Category Archives: Railroads

My Father’s Love Letter of Nov. 27, 1939

Posted on October 19, 2019 by

I have a small photo of my mother. She is sitting on the steps of my Uncle Peter Flynn’s house in Musselshell, Montana. The time is the 1930s. My mother was 22 years old. My father was 15 years older … Continue reading →

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Love Letter From My Father, Nov 12, 1939

Posted on September 1, 2019 by

I have a little photo of my father as a young man standing in his Great Northern Railway work clothes and hat at the depot in Havre, Montana. On the back is penciled, “Agent Flynn Ha! Ha!” My father, Leo … Continue reading →

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My Father’s Love Letters To My Mother

Posted on May 27, 2019 by

My parents were killed in a car accident on July 19, 1979. I was 27 years old. It was a tragic shock. Overnight, a narrow streak of hair above my forehead turned white. Within a few hours of being notified … Continue reading →

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Four Paintings At Wild Joe’s

Posted on August 9, 2013 by

My art show starting this week at Wild Joe’s Coffee House in downtown Bozeman, Montana, displays the above four paintings.  The installation has my following artist’s statement. CHARACTERS OF SOLITUDE I have been making art for over 40 years, painting, … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Family, Life, Love, Montana, Oil Paintings, Railroads | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Great Northern Freight Agent

Posted on September 23, 2011 by

This painting is acrylic on canvas, size 24 inches x 36 inches. The wooden grain elevators in the western US and Canada plains are icons of the past.  The Great Northern Railway freight agent was as much an institution as … Continue reading →

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The blood and sweat behind Labor Day – CNN.com

Posted on September 4, 2011 by

The blood and sweat behind Labor Day – CNN.com. When my father was a child, he worked at the coal mines in Scranton, PA.  He was born in 1902.  He told me of seeing one of his little friends killed … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Illustration, Life, Montana, Oil Paintings, Politics, Railroads | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Vintage Harley with a sidecar

Posted on July 29, 2011 by

In my large archive of vintage family photographs, is this photo of a Harley Davidson and sidecar.  In his leathers, sitting in the sidecar, is the owner of the Harley and friend of my uncles, Carl Smith of Scranton, PA. … Continue reading →

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Father painting in progress

Posted on June 19, 2011 by

This painting, 3 feet by 2 feet,  is still in progress, but being Father’s Day today, I wanted to post it in memory of my father, who inspired the figure of the train agent in the painting. Wooden grain elevators … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Family, Illustration, Life, Love, Montana, Nature, Oil Paintings, Railroads | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

My Father

Posted on March 9, 2011 by

My father worked for the Great Northern Railway in Montana from the time he was 14 years old until he retired at age 65.  If you look closely at the garage on the right side of this painting, you will … Continue reading →

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August 24, 2010, The Station Master

Posted on August 24, 2010 by

This is the painting created today.  The subject is more of the nostalgia regarding the earlier days of railroads in Montana.  The old depot architecture and the life of a station master is gone, but many remember it with fondness. … Continue reading →

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August 5, 2010, Great Northern Railway Logo

Posted on August 5, 2010 by

This is the painting created today.  Yesterday’s painting of the depot reminded me of the old logo of the Great Northern Railway, and how appealing “Rocky” the goat was.  I looked through a box of old buttons and found this … Continue reading →

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August 4, 2010, The Old Depot

Posted on August 4, 2010 by

Here is the painting created today.  There are many old railway depots in Montana, some creatively restored and in use, but sadly some are abandoned to deteriorate.  I love these old structures, with their tall windows, wooden platforms, and often … Continue reading →

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