Canoe Rack, Lake Harriet; 16 x 20, oil on panel
Painted entirely on location during Groveland Gallery's plein air event 2024.

Free Chairs, 18 x 24 oil on panel

Restaurant Garden, 16 x 20 oil on canvas

Hammock and Blossoms, 12 x 16 oil on panel

Bikes and Cars
18 x 24 oil on panel
Studio painting based on a location from the Linden Hills neighborhood in Minneapolis..

Fall Fishing at Lake Harriet, 24 x 18 oil on canvas

Between the Buses, 18 x 14 oil on panel

Gray Day in Evanston, 16 x 20, oil on panel. Painted on location at the Evanston, Illinois plein air event 2022.

South Blvd El Station, 20 x 16, oil on panel. Painted on location at the Evanston, Illinois plein air event 2022.

Hefflefinger Fountain, Lake Harriet Garden
24 x 18 oil on panel. SOLD

Sidewalk Lunch, 10 x 8 oil on panel. SOLD

Front Yard Playground, 12 x 20 oil on panel. Painted on location in south Minneapolis. SOLD

Lake Country Driveway, 12 x 20 oil on panel. Painted on location in Birchwood, Wisconsin.

Overlooking Dubuque, 16 x 20, oil on panel.
Painted on location on a misty day in January.

No Line at the Poll, 12 x 20, oil on panel.
Painted on location in the Kingfield Neighborhood in south Minneapolis. The neighborhood association always sets up a coffee and cookies welcome tent on election day. With so much early and mail-in voting there wasn’t much to do besides take in the sun.

Morning Over St. Anthony Falls
15 x 30, oil on canvas. Painted on location in Minneapolis, MN. I’ve circled this riverfront area for years and had come to feel I’d run out of vistas to pursue. Luckily, a patron invited me to their condo rooftop to get this view. SOLD

Fall Colors on Pleasant Avenue, 18 x 24, oil on panel.
Painted on location in the Kingfield Neighborhood in south Minneapolis. This was my first outings using Brian Stewart’s french easel. He passed away in 2018. Brian is one of Minnesota’s legacy plein air painters. I think he would’ve liked this scene.

Coffee Shop 2, 8 x 10, oil on panel. Painted on location at Five Watt on Nicollet Avenue in south Minneapolis, in the Before Times.. They let me set up on a small stage at the end of the space. Lots of backlighting and folks sitting at tables in the same posture and reflections.

DJ in the Park, 8 x 10, oil on panel. Painted on location in the King Park in south Minneapolis. This was election day and a kind purveyor of party music brought his show out to the polling place there. Fortunately nothing resembling a long line developed, but he thought he could be of use entertaining folks.

Homeless Tents, 18 x 24, oil on panel. Painted on location in Uptown in south Minneapolis.

Lake Harriet Fishing Dock 1, 12 x 16, oil on panel. Painted on location at the south end of Lake Harriet in south Minneapolis. Beautiful, soft, later afternoon August light.

First Snow at Lake of the Isles, Minneapolis, 8 x 10, oil on panel. Painted on location.

Lake of the Isles Inlet, 24 x 24, oil on canvas. Painted on location in one of the jewels of Minneapolis’ parks.

Front Steps, 30 x 24, oil on panel. Painted on location in the Kingfield Neighborhood in south Minneapolis.

Dune Buggy at Archie & Arthur’s Icehouse
12 x 16 oil on panel. Painted on location next to Minerva Lake, near Danbury, Wisconsin. The new owner of the bar, Sam, proudly displayed his lovingly rebuilt dune buggy in front. He let me drive that baby. The gears were kinda funky, but Sam kept yelling, “Just keep it floored!”

Winner, 2020 Grand Marais Plein Air Festival

George Floyd Mural and Memorials,

16 x 12 oil on panel. Painted on location at 38th and Chicago Avenue, Minneapolis.

Sacred Ground: 38th and Chicago Avenue, Minneapolis

18 x 24 oil on panel, painted on location at a rally for George Floyd, who was murdered by Minneapolis police on this corner on Memorial Day, 2020.

George Floyd’s Curb

16 x 12 oil on panel, painted on location at 38th and Chicago Avenue, Minneapolis. The orange cones and netting mark the area where Floyd was killed.

