My "Art Heroes" are Goya, Brueghel, Daumier, Robert Crumb, Charles Addams, Tex Avery, Winsor McCay, Charles Dana Gibson, Roy Lichtenstien, and Al Capp.  My greatest influence, however, is the immortal Edward Hopper.  It was his painting "Early Sunday Morning" (below)  that made me want to become a painter.

      Below is a sampler of my paintings, roughly grouped according to various themes that I have explored over the decades.  To visit my studio to see my paintings "in the flesh", email me at brunelles3@aol.com 

    NIGHT SCENES ~ My first solo art show, "INSOMNIA" was in 1983, and featured a group of oil paintings with the theme of urban scenes at night.  Ever since I have been fascinated by the effects of moonlight and streetlamps against dark backgrounds.  The two paintings directly below are from the Insomnia show, and the two below that are current interpretations of this theme.

            Above left- THAT RED CAR IS OUT THERE AGAIN TONIGHT oils.  Above right - DECENT CHILDREN WOULD BE IN BED BY NOW  oils   Below left -            APARTMENT HOUSE  acrylics.   Below right - SNOWBALL  acrylics.

         THE FAIR ~ I love everything about the fair; the odd looking people, the colorful displays, the flags, the tents, the performers, and, of course, the indigestible food.  Below some of the things I have seen while strolling the fairgrounds over the years...

      Above left - CANDY APPLES  acrylic   Above right - FERRIS WHEEL  acrylic   Below left - ACROBATS AT THE FAIR  acrylic  Below right - JUGGLER acrylic.

     THE BEACH ~ Beach scenes give one the excuse to work with the figure in one's compositions, plus the challenges of depicting water and waves.     

       Above left -  HEADSTAND  acrylics   Above right - SANDY TOES  acrylics   Below left - A BOLT FROM THE BLUE acrylics

         Below right - BEACH READER acrylics

      OLD HOUSES ~  Rutland was full of old Victorian Houses.  My father was a plumber, and when I worked with him I often got to see the interiors of these fine old mansions.   When I was the docent of the Rutland Historical Society Museum, I gave walking tours of historic homes.  Like the Victorians, I am fond of fancy ornamentation. 

    Above left - BLUE HOUSE  acrylics   Above right -  WIDOW'S WALK  acrylic  Below left - HOUSE IN CHESTER, VT.  acrylics

     Below right - LAWRENCE HOUSE acrylics.

    STILL LIFE ~ Over the years I have done a wide variety of still life paintings, usually featuring odds and ends I have laying around the studio...

      Above left - ROCKET 88  acrylics   Above right - KITCHEN STILL LIFE  oils   Bottom left - GUMBALLS  acrylic  Bottom right - SKULL AND C-CLAMP oils

         BLUE-COLLAR LIFE ~  Since my father was a plumber, I grew up "in the trades", and thus became quite familiar the struggles of the working class...

    Above left -  QUITTING TIME  acrylics  Above right - SECOND SHIFT  acrylics   Below left - SLOW NIGHT  acrylics  Below right - FLOWER DEPT. acrylics

                       WINTER ~  Artists from other states often come to Vermont in the Fall, to paint lovely pictures of the foliage.  As a native painter, however, I find winter far more interesting. 

             Above left - SNOW DAY  acrylics  Above right - SLED HILL  acrylics  Below left - SHOVELER - acrylics Below right - LUMBER YARD acrylics.

                     KIDS ~  I try to avoid sentimentalizing children, for, as a teacher, I know they are not always so cute.  The world of children is sometimes giddy, and sometimes frightening.

       Above left - SUMMERSAULT  acrylics  Above right - WATCH ME, MAMA! acrylics  Below left- SNOW JUMPERS oils  Below right - LET'S GO! acrylics

              ROOF & SKY ~  Many of my older paintings of buildings featured interesting skies in the backgrounds.  Recently I tried lowering the buildings in the compositions, to devote more of the canvas to the clouds.  The "Roof & Sky" series was the result of that experiment.

   Above left - ROOF & SKY # 1 acrylics  Above right - ROOF & SKY # 4 acrylics  Below left - ROOF & SKY # 9 acrylics  Below right - ROOF & SKY # 8 acrylics

        GRAVEYARDS ~ My interest in graveyards is more historical than morbid.  Not only are they repositories of history and genealogy, they are also beautiful and serene.

                             Above left -  CHURCHYARD  acrylics    Above right - GRAVEYARD IN THE SNOW  oils   Below left - FRESHLY DUG  acrylics.             

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