Great Gray OwlI am often inspired to paint animals after seeing them in the wild. This great gray owl is an exception, a species I have long hoped to see but haven't yet had the good fortune.15" X 30" 2014
Rainbow TroutIn some paintings I want to show the subject without much distraction, while in others I put more emphasis on the setting. In this case the setting is invisible water, and I'm pretty happy with the effect, particularly the sense of vertical space.16" x 20" 2014
Pacific Tree FrogThe Pacific tree frog is a common springtime sight (and sound) in Oregon, where I was living when I painted it. It seemed like a natural fit inside a leaf of skunk cabbage, another harbinger of spring in the Northwest. Steam is sometimes seen rising from skunk cabbage when the sun strikes the leaves on a chilly morning.11" X 14" 2013
Anna's hummingbirdsHummingbirds ferociously defend their favorite sources of nectar from intruders. This painting shows the instant before a tiny brawl breaks out.
American PikaSearching for pikas is a staple of summer hikes in the mountains of the west. These little lagomorphs (relatives of rabbits) gather plants and dry them into hay to eat while waiting out the winter in their rock dens.11" x 14" 2014
Brown Pelican
Painted TurtlesTurtles, painted.
Marbled SalamanderLooking through all my paintings, I realized there was very little red. This painting tries to correct that.
American Kestrel
Red Fox
Kangaroo Rat
American DipperThe dipper lives like a tiny penguin, swimming through the rapids of cold mountain streams in search of aquatic insects. I've even seen them swimming beneath the ice.
Sandhill Cranes
Five-lined Skink
Coast Horned LizardThis horned lizard (not a horny toad) paused its search for ants to pose amongst Phacelia flowers.
Black Bear
Periodical Cicadas
Forestsnail
Northern FlickerThis is the yellow-shafted eastern form of the northern flicker. I painted it shortly after moving to the west coast, and had not yet shifted my wildlife allegiances. It is the first original painting that I sold.11" X 14" 2012
Scarlet Tanager
Ringtail
Greater Roadrunner
Paddle-tailed DarnerThis dragonfly painting was inspired by a long, hot summer.
Mantis and Leafhopper
Roseate SpoonbillThis spoonbill painting was done before any of the others on this site. I made it as a gift for my girlfriend (now wife) while we were in graduate school in Florida. It may still be my favorite.15" X 20" 2010
HoneybeesThis was painted as a wedding gift for a friend who works to promote sustainable agriculture. No bees, no food.
Sea OtterI deliberately try to avoid painting "cute" animals, but come on - who can resist a sea otter?
Polyphenus Moth
Lazuli BuntingI wanted to paint a local bird with striking colors, and settled on the lazuli bunting. I had some misgivings about placing it in Himalayan blackberry, an invasive species, but couldn't shake the image of a bird among thorns.11" x 14" 2014
Pacific Giant OctopusI've been lucky enough to find a couple of these in tide pools, although they are famously elusive and well camouflaged.16" x 20" 2014
Townsend's Big-eared BatI really enjoyed painting the moon in this picture. We all see the moon so often, but don't usually give much thought to its specific geography.11" X 17" 2014
Elk
Diamondback RattlesnakeRattlesnakes got my attention in a serious way while I was working on a bird project in Arizona. I saw them often - fortunately never while I was crawling on my stomach under thorny desert scrub.11" X 14" 2014
Common RavenThis was a wedding gift for my sister. The subject of a raven was her idea, which I mention in case it seems insensitive of me to have chosen this traditional omen of misfortune. Of course, in reality, ravens are impressive animals that hardly deserve the reputation.
Monarch Caterpillars
Marbled OrbweaverHowever one feels about spiders, a dew-dropped web in the morning sun is a beautiful thing. At least that is the theory behind this painting.11" X 14" 2013
Black-tailed JackrabbitA friend of mine has tried to convince me to turn this jackrabbit into a jackelope (he makes wine under the name Jackelope Wine Cellars), but I haven't been able to bring myself to embrace cryptozoology.
Greensnake in Dogwood 3
Harbor SealWhen I worked at a bird-banding station on the Massachusetts coast, I could see harbor seals bobbing in the surf and lounging on the rocks all day. And I could hear them belching and snoring throughout the night.
PorcupineI used to see porcupines frequently when growing up in western Massachusetts. The highlight was the time I came upon a mother nursing two tiny babies in the crook of a low tree branch.16" x 20" 2013
FireflyFireflies! One of the things I miss most about living in the east.12" X 12" 2013
Violet-green SwallowsAfter drawing these swallows on sketch paper, I cut them out like paper dolls and spent an hour moving them into different arrangements before settling on this one. 16" X 20" 2013
Taylor's CheckerspotThis endangered species was suggested to me by a friend who works with the Xerces Society, an organization devoted to the conservation of invertebrates. It is perched on a paintbrush flower.11" X 14" 2014
ErmineI painted this weasel in snow when I got fixated on the idea of a white-on-white painting. Unfortunately, a lot of the subtleties are lost in the digital version, as it seems the scanner has difficulty distinguishing all those shades of white.14" X 18" 2013