The House Across the Street

12 x 16 oil on panel, painted on location in south Minneapolis.

Nocturne, 12 x 16, oil on panel
Painted in early April from the comfort of my garage after the last snowfall of the year.

Pink and Blue, Garden District, New Orleans

12 x 16 oil on panel

On the Edge of the Garden District, New Orleans

12 x 16, oil on panel. Hopper famously said that all he ever wanted to paint was sunlight on the side of a house.

Soccer Practice, 12 x 16, oil panel
At first I was drawn to the single bike leaning against the tree. Only a couple of guys were on the field. Then the rest of the players arrived in a deluge about two minutes before practice started.

Minneapolis, View From Dinkytown, 8 x 10 oil on panel

Canoe Rack, Lake Harriet, 16 x 20 oil on canvas
Late afternoon waning light, so not a lot of time to paint, especially to cover a bigger canvas (16 x 20 is sorta big for plein air painters). The color notes are fleeting, but a whole rack of water craft—foreshortened perspective and upside down? Nuts. The painting ended up in the right ball park in terms of the light effect, design, and drawing, but when I saw it the next day in the studio, I noticed that the skew of the red canoe in the lower left was off.

Should I have “fixed it”? Maybe, maybe not. If I did, it’s likely that one fix would lead to another. Every fix tends to tighten the form and inevitably mutes the energy of the initial brushwork.

Sargent would famously scrape out passages of brushwork and lay on new ones over and over. He wanted to (and did because he was, you know, a master) make every stroke look like it was the first stroke.

After long rumination, I decided to leave this one alone.

Dreaming of the Boundary Waters, 16 x 12 oil on panel

Toy House On the Porch, 10 x 8 oil on panel

Toys Waiting, 18 x 28 oil on canvas
I painted a small 8 x 10 of this a few blocks from my house last summer. A few months later, in the studio, I felt like luxuriating again in its squirrelly shapes and glowing plastic, but I challenged myself to do it without using blue paint. Just using viridian green and combos of alizarin crimson and tinted ivory black for the cools.

Alley Motif, 16 x 12 oil on panel

Minneapolis Stone Arch Bridge, March, 12 x 16 oil on panel
This scene attracted my eye because of how bright everything was. The limestone of the facing plane of the bridge was absorbing so much reflected light, it barely seemed to be in shadow.

Minneapolis Stone Arch Bridge and Riverfront Skyline, 12 x 16 oil on panel

Sunset Over the Sidewalk, 10 x 8 oil on panel
This is a scene I always enjoy in the winter. The whole neighborhood is in shadow while the low sun just grazes the tops of the trees. The snow on the ground is luminous with warm light reflected from above.

Lake Harriet Walking Path
24 x 30 oil on gallery-wrapped canvas

Leafy Sidewalk
16 x 12 oil on panel

Local Breakfast Spot
12 x 16 oil on panel

Guess what’s good to eat there?

Red, White, and Blue
18 x 24 oil on panel
As American as…pontoon boats.

Sidewalk Wildflowers
16 x 12 oil on panel

Bookshop
8 x 10 oil on panel
Painted on location in Minneapolis in the Linden Hills neighborhood..

Bike Rack
8 x 10 oil on panel
Painted on location in Minneapolis in front of the Linden Hills library.

Bocce Ball in the Park
8 x 10 oil on panel
Painted on location in Minneapolis at Linden Hills Park.

Farmstead Park, Winter
6 x 8 oil on panel
The Theodore Wirth Home and Administration Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. His work on the Minneapolis park system influenced park planning for municipal, state and national parks across the country. Behind it is a primo sledding hill.

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Rusty Bronco
12 x 16 oil on panel
Painted on location in Danbury, Wisconsin.

Guthrie Theater (and that Other Building)
6 x 8, oil on panel
The Stone Arch Bridge on the Minneapolis riverfront offers many paintable views. After painting a sunset view of the other side of the river, I turned and saw this.

Midtown Greenway, Winter
18 x 24, oil on panel
A favorite place in Minneapolis for bikers, walkers, joggers, and doggies out on parade.

