Featured Art

"Garden Jewel"

A constant visitor to the garden in front of the south end of the barn, this female ruby throated hummingbird is a familiar sight during my morning and evening trips to the barn.

Undeterred by my presence there, I often stop and watch as she flits from blossom to blossom sipping nectar from the Jacob Cline Monarda which blooms profusely at the back of the garden.

As difficult as hummingbirds can be to photograph in motion, I found capturing one at rest even more challenging. My patience was rewarded with this image of her momentarily perched among the tall grasses beside the paddock fence.

Open edition. Unstretched canvas print, lustre finish. Image size: 12 x 8", $85.00. To purchase, click here.

Brush stroke finish, Gallery and Museum Wrap also available.

Additional sizes, papers, and frame options on request.

Image also available on notecards.

Art at the Classic

I received confirmation today that both of my photographic entries have been accepted to Art at the Classic, held in conjunction with the 26th Annual Draft Horse Classic in Grass Valley, California, September 20 - 23, 2012.

Now to get them framed!

"Days Gone Bye"

"Jeremy and Phil"

Featured Art

"Thanks, Bud"

On Tuesday, July 10, 2012, I will be celebrating 30 years with my very best friend, Mi Choyce. I wrote this blog post several years ago, and while trying to decide on this months featured art I felt this image summed up simply what all of us horse crazy kids know to be true, so I'm sharing it with you again:

Of little girls and horses...

This piece is quite possibly the one of greatest sentimental value to me. A tender moment is exchanged between my then two year old daughter Michaela and my beloved horse, Mi Choyce.

In appreciation of her ride, Michaela marched directly into the hay room, came back with an armload of hay - which she stuffed in his feed bucket - and patted him gently on the head.

That inexplicable connection between little girls and horses, captured in this heartwarming moment. An enduring reminder of one of the simplest joys: friendship.

Open edition. Unstretched canvas print, lustre finish. Image size: 24" x 16", $225.00. To purchase, click here.

Brush stroke finish, Gallery and Museum wrap also available. Additional sizes, papers and frame options on request.

Image also available as a large magnet and single or boxed notecards.

Featured Artist @ Imagekind

Thank you Imagekind for selecting me as one of your Featured Artists of the day! :)

Visit http://solacepointe.imagekind.com/store to view available work and purchase prints.

Featured Art

"Paul Anka"

After spending a great deal of the first two years of his life with me, on Saturday, I will be taking Paul Anka on a transport run to St. Louis where he'll be reunited with his girl - my daughter Allanah.

Very simply, I am going to miss him.

Open edition. Unstretched canvas print, lustre finish. Image size: 12" x 8", $85.00. To purchase, click here. Brush Stroke finish, Gallery and Museum wrap also available.

Additional sizes, papers, frame options and gallery mount on request.

Image also available as a 12x18" poster, magnet and single or boxed notecard.

Featured Artist @ Imagekind

Thank You, Imagekind, for selecting me as one of your Featured Artists of the day! :)

Visit http://solacepointe.imagekind.com/store to view available work and purchase prints.

Featured Art

"White on White"

Meet Lila, a beautiful eleven week old Lab/Pit mix, and my present from Michael this past Christmas. She joins my two boys Jordan and Caleb, filling a very special place in our pack.

When my best girl Faith passed away in August of 2009, the boys never completely filled the hole she left in my heart. The love I had for her needed to be shared. I had room for someone new. And so begins our journey with my new best girl. Though Faith can never be replaced, and Lila's got big prints to follow in, my pack feels whole again.

At four months now, Lila has found her place easily; embracing her new life here and bringing joy to each of us. Her story is just beginning...

Open edition. Unstretched canvas print, lustre finish. Image size "24 x 16", $225.00. To purchase, click here.

Brush Stroke finish, Museum and Gallery Wrap also available.

Additional sizes, papers and frame options on request.

"White on White" is from our "Foster Hope" collection. A percentage of the sales from this print will be donated in Lila's name to the local rescue she was adopted from.

Featured Art

"Percheron Foal"

Spring may be months away yet here in Western New York, but it has not stopped me from dreaming of frolicking foals and green grass. This winter in particular has found me counting the days until warmer weather arrives; it has been unseasonably cold this year, and seemingly greyer than usual.

So, as I sit nestled in my studio until the grass reappears and that new crop of foals arrive, I thought I would share one of my favorite foal pics with you ~ a darling percheron colt dozing in the lush Spring grass and this month's featured art:

Open edition, unstretched canvas print, lustre finish. Image size: 24" x 16", $225.00. To purchase, click here.

Brush stroke finish, Gallery and Museum wrap also available.

Additional sizes, papers and frame options on request.

