Currently doing a series of sunsets I have seen over the years, across the continent. The date in the title is the last time I saw the scene, the date following is the date I did the painting.
The French Broad River may be the oldest on the planet. It predates the mountains here, which rose up as the river continued to carve its way down. Like any such watercourse the level changes constantly, but thanks to the mountainous terrain in the drainage area the flow can change dramatically in a very short time. Painting at the Ledges for a few hours I have watched as more and more rocks were exposed as the water receded. In any event, painting the river is a constant challenge and an endless pleasure. The first three paintings below are: Below the Ledges, Painting below the Ledges, and the Ledges in August.
The painting on the bottom is a rocky shoal on the Broad River which drains a valley in southeast Buncombe County. While the French Broad flows north and west (to the Tennessee, to the Mississippi and the Gulf of Mexico), the Broad River flows south and east to the Rocky Broad and eventually to the Atlantic. Below is Sunrise over Broad River (A view from Chimney Rock State Park).
Barns are going away, here and around the country. Since the advent of hay rollers, farmers don’t keep bales stashed in a loft any longer. They pile the rolls and cover them with plastic tarps, or simply leave them exposed to the weather. (Outer layers are spoiled by rain, but the inner hay remains okay.) Tobacco farmers are getting out of the nicotine trade, so drying barns are coming down. Some old barns are dismantled for the old wood, many others are left to the elements. Tragically, as I update my Web site on Nov. 21, 2021, four ancient barns in Buncombe County fell victim to arson, fortunately the hooligans/felons have been rounded up by the sheriff, so other barn owners can rest a bit easier. I don’t know (yet) if any of the one’s I’ve painted were torched.
For a painter, the old barns offer a great excuse to spend some hours in the countryside.
For more artwork, visit my Pinterest Page.
People love chickens. Sometimes they don’t like roosters who crow too early. But there seems to be an innate love of chickens in everyone I meet. And it’s not just culinary. Chicks in particular seem to draw attention. Fun fact: there are more chickens than human beings on planet earth just now. How do you like dem chickens?
For more artwork, visit my Pinterest Page.
Naturally enough I’m not limited to rivers, barns and chickens. Here’s a Green Heron perched on a flood control dam in Black Point wildlife refuge in Florida; After Darwin, a still life (sold in a charity auction), Spring Thaw (sold in a charity auction) and Young Yellow Crowned Night Heron.
Here’s my only attempt at a seascape Atlantic Rising., 24 x 36″, oil on canvas, 2013
Starting in the mid-2000s I got back to the art work I had set aside decades ago. (I actually dropped out of college in 1970 to pursue painting … and then life intervened.) For more artwork, visit my Pinterest Page.
Twin Sons of Different Moms, oil on canvas, 2015 
The Red Axe, oil on paper/panel, 2014
After Tobacco, oil on paper/panel, 2014 Three’s Company, oil on canvas, 2014
Spring Thaw, oil on panel, 2008
Behind Barbed Wire, oil on canvas, 2014