Railroad Bridge over the Harpeth River near L.L. Burns Park

 

I enjoy fishing at L.L. Burns Park in Kingston Springs, Tennessee.  Adjacent to the park is an interesting railroad bridge over the Harpeth River.  In the winter time, the whole place is void of colors except brown and grey.

Pansies in a Glass Vase

 

Tinker Bell--Amelia

 

The daughter of a neighbor asked me to paint a picture of her as she was playing Tinker Bell in a children's production of "Peter Pan."  I think she liked it.

Bubba Miller, Philadelphia Eagles

I had the honor of coaching with Stephen "Bubba" Miller for two seasons at Battle Ground Academy.  His son was on our team.  I also got to know his wonderful family. Bubba played center at the University of Tennessee when Peyton Manning was the quarterback.  He then played for the Philadelphia Eagles and finished his career with the New Orleans Saints.  He is such a knowledgeable coach and I learned a lot from watching him work with our players.  He is a great coach and a great person.

Odalisque In a Purple Robe (Copied from Henri Matisse)

I was inspired to do this watercolor when I was at the Coffee House in Franklin, Tennessee.  In their Library Room, my granddaughter and I were looking at some art books they had on the shelf.  One was about Henri Matisse.  On the cover of the book jacket was his painting, "Odalisque In a Purple Robe."  Inspired by the color and the relaxed pose of the subject, I thought I'd give it a try.

The original is below.

Become a Head Football Coach

 

This book is designed to give high school assistant football coaches the tools and advice they need to achieve their career goal of becoming a high school head football coach.  The subjects covered include where to look for a job, how to apply, interview suggestions, sample interview questions, as well as how to organize a football program.  The advice is from the author’s experiences in coaching high school football over several decades.                    Available on Amazon.com

Doug Thompson, Quarterback, Fountain Valley High School

This is a photo of a photo of a painting I did of Fountain Valley H.S. quarterback, Doug Thompson from the mid-1970s.
 

Almond Grove in Bloom, Central Valley, California

My tribute to all the farmers in California.

Wood Carving, Half-Hull Model, "The Sloop John B."

This is a Half-Hull Model of the Sloop John B.  This boat was the subject and title of one of my favorite Beach Boys songs.

The hull is made from Mahogany and is mounted on a pine plaque.
 

Firing On Fort Sumter--"You Started It"

Having grown up and gone to school in Southern California, the Civil War was just something that we read about in our history books.  Now living in Tennessee, I have found that the Civil War is still going on!  There are many Southerners who still refer the war as the Northern Invasion and how Confederate soldiers were just defending their homeland.  There are a multitude of memorials to the Confederacy honoring the insurrection that only lasted four years.  Somewhere in their re-written history, they forgot that THEY started the war by firing on Fort Sumter.  This is just a little reminder that "You Started It." And General Sherman finished it.

Tipis at Sunset

 

Three Mile Harbor, Long Island, New York

      My daughter and her husband went to Long Island to celebrate their 15th Anniversary.  While they were there, they took a photo of Three Mile Harbor.  She then asked me to do a painting from the photograph.

 

David Crosby

After a swing and a miss with a previous attempt, I tried again and got a little closer with this pencil drawing of David Crosby.  He has always been an intriguing and flawed artist whom I have followed throughout the years.  Crosby, Stills & Nash have always been one of my favorite groups.  This is my little tribute to him.  I used a painting of him by Joan Baez as a model for this one. 

Special thanks to Ed Jones and Garry Troxell for their suggestions on this project.

Hunting Hollywood

 

My latest story is set in the 1930s. It follows two recent graduates from the USC Film School who set out to start their own movie studio.  Along the way, they encounter problems such as a small budget, limited equipment, inexperienced actors not to mention having to deal with the big film studios and their monopolistic hold on the movie industry.  

McKenzie Roberts is a beautiful, confident film student from a well-to-do family from New York.  She grew up around the East Coast movie studios where her father worked.  Now a recent college graduate, she hopes to one day fulfill her dream of being a movie director.  

Craig Johnson is a naive young man from Southern California who discovers his interest in movie making while in college.  

Together they form a business partnership that must deal with one challenge after another.  Along the way, they meet several interesting people—including Mugs Peterson, an ex-professional boxer; Hinky Williams, a homeless veteran looking for a job; and Slate Granger, a cowboy and reluctant movie star.  

Find out if their movies are as exciting as what they endure to make them.

Jim Gentry's Jeep

Jim Gentry is a local legend in Franklin, Tennessee.  He was a World War II veteran, and later a teacher and football coach at several local high schools in the area.  On patriotic holidays, his family displays a jeep with an American Flag in the pasture of Gentry Farm along Highway 96 across from the community of Westhaven.

Buster Posey

I try to do baseball paintings for my brother-in-law, Keith and my 

two nephews, Anthony and Nick.  They are all into baseball.

Portrait of Madame X (A Figure Study)

In 1884, John Singer Sargent painted a scandalous (for the Victorian Age) oil painting of Virginie Gautreau.  Below is a figure study in watercolor that he did prior to the oil painting.  I used this for my model.

 

Rancho Rico Creek Ranch

This is a map of the Pancho Rico Creek Ranch where I have gone wild pig hunting.  It is located in a beautiful area along Highway 101 in California near the town of San Ardo.  Kathryn and Dave Rossi are fantastic hosts and have always made our trips to their ranch so memorable.

