Washington, DC

For this page of my art website I chose to show a group of paintings and drawings of great variety and scenery for both my hometown, Washington, DC. Two of the paintings happen to be of the Jefferson Memorial and Cherry Blossom Trees at the downtown Tidal Basin, a popular tourist attraction every Spring season.

Georgetown University under Sunset(after my photograph) 2017 oil pastel 16 x 20 inches $295

The Phillips Collection(The House Facade) 2012 oil approx. 48 x 30 inches $600

Black-Eyed Susans at American University, 2004 oil 25 x 34 inches $400

One early summer afternoon in the 2000's when stepping outside this museum for lunch break from museum-guarding, I took a good long look at the House's Facade and decided to photograph it. When later painting this sunny scene, I took the "Artistic License" to imagine it's normally brick facade as not old(possibly 100 years old) but rather baked in warm summer sunlight, a modern moment. This, I showed for the viewer to see in the bright oranges and pinks, light warm grays and aqua-green window frames of this facade almost as though it could be a vacation home, house in Florida or California, as well as the museum it is now in Washington, DC.

Georgetown Office Window at Night 2016 color pencil 22 x 28 inches $325

After having photographed this inside my office building, I drew it in color pencil showing the viewer through the window frame an early evening lively night scene. This scene shows cars and people going up Wisconsin Ave., the main street outside our office in Georgetown.

Summer on Asbury Place, NW 2010 oil 40 x 30 inches $550

Early Evening Autumn on Davenport St., NW 2014 oil pastel 28 x 22 inches $300

On several warm summer afternoons in 2010 I painted this street scene outside my family's home on a sidewalk. It shows in"plein-air" sunlight shining on it a street perpindicular to our street with many shades of green foliaged trees lining the stret on both sides. It could be a country road in Virgina but instead of a dirt road it's a tar paved road with sunlight areas lightening it up on Asbury Street!

View of Mt. St. Alban LightPost overlooking the distant downtown Washington Monument under 2020 COVID-19 Clouds 2020 acrylic with matte medium 24 x 12 inches $340

2020 Pandemic-Masked Bicyclist

Riding in Seemingly Sunny Wesley Heights, Washington, DC

2020 color pencil 23 x 29 inches $325

When drawing this drawing after a photograph I once took of this scene I made sure to show strong, sad contrast. This contrast is clearly shown: even though I show a sunny day reflected on the light greens of the grass and tree foliage with a relaxing bicyclist riding down a street with cars going no ore than their speed limit of probably 25 MPH, it only seems to be. Why? Because of two main foreground images: The "Wesley Heights" signpost half in shadow hauntingly so and the ominous very-new-looking-golden bench empty and isolated from any sitting humans. No this is not another sunny day in Wesley Heights, Washington, DC. It's really another 2020 Pandemic-plagued doomed-day waiting for the end of it's cloudy COVID-19 virus but not possible until at least Fall, 2021 or beyond.

Mt. St. Alban Peace Cross

Overlooking The Distant Downtown U.S. Capital and Nearby Half-Mast U. S. Flag

Due to The 2020 Pandemic

2020 acrylic with matte-medium and palette-knife 38 x 26 inches $500

4th of July Fireworks over and around The Washington Monument 2019 chalk pastel on orange paper 16 x 20 inches $295

Once again I remembered the fun I originally had drawing on colored paper like I did for a former friend's commission at The Phillips Collection. Here with chalk pastel I passionately showed a plethora of fabulous fireworks exploding behind and around The Washington Monument on a past 4th of July downtown on the Wahingtonian Mall. The only part of this drawing, though, that shows its color paper, orange is the brightest fiery part of those explosive fireworks!

The Jefferson Memorial and Cherry Blossom Trees at The Tidal Basin 2007 oil

24 x 36 inches $400

Springtime at The Tidal Basin 2015 acrylic 12 x 16 inches $325

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Washington Nationals Park under Sunset(after my photograph) 2017 oil 18 x 24 inches $350

After having photographed this down at The Tidal Basin one Spring afternoon in the 2000's, I later painted it in my studio. My aim for the viewer was to experience the solid, classical presence of a Washington, DC landmark next to its lovely landscape around the Tidal Basin: Cherry Blossom Trees next to the Jefferson Memorial standing tall and dignified even under ominous Springtime clouds in 2007.

Also after photographs I took at The Tidal Basin in the 2000's but unlike it's neighbor painting to the left of this one, this acrylic painting is a much more uplifting, an optimistic oval-shaped canvas!. It's like an Easter egg hatched forth with happening humanity showing sunny,Springtime at Washington, DC's Tidal Basin. It, though, is a more diverse scene showing a modern interpretation of America's original 13 colonies' nations(England, Scottland, Ireland, Holland, France). This original American motto in Latin is: "E Pluribus Unum"(Out of many, one). Reflecting this here in 2015 are Hispanic mother and Child or African-American couple and child living along side white young couples, or white fun-in-the-sun photographer and model or individuals hanging out at the Tidal Basin's medal, iron fence. It's an idealized image in colorful clothing during a calm, relaxing Spring afternoon but inspirationally so nonetheless!

NW Washington, DC Kitchen

Storm Backdoor in Winter

2009 acrylic 32 x 24 inches $495

After having photographed this on a chilly Winter Washingtonian cloudy day, I painted this reflectingly so in a grim but glorious kitcken storm door's view from my birth home's kitchen. It has the special and unique perspective, the authentic angle of an Andrew Wyeth painting for sure but with acrylic paint not egg tempera. The weathered- gray shadowed-weary kitchen storm door is reflected really well in the kitchen mop standing, hung-out-to-dry on our house's backporch and guardrail. The distant winter forsythia bushes and protruding dogwood tree's branches and olive-green grass have seen better days in Spring, Summer, and Fall for sure.The neighbor's alley garages hopefully too!

NW Dogwood Tree in Winter 2009

acrylic 36 x 30 inches $500

Also painted after a photograph I took in and of the backyard of my birthhouse, I created in authentic acrylic paint what I consider my "Realist-Expressionist" masterpiece, I think. Unlike the more straightforward strong Cherry trees in the front of my birthhome, especially in blossomed-Spring, this thin but thick, solid dogwood tree branching out to every corner of the canvas except the bottom makes you feel convincingly that this truly is the "dead-of-Winter." Even so, the twisting, turning,sprawling branches from the tree trunk in various shapes and sizes has a lively unstoppable "mind of-its-own': it can't be contained by the picture's plan, it's wild and free, could go on forever, I think even older than our 1930's Williamsburg-styled brick house! And the black guard, stair's ironrail introduces it spirallingly well!.