Just Plowed, 12 x 20, oil on panel

Beard’s Plaisance, 12 x 16, oil on panel
Beard was some dude in Minneapolis back in the 1890s who owned this land that the Park Board bought from him way back when. “Plaisance” is a french term for pleasant ground. This open-sided structure hosts a lot of grad parties and picnics. It seems like a good place for a plein air painter to stand when it’s raining but there isn’t much to look at,

Fall Colors in the Neighborhood (SOLD)
16 x 12, oil on panel

Super America
18 x 24 oil on panel
A gathering place. Get some gas, maybe a little junk food and some smokes. Or just hang out a bit.

Sunbeams on 38th Street (SOLD)
24 x 24 oil on panel

Spillway, St. Anthony Falls
20 x 12 oil on panel
Painted on location on the Mississippi Riverfront in Minneapolis. Groveland Gallery’s plein air event, 2018.

Watering
10 x 8 oil on panel

Choir Concert at the Bandshell, 7 x 11 oil on panel
Painting at nearby Lake Harriet is like going to the office for me, but drawing the bandshell's architecture can feel like a trip through Alice's Wonderland.

Nicollet Island Bridge, Minneapolis
12 x 16 oil on panel

White Blossoms, Lake Harriet Garden, 12 x 20 oil on panel
At the south end of the public rose garden is a clump of trees that explode with these lovely blossoms every spring. Quel parfum raffiné!.

Pink Flamingo, 12 x 16 oil on panel
This lot across the street from my house has two tiny houses on it that were built long ago with a tunnel connecting them. I wonder if kitschy lawn decor keeps rabbits out of the vegetable garden.

Lonely Job, 8 x 10 oil on panel
How many of us recall getting assigned, voted, or otherwise ostracized to mind the nets in a soccer (or hockey) game? May as well search for four-leaf clovers and animal shapes in the clouds while you wait in terror of the ball coming your way.

Campaign Season 2
16 x 12 oil on panel
The elections was exhausting for sure. But I was drawn to the blue signs against all the orange-ish tones. (SOLD)

Ice Out Out, Lake Harriet
8 x 10, oil on panel
In the spring it melts from the outside in. In the fall, it freezes that way as well.
(SOLD)

Ice Melting at Lake Harriet
8 x 10, oil on panel (SOLD)

Nocturne: Mark’s Car
12 x 20 oil on panel
Pulling into my driveway after an afternoon painting session, I was tired and ready for dinner and a beer. I saw this scene nextdoor and it seemed evocative in some way. Maybe it was the colors, the alignment of things or the different colors of lights on the leaves. I especially liked the warm light from the streetlamp coming in from the left compared to the cooler light from my neighbor’s front door to the right. (SOLD)

Fall Street Cleaning, 12 x 16 oil on panel (SOLD)

Che kan Street Scene (China), 12 x 16 oil on panel
Looking into the sunlight down this small street, I liked the slant of the tree against the right angles of the buildings. A man sat on a small stool and cooked for most of the morning, creating a nice, smoky-blue accent. Set up on the side of the street, I sucked a lot of fossil fuel emissions this session.

Orange and Blue Chairs, 12 x 16 oil on panel
I like to ride my bike around the neighborhood, pulling my gear in a little trailer. Vignettes like this are evocative to me for some reason, so I stop and paint them.

Orange and Blue, 12 x 16 oil on panel
Orange and blue is one of my favorite color combinations, but, I can't stand it on football uniforms. (My family will attest that I have strong opinions on the topic of uniforms.) The Florida Gators, Denver Broncos, Minneapolis Washburn High School Millers — hard for me to watch them. Too cartoony I guess. Or maybe it's just the proportion of orange to blue, or the blue being too light. Auburn University's blue is more navy, and the orange is just for trim, so I like it better......see? There i go again. But I sure dig the color combo on this old VW van and its garage.

Autumn Glow Across the Street, 16 x 20 oil on panel

The Neighbor's Addition, 12 x 16 oil on panel
Another look in between houses in my neighborhood.

Arrangement with Leaves, Truck, and Hose, 12 x 16 oil on panel
It's amazing how often a Thalo Green hose crawls into a scene to give me a much-needed opposing angle.

