Jan Van Eyck Studies

I first discovered Jan Van Eyck when I was about twelve years old. I fell in love with his paintings and I remember begging my mother to buy me a book about him. She did and I still have the book to this day. In the last almost fifty years since then I have studied lots of types and styles of painting: Abstract, Impressionism, Hyper Realism, Scientific Illustration, Natural History, Portrait, Botanical, Landscape. But still to this day, my favorite painter is still Jan Van Eyck. And in fact, you can find almost all of the above listed styles embodied in his paintings. Especially if you look close. Here are a couple of studies I did of his drapery.

Van Eyck Drapery Studies

casein and oil on paper

8x10 inch

Angel of Abundance

I just finished painting the Angel of Abundance this morning. This one was painted entirely in Photoshop.

Desert Hilltop

The hilltop next to the Desert Lab with the slopes of Tumamoc in the background. There are lots of saguaros on Tumamoc. Saguaro cactus are found only in the Sonoran Desert and can live to be over 200 years old.

Desert Hilltop

acrylic on panel 

8x10 inch

The finest bits of desert in the Tucson Region seem like some immense botanical garden...

widely dissimilar plants that ... are mingled with each other in matchless landscape effects.

— Forrest Shreve, 1930

Crossing

The latest in my ongoing series of Anza paintings.

Crossing

oil on panel

8x10  inch

 In 1775 Juan Bautista de Anza took 300 settlers from New Spain up into present day California and founded the city of San Fransisco. This city was named after Saint Francis who was patron saint of the expedition.

Tumamoc Quietness

My Tohono O'odham friends say that the desert is quiet and that's why they are a quiet people. This is a quiet painting. From a sketch painted in the stillness of Tumamoc.

Tumamoc Quietness

acrylic on panel

8x10 inch

Trichocereus flowers

Trichocereus hybrids, sometimes called torch cacti, put on magnificent displays of large, brilliant flowers in early May. Collectors will throw impromptu parties when all their plants bloom on the same day. Although Trichocereus is not native to the U.S. (they are from South America) you can see them blooming all over Tucson in gardens, yards, containers and office buildings.

Tricho Flowers

oil on panel

8x10 inch

Mayan Corn God

Mayan Corn God statue from Mexico. I had this statue in my living room with a skylight above it. I loved the way the cool light was hitting it and had to paint it.

 

God of Maize

acrylic on panel

8x10 inch

Pygmy Owl

My painting of a juvenile Pygmy Owl - the bird that helped launch the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. As Tucson keeps growing out into the desert, Pygmy Owl habitat has been destroyed. Pima County launched a conservation plan to protect it and other plant and animal species in the Sonoran desert. This little birdie has just left the nest.

Pygmy Owl

acrylic on paper

6x10 inch

River Crossing

A painting of Soldados crossing the Santa Cruz river. In 1775 Juan Bautista de Anza took 300 settlers from New Spain up into present day California and founded the city of San Fransisco after Saint Francis who was patron saint of the expedition. I have been painting scenes like this for over 15 years for the National Park Service, City of Marana, Arizona DOT and Pima County. Most are used as signs along the Anza Trail as it winds through Arizona and California. The current paintings are for galleries and illustrations for a book I'm writing on the expedition.

River Crossing

Acrylic on Canvas 

16x20 inch