Featured Art

" Jordan's First Snow"

There's something magical about the first snow of the season. Love or hate winter, there is beauty in those first flakes falling - blanketing the world in a soft hush of white. Winter beckons to the child in all of us, and the dogs are no exception. Jordan, then three months old, enjoys his first outing into this wonderous landscape in this month's featured art:

Open edition. Unstretched canvas print, lustre finish. Image size: 12 x 8", $85.00. To purchase, click here. Museum, Gallery Wrap and Brush Stroke finish available.

Additional sizes, papers and frame options on request.

Featured Art

Quietude

Here in Western New York, we have been fortunate to have had temperate, sunlit weekends perfect for viewing the spectacular foliage this fall. On one of our recent outings, we came across this little marsh tucked amongst the pines along a wooded trail; the stately trees perfectly reflected on its surface, the tranquil stillness seemingly tangible in this month's featured art:

Open edition. Unstretched canvas print, lustre finish. Image size: 24" x 16", $225.00. To purchase, click here.

Brush stroke finish, Gallery and Museum Wrap also available.

Additional sizes, papers and frame options on request.

The Silence Broken @ California Brew Haus

Here are a few pics of The Silence Broken from the fifth annual Halloween Bash at the California Brew Haus in Rochester, New York:

John

Nik, Jones and Myka

Justin

This was their first show in six months after taking some time off as singer Nik Humphreys recouperated following a procedure he underwent that required resting his vocal cords. The guys sounded great - treating their fans to two new songs; playing seven songs in all from their forthcoming cd "In Search of Hope".

The band goes back into the studio this week.

For more info, visit The Silence Broken.

Morgan

Here are a few pics from my session with Morgan, a twelve year old Golden Retriever. We're creating a surprise portrait for his Mom's 60th birthday ~ a gift from one of my clients.

Featured Art

"Autumn"

Sunlight days and crisp nights transform the cool green of summer ~ drenching this maple in brilliant shades of autumn red, orange and yellow.

Fall is, with a doubt, my favorite time of year. I relish the days leading into winter. The air is crisp and cool; a welcomed respite from the sweltering summer heat, and the autumn sun baths everything in a luminous glow. These are coveted days, savored with long walks, morning rides, weekend outings, bonfires and fresh pressed cider. The vibrant foliage, the crunch of leaves underfoot, the smell of woodburning stoves, the honking of geese as they begin their migration south - it is a season that delights the senses, its splendor captured in this months featured art:

Open edition. Unstretched canvas print, lustre finish. Image size: 12" x 18", $175.00. To purchase, click here.

Brush stroke finish, Museum and Gallery Wrap also available.

Additional sizes, papers and frame options on request.

Cerragh Leigh

Here are a few pics from my session with Cerragh Leigh, a wonderful twelve year old yellow lab owned by Frank and Jeanne Lauta:

Chief

It is with great sadness that we said goodbye to Chief yesterday. I am grateful for the time he was with us, and that he went quietly in the end; though I'm not sure knowing that it would be soon was of any solace when the time came, just relief.

The day is grey and quiet, reflecting the mood on the farm, as if it knows we mourn. Manny and Choyce, Jordan and Caleb are all accutely aware of the absence and loss of their friend. There is a void in my heart this morning as big as his empty stall. How long before I will stop anticipating his greeting each morning I arrive at the barn?

Michaela and I will be planting a butterfly garden on his grave as a memorial; whenever he got out he would inevitably meander through the one by the pond - much to my dismay - completely obliterating it, as though Belgians hold some grudge against butterflies.

I am also setting up a fund that will benefit aged draft horses through sales of "Sentinel", a portrait of Chief, and September's featured art. At this time, I am not sure which organization(s) that will be. If you know of a worthy recipient, please let me know.

"Sentinel"

Open edition Fuji Crystal Archive print, 10" x 15", $50.00. To purchase, click here. Additional sizes, papers and frame options available.

Open edition unstretched canvas print, lustre finish, 12" x 18", $175.00. To purchase, click here. Brush stroke finish, Gallery and Museum Wrap also available.

12" x 18" Gallery Mount, $185.00. To purchase, click here.

12" x 18" Poster, $5.00. To purchase, click here.

Small Magnet, 2 3/8" x 3 1/4", $3.50. To purchase, click here.

Notecards w/envelopes: single card, linen paper, $3.50. box of ten cards, linen paper, $25.00.

Safe journey, big dawg. You will be missed.

Solace Place, A Ten Year Retrospective

To my wonderful family, all of you who visited, and especially to GoArt! for hosting it in their beautiful gallery: my deepest gratitude and thanks for your support of this exhibit. The response received was overwhelming.

A photographic book featuring all of the images from the exhibit, artist notes as well as many more images from my personal archives is scheduled to be released by the end of October.

I am pleased to say that through sales from the exhibit, donations will be made to the following non profit organizations: The Humane Society at Lollypop Farm, The Nature Conservancy, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Genesee Orleans Regional Arts Council (GoArt!).

As many of you know, there are plans in the works for this exhibit to continue and grow. I have already been urged to put together future exhibits as our journey here continues. A retrospective every three to five years is currently being considered.

