Whether the subject is animate or inanimate there is almost always water nearby to influence the subject and mood of the work. The constantly changing tides, waves, light, wind and mist create one of the biggest challenges in accurately capturing the scene and, hopefully, lead to satisfaction in the final product.
Ho Chi Minh City
A great smile and apples that look good enough to eat. This made the photo a keeper and the subsequent painting very satisfying. When they are hard at work I try to catch people unawares so as to preserve the spontaneity. But in this case I thought her awareness added to this street scene in Viet Nam where so much business is conducted outdoors.
The Print: 15 x 12 image on an archival cotton rag.
Arequipa, Peru
As our tour bus left Arequipa for the Andean highlands everyone else made a dash for the bodega to purchase aqua for the day ahead when I, camera on the ready, spotted this child entertaining himself with the lock and chain his parents had used just moments earlier to secure the metal gate of their shop. He seemed as confused by the intricacies of his newfound toy as by my desire to immortalize him in watercolor.
The Print: 10 x 15.5 image on an archival cotton rag.
Havana, Cuba
Top of the first inning of the Cuban World Series and the home team was already down 11-0. You can see it in their faces. I left during the third inning, when the score was even worse, but the crowd stayed to support their team. A microcosm of life in Cuba. The good news for me was that it cost only a few dollars for entry with a seat behind home plate. The fans paid even less, one of the factors likely contributing to the score.
The Print: 10 x 15 image on an archival cotton rag.
Laos
Spotted from my bicycle with both me and my camera dripping from the Laotian heat and humidity. The water buffalo were certainly enjoying their day.
The Print: 17 x 22 image on an archival cotton rag.
Mountainside Village, Laos
I think of this as my National Geographic painting. The walking sticks were gifts to our group after we delivered fans to the village school which had only recently received electricity.
The Print: 8 x 12 image on an archival cotton rag.
Cienfeugos, Cuba
Part of the Cuba series. Ever on the hunt for an exciting/emotional scene to capture these entertainers were serenading a group of tourists more interested in their picnic lunch and rum when the bass player gave me the evil eye for interrupting his performance.
The Print: 10 x 15 image on an archival cotton rag.
Cuba
While waiting for others to board our tour bus after visiting the national park I spotted this local gatherer and his Quixote-like steed along the same road. This was obviously not the first time along this road for the vaquero or the horse. The heat and humidity left me to wonder who was worse for the wear, them or me.
The Print: 10 x 15 image on an archival cotton rag.
Cusco, Peru
The homeowner was very creative in making ends meet: serve a meal in your home to the tourists and allow them to explore on their own, meet the family as well as their pets, several of whom were on the menu. And yes guinea pigs do taste like chicken. I felt I captured the detail in the individual corn cobs to a great extent as they were illuminated by the light entering through the opening in the stone wall.
The Print: 18 x 12 image on an archival cotton rag.
Havana, Cuba
He was one of the few individuals I saw working to repair the decrepit structures in which people live and work throughout Havana. During the period I observed him he spent more time talking to his coworker and applying the plaster to his clothing than to the needy walls making me better appreciate the difficulty of his task.
The Print: 10 x 15 image on an archival cotton rag.
Trinidad, Cuba
There is no shortage of subject matter in Cuba. Just another day for this fellow who alternated between his choice of addictions while his companion could care less.
The Print: 10 x 15 image on an archival cotton rag
Havana, Cuba
Upon seeing this painting James Hernandez, 1st generation Cuban American and our guide for a subsequent trip in the Everglades, said: “My parents know this guy”. Apparently he has played at the same spot in Havana for many years. The world continues to shrink.
The Print: 10 x 15 image on an archival cotton rag.
Trinidad, Cuba
Like kids would anywhere, this group chose to mug for the camera after completion of their rehearsal for the night’s upcoming celebrations. Unfortunately it rained, the celebration of Trinidad’s 500th birthday was canceled and we never met again. But their effort was sincere.
The Print: 10 x 15 image on an archival cotton rag.
Luang Prabang, Laos
The simplicity of the composition is the result of the juxtaposition of this musician and his instrument. Almost stoic in his demeanor he provided the music while a group of colorful, costumed native dancers offered traditional movement and interpretation.
The Print: 12 x 18 image on an archival cotton rag.
Everglades National Park
“If you just ignore the alligators they won’t bother you” was the advice offered by the group leader affording me sufficient time to compose this scene for the future. The complexity of the image was a potential limiting factor when I considered whether to trust the advice I had been offered. I guess all’s well that ends well.
The Print: 18 x 14 image on an archival cotton rag.
Kauai, Hawaii
I wasn’t sure what my son’s next move would be. Selfish that I was, I only knew I needed to capture the moment for posterity. Obviously this could be any of our sons or daughters at many points in their lives.