Pine Needle Basket

I took a Native American basket weaving class many years ago and always wanted to try a pine needle basket which they had taught us, but we didn't have time to complete that day.  This basket is 12 inches in diameter.  It is kind of like a Black-Hole.  Each time around, it requires more and more needles.  I figured I would need a lot of needles but I would estimate I used a whole tree-full of needles.  The Native Americans must have had a lot of patience to complete projects like this. 

 

Balloons over Paris

After seeing the beautiful print (left) at my son's house, I decided to use it as a model for the watercolor and ink picture above.
 

Lester Hayes, "Press Corner"

I have wanted to paint a picture of Lester Hayes for a long time.  I wasn't sure how to capture his intimidating presence against a Wide Receiver.  I don't know that I accomplished getting that intimidation down on paper.

I dedicate this to Mike Milner who is my coaching mentor and who coached Defensive Backs throughout his career.

 

For this watercolor, I used a 1935 painting called, "The Flower Carrier" by Diego Rivera as my model.
 

Coach Bill Belichick

One of the greatest football coaches of all time.

Residence Club "In Bloom", Westhaven, Tennessee

This is our Residence Club.  They host many community activities.

Fountain at Founder's Square, Franklin, Tennessee

 

 

This is a watercolor of a fountain near our house.

Huntington Beach, California

This is my first attempt at painting a wave.  I was very intimidated because they are so difficult to do.  The painting was inspired by the photos I receive from my friend, George who takes daily walks on the beach.  This is supposed to be Lifeguard Tower #4.  Catalina Island is visible on the horizon.

Ashlin-Moore Family Cemetery, Westhaven Community, Franklin, Tennessee

This is a pen & ink drawing of a small family cemetery in the middle of the Westhaven Community in Franklin, Tennessee.  It was established in 1821 and contains the graves of family members and slaves.

In the midst of all the hustle and bustle of this community, it is a peaceful, yet stark reminder of where we will all end up some day.

My Poem about Convict Lake

 I was always inspired by the beauty of the Eastern High Sierras.  My great friend Mark and I would often go fishing for several days at Convict Lake.  I tried to put my feelings down on paper and came up with this poem.  I gave a copy to the people at the Convict Lake General Store.  Click on the photo for a larger view.

Steampunk Football Player

 

I have always wanted to do a "Steampunk-style" painting.  I thought I would combine that style with a football player.  I used an old photo of Clyde "Bulldog" Turner, who was a seven-time all-pro Center for the Chicago Bears.

Burning Covered Wagon

 

This is a pencil drawing from a promo ad for the TV series "1883."  I tried to capture the starkness and loneliness of the scene.

Orca II

This is the second Orca that I've done.  I incorporated the rust-colored paint on this one.  I really enjoy the artwork of the Pacific Northwest Native Americans.  I am NOT trying to pass my artwork off as being Native American, but it is so interesting to replicate their style.
 

Moses Football Player

I always thought that the pose that Michelangelo used could have been a football player.

Fisher Anderson, Franklin High School

Fisher Anderson is a Senior at Franklin H.S. in Franklin, Tennessee.  He is 6'7" and has a 4.2 GPA.  He has committed to Stanford University.  (Posted with permission from the Anderson family.)
 

License-Plate Roof Birdhouse

 

After replacing our California license plates with ones from Tennessee, I hated to just throw the old ones away.  So I built a birdhouse and used one of them as a roof.  I don't know how functional it is, but it is nice to look at and recall my old home state.

My Mother's Hands

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I took this photo of my 90-year-old mother's hands as she held my sister's hands shortly before her passing.  Orange County Catholic Magazine used this photo in an article in their May 16, 2021 issue.

George Harrison

This is a drawing that I did in 1974 for Tracie Lipton, while up at Humboldt State University.  I haven't seen this picture for forty-five years.  Tracie sent a photo of it to me recently after she came across my blog and my article about my year up at HSU.  I am humbled that she has kept it for all these years.

Left Coast Coach--a novel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

            So many times throughout my coaching career I have had coaches tell me one crazy story after another about dealing with players, parents, the press or administrators.  We would always say that this could be a chapter in our collective book about coaching football.  Well, I tried to take some of those tales and incorporate them into this novel. 

            This story follows two high school football coaches; one from New Jersey and one from California; who end up coaching at Elam Academy in Georgia.  Not only do they face tough competition on the field—they face racism, politics, and cancer.

            Available on Amazon.com

Wind Chimes

 

This was a recycled art project.  The copper pipes were from an old water heater from my parents' house in Fountain Valley.

 

"It's Okay"

My wife found this picture on the internet.  We both felt that it was a very tender, comforting  moment--maybe between siblings or friends.  I tried to capture it in watercolors.

 

Maori Warrior

 

 

This is a watercolor of a Maori Warrior.  I used a photo by Art Wolfe as a model.  His photograph was of George Hare at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, Hawaii.

Super Bowl XIX

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have always admired Manny Rubio's photo of Super Bowl XIX.  It is very complex with a lot of details in it.  I felt like I was painting little toy soldiers.  I think it is best to look at from a distance and just feel the swirl of colors on the paper.  I dedicate this one to my good friend,  Joe Rea who is a big 49ers fan.

The Edmund Fitzgerald ("The 29")

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 1976 song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot has always had a big impact on me.  I wanted to do a painting of that ship.  It was difficult to find a photo that I thought I could use as a model for my painting.  I looked at a stern shot for quite sometime.  The very talented artist, Stephanie Moran used the same photo for her painting, "Sailing Away."  I was reluctant, but gave it a try.  Because of the ship's detail, I used pen and ink as well as watercolor.