The exhibit will remain online throughout the remainder of the year, and will be the first exhibit on display in our newly renovated gallery at the Solace Pointe studio this fall.

Featured Art

"Sentinel"

Very often when I am outside working I will glance up to find Chief, our Belgian gelding, silently observing me. There is a wisdom in the depth of his gaze; a look of gentleness and knowing, perhaps earned through a life of service and labor in younger years. His days are now spent leisurely meandering about, as here, I assume the role of resident workhorse. Affectionately known as my "big dawg", it took time for us to become friends, this toady old belgian and me. But like many a crotchety old man, he has a softer side - and he has found that underneath it all I do, too. Our daily interactions have inevitably taught us much about one another, and slowly understanding has turned to acceptance, caring and most of all, the friendship we now share.

At nearly twenty-nine, Chief's aged body struggles at times, and there have been some rough days these past few weeks. Days when his old legs do not have strength to support his massive frame and we sit quietly together, taking comfort in the presence of one another. Days of watching and waiting for him to tell me he is ready to journey elsewhere, secretly hoping that he will instead just drift quietly away in his slumber, as I thought he had the first morning I came to know that he'd be leaving us before long. Peaceful. And without suffering.

I am thankful for each day he remains with us, knowing that he will tell me when it is time to say goodbye. Yet I am dreading that final call to the vet, or of finding him ... Every morning I am greeted by his gentle nicker is the sound of another precious day. I will take them as they come, and rejoice in their number ~ as I am not quite ready yet, either, dear friend.

Sales from this work currently go toward Chief's care. In the future, a portion of the continued sale of this work will be donated in his honor to support other aged draft horses. If you know of a worthy organization, please contact me.

Open edition unstretched canvas print, lustre finish. Image size: 12" x 18", $175.00. To purchase, click here.

Brush Stroke finish, Gallery and Museum Wrap also available.

Fuji Crystal Archive print, size 10" x 15", $50.00. To purchase, click here.

Gallery Mount, size 12" x 18", $185.00. To purchase, click here.

Additional sizes and papers on request.

Image also available as a 12 x 18 poster, small magnet, and single or boxed notecard.

Barn Swallows

"Barn Swallows"

It was such a short time ago that the swallows returned to spend the summer months raising their young within the weathered beams of our old barn. Four short months ago, to be exact, that the first male arrived on the evening of April 20th, delighting me with his presence and the promise that Spring had indeed finally arrived.

As August comes to an end, their second brood of four has been fledged - and, along with the other pair and their trio of fledglings, they have all left on the migratory journey that will hopefully see them return to us next Spring. Until then, I am left with empty nests to remind me of their cheerful greetings each morning as I arrived to feed the horses, and the knowledge that winter is once again, not far off.

Print only, double matted and ready to frame, 14" x 11" (10" x 7" image), $35.00. To purchase, click here.

Framed print, 13" x 11" (7" x 5" image), $180.00. To purchase, click here.

Gallery Mount, 10" x 7", $65.00. To purchase, click here.

Additional sizes, papers and canvas options on request.

Featured Art

"Lake Stones"

I feel a certain affinity towards these type of beaches - rock versus sand; they are infinitely more interesting to me and there is comfort in the familiar sound of the rocks underfoot as they are carefully navigated. There is comfort also in the soothing sound of the waves washing over them. Sitting along the waters edge at days end as the waves gently lap the shore and the sun sinks beyond the horizon is one of my favorite indulgences. It is a mingling of scent and sound which brings calm and peace to my very soul.

As a child, summers were spent along the shores of Lake Ontario, where I would often spend my days collecting rocks when I wasn't swimming. I still come home with a bag of colorful stones each time we visit. There are cylinders of them in our living room, which is themed around our mutual love of the water, and the time we spend there as a family: a port in the dead of winter when the bitter cold closes in around me and I long for the carefree days of summer.

Our featured art for the month is an image from a recent trip to Chimney Bluffs. It was a glorious summer day: the water was clear and calm, providing a spectacular view of the lake bed and the perfect opportunity to capture the stones revealed just beneath its' shimmering surface.

Open edition. Unstretched canvas print, Lustre finish. Brush stroke finish available. Image size 24" x 16", $225.00. To purchase, click here.

Museum and Gallery Wrap also available.

Additional sizes, papers and frame options on request.

Opening Reception

Thank you to everyone who attended the opening reception of Solace Place, A Ten Year Retrospective. I am especially grateful to Kelly Kiebala, Executive Director of GoArt!, for her assistance.

If you missed the opening reception, the exhibit remains on display through September 10, 2010 at the Bank of Castile Main Gallery at GoArt!, Seymour Place, 201 East Main Street, Batavia, New York. Regular gallery hours are Monday - Friday, 9am - 4pm.

Unable to attend in person? View the exhibit online.