Important Framing Info
Hey there! If you are interested in an original painting, you should know that framing options have changed as of 2024. Read the latest here!
2022-2024
Spinnaker Skyline
(Naval Academy Sailing)
Beloved to sailors and spectators alike, the U.S. Naval Academy sailing team graces the Severn.
This series officially began in October of 2022. I got to head out on the water with the team during my 10+1 year reunion, and have been itching to paint them ever since. I fell in love with not only the beloved views from the water, but also the lesser seen moments- the camaraderie of the pre-sail briefs, the honesty of the trailer full of gear, and the teamwork of rigging the boats for a day on the water.
A year ago, I shared with you part one, and finally the remaining pieces are complete!
This series consists of both offshore vessels as well as some of the small boys... and of course, that light that ties it all together.
2024 Collection
Available April 9, 2024 at 12 pm EST
2023 Collection
2022
Pass In Your Shoes
(Autumn)
A season of defining moments, classic traditions, and of course those leaves, fall on the Yard is buzzing with energy. Its a time where midshipmen commit, once again, to the journey, either officially (with 2 for 7’s) or by simply showing up and putting another foot in front of the other.
2021
Mid Summer
Summer is a time of transition at the Naval Academy. From preparing the newest class of plebes to join the brigade, to exploring communities in the Fleet, or just enjoying the slower pace in Annapolis, this endearing season brings a notable change of pace.
2020
Spring on the Yard
Spring on the Yard is a time of completion, of victory, and of celebration. It’s an intense and short season which is packed with most of the major milestones of the U.S. Naval Academy.
What happens when Spring doesn’t come?
While painting this series of work, the events of COVID-19 changed life as we knew it. Initially, midshipmen had an extended spring break. But within weeks, the unfathomable occured, and events pined for by midshipmen and families for years dissolved as leaders made hard decisions.
The events challenged me to reconsider what I was doing. Out of deep compassion for those affected by cancellations, I almost stopped. But then, I realized that now, more than ever, the story needed to be told.
From the beginning, these paintings are intentionally vague. Individual features are downplayed so that anyone can look at them and find themselves in the moment. The painting is a success if it reminds someone of a story, inspires them to keep working, or invites them into a moment they may not have been able to experience otherwise.
To the class of 2020: even though you won’t have memories of these moments (and I’m so so sorry), I hope you can find yourselves in these paintings.
You made it to the finish line, but you didn’t get to cross. I salute you.
Part Two
Available June 2, 2020 at 12 EST
Part One
2020
Annapolis at Night
Views of the Naval Academy revealed to a select few.
Architecture lit with stunning grandeur, the Naval Academy unveils its radiance intimately. On the Yard, visitors have departed, and it’s a time for hard work... Out in town, the nightlife takes on a different personality.
The USNA after dark splendor is exclusively for those closely involved with the experience— midshipmen, staff, family, and beloved sponsor parents.
Throughout these collections of painting, I’m constantly returning to the often overlooked moments on the Yard.
To see the Naval Academy at night is truly see the Naval Academy.
2019
Colors
One flag. One oath. One story. For all.
There is a promise that weaves itself into the story of every midshipman at the US Naval Academy…
An oath. Right hand raised. A commitment made on the first day, then again to follow through two years for seven more, and shortly before the greatly anticipated cover toss. It’s the common foundation that unites all enlisted, midshipmen, and officers…
The flag of the United States is a visual representation of the constitution the members of the military elect to defend each day. This collection also includes a few classical still life arrangements— a nod to how I learned to paint in oil to begin with.
Join me as I wander around Annapolis. Finding threads that tie us together. Some are monumental. Others are ritual. And still others, casual…
But all are reminders of freedom.
All work is oil on panel, individual titles and sizes are noted by each photo.
2019
Granite and Brass
Creative liberty in the midst of order.
Rules and structure are the foundation of safety, good order and discipline, and success in the military.
They’re necessary.
In the Fleet, procedural compliance can be the difference between success and failure, even life and death.
But within those boundaries, we have decisions which do allow creativity. Managing people isn’t black and white, and many situations don’t fit neatly into a box. Sometimes a solution requires leveraging some talents and resources you only recognized because you had a conversation on the mid watch with someone new.
Granite and Brass is about the creative liberty available and required out of leaders to make decisions within situations that may not be spelled out in black and white.
Turning Navy rules and creative liberty into paintings
I chose to focus on architectural details because, first, they are just beautiful. But they also adhere to rules that work together for the success of the building:
Structure, material, and design.
In painting them, there are “rules”:
Perspective, value, and color.
