While growing up, my father would often recite the "Fox went out on a chilly night" poem. I wanted to paint the image that I saw while listing to the stories.

Blue Jays are large songbirds common to the mid and eastern United States and Canada. When they visit my home, they seem to take on an authoritative tone, like knights riding into a village. All the other little birds seem to make their way. I have really been taken by the colors of blue, brown, and green as they have perched on the fence and act like masters of all they survey. I wanted to capture that scene in this painting and honor the majestic creatures they are.

Growing up on a lake, on a farm, in Virginia, we would often see Deer come in the evening and drink at the water's edge. I was inspired by M. C. Escher's lithograph entitled Three Worlds when I created this.

While studying Art at Virginia Commonwealth University, the professor would often have us do "gesture drawings" of the live figure models posing for us. These were quick frenzied strokes trying to find the energy, the line, the movement, the flow that made up the model's pose ... as if lightning went through the body and left a path of the least resistance.

Later, as I would watch Ballet dancers perform, I could see that strength and energy flow through them. I wanted to capture that idea in a simple line drawing of a dancer practicing her art. Take away as much detail as I could ... leaving behind only the energy of the dance.   

Who does not love a Kitten during the holidays? The cuteness, energy, and curiosity of kittens exploring and playing with all the holiday trappings can soften even the hardest heart.

This painting was inspired by the memory of our family Cat "Kitty Bow" who had 3 Kittens during the Christmas of 1972. I chose to illustrate "Smoka", the grey Kitten who was the most rambunctious. 

Growing up on our farm in Virginia, my father took a 100 year old horse drawn hay mower and displayed it as a piece of sculpture welcoming guests as they entered our property. 

For most of my life growing up that antique piece of farm equipment stood sentry over our place. It was the inspiration for my artwork "Country Morning" as I paid homage to my rural upbringing. 

Stylized painting of a Bee gathering pollen from cherry blossoms. Living in the Washington, DC area, the blooming of the Cherry Blossoms is a huge annual event. There is just something magical about being surrounded by so many beautiful Cherry Trees.

I always loved the elegance and sleekness of the Formula 1 cars of the 1950s and early 1960s. During those times, they had yet to grow wings. They were missiles and bullets on wheels. These vintage cars, of a bygone era, gave the appearance and incredible speed, even when they were sitting still. I wanted to capture that feeling and remember those beautiful machines in this piece of art. 

As an Artist I like to be challenged ... not stay too long im my comfort zone. This is where real creativity can flourish. I am friends with the Artist Samira Rostamabadi, and she is always challenging me to do new things. Samira liked the use of color I had in some of my paintings, and some of my Birds ... and said that I needed to draw some Toucans. I told her "I have never drawn Toucans" ... and she said ... "Exactly" 

You may enjoy in your home or office my "assignment" into the world of Tropical Birds. Look back later ... you may just see some more.

I have always felt that the Japanese Maple it one of the most attractive trees in the world. In some ways the Japanese Maple Tree looks like it is from another world in the galaxy. I was drawn to painting it ... and even have a slight Japanese brush influence in design of the branches.

Annapolis, Maryland is surrounded by water. At the point where the South River spills into the Chesapeake Bay there is the community of Hillsmere Shores. There you will find a small beach with pilings stretching out into the water. This is the destination for my many bike rides in the area. So many times I would come along the scene of Seagulls, Herons, and other birds all occupying the posts in the water. It was always standing room only … every piling taken. Seeing this scene over and over again I decided to capture it in a piece of art. I chose a rather stark minimalist type approach to the style. Even with this little detail treatment, a patron was still able to recognize Hillsmere Shores when it was in a gallery. I was both surprised and impressed.  

The lake on our farm hosted many visiting birds ... much to the annoyance of our ducks and geese who lived their. The Great Egret, along with their colorful cousin the Great Blue Heron, was one of those frequent visitors. The Great Heron's white feathers and graceful movements had a creative impact on me ... and I reproduced a representation of those scenes in this painting.

The Thomas Point LIghthouse, also known as Thomas Point Shoal Light Station is in Annapolis, Maryland and protects ships in the Chesapeake Bay. Built in 1875 and automated in 1986 it is also a museum, and you can tour this famous lighthouse while visiting Annapolis.

