New website (Two Willets Gallery)

I decided to take one more step towards becoming a successful artist- I hope - by creating a business website. As you know, or may not know, I have Parkinson's and have focused on honing my skills over the past six years so I can sell paintings to raise money to pay for medical expenses, supplies and above all donate 10% of paintings sold to the Michael J Fox Foundation to help find a cure.

To start fresh I have changed my DBA from Coxen Creations to "Two Willets Gallery" where visitors can view my work and buy it online.

I have shipped paintings, without damage, as far away as Alaska so do not let distance stop you from buying one of my very affordable paintings.

On a separate note: Most of you do not know that I am a self publish author who has both a paperback, "The Great Promise" and an e-book on Kindle, "World War One - An Unkept Promise". For those who know little about WWI the e-book will bring you up to speed. It is non-fiction based upon my grandfather's WWI Journal, which contains information never published before. He served in the Royal Field Artillery from 1905 to 1919 and went to France with the BEF (British Expeditionary Force). If you like history based upon fact and compelling commentary check out these books.

Path through the forest

The dirt path, highlighted by the white flowers, snakes its way through the forest. Sun filters through the trees causing the color of the flowers to explode.

18x24 oil on canvas - contact me for pricing

Beer Glorious Beer

24x30 oil on canvas - Painted from an image taken by my cousin Brian Zingler and it speaks for itself.  $500 unframed, plus shipping.

Every Artist Has a Story

Every artist has a story describing their journey on becoming an artist, mine spans sixty years, and includes a few art lessons, and a second place ribbon in an art show.

 I was born with artistic ability and an imbedded need to periodically express it. God given talent is a blessing and a curse, for the recipient often takes their ability for granted, and under states the quality of their work. I arrived at this conclusion after reviewing some of the art I produced over the years.

My artistic creativity came in spurts, often years separated my sudden desire to produce works of art, which prompted me to explore different mediums; pencil, charcoal, pastels, water color, acrylics, pen & ink and finally oils.

The cycle was severed in 2010 when I decided to take lessons from Frank Pierce, owner of “Eye Candy Gallery” in Southern Pines, North Carolina. His style spoke to me so I signed up for six lessons. By the sixth lesson I had learned the technical skills necessary to develop my own style, but there was more. The talent I kept locked away was released, and along with it a way to reduce my symptoms of Parkinson’s.

I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2005 but with medication I was able to control the symptoms and continued to work as a technical writer for four years. By 2009 the stresses at work exacerbated my symptoms, making it impossible for me to function. By July I stopped working and filed for Social Security disability.

By the end of my art lessons I had developed a regiment of painting every day. I soon discovered that painting improved my ability to focus and it brought a peacefulness that encompassed my soul and reduced several of my symptoms.

Believing I had reached a level of painting that is marketable, I searched the Internet for art galleries that may be interested in displaying my work. I happened upon the Art Design Consultant’s website and read their pitch for artist to submit images of their work, as well as their website. I decided to take a risk and stick my neck out in order to determine what art professionals thought of my work. I was pleasantly surprised by the positive response I received and decided to add my name to their list of artist.

I find it interesting that most of my life I searched for business I could call my own and after several failures, the answer was under my nose.

Sea Grass and Shells

Walking on a beach near St Augustine at low tide, I happened upon clumps of sea grass along with various sea shells. The composition was interesting so I took a picture which resulted in this painting.

Oil on a 24x30 canvas $375 + shipping without frame  

Mother bird and babies

Oil on 16x20 canvas board - painted from photo taken by Brian Zingler

Live Oaks at Sunrise

Painted from a photograph I took of live oak trees at sunrise. The light made the trees look white, which contrasted well with the dark shadows and blue sky. It is painted on 17x32 piece of masonite