As I painted views that captured my attention I played with options within those boundaries:
Choosing color combinations that are far from reality but still give the impression of the place
Varied tight and loose brushwork, celebrating the fact that both can communicate a subject
Exaggerating the color I was already seeing through reflections. Notice how nearly every subject in this series is actually “gray” or “white” in real life, but they reflect so many of the colors around them (the green foliage, blue sky, and of course the dramatic influence from Red Beach surrounding Bancroft)
As always, the views are intimate.
If you are currently a midshipman, I want you to just observe every once in a while the incredible place you are living.
If you are a grad, I hope you can remember.
And if you are a family member or fan, I hope you can feel connected to some of the details that get lost in the flurry of phone calls and short visits.
Your Words
I asked for insights from some of you, and got some wonderful thoughts from Karl Smith, a USNA Parent and creator of the blog, My Kid the Mid.
“If, as a leader, you have multiple options, it will take more than simply following a decision tree to get to the most effective choice. That's because there are always considerations. One of the fundamentals of being a solid leader is to understand motivation, especially the premise that everyone is not motivated by the same things. So if you are charged with motivating a dozen people, who are motivated in a dozen ways, you are going to have to be creative. Why is that? Well, for one, you cannot treat them all the same way if you want maximum production toward the objective. And once you start treating people differently, you're going to have to be creative in the way you handle things, because people WILL notice.
One of my first management positions included handling the photography staff for a mid-size newspaper. I quickly learned that the two photographers were motivated in very different ways. For one, the more I heaped praise upon him, the harder he worked and he produced better and better images. The other photographer needed to be constantly challenged and when did that, the results were always positive. I had to find a way to do that in a way where it didn't look like I was being "too easy" on the first and riding the second. That takes creativity.
Creativity plays a role in managing up and sideways, too, which are critical elements of leadership, as far as I'm concerned. Sometimes it's about understanding how others work and adapting. For example, I've had more than one person above me in organizational charts that simply would not support any idea that was not their own. So in order to get support for initiatives that I believed would help reach organizational goals, I often had to explain the initiative in such a way that they would essentially think it was their idea. Some would consider that manipulative. My take is that as long as you aren't being malicious and/or deceitful, and you are truly keeping the organization's objectives in focus and acting with integrity, you are exercising creative leadership.”
If you have any insight you’d like to share, I’d love to hear from you!
2019
The Dark Ages
The glimpses of beauty in the darkest of days.
If a plebe has to remember the "days until" something, it is likely a much anticipated event.
Herndon
Ring Dance
Graduation
Christmas Leave
Spring Break
Plebe Parents Weekend...
But what about the other days? The monotonous rhythm of work, formation, outers, and sometimes, sleep…
The time where it's just showing up, doing the work, going to class, missing your child or sister or boyfriend, getting yelled at, doing the yelling, adjusting to a new normal of military acronyms and unpredictable schedules... The days you are actually doing the counting.
What about those days?
Isn't there beauty in those too? Isn't there something to be appreciated in the in between times?
Where the growth is actually happening...
Where we are learning how to be officers...
Or watching our children transition from barely being old enough to drive a car to very very soon, handling a 9000 ton warship mere yards from an oiler?
Learning to make decisions that are hard, and to sacrificially take care of the people that have been entrusted to our care?
Those days are important.
The Dark Ages are a time at the Naval Academy not always welcomed. Following the return from wonderful time with loved ones during holiday leave, they embody the thickness of studies and military grind with the reprieve of summer still too far away. Events are sparse, visitors are few, and everyone is wearing black, which just adds to the heaviness of the season. They echo Fleet duty days on Tuesdays, the countless hours spent training for quals that feel like they’ll never come, or the paper chain of “days until” someone special comes home which still wraps around the kitchen.
But then…
The snow has fallen, and the sun rises.
It’s illuminating Stribling as if to promise it will all be worth it, and there is something lovely about it all…
Even if “today” does not contain a cover toss, a Herndon climb, or a homecoming.
2019
Plein Air
HONEST OBSERVATIONS CAPTURED IN REAL TIME
Plein air painting is art created “in open air,” or on location. It is a thriving genre of art right now, and is a different kind of painting. It involves packing and carrying gear, setting up on location, interacting with the public, traveling (often), and dealing with the elements.
It’s fabulous, challenging, and connecting. Paintings are done in one sitting and rarely touched up after completion. They are honest observations of a moment that was not planned.
2018
Watercolors of the Yard
Highlighting the beauty that’s invisible when you’re pushing your limits
The Yard is a beautiful place when you can pause and take notice. These watercolors highlight the beauty of the US Naval Academy campus than can pass you by when you’re in the thick of it.
2019
Still Life Paintings
Story in the eye of the beholder
Classical storytelling with composition, brushstrokes, and paint instead of words. Some may identify these with a loved one. Others, see it as part of their present or their past. Regardless of your USNA link, you’ll find a story that rings true to you in these still life paintings.
This is your USNA story. I’m just the messenger.
16"x20" oil on panel, 2023