In 2016 I decided to paint under the pen name Bob Van Starr which I still use to this day. Collected here are many of my very early works which were mostly digital because that’s all I had access too at the time. Enjoy!
This is the first digital art work that I created without any tutorials or another persons vision. This was a tree that was off the highway in Charlotte, North Carolina. The tree was so beautiful I took a picture of it one day while I was stuck in rush hour traffic. I decided to paint this tree, and I believe this painting I called “Beauty Off The Highway” turned out really great.
This is another very early digital work of mine that I named “Cotton Candy Trees on The golden Road.” Again this was based off a picture that I took Uptown in Charlotte, North Carolina. The trees that blossom there in the spring are so beautiful, and this humble artist is sure that many other greater artists than him have recreated these beauty in other tangible mediums. I still really enjoy this image, and I hope you do too.
This painting is called “Route One wild flowers.” In 2016 when I first started painting I moved back to Maine from where i had been living in Charlotte, NC for a number of years. On route one in Maine overlooking the St. Croix River is a beautiful little cottage that has many wild flowers growing around it during the early days of spring. I had thought this spot was very beautiful for years so I decided to do a digital painting of it that summer.
This is another image that depicts spring in Maine. I call this image “The Old Man’s Flower Bush.” This painting is based off a beautiful flower bush (as you can tell I know a lot about science) that grows in my dads yard every spring. Maine can be pretty grey in spring, but the flowers are so vibrant.
My Grandmother lives in on Pleasant lake in Beautiful Downeast Maine. I call my grandmother Meme, and this painting is called “Meme’s View.” Pleasant Lake is beautiful, and my grandparents have a great porch that gives an amazing view of the surrounding countryside.
This painting is called “Eastport Sunset.” I painted this based off of a picture I took many years prior to my painting passion. Eastport is an island in Maine, and at sunset on a cloudless day you get a very full spectrum of colors in the rainbow.
I am fortunate to have friends all over the country. One of my best friends lives in Jamestown Rhode Island. Jamestown is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been fortunate enough to visit. I’d dare say this is the most beautiful place in the world other than Downeast, Maine. I simply titled this painting “Jamestown Sunset,” and this painting always makes me think of the great weekend I got to spend with an old friend.
Where I live in Downeast Maine I have an excellent view of the St. Croix river. I’ve painted this river many times, and I’m sure I will continue to attempt to capture it’s majesty. This painting is simply titled “St. Croix in Spring.” This is based off a picture that I took off of a friends porch that overlooks the St. Croix.
Speaking of the St. Croix. Here is “St. Croix in Winter.” This is a view looking downward toward St. Croix island historical site which is approximately one mile away from my home. On very cold days you can see the fog rising from the water, because the water is so warm in comparison to the air around it.
This is a painting I did that depicts a beach that is in Portland, Maine. I painted this for an old girl friend, who very much loves Portland, and the Beach (So I called it “Portland Beach” Im so original). We had been broken up for many years before I painted this for her, and this painting only makes me think of great memories with a person who I still love very much. I still talk to this woman occasionally, and hope she is doing very well.
In the summer of 2016 I spent about six weeks in Portland, Maine taking a class. I had many friends who lived in Portland at the time and they had this great house on Orange Street. The house ha this magnificent old tree, that was complete with a very comfy hammock. I called this painting “Views From the Orange.” My friends don’t live in that house anymore, and the tree was too big for the neighborhood and had to be cut down. I miss that tree, and I often reminisce about how much fun I had that summer.
I am a huge Godzilla fan. So I decided I really wanted to make my own giant monster movie that would be called “Lobzillah.” I’ve been seriously considering investing in some props so I can make this movie dream of mine come true in the near future. Until then this will just be a great painting that I did that summer in Portland.
I called this painting “Rainbow Forrest.” I think the really interesting thing about this painting is that it was one of the first that I ever did without having some sort of image for inspiration. This painting is of a place that does not exist, and just depicts a colorful tree lot. Honestly this painting just reminds me a lot of the Lorax.
In 2016 I was really interested in painting flowers that were in displays. I kind of think that freshly cut flowers are an art form in themselves so I would often take pictures of recently cut flowers. This was a flower spread that was at a restaurant in Portland, Maine. I thought the display was beautiful so I painted it.
This painting is called “Blue House.” I spent one afternoon with my step sister and her boyfriend exploring Portland Maine one day. This was a little guard house that sat near the beach. I really found the image quite beautiful so I decided to paint a picture of it.
Van Starr Productions 