The Neighbor's Driveway, 14 x 22 oil on linen.
During a recent cold snap, my painting buddy Richard Abraham noted all the steam rising out of buildings around town, as in this vignette. Framed by the houses, the sun was glorious as it highlighted the dissipating smoke and steam.

Winter Morning at Duluth Harbor, 18 x 24 oil on canvasboard
Duluth's harbor industries lend a distinctive, rusty romanticism to the landscape.

Vista from San Miniato, Florence, 11 x 14 oil on panel

Tuscan Yard, 12 x 16 oil on panel

Vista di Fiesoli, 12 x 16 oil on panel

Downtown Minneapolis, from Marquette Avenue, 12 x 16 oil on panel

Autumn, South Minneapolis, 12 x 16 oil on panel
(collection of the artist)

Front Steps, 12 x 20 oil on panel
Here's another scene from my neighborhood. The color in the shadow seemed to glow. (SOLD)

Jobs & Career, Free, 18 x 24  oil on canvas
The plastic newspaper receptacles on the corner seem like little toys.

March on Pleasant Avenue, 12 x 16 oil on panel

Baitshop, Grand Marais, 12 x 16  oil on panel
On the north shore of Lake Superior, Grand Marais sits about 45 miles south of the Canadian border. A baitshop there has this amazing sculpture of a Walleye jutting out of the building. The fiberglass glows and reflects all sorts of color and light. It's closed now, but I'm sure the town's elders want the new tenant to keep the fish. It's iconic.

Spoon Bridge and Cherry, 8 x 10 oil on panel
We Minneapolitans love our Claes Oldenburg fountain at the
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden at Walker Art Center. I suppose this painting is redundant — doing art about other art. Elvis Costello said, “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” Or was it Frank Zappa? Gertrude Stein? 

Food & Deli, 12 x 20 oil on panel
On cloudy days I gravitate toward things with bright color.
Thank goodness for immigrant convenience store owners.

Suppertime, 16 x 12 oil on panel
A ubiquitous American scene—and an exercise in color and light.

The Green, 16 x 12 oil on panel
I liked the shape of this slope, the shadows on it, and the lawn mower rings. The chromatic red flag on the green would be appreciated by artist Frederic Church from the Hudson River School. He liked to plant tiny, red sarapéd old dudes on a donkeys, or some other hot accent, into his huge paintings.

Railyard Perspective, 24 x 18 oil on canvas

The Loon Grocery, 21 x 20 oil on panel
This junk food and cig shop on Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis used to be popular after bar closing. I like the name, though I'm not sure what the jungle motif mural has to do with the Minnesota state bird.

Shop on Sheridan, 18 x 24 oil on canvas
Sheridan Road runs along Lake Michigan all the way from the city of Chicago to the Wisconsin border. The quaint Rogers Park neighborhood lies at the north end of the city and is home to Loyola University and some great architecture, including a few Frank Lloyd Wright designs. I love this old sign at what is now an antique shop.

Xerxes Avenue Tableau, 24 x 18 oil on canvas
Flatness. Modernists were obsessed with it. The canvas is flat, they’d say, so artists should embrace the 2-D surface and stop trying to perpetuate a lie of 3-dimensionality. This gave us the abstract icons of the 20th century like Picasso, Pollock, and countless others. My take on flatness is to do straight-on views like this. To distill a picture down to the broad, general shapes of things. I’d like to think Mondrian would be pleased with this one.

Five Watt Coffeehouse, 8 x 10 oil on panel
A new coffee shop opened near our house. The expressive and energetic brushwork is mostly on account of their house dark roast.

Afternoon Light on the Minneapolis Skyline, 20 x 12 oil on panel
I'm always looking for interesting views of downtown. I try to avoid the ones that are photographed a lot. Here, on 3rd Avenue South, the buildings and cars nicely frame the high-rises in the heart of downtown.

Last Light on the Sidewalk, 8 x 10 oil on panel
Late in the day the sun moves so quickly, it's fun to try to paint the moment when it’s only hitting the tops of the trees. Especially when the leaves are this colorful.

A Spot in the Shade, 12 x 16 oil on panel
Men hang out in the parking lot at the K-Mart at Lake & Nicollet in Minneapolis. I think a day-labor truck picks up here.

