Merry Belated Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Wow, What can I say? It was an incredible Christmas for painting for me! I hope all is well with everybody. Hope you are also painting away and when not painting, visiting family, making new family, and listening to good music. It doesn't get much better than that. I have had a very busy month since last posting here. I told myself to get in a blog a couple of wks ago remotely, but it never went through and then life got involved and then the holidays....blah blah blah.... A little sum up of my last month.... I needed to do a painting in the NC. mountains for a family member who was getting married out in Blowing Rock, NC. Came back to the Coast 3 days later from snow back to the warmth of the ocean. I managed to paint outside on occasions throughout the holidays. I did get a chance to visit one of my best painting buddies on NYE right before he headed off to his venture back into society of working for a living and saving up for his trecks around the world to paint. I'd love to take one with him one day, but I can't seem to pull myself away from societies grip as well as he can. I took paintings up to a new gallery in Richmond, Ricks Frame and Gallery on Patterson Ave. If you are up in Richmond stop by and take a look at my 6 paintings I have there for show. I just dropped off a painting for the Charles Taylor Art Center yesterday. The members show reception is Sunday afternoon at 3pm 1/27. Also, this wednesday I am dropping about 6 paintings at the Norfolk Collegate show in Norfolk, Va. That opening reception and sale is next sat (1/25). All this excitement has kept me busy and not post much here on my blog. Summer workshop preparations are under way so I'll keep everyone posted as to when they are. You can also always check in with Blue Skies Gallery in downtown Hampton to see when I am teaching my next class. I have lined up to teach a workshop every Monday during the month of February. If you are interested, please check with Leslie at Blue Skies and where I have all the criteria for the workshop there.....Aaaaahhhh, did you get all that? I'm starting the year off right! busy busy.... Take care, Tom

Practice with Perfection

There are stages in life, at least in my life, where there are momentary lapse of reason. Those moments vary greatly in length. Many are so long that I even forget that there are lapse of reason. They just become the norm. I continue to paint haphazardly and forget all knowledge that I have accumulated over 13 years of painting. Then there are days where everything just pops. Where the reasoning is over and you know that what you are doing is half hearted. Those days are needed in everyone I think, I mean we all go through life's uncertainties, uncertain at times, right? Haveing lived through so many of these that when I do land on my feet again I realize how little perfect practice I do. Perfect practice makes perfect paintings. To think higher than oneself and go for the gold. That's very challenging but I think we all should set out goals this way. Be it in running or just building model airplanes, do it with passion, with heart. Do whatever, but do it to the best of your ability!

Winter chill 1690

Hi folks, this time of year is a time of stiff paint, numb fingers and hot cider. One of the best times of the year for painting! Winter light has always been a favorite of mine. It's subtleties are always a challenge to capture in paint due to the temps outside. If you are able to prepare and you have on your endurance cap on it is surely worth venturing out in the elements.ti capture the soft pastel palet of mothere nature. Here Is a painting from Williamsburg I squeezed in 2 days ago in this beautiful town that hasn't changed in 200 years

How far do you go?

So often in painting I think we carry ourselves too far, not stopping a painting before its immanent death. Which in my time has been 95% of the time.

Cooler days are upon us

Hey everyone, things are starting to get a bit chilly, paint is getting stiffer from the tubes, fingers are going numb while painting. At what point do you take your butt inside and get cozy? Push on through, is what I say! Everything good is only achieved from pushing through all odds to the final product!
Here are a few paintings done with numb fingers. I hope you enjoy!

Full on Color! It's been peak here for color over the past wk. I have been fortunate enough to be able to get out and enjoy a few days of some of the best color of all year. I just ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!!! Every year I am in amazememnt again at the sites around! I often forget how beautiful winter light is to paint. God is really great to our eyes!

Plein Air 757

Hello Winter, er...winter-ish Hello folks. Hope you all have been well.... I have been up to my usual painting adventures. I recently participated in a Plein air event here in the Norfolk area called Plein air 757. It was an event where 40 regional artist all came together and spent 2 days painting in the (phone) area code of 757. It was my first time taking part in an event here in Va like this so I was very excited about it! The first day presented absolutely amazing weather! I did 3 painting's that first day. The second turned cloudy due to a tiny storm called Sandy. Sandy didn't rear her ugly head here in Va as much as in the New England area. Some painters were actually scrambling back to their families in the hard hit areas. From what i hear there are a few that still are without power. My heart goes out to them and their struggles. Here are some of the paintings that resulted from that event. I did win 2 awards for one of my paintings and one even sold the night of the "Wet painting sale!" Here are those pics!

I also did a larger piece that is in there as the last one that I have been working on in the studio for a Gallery on this side of the river. Hope you enjoy your fall, and Happy painting everyone! Tom