting of that name was easier. (The Kathryn is a National Historic Landmark and is being restored). The skipjack is the state boat of Maryland. They dredge for oysters and are allowed a push boat at the stern to sometimes push them around as they work. There are only a few left and I am not sure any do anything now other than haul school children around and race.

Yosemite from photo by Rich Steip

15" x 18"
Oil on canvas

I started this painting in a class on the painter Paul Jean Martel and his style. I finished it at home. Other than an oil portrait done in a class I had not painted in oils for many years. The photo of the scene was taken by good friend Rich Steip who is an excellent photographer. In the class the teacher wanted us to copy a Martel painting but I chose to use my Steip photo as the scenes were similar. The painting is with my friends the Shulls in Oregon.

1960–1970

Los Altos Hills Stanford (1964)

24" x 18"
Oil on canvas

This oil was done during law school and is with Andrew Shull in Oregon.

Bowl of Bread (1962)

Oil on board

This painting was done while I traveled in Europe in the summer of 1962. It was done in Yugoslavia or Austria. I am not sure who in Europe has this painting.

Rooftops in Venice (1962)

Oil on canvas board

I painted this as I motored around Europe in the summer of 1962. I enjoyed painting on the spot directly from observation. This view was from the window where I was staying. The church of San Giuliano (San Zulian in Venetian dialect) is apparently the only church in Venice with the bell tower growing from the roof. The many others are stand alone structures. The painting was rediscovered by me having gone missing for a time. The reverse says it was painted July 1962 from the pension Berga in the early morning. I believe the church of San Giuliano was founded in the 9th century and rebuilt in the 12th and 16th centuries. This is one of my favorite paintings. Another is of the Han River in DaNang South Vietnam. The painting is a favorite and is with family in Franklin, Tennessee.

Landscape European Farm (1962)

Oil on canvas board

I traveled in many countries in the summer of 1962 but I think I did this while staying in Vienna Austria and the painting is of Yugoslavia. While in Yugoslavia I stayed on a farm and learned to cut hay with a scythe. This painting was given away in Europe.

Rijeka Yugoslavia (1962)

Oil on canvas board

I painted this while in Yugoslavia in the summer of 1962. Beautiful seaside port. The painting was given away in Europe.

Maria Louisa Walla (1962)

Oil on canvas board

Maria Louisa lived in Vienna and I met her when she was with a group of Oberlin College students in the summer of 1962. Her father fought on the Russian front during World War II. I had some great tours of Vienna after I returned there from Hamburg by train having shipped my car home. Vienna was a wonderful city and a true meeting of East and West. This painting was part of an impressionistic phase. The painting was given away in Europe.

Francoise Majorel (1962)

Oil on canvas board

I met Francoise in San Sebastian Spain in the Basque country in the summer of 1962. Her parents vacationed there. I also met an Englishman Tom Freemantle from Watford and traveled with him to Pamplona. I later visited Francoise at her home in Seine-et-Oise France and she later dropped in on my mother and aunts in Chicago while I was in law school. This painting was from an expressionist phase. The painting was given away in Europe.