WINTER MARSH

 

I painted this painting 'en plein air' working from a vantage point overlooking an inlet into the marsh. It was cold and windy so I didn't spend too long out there! At first, I wasn't that happy with the painting when I got it home but after some time, I realized I did capture something of the character of the place and now I like it a little more. Over the past few months I have been working on smaller oil studies. Towards what, I'm not really sure but I do feel that it is there somewhere in front of me and if I do enough of these paintings, I'll hopefully discover what it is I am searching for. If not, I'll go back to working on other sizes - probably large sky paintings. This one is another 8 x 10 inches, oil on board.

ADVENTURE BAY

 

This view on Bruny Island off the coast of Tasmania looking along the beach was one that took me to a very special place. We spent time exploring and after making a few sketches, we drove down to the end of Adventure Bay and walked the trail to Penguin Island - what an incredible experience! In reflection, I'm surprised I haven't done a lot more paintings of this area - I'm sure I'll get to them in due course though. Frankly, there are so many images in my head that I want to translate into paintings that I'll probably never get to do them all. Oil on board, 8 x 10 inches.

PHILLIP ISLAND SURF

 

When we arrived on Phillip Island, the wet and windy weather moderated slightly. The sun broke briefly through the scudding clouds and we were met with a double rainbow as showers drifted off away across the sea. The wind was certainly bracing and the surf was some of the biggest I have seen! Huge surging waves full of spray and spume rolled in and one could clearly see the incredible power behind each one. Many gulls were offshore and amongst them I could see a few albatross along with smaller petrels etc. The visit was to be a very short one and soon we were off again - this time to see Koala Bears! This painting is an oil on gessoed board, 8 x 10 inches.

BY THE ROADSIDE II

 

This study was an attempt to do a better job of my first painting of the scene. I am going back quite a few years ago now to when I made a painting trip to Canada. After a long walk, I saw this scene looking across some fields and kept the sky simple in this one as it was one of those rare days when there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I also tried harder with the greens mixing them myself instead of using one out of the tube. I think it captures the day better than the earlier version and I find myself doing many smaller studies often as an experiment but also the fact that I am simply painting my experiences. Another 8 x 10, oil on board.

ACROSS THE WATER

 

I this small study, I tried to capture the emerald-green water that I saw in Costa Rica. Clouds were slowly building in the background of this rather simple scene but it brought back many memories of my time there. This one, like almost all of my studies these past few months is sized at 8 x 10 inches, oil on gessoed board. I cut and prepare these boards myself giving them 4 or 5 coats of gesso and also priming the edges along with a coat of black acrylic paint on the back in an effort for permanency.

CHURCH STEEPLE

 

One day when walking around Baltimore City, I happened to notice this church and something about the way the light caught the edges made me pause and take a longer look. I managed to do the painting looking up from the street at the back-lit building and arranged the composition to focus mostly on the sun-lit areas. I struggled a little with the correct tones especially the white of the turret which had different shades of warm and cool greys against the deeper blue of the sky. Like most of my plein air studies, this one is 10 x 8 inches, oil on canvas board.

PEAT FIRE

 

While travelling in Ireland, we tried to experience as much of Irish life as possible. So when we visited this traditional white-washed cottage complete with a peat fire burning in the hearth, I was happy to spend some time exploring the interior. First though, I was aware of the rather strong smell of the burning peat turves and sat for a while staring at the fire thinking how this must have been for so many through the years. Especially in winter when the dark comes early, the welcoming warmth and light from a fire was at least something to look forward to. I kept the tones in this painting quite subdued as I wanted to capture how it would perhaps have been on one of those dark, wet and windy nights in Ireland. Oil on canvas board, 10 x 8 inches.

ALONG THE COAST

 

I liked the way your eye was drawn into the distance when looking along the coast in this scene. Walking the beach in Portugal was always going to be a thrill and I had lived the moment in my mind many times before finally making the trip over. There was a continued sense of wonder and excitement as I drove from place to place especially in the Algarve. We spent a few weeks there and although winter, the weather was as close to ideal as we could have wished it. There were many paintable subjects and so far, I feel that I have only scratched the surface. Like most of the other studies posted here lately, this oil is an 8 x 10. 

RAVINE STUDY

 

When we visited Madeira, one of the things we did was to drive to the peak of Pico do Arieiro (1862m - almost 6000 feet!). Mostly we were driving through mist and light rain but nearing the top, everything miraculously cleared up as by that point, we were above the clouds and into brilliant sunshine. Views were incredible to say the least and I remember looking down this wonderful sun-filled backlit scene thinking I had to do a painting of it (along with many other scenes that day). Managing just a small study on site, I did this painting as an experiment later on and kept it small as I was thinking of how exactly to capture what I saw and felt there. This oil on board is 10 x 8 inches.

