Latest Painting - "Butler Bound"

Earlier this year, I was commissioned to do a special painting for my friend Gary Moser.  His dad was an engineer on the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad and wanted a painting of the last locomotive (B&LE No. 869) that his dad ran before his retirement in the late 1980's.   When I agreed to do the painting, I asked Gary what scene he had in mind for his No. 869 painting and he requested that I paint it crossing the B&LE's massive bridge crossing the Allegheny River north of Pittsburgh.  Needless to say capturing all of the structure's intricate details was quite challenging, but I was really pleased with the end result...and so was Gary.  This is my second B&LE painting and my third painting set in Bessemer country.  To order prints of this exciting new painting see... Rail Theme Gallery                                 

"Belden Hill Pushers"

In the 1980's, when I lived in the Southern Tier of New York State, I had many opportunities to watch the assault on Belden Hill.  Heavy trains always had lots of horsepower on the front end, but the real show was on the back end as most trains had to be assisted up the hill.  The famous D&H shark-nosed Baldwins were long gone as pushers on Belden Hill by the time I arrived in New York State, but when I decided to paint this scene, only the sharks would do it justice.  I originally painted this scene in 2005, and though I've featured the original on my web site, I never issued prints of this painting until now.  To order prints of this exciting new painting see... Rail Theme Gallery 

New Paper...

I know it's not a very exciting topic, but what it brings to the finished product is very, very important.  I have been struggling for sometime to find the right paper that enables my reproductions to have the true colors contained in my original paintings and at the same time be acid free and have an archival life.  I also wanted the paper to be heavyweight (more like cardstock).  And, on top of everything else, I wanted to keep the cost low in order to make my prints affordable.  I had been using smooth Bristol board (100-lb stock) as a substrate but I wasn't happy with the texture and the colors were not as brilliant as I had hoped for.  I then experimented with heavier watercolor paper and different coated papers until I found a specialty line of papers produced by Epson specifically designed for the ink and printing process that I use in my reproductions.  Well, I couldn't have been more pleased!  The colors are spectacular, the borders are gleaming white and the texture is much better than the smooth Bristol paper that I had been using.  The one minor drawback to the product is that the weight is 51-lb. stock so it is thinner than the Bristol board, but will hold up very well when matted and framed.  From every other perspective this is a superior product and has a rated permanence life of 96-years.  To find out more about this product go to www.epson.com and search for Watercolor Paper - Radiant White.  I will now be using the new Epson® paper on all of my larger size reproductions, and though the cost for this new substrate is considerably higher, I will not be increasing my current prices for the time being.  If you would like to see a reduced sample of one of my prints on this new paper stock, just send a stamped self addressed envelope and I'll send you one.  I know that you will be pleased.

A Word about Originals...

Though most of the artwork for sale on this site consists of high-quality prints, mostly all of the original paintings are also for sale unless commissioned by an individual or already sold.  Most of the original paintings are 18" x 12" in size and range in price from $450 upwards to $650 exclusive of S&H costs and framing.  I have not listed prices for originals because all originals are shipped framed and matted and since that involves custom work, I prefer to discuss those details directly with the buyer.  If you are interested in purchasing an original, please send an email or call me direct.  I would be happy to discuss the details with you.  Fine art is truly affordable.