Wildlife Stories
An Artist’s Intimate View of Nature.
A Peaceful Place
The background captures the light and color of the late evening sun in September. The finer details of the dried goldenrod and milkweed were painted later at my studio using specimens retrieved from the field. The deer were roughed in on location and later refined with the use of reference photographs.
Christmas Morning at Holy Hill
I couldn’t resist putting a hidden image of Christ in each painting. It seemed to take the Holy Hill paintings to a spiritual level.
Blossom Blizzard
The blossoming crab apple tree had totally encompassed the second story balcony of my studio, giving it a feeling of being in a tree house. Every time a breeze blew, the air became full of blossom petals and a sweet fragrance while robins sang in the sunshine.
Colorado Gold
Lying in a fresh snowfall, golden in the morning sun, a majestic mountain lion’s intense gaze surveys his vast domain.
Creatures Great and Small
A large bull moose looks on a group of cardinals and white-throated sparrows congregate.
In tough winters it's not unusual to see species of birds together you normally wouldn't. It is believed that staying in large groups helps conserve the energy it takes to watch for predators and search for food.
Days Ease
A swallowtail butterfly lights on a patch of daisies, while three cottontail babies wait for mom’s return.
Dreamy Whispers
These two Polar Bear cubs are patiently waiting for their mother's return. The paw prints in the foreground are evidence that she is away, perhaps searching for food.
Duke of Autumn
This 10-point buck stands proud in the gold Autumn sunlight. The broken branch and rub marks on the old scrubby birch tree show he’s been doing mock battle with the tree and the tree lost. This painting was commissioned by the Wisconsin Public Broadcast Station.
Fishing With Grandpa
This is a portrait of my grandpa inspired by the times we spent at his favorite fishing holes around the farm. This portrait is a studio composite of many reference photos I gathered while visiting him one summer. He sat for a couple of pencil sketches and I also took many photos. One day he saw me coming with my camera in hand and said, “No way, you have enough.”
Later that day the two of us went fishing and I took advantage of the fact he had nowhere to go. I pulled my camera out of my pocket, he gave me a quick smile, and I snapped the photo. It was a great reference to use because everyone in my family remembers seeing him from this perspective.
It was an honor when asked to display Fishing with Grandpa at the Gerald Ford Presidential Museum as part of the Grand Rapids Michigan's Art Prize Show.
Freedom
In “Freedom”, an American bald eagle takes flight as the sun breaks through a dense spruce forest. It’s no wonder that our forefathers were inspired to use this great bird as a symbol of freedom.
Heavenly Slumber
Two elusive Snow Leopards huddle together for warmth. These cats are rare and endangered due to poaching and loss of habitat.
This painting was commissioned by the Bradford Exchange as one of their plate series entitled “Peace on Earth”.
His Colors at Holy Hill
“Christmas Morning at Holy Hill” and “His Colors at Holy Hill” were inspired by one of the most impressive views in Wisconsin. Holy Hill, the national shrine of Mary, sits on top of one of the highest points in the state, towering at 1,350 feet above sea level. It is a beacon of beauty, faith, and peace.
In Cover In Clover
This little fawn’s curiosity has been heightened by a couple of cabbage butterflies.
Fawns are masters at hiding and are born scentless, making it very difficult for predators to detect.
In The Bighorns
In the Bighorns a mountain lion patiently stalks four mule deer.
A friend from art school and I set out hiking late in the afternoon in the Big Horns during a steady rain. Before we got above the timberline, we decided to set up camp for the night. The next morning as the fog lifted, it was as if a curtain was slowly being pulled up to reveal ridge after ridge of the mountains in front of us. We didn't get very far that morning, because we kept stopping to take pictures.
Indian Summer
A Red Fox sits among berry briars soaking up the warm autumn sun.
Fall scenes are always exciting to display. The brilliant colors allow a full range of the painter's palette.
Little Six Pack
Six wolf pups and their mother soak up the warm sunlight streaming through a pine forest. One pup looks tempted to try and catch a swallowtail butterfly. He’s tried that trick before, though, with no luck.
Night Eyes
Two Gray Wolves lying in alder brush. The one, barely visible from his sleepy but watchful eyes. The other, nearly imperceptible.
Night scenes are always a challenge to paint and more of a challenge to reproduce.
Snowy Hideaway
Arctic Foxes in Arctic tundra. The practice of burying their noses in their thick fur helps warm the air they breathe.
Snow Crystal Morning
Frequently wild animals will look for protective cover to bed down in.
These two gray wolves are receiving a wake-up call from some chattering chickadees.
Spring Fragrance
A mother wolf and pups look on as an adventurous, curious pup is about to find out all fragrances aren’t so sweet.
Sweet Embrace
The two harp seal pups are not siblings. Harp seals only bear one baby but will raise another pup that’s been orphaned.
The Bells
Called “The Maroon Bells”, this range of snowcapped peaks near Aspen is one of the most photographed spots in Colorado. The golden aspen trees complement the purples in the ancient rock. A male mule deer stands as majestic as the mountain behind him. A doe and fawn drink cautiously at the water’s edge.
The Buffet
I noticed these sunflowers in a garden when they were bright yellow and always intended to paint them, but never did. As the fall season robbed their color I lost my chance. When I took a closer look at the dried flowers, they revealed their interesting and complex anatomy. I knew then I had to paint them this way. The chickadees are indulging in one of their favorite foods, oil-rich sunflower seeds. They also tear into the flower to search for insects.
Timber Reapers
American ingenuity knew no limits when figuring out how to harvest timber. The old-growth timber played a role in its own demise. Trestles were constructed from logs and timbers cut and assembled on the spot. The trees even supplied power to the wood-burning locomotive. Two old and wise ravens head for cover as a logging train vibrates snow from the trestle.
Trilliums of Discoveries
These two red fox pups have many discoveries to make, even though one of them is more interested in napping. The old white pine stump that the pups are using for cover is near the family farm in Northern Wisconsin. White pine forest once covered much of northeastern North America. Loggers never thought they could come to the end of the virgin pine forest. Often the prime part of the tree up to the first limbs was taken, and the tops left to decay on the ground.
Winter Lullaby
Two wolves huddled beneath the boughs of protecting evergreens, weather a raging snowstorm.
The pristine solitude is the wolves’ wintry world. We can relate to these marvelous animals, perhaps, because they are so closely related to mans’ best friend.
Woodland Dreams
A Canadian Lynx lies under the protection of snow-covered spruce boughs. Like many of the world’s wild cats, the lynx is endangered. An organization in Colorado is working to reintroduce them into the wild.
The large base of the spruce tree I used for the setting of the painting was planted by my dad when he was a boy on the family farm.