Gas Station, 12 x 20 oil on panel

Brooklyn Tableau, 24 x 18 oil on canvas

Purple House, 12 x 20 oil on panel

Pile Up, 8 x 10 oil on panel

Lyndale Farmstead Park, 12 x 16 oil on panel

Service Station, 24 x 18 oil on panel

Tyvex Alley, 15 x 30 oil on panel

Sick Geo, 12 x 16 oil on panel

West Bank Lot, 18 x 24 oil on panel

Clematis and Lilac, 10 x 8 oil on panel
I’m not usually a flower painter, but how could I resist? Gazing at this glorious vine in my backyard is an antidote to all the urban and suburban paintings I’ve been doing.

Mystery Rock Near Linden Hills Bridge, 12 x 20 oil on panel
Weird I know, but that rock demanded that I paint it.

Last Ball, 12 x 16 oil on panel
When I painted this, I stood right outside the window of the bar. A steady stream of nice patrons came out to watch, smoke, and chat.

Fall in North Minneapolis, 12 x 20 oil on panel

1954 Jaguar, 12 x 16 oil on panel
Jaguar has always been known for it's design. The curves on the models from this era always get me. SOLD

Guitarist in the Park, 8 x 10 oil on panel

Spring Prep at the Community Garden, 16 x 20 oil on canvas

Last Light on 39th Street, 12 x 16 oil on panel
I love when the sun is setting and it just grazes the top of this house down the block.

The Bean, Millenium Park, Chicago, 11 x 14 oil on panel
SOLD

Red Car, Driveway, 16 x 12 oil on panel
I'm frequently attracted to extreme foreshortening on objects. That's a viewpoint from a steep angle. Here we see it on the red car as well as the concrete wall and its shadow. Those lines all point to the open garage and all the stuff. When a gallery of mine sold it they said "give us more like this." I thought, "you mean more steep angle paintings? Or more driveway paintings? Or more open garage paintings? They meant more red car paintings. 
SOLD

Fireworks for Sale, 12 x 16 oil on panel
Purchased by my friend and high school teacher (of art and many other things) Ken Sickal. Il complemento ultimo.
SOLD

Red Crane, Yellow Crane, Blue Crane, 18 x 24  oil on canvas.
Painted in mid-morning during the reconstruction of the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi. I loved the air in the shadow under the span and how the watery tire ruts in the hard, dirt road reflect the sky, and the sunlit sign hanging on the cable provides a nice accent. A beautiful arrangement. And I didn't move a thing.
SOLD

Trike, 12 x 16 oil on panel
There is something life-affirming about a yard with kids' stuff left out.
SOLD

The Walker and the Church, 10.5 x 16 oil on panel
SOLD

Skating at Lake of the Isles, 12 x 20 oil on panel
SOLD

Waiting For Some Action, 8 x 10 oil on panel
SOLD

Piazzale Michelangelo, 12 x 16 oil on panel
SOLD

Via Dei Vagellai, Florence, 11 x 14  oil on panel
If you're going to paint a contemporary landscape, you need to know how to draw a car.
SOLD

Pace (Peace) Flag, 12 x 16 oil on panel
After painting grayed-down hues for much of the early spring, it was refreshing to stand before this chroma for a few hours.
SOLD

New Arrival at the Implement Dealer, 12 x 16 oil on panel
This was painted in Aitkin, Minnesota during the Jaques Art Center plein air event, July 2007. As a painter in the gray, green upper midwest, using bright colors like this feels like a party.
SOLD

Square St. Louis, 12 x 16  oil on panel
Painted while on holiday in Montreal in June. A bit of Europe so close, the passersby during this session made the afternoon pretty entertaining.
SOLD

Morning Wash, Door County, Wisconsin, 12 x 16 oil on panel
SOLD

Pumpkin Tent, 12 x 16 oil on panel
This pumpkin merchant had a small carnival setup with inflatable slides and pony rides for the kids. The red and white striped tent was catching the afternoon sun at a sharp angle and bounced it around in all directions.
SOLD

