QUIET SUMMER - LAUGHING GULLS

First I would like to thank everyone who came to the opening of the Autumn Festival on Sunday, we had a great time. It was really nice seeing old friends again, catching up and discussing art. Thanks also to the staff at McBride Gallery for all their hard work to make the show a success.
The gull painting shown above wasn't in the show and is being reserved as one of the paintings for the Waterfowl Festival next month. Like so many of my paintings, this one was started back in the summer and only finished recently. Many gulls finish breeding early and generally loaf around for the rest of the year while their young grow up on their own. These adults were still paired and resting on the beach at Chincoteague when I saw them. I find it best to use my telescope to draw and paint shorebirds as I can be far enough away so that they remain relaxed but can get all the necessary details needed for an accurate painting. Here the seated gull is calling (probably in response to another gull flying overhead) and I liked the arrangement of the two birds. The rear bird in profile has a particularly beautiful shape and reminds me of a jaeger (skua). Gulls are often maligned but Laughing gulls even in winter plumage are still one of my favorites and I love drawing and painting them. This watercolor is 11" X 15".

OF ITALIAN DESCENT

I have been doing paintings of this beautiful model for some time and decided to post this watercolor as it will be one of 10 new paintings hanging at McBride Gallery. The exhibition starts this afternoon and will run through November. I'll try and get all of the new paintings I have in the show up here but am already thinking of moving onto new things. There are quite a few small oils that I want to show - these will be in the Waterfowl Festival in Nov which I am busy working towards. Weather has been wonderful lately and I have been able to make a little time to go out painting - a welcome break to all the studio time! Of Italian Descent is 22" X 15".

COASTAL ROCKS II

I haven't been able to post recently as I have been very busy preparing for the 'Autumn Festival' exhibition at McBride Gallery in Annapolis, MD that opens this Sunday. I'm the featured artist this year and will have over 10 painting on show so if you are in the vicinity, please drop by and say hello. The small watercolor shown above will be one of the paintings included in the show along with Afternoon Sun, Chains, Lantern, Along the Coast, Misty Coast and a few others - most of which have been featured on this blog in the past year. Coastal Rocks II was done while I was in Hong Kong recently and shows a small stream draining through the sand into the sea. I used to live right by here so I know the location intimately - fortunately not much has changed since I have been gone. So many beautiful old buildings - villages even - have been demolished in the name of progress and newer (but oh so boring) buildings put up in their place. Still I'm hopeful as life on this Island (Lamma) hasn't seen that many changes in the past 10 years or so.
Here in this painting I set out to capture the evening light set against the small finger-like rocks and the gently breaking waves - the stream as well as the sea reflecting the evening light. Size is 9" X 12".

FARM STUDIES

These two paintings were recently finished after another trip back to the farm north of where I live near Frederick. Both were started on site with most of the work completed some time ago but only recently finished in the studio. The structures around this farm have fascinated me since the first time I visited and I'm sure that I'll be doing many more paintings from there. I have lots of them already planned in my head - just need to find the time to start and finish them all! Anyway, both of these are oils, the first on board and the second on canvas. Once I get things organised I'll start posting images for the up-coming Fall Festival exhibition at McBride Gallery later this month where I'll be the featured artist.