Western Oil Landscapes

My latest work is focusing on scenes from Napa and Sonoma. I stumbled upon the incredible Petaluma Creamery on a painting scouting trip. I couldn't believe how great the building was, with the cow statue as the pièce de résistance! So happy to have found this site.

One of the pleasures of living in Northern California is the beautiful Victorian architecture sprinkled throughout the towns and cities. These oils capture the lovely light of the coast on the little jewel-like mansions. I like to paint both well-kept and decaying examples of Victorian craftsmanship. Today, building a house with a scalloped facade and Italianate moulding on every window and eve would seem an unaffordable extravagance, so it is amazing to think that people built these extraordinary buildings without power tools. The love of such labor lives on in their facades, even when the houses have been left to the elements.

I have also collaborated on Western scenes with photographer Claudio Cambon, who travelled through Colorado and Wyoming. Our work together hangs at The Kiski School in Saltsburg, Pennsylvania.