Barn with Daisies and Wildflowers

Old barns and buildings make fascinating subjects for photographs and paintings.  This old barn with attached sheds was particularly interesting because of the bright daisies and blue wildflowers growing around its foundation.  And the river running behind these buildings simply added an extra touch of interest.  This is a 6x6 inch palette knife painting on canvas and is available directly from the artist.  Contact at pwhitacre@att.net.  Enjoy!

A Road Not Often Traveled.....A palette knife painting

This  5x7 oil painting on stretched canvas takes us back a bit into earlier American history.  Before the advent of modern day technology and automobiles, covered bridges were built in many of the rural areas of our nation.  Horses and horse and buggy traffic were the common means for travel in that period and today there are still a few bridges that remain in use.  Many communities have taken it upon themselves to keep the bridges in good condition and to add necessary support to accomodate modern cars.  Many others have simply been destroyed or allowed to deteriorate to such an extent that they are no longer useful.  Still others are open for foot traffic in park areas.  They still have the power to carry us back to a simpler time and place in our nation's history.  This painting is available directly from the artist.  Enjoy!

A Road Not Often Traveled....A palette knife painting.

Covered bridges are symbolic of a time in our nation's history when life was simpler, and travel was limited to horse and buggy or horseback or just plain walking.  Many of these old buildings dot the landscape along roads that are out of the mainstream of traffic.  I used to think that New England was the main area for finding covered bridges but they can show up in many of our states.  Remember the movie "The Bridges of Madison County?"  Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep brought attention to a set of covered bridges in the mid-west through their romantic story.  Some of these structures are sill in use today though limited to light weight traffic.  Others are strictly for looking at or at best for walking through.  Such photogenic buildings allow us a brief flight of fancy back to a time when life was less complicated than it is today.  This  small painting is avaiable by contacting the artist.  Enjoy!

Sunflower Miniature Palette Knife Painting in oil

After finishing painting I decided to use up some left-over paint making small paintings on 4x5 masonite I happened to have on hand.  Painting a sunflower is always fun and that bright cheery blossom makes a perfect ending to the day.  Fortunately I found 4 frames at an antique shop that take 4x5 pictures so this palette-knife painting and 3 others yet to come will be sold in a brown-toned frame.  All this for $25 and you will go a long way for a better bargain.  If interested, contact me at pwhitacre@att.net.  Enjoy!

Great Blue Heron

Large wading birds such as this heron are common visitors to the wetlands especially in Everglades National Park.  The Great Blue is a magnificent combination of blues, grays and whites.  Long necks allow for fishing in shallow waters as well as preening feathers on his back.  These birds are frequently seen in areas around ponds and lakes that provide small fish for their dining pleasure.  Long legs allow them to shadow the area over the fish they are seeking and they strike faster than the human eye can follow.  Winter brings many varieties of wading birds to the lakes and ponds in the Park.  This painting is 20x10 and is available directly from the artist.  Contact at pwhitacre@att.net.

Great White Heron

These large wading birds are a frequent resident of southern areas of the country.  These paintings were made from photographs taken in Everglades National Park.  Winter months are a great time in this Park to observe many types of wading birds both large and small.  The green mark between this bird's beak and eyes denotes the breeding season.  Their long necks can be twisted around easily for preening feathers and checking out the neighborhood!  Wading through shallow waters, they forage for small fish upon which to dine.

Sunflowers in Blue Vase

Sunflowers are popular subjects for paintings and the colors of blue and yellow go well together.  This 16x20 painting shows off both the color and the subject.  It is available directly from the artist.  Contact at pwhitacre@att.net.