Was on a business trip in Seattle. Our hosts took us to a restaurant on the opposite side of the bay from downtown Seattle. Was stunned by this view from the pier. Thankfully, I had my camera handy – was able to get a number of great reference shots.

I call this a “study,” but I created this small painting after I completed the larger “Eiffel Tower Carousel.” Eiffel Tower Carousel took a number of hours to complete. Brushstrokes used to create it were pretty tight, and I paid attention to detail. Wanted to see if I could create a looser, more relaxed version of this scene and do so in a couple of hours. This is the outcome.

One of 3 paintings created for Airgas’ 2006 Holiday Cards (See also “Extra Run” and “The Extra Mile.”) Was going for a Thomas Kinkade/Terry Redlin vibe in these paintings.

Stacey’s cousin is a great guy. Graduated from college a few years ago and is enjoying single life. He joined me and a couple of other older guys in our family at a bar one night. Needled him about the opposite sex – encouraged him to share some of his pick up lines. Said his favorite is “My name’s Leonard. I’m a rodeo clown.” Probably the worst pick up line I’ve ever heard. Not sure if he’s even seen a live bull in his life. Couldn’t let it rest, and used it as inspiration for this portrait of him.

Painting of Orange County Choppers that Airgas had built for an anniversary. Early on, prints were used to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis.

Take a few trips to New York City every year. Love the way the buildings seem to close in over your head. Have always been facinated by the Empire State Building – wore out a King Kong comic book reading it over and over again as a kid. Tried to capture elements of the city that I love in this painting. The guy in the front is my buddy Dave.

For the past few years, have taken a trip with my wife’s family to a train station in Jim Thorpe, PA, to ride a steam locomotive. As we were waiting for the ride to begin, I snapped a shot of my son. Love the way the sunlight created these warm highlights on his face. Started out just drawing his face and body without the background, but my wife encouraged me to finish off the background detail – glad she did.

Took the reference shot for this pencil drawing while on a family vacation in Orlando. Was at one of the parks at night. Pink, yellow, and blue lights were creating some real funky highlights. The girls were starting to get stir crazy – had them pose for at least a dozen shots. Got this reference shot toward the end when the girls were starting to get silly. Wanted this to have a psychedelic, early `70’s vibe.

For me, nothing beats a Jersey Shore boardwalk – Mack & Manco’s Pizza (now Manco & Manco’s), Johnson’s Popcorn, hitting a few rides, catching a movie at the strand… Could be content people watching on the boardwalk for hours.

Stacey and I had a blast on our first trip to Paris. Especially liked the glitz of the area surrounding the Moulin Rouge – the giant neon windmill, the Art Deco architecture of the Metropolitain Stations, and the endless parade of night owls cruising the street. Caught this area one night just at the right time – daylight was fading but the area was just waking up.