Welcome

My on-the-road studio

This blog is no longer active. But I encourage you to read the posts anyway. These posts trace the paintings I made on the road during the time I toured as a singer-songwriter and the stories behind them. I bought my field kit in Holland during the fall of 1996 and used it for all of the paintings on this blog working out of the tiny knapsack pictured above.

These paintings cover some years of my European touring right through to my Walden Pond series in late 1999. You can see paintings from Germany, France, Italy, Monaco, Holland and Belgium as well as the ones I made in South Carolina and New England.

Just browse through the sidebar contents or start from the beginning of the blog and work your way forward.

All of the paintings are for sale and a few are still available as limited edition, signed prints on Arches watercolor paper. You can email me for a list of what's available.

You can listen to and learn more about my songs by visiting my main website where you can also see my more recent watercolors.

Thanks for visiting. Enjoy your browsing and, if you have any questions, feel free to get in touch.

from Original House Site, Walden Pond

from the Original House Site, Walden Pond
Concord, Massachusetts
3 October 1999
4 x 6", archival mat & backing to 8 x 10"
Sold in set of all 5 Walden Pond original paintings
$1500 (including USPS Priority Shipping)

After walking around the Pond, I sat myself down in front of the site where Thoreau built his cabin and made this painting. A good way to complete the set. It was a great pleasure to make these paintings and I hope you've enjoyed them. Read Henry David Thoreau's writings when you have a chance. Walden is short and sweet. Visit the Pond if you're in the Boston area. It's well worth the trip and, if you're a swimmer and it's warm enough, it's one of the great swimming experiences.

This post brings my Grand Tour paintings to a close.

Come visit my current painting blog Landscape into Art to see what I'm making now.

Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.

Be sure to visit my other blogs where you can see my current paintings, sketches and posts on art and life.

My songs and CDs

Main Beach, Walden Pond

Main Beach, Walden Pond
Concord, Massachusetts
21 September 1999
4 x 6", archival mat & backing to 8 x 10"
Sold in set of all 5 Walden Pond original paintings
$1500 (including USPS Priority Shipping)
Email me to purchase

A personal favorite, I clambered off the trail to make this painting. It was a perfect day and everyone at the Pond knew it. What fun to capture the beach goers in little blobs of color on this Tuesday afternoon in late September. I remember the patience I enlisted to work on this while anticipating making my way back to the other side of the beach where I would, finally, start my swim across.

Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.

Be sure to visit my other blogs where you can see my current paintings, sketches and posts on art and life.

My songs and CDs

Thoreau’s Cove, Walden Pond

Thoreau's Cove, Walden Pond
Concord, Massachusetts
19 September 1999
4 x 6", archival mat & backing to 8 x 10"
Sold in set of all 5 Walden Pond original paintings
$1500 (including USPS Priority Shipping)
Email me to purchase

For this view of Thoreau's Cove, I worked my way a little further along the trail around the Pond and settled on a rock at Little Cove. You can see that spot on the Walden Pond Map and how it afforded me a nice view of Thoreau's Cove.

I think this must be called Thoreau's Cove because it is the spot on the Pond directly in front of Thoreau's original house site. I'll have to go re-read Walden, but I imagine that this is where he entered the Pond and probably the reason he selected the site to build his cabin.

Next week, I'll show you the view I painted from Thoreau's original cabin site.

Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.

Be sure to visit my other blogs where you can see my current paintings, sketches and posts on art and life.

My songs and CDs

Emerson’s Cliff, Walden Pond

Emerson's Cliff, Walden Pond
Concord, Massachusetts
5 September 1999
4 x 6", archival mat & backing to 8 x 10"
Sold in set of all 5 Walden Pond original paintings
$1500 (including USPS Priority Shipping)
Email me to purchase

When I next returned with my paints to Walden Pond, I was suddenly struck with the idea of working my way around the pond, making paintings of particular sites. I studied the pond map and settled on the better marked points. I had to leave the trail now and then (a no-no) but figured it was for a good cause. Looking at the map again, I notice that I was actually in Lincoln, Massachusetts when I painted this — just over the Concord town line.

Here is a link to a photo of a view from Emerson's Cliff about 100 years ago. Now it is all closed in with trees — I wasn't able to see the pond at all.

Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.

Be sure to visit my other blogs where you can see my current paintings, sketches and posts on art and life.

My songs and CDs

Boat Launch, Walden Pond

Boat Launch, Walden Pond
Concord, Massachusetts
29 August 1999
4 x 6", archival mat & backing to 8 x 10"
Sold as set of all 5 Walden Pond original paintings
$1500 (including USPS Priority Shipping)
Email me to purchase

In July of 1999, I moved back to Boston for a little over a year. There, I recorded my Christmas CD, Out Under the Sky and taught my Basic Drawing and Watercolor Workshop almost every weekend through October. As often as I could, I drove out to Walden Pond to swim. Primed from the intensive teaching schedule, I brought my watercolor field kit along and painted, too.

The spot from which I painted the Boat Launch at the Pond is where I would always park my towel and bag before setting out to swim across the Pond and back. It was the perfect place from which to start my watercolor series of Walden Pond.

Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.

Be sure to visit my other blogs where you can see my current paintings, sketches and posts on art and life.

My songs and CDs

Tiverton Flowers

Wild Flowers
Tiverton, Rhode Island
17 July 1999
Watercolor on hot press Lana paper
6 x 4", archival mat & backing to 10 x 8"
Sold

This painting was made the day after I taught a private workshop on a friend's property in Tiverton, Rhode Island. I had missed my friend's wedding and sending a proper gift. I was so delighted with the results of this painting that I gave it to her and her husband for my long overdue gift. It is one of my favorites.

Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.

Be sure to visit my other blogs where you can see my current paintings, sketches and posts on art and life.

My songs and CDs

Folly Beach Sunset

Folly Beach Sunset
Charleston, South Carolina
June 99
Sold

The fifth, and final, installment of my Folly Beach series. Hope you enjoyed the views!

Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.

Be sure to visit my other blogs where you can see my current paintings, sketches and posts on art and life.

My songs and CDs

Folly Beach Marsh

Folly Beach Marsh
Charleston, South Carolina
June 99
Sold

The fourth installment in my Folly Beach series.

Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.

Be sure to visit my other blogs where you can see my current paintings, sketches and posts on art and life.

My songs and CDs

Folly Beach Inlet

Folly Beach Inlet
Charleston, South Carolina
June 1999
NFS

The third installment in my Folly Beach series.

Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.

Be sure to visit my other blogs where you can see my current paintings, sketches and posts on art and life.

My songs and CDs

Folly Beach Wash

Folly Beach Wash
Charleston, South Carolina
June 99
Sold

The second installment of my Folly Beach series.

Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.

Be sure to visit my other blogs where you can see my current paintings, sketches and posts on art and life.

My songs and CDs

Folly Beach Rocks

Folly Beach Rocks
Charleston, South Carolina
June 1999
Sold

Before I left Charleston, I made sure to put in some time with my paint kit at Folly Beach. Beginning today and for the following four Sundays, I'll post the sketches I made wandering down the south end of the beach and around to the inlet.

Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.

Be sure to visit my other blogs where you can see my current paintings, sketches and posts on art and life.

My songs and CDs

Colonial Lake

Colonial Lake
Charleston, South Carolina
17 May 1999
Watercolor on hot press Lana paper
6 x 4", archival mat +; backing to 10 x 8"
US$ 295  (includes USPS Priority Shipping)
Email me to purchase

If I had a nickel for every time I walked along Colonial Lake, I'd be rich! I've said it before, and I'm saying it again, one of the great pleasures of living in Charleston was being able to walk just about everywhere. On my way to and from the post office or almost anywhere in a certain direction I would make a complete round of the lake almost daily. The lake is hedged in by pink and white Oleander and often, someone would be fishing in the lake, though God knows for what. One time I saw a man reel in a giant eel. After asking him if he planned to eat it (no), I suggested that he might want to put the eel back in the water. I'll never forget the look in the eel's eyes as it was being yanked out of the lake.

One of my favorite stops between the lake and the post office on Broad Street at Savage was Burbage's Self-Serve Grocery where Mr. Robert Burbage was usually having a smoke at the register or making use of the broom. Because that man always had something really interesting (or funny) to say, I would often just go in to say hello and gab with him a while then buy one of his extremely rich broccoli cakes to eat for no good reason except to add a bunch of calories to my system.

I'm not sure if I burned enough calories walking around the lake to burn off my Burbage treat but I enjoyed the walk and made this painting as a memento for myself.

Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.

Be sure to visit my other blogs where you can see my current paintings, sketches and posts on art and life.

My songs and CDs

St. Michael's Steeple

St. Michael’s Steeple
Charleston, South Carolina
6 May 99
Sold

This is the twin to the St. Phillip's Steeple in last week's post. I made several paintings of St. Michael's, another National Historic Landmark, while in Charleston. Most notably was the one for the cover of my Christmas CD Out Under the Sky. That album originated from my performances on King Street for the city during the Christmas season. So many people asked me for a Christmas album that I decided to make one. At the beginning of the project, I thought I'd name it Carols from (or for) the Holy City but the eventual title (from the folk song I Wonder as I Wander ) won out in the end. Anyway, by the time I made the album, I'd moved from the Holy City.

Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.

Be sure to visit my other blogs where you can see my current paintings, sketches and posts on art and life.

My songs and CDs

St. Phillip's Steeple

St. Phillip’s Steeple
Charleston, South Carolina
1 May 99
Watercolor on Legion Aquarelle
6 x 4", archival mat & backing to 10 x 8"
Sold

Charleston, South Carolina is known as the Holy City because, if you look across the city skyline, you'll see an inordinate amount of steeples — all distinctive — sitting atop an abundance of churches. St. Phillip's Church is a national landmark and the oldest Anglican congregation south of Virginia.

Every Sunday I post a new painting and story behind the watercolors I made while touring as a singer songwriter. Follow the stories behind the paintings of these serialized posts by working your way up from the bottom.

Be sure to visit my other blogs where you can see my current paintings, sketches and posts on art and life.

My songs and CDs