The Print: 24 x 18 image on an archival cotton rag.
Havana, Cuba
They all seem to work so hard to barely get by, having to lead lives of limited or false hope based on a diet of propaganda and what remains at the end of a day’s toil.
The Print: 10 x 15 image on an archival cotton rag.
Kauai, Hawaii
One of my favorites for its attention to detail.
The Print: 11 x 17 image on an archival cotton rag.
Sanibel, Florida
The blue and whites of the sky, sand, water, and birds are a color and tone that can be presented in a great variety of ways and depend on movement, light, shadow, and what lies beneath and behind. For me there may be no greater challenge artistically than water.
The Print: 23 x 17 image on an archival cotton rag.
Kauai, Hawaii
A somewhat tedious piece what with so many repetitive details. But if you check out the features of the branches, the leaves, and the flowers the minutia adds up to a piece worth all the time and effort that went into creating it.
The Print: 15 x 21 image on an archival cotton rag.
Kauai, Hawaii
Hawaii as it is meant to be seen. The trick is capturing the wind and how it effects all around it.
The Print: 23.5 x 9.5 image on an archival cotton rag.
Kauai, Hawaii
Each of the islands is different but they also share similarities like the opportunity to contemplate life with a quite walk on the beach.
The Print: 23 x 17 image on an archival cotton rag.
Kauai, Hawaii
One of my favorite pieces which captures constant change due to motion, light, and shadow. While a stationary subject can also be difficult to capture the variables noted above create a challenge which in this case was achieved to my satisfaction.
The Print: 12 x 18 image on an archival cotton rag.
Cienfuegos, Cuba
Of all my work I may be the proudest of this portrait. A woman in her mid-nineties, Rennie was deaf but enjoyed the vibrations of music. While my tour group surveyed the art workshop operated by her grandchildren, I became bored and returned to the street turning back to see the grandmother emerging through the doorway. After I captured the moment I was coaxed into singing for her. Arm in arm we swayed on the sidewalk to L.O.V.E. as the cameras flashed around us. I completed the painting after she passed but was able to deliver a print of the work to her family. A few weeks later I was rewarded with a photo of her grandchildren displaying the print together in the same art workshop I visited in Cienfuegos. A Cuban moment that has so much meaning to me.
The Print: 10 x 15 image on an archival cotton rag.
With so many scenes along the Mekong River to consider I chose to create a composite of those that most caught my attention: one daring youth breaking from his more reticent companions to show off for the tourists, the banality of village life, and the traditional techniques of fishing
The Print: 28.5 x 20 image on an archival cotton rag.
St. Augustine, Florida
I generally don’t do requests, painting what interests me. I am fortunate in this respect. However, when your father-in-law asks you make exceptions. In this case I was glad that I did because I was pleased with the outcome for more than one reason.
The Print: 15.5 x 11.5 image on an archival cotton rag.
Havana, Cuba
There was no match in progress when we returned to the former opulent, Spanish style estate-like home in central Havana with its broken wrought iron, decaying and missing ceramic tile, and original central courtyard now converted into a boxing ring. But the watchman, a retired heavy weight whose heyday was documented in an old newspaper clipping pinned to the bulletin board over his entryway desk, welcomed us and offered to don the gloves and pose for our photos ultimately for a few pesos. Many months later while on a people mover in the Hong Kong airport I was stunned to see a life size photo of the same retiree along a wall intended to entertain passersby between flights, with the same pose, same gloves and clothes, and same demeanor. Seeing him again made me feel as though my own work had been devalued somehow until I realized our circumstances would never be comparable.
The Print: 10 x 15 image on an archival cotton rag.
Titicaca, Peru
Hesitant to allow herself to be photographed until her husband gave his permission, she ultimately fully enjoyed all the attention as evidenced by the smile. She toiled along the shore of Lake Titicaca together with many other locals, the women all defined by a head covering that was an indication of the village she was from.
The Print: 13.5 x 19.5 image on an archival cotton rag.
Nevis, British Virgin Islands
The fading light provides colors aplenty but the trick is to make it work in a watercolor medium.
The Print: 18 x 10.75 image on an archival cotton rag.
Northern, North Vietnam
Close to the border with China this body of water is usually teeming with ships of all sizes, shapes, colors and purposes from tourists on day trips, overnight hotels, commercial fishing, and families leading out their lives as boat people in villages tucked along the shore.
The Print: 12.75 x 17.25 image on an archival cotton rag.
THE PRINTS
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Luang Prabang, Laos
Costumed and posing at the entrance to an opulent and historic Laotion Temple, the couple conveyed a spirit of exitement and anticipation under the watchful eye of the wedding planner. I took advantage of the opportunity created by their photographer who was crouched at my feet, sparing me the need to say “cheese” in Laotian.
The Print: 19 x 12 image on an archival cotton rag.