12 Day Carnival Mediterranean Cruise

It was quite a shock to witness the sinking of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off of the west coast of Italy at Giglio Island on Friday, January 13th, 2012.    It makes me think that 'but for the Grace of God, there go I'.  Just three months ago, my wife and I had the trip of a lifetime on Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Magic, that took us on a 12 day trip, primarily centered around Italy.  At that time we were also visitors to the port of Civitavecchia, where the Costa Concordia had departed before it's sudden demise at Giglio Island.

 Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images

Fortunately, our cruise left us with nothing but fond memories and high respect for the level of professionalism of the staff and crew aboard ship.   My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the passengers of the stricken Costa Concordia, who are still missing, together with the families that are awaiting their safe return.

Jones's Creek

I painted this little picture about a week ago.  I worked from photos that I took several years ago while driving around the countryside north east of Kingston Ontario.  The location is a place called Jones's Falls.  I liked the look of the winding river as it flows through the granite outcroppings of the Canadian Shield.  The trees in the middle and foreground  frame the animated water flowing toward the viewer, while the distant blue trees in the background give the painting a sense of depth.

I don't know what kind of flowers grow in the marsh along the river, but they make a wonderful counterpoint to the deep green of the trees that make up a large portion of the picture.  The whole thing makes me long for summer, which is still about six months away!

This painting measures just 8 inches high by 10 inches wide.  It is painted on a canvas panel support using alkyd oil, my medium of choice.  You can find the painting for sale at www.dailypaintworks .com or www.rdewolfe.com, along with a wide selection of other paintings I have created.

The Art of Richard De Wolfe: Sailing

The Art of Richard De Wolfe: Sailing: Sailing It is early January in Canada. This winter has been the warmest I have ever experienced here. We still have no snow and the groun...

Sailing

Sailing

It is early January in Canada.  This winter has been the warmest I have ever experienced here.  We still have no snow and the ground has only just become frozen.  The last two days were very cold and it has quickly reminded me how much I miss warm summer weather and boating.  It would be nice to just sail away to a tropical island.....

This small sailboat is actually one that I viewed from the upper decks of a cruise ship as we slowly entered the Grand Canal in Venice, Italy in October.  The painting is just 6 inches by 8 inches, painted in oil on a canvas panel.  I am offering it by auction at dailypaintworks.com.

I Saw the Light

I Saw the Light

Here it is, Day 2 and I have another small painting to post!  This one also measures 5 inches high by 7 inches wide.  It is painted in oil on canvas panel.  Painting at this size is not as easy as it may look.  You have to be spontaneous but accurate with your brush stokes on a support that is not much larger than your hand.  I am having fun though!

This painting is for sale by auction at Daily Paintworks.com.  If you would like to bid click here.

I love to paint pictures with water in them.  This spot is near my former home just south of Lake Simcoe, Ontario, Canada.  The sky was rather tepid so I decided to create some drama by painting a defined cloud base with a strong sunrise over the horizon.  I was pleased with the result.....did it work for you?  Post your comments, I would love to hear from you!

North Shore

North Shore  SOLD

This little painting represents a new direction for me.  It is very small, measuring 5 inches high by 7 inches wide.  I have become interested in the 'Daily Painting' movement that promotes painting a picture every day (or as close to that goal as possible).  It sounds rather daunting to me!  In the coming days I will post more of these small paintings as I create them, along with a few older pieces that fit the genre reasonably well.  You will find these paintings for sale  at Daily Paint Works.  I hope to add a new one every day or so and I hope you will check them out there and return often.  Please don't be shy, leave me a comment on what you think of this little painting and whether you think small daily paintings are a good idea.