This odd looking building is actually a real place. The Waterwitch Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 was a firehouse started in 1885 and finished in 1913. The building is located at 33 East St, in Annapolis, Maryland ... between Church Circle and the U.S. Naval Academy. When I first saw it I fell in love with the asymmetrical design ... and knew one day I would do a painting of it.

The Maryland State House is located in Annapolis, Maryland, and It is the oldest U.S. State capitol in continuous legislative use. Construction on the State House began in 1772 and, because of the  American Revolutionary War, was completed in 1797. 

The lighting rod, on top of the dome, was constructed and grounded according to the specifications of its inventor, Benjamin Franklin.

Nautical flags were used in the19th Century for ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship communication. In the days before radio, it was an easy and safe way to get messages between boats at anchor to people on shore. The art here displayed spells out "Annapolis" in Nautical Flags.

I grew up in the country. pre-cell phone. Pre-internet. With over 30 acres of land that included a lake, an old house, fields, lanes, and woods, there were plenty of things my brothers, my friends, and I could do. One of them was to climb trees.

One of our favorite places was a tree line on the other side of the lake and across a field. These trees were particularly tall and very close together. We would do what we called "transfer trees," which entailed climbing very high up in the tree and then leaning the top over and stepping on to a branch on the next tree—hence, transfer tree. With a little luck, you could traverse the length of the forest by way of the tree tops. The view was always spectacular. Some have asked how our mother allowed this. Look, my mother was raising three boys in the country; we swung axes, used chainsaws, rode minibikes, and shot rifles; no one was attached to any apron strings; and the doctor's office was an hour away; if bones weren't broken and blood wasn't gushing, she didn't want to hear about it.

I created this painting to honor the fond memories we had growing up in the country, and climbing the trees. Can you spot the little visitor observing the boys in the tree?

In 1957, on a break from Columbia University in New York, my father, Bud Hailey, visited his girlfriend (my Mom) and her brother (my uncle Harvey) in Long Beach, California. While there, my father and uncle got part time jobs delivering laundry to the naval vessels anchored at Long Beach Harbor. As they approached the ships, in a small boat, my father noticed sailors priming and painting the sides of the ships. He found it interesting that the orange life vests blended with the orange of the primer being applied. He found these scenes to have a graphic quality to them, and chose to create a painting of it. When switching to Digital Art I chose that painting to recreate … putting my talent and interpretation of the scene. I chose the number 64 for the ship because it is the USS Wisconsin … that is where my Mom is from … and my Dad was out in California to see her when he painted his.

Childhood memories are powerful and important elements. Having pieces of those memories in adulthood can bring joy and comfort.

This is a painting I did base on one of my father's paintings that he did in 1957.

I have always been fascinated with Japanese style art ... and incorporated some of that style into this work.

Woodson's Mill is a historic landmark located in Hanover County, Virginia, about 40 miles north of Richmond. In operation by 1820, it was purchased by Calvin Woodson in 1915.

I always wanted to do a painting of Woodson’s Mill and was influenced by a pen and ink drawing my father did of it in 1968.

I grew up in a Motorcycle family. My grandfather Red Hailey was a Motorcycle policeman. My father, Buddy Hailey, crisscrossed the country several times on his Harley-Davidson in the 1950s. I had a mini-bike growing up, and both my brother Scott and his son Alex have motorcycles; with Alex becoming a professional.

As an artist, I was always fascinated with Michael Patterson and Candace Reckinger's animation in the band A-Ha's "Take on Me" video. Using just a couple of still images with some streaks they were able invoke great speed in motorcycles drawn. I loved the way speed was portrayed using just a few strokes.

I used those two influences when I created my work "Speed". Show great speed in a series of lines and slashes ... while show little, if any, detail about the bike and rider.

Growing up on a farm, with a lake, in Virginia we had both Ducks and Geese. Every year, Canadian Geese, migrating south for the winter, would stop at our place for a while. When they landed in the water they would fly, in formation, the full length of the lake skimming just above the surface before putting down their feet and landing in the shallow end. My father said they reminded him of 747s coming in for a landing. As they would skim the surface their reflections would be mirrored on the water. This beautiful scene, each year, had a powerful creative effect on me ... and I wanted to capture it in a painting. Interesting note ... standing at the water's edge, looking at the exact same spot, is where you would see the Deer come and drink in the evening.