Jesus House, 12 x 20  oil on panel
One of the owners of this house came out to see what I was doing. She said her husband created the signs to tell people in passing cars a thing or two, though she wasn't sure what the arrow was pointing toward.
SOLD

Squirrel Got 'Em, 8 x 10 oil on panel
SOLD

Valentines for Sale, 20 x 24 oil on canvas
Winner, Best of Show, Salon International 2010
The judge, renowned portrait artist Everett Raymond Kinstler, had this to say: “Valentines for Sale is imaginative, well composed, and excellently handled. Anderson's use of color and sensitive, painterly technique make for an unusual and interesting painting. The conception conveys a sense of time, space, and temperature. It is intelligent and contemporary. I'm very impressed.”
SOLD

Minneapolis Summer, 8 x 10 oil on panel
SOLD

Avila Sunset, 15 x 30 oil on canvas
SOLD

Working Boats on the Tanjiang River, 12 x 16 oil on panel
These boats are parked along the river in Kaiping. The smaller ones in the foreground came in and out throughout the afternoon, doing their business. Wherever I stood to paint, there was always a steady stream of cars, bikes, scooters, and funky motorbike trucks whizzing around, honking as they passed the little crowd around my easel.
SOLD

Willow on Lake of the Isles, 12 x 20 oil on panel
The “chain of lakes” city parks around Minneapolis are a treasure. A century ago, visionary public servants set aside this land for the good of the people. Today, I suppose they'd be called socialists.
SOLD

Stone Arch Bridge and the Guthrie Theater, 16 x 20 oil on panel
This beautiful, former railroad bridge spans the Mississippi, just below the Falls of St. Anthony in Minneapolis. Once the flour milling capital of the world, the city and its mills were built on the hydropower of the falls. The restored bridge is now a bike and pedestrian route.
SOLD

Crab Joint on the Choptank, 7 x 11 oil on panel
SOLD

Morning Papers, 18 x 24 oil on panel
Another everyday motif that begged for an study of line, color, and value.
SOLD

Clematis, 12 x 12 oil on panel
This flowering vine blooms all too briefly every spring.

Clothesline, 11 x 7 oil on panel
A breezy day provided this study of light, shape, angles, and chroma.

Sculpture Garden Path (Spoonbridge and Cherry), 20 x 16 oil on panel
At the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden I sometimes feel like I'm strolling in Paris. Sort of.

Mill City Farmers Market, 24 x 18 oil on canvas
Painted for the market’s annual fundraising auction. This historic part of the Minneapolis riverfront has been called the Mill District since the days when the city was the flour milling capital of the world.

Two Chairs, 8 x 10 oil on panel
Painted in my backyard in Minneapolis. An homage to empty-nesting.
SOLD

Pool Tableau, 12 x 16 oil on linen-mounted panel
Friends of ours used to own this beautiful place in the Hollywood Hills. You can see the famous sign from the patio, but I couldn't take my eyes off these glowing pool toys.

Drive-In, 18 x 24 oil on canvas
This place is in Grantsburg, Wisconsin. Great root beer.
SOLD

Chelsea Gallery, 18 x 24 oil on canvas board

Midday Sun Over the Walker, 20 x 12 oil on panel
SOLD

Backyard Floral, 12 x 16 oil on panel
I don't often do florals, but I couldn't resist this chroma and warm sunlight. (This is in my backyard, I live in the city, so, voila, this is posted under “cities.")
SOLD

Kids, Che kan, 8 x 10 oil on panel
The charming, small city of Che kan, China, was full of small family businesses, street venders, and a wide variety of two-and three-wheeled vehicles whizzing around. Some hauled amazing amounts of stuff piled high in baskets, some loaded two or three helmet-less kids in front and behind the drivers. These kids were checking out some toys, probably not made in the U.S.

Bde Maka Ska Sunset, 8 x 10 oil on panel
This light effect on a frozen lake always inspires. When the sun is so low it hits just the far shore of the lake. The adjacent shadow is so full of warm light it almost isn’t a shadow. SOLD

Strip Mall, 8 x 10 oil on panel. SOLD

Country Church, 18 x 24 oil on panel
It’s been said that the four of the most important lines in a composition are the top, bottom, and sides. I find that a “flat on” perspective emphasizes that idea. SOLD