ISLANDS END

 

Another scene from Hong Kong. This is just the kind of place I loved to explore, clambering over rocks, skirting the edge of the sea, often splashed by errant waves but having the time of my life! Deeper water has a different wave action than that closer to shore - one often reads about 'the hump of the sea' and I have experienced it many times. I tried to get some of that feeling in the painting - mainly deeper water where the rocks fall away suddenly. I also kept certain values in this piece light so as to better indicate bright sunlight. Size of this oil is 8 x 10 inches (20 x 26cm).

DISTANT SAIL

 

I saw this scene while I was back in Hong Kong a while ago. I love views like this of distant islands and in winter, when the sky is clearer with less haze, there is a purity of the light that I really enjoy. I tried to capture this feeling in the small painting done here with sunlight reflecting not only on the sail of the distant boat but also across the sea. This one is 8 x 10 inches, oil on board.

GREY SKIES IN JAPAN

 

We were driving along the shore looking out to sea when I saw this scene. Heavy clouds that almost touched the water looked like rain but was actually snow - a dusting could be seen on the headland and in some places close by. There was no place to stop so I worked from some of my video trying to capture the almost bleak feeling of the day. This is a small 8 x 10 oil on canvas.

CLOUD MOUNTAIN STUDY

 

 Another painting from our Alaskan trip. Here I focused on clouds surrounding the mountain peak - a mystifying sensation for me. The idea of this particular idea touched something deep inside but I couldn't explain what it was. This month I have been working almost completely on landscapes revisiting some of the places I have visited over the years and pulling out some of the work done back then as well as painting new ones. There are a lot more paintings to come and I am hoping to cover almost all the places I have been to during my travels.

BEND IN THE RIVER STUDY

 

After moving to Wilmington, I have fallen really behind with posts on this blog! I think it has taken me a little longer to settle in even though we have stayed here before. Finally I am fully set up now with my studio overlooking the Christina River and points beyond. The large windows faces East so I get to see the sunrise each morning and can easily go to the pool deck to see the sunset so very happy with that! This small study done in my sketchbook was painted looking out and down to the river just as it was getting dark. The barge Catherine (New York) was docked against three steel pilings just on the inside bend and made an interesting counterpoint to the flowing river. A few days after I had painted this, a tug and a smaller riverboat pushed it out to the Delaware river and disappeared downstream. Size of this watercolor is about 5 x 7 inches.

GRASS ISLAND, HONG KONG

 

One of my smaller works from the Hong Kong series of paintings that was started many years ago. I preferred to get away from the city and often took boat trips to some of the out-lying islands where I would find solitude enough to set up and paint. I love this kind of view across the water at some of the many islands in and around Hong Kong. Here, on a hazy day, I am looking across a channel at some of the uninhabited islands with a hint of distant mountains in the background. The day is well progressed and about now, I would be thinking of retracing my steps back to the ferry pier and to start my journey back home. Size of this one is 8 x 10 inches, oil on canvas.

AVENGING ANGEL

 

During a trip to Italy and while in Rome, we visited the Castel Sant'Angelo (Castle of the Holy Angel) where I did some sketching. The angel statue on the top was a center of focus for me and I did a few different views of it while walking around. The statue was done in 1753 by Peter Anton von Verschaffelt and apparently depicts the Arch angel Michael. I did a few other studies of the castle and also the various bridges and river nearby - all in all, well worth the visit! Size of this one is 11 x 8 inches, watercolor on paper.

ADULT RED-TAILED HAWK STUDY

 

Going back to painting one of my favorite subjects - raptors! This is something that I never tire of and I am fortunate to have seen many of different species all over the world. Although I prefer to see them in the wild, almost all of my paintings are head studies done in watercolor such as this one. Size is about 9 x 8 inches, watercolor on Strathmore paper.

ARCH IN ITALY, PART 5

I had to work on the plant for a lot longer than I thought as the stems are quite delicate and the leaves quite complex. There were a number of greenish washes used to slowly build up the color being careful to preserve the white of the flowers. I also had to keep darkening the shadows below the plant and painting in a little more definition to some of the bricks - a few of which were darkened slightly. In the end, I was happy with the painting as it stands but will take a look later on to see if there is anything else I want to do to it. Size is 30 x 22 inches (76 x 56 cm), watercolor on Arches paper.

ARCH IN ITALY, PART 4

 

Slowly getting there now, mostly this stage has been about selectively working on different areas trying to bring it all together which will hopefully match the idea I have in my head. The insides of the arches have received a few more darker washes carefully painting around the stems and flowers of the plant on the upper one. Most of the ladder has also been brought to where I want it although I will still need to work on the sunlit areas a bit. I hope to do that and finish the plant with its intriguing shadows in the last part.

ARCH IN ITALY, PART 3

 

Having worked a little more on the wall, I added darker washes to the lower arch before filling in most of the upper one. I left a lighter area above one of the rungs of the ladder as I was thinking to put in a dove sitting there but not sure if I will go ahead with that idea. I also added a bit more definition to some of the cracks as I wasn't quite happy with them - I think I'll still have to do more to get a better  distressed look along with some added texture, that should be next.

ARCH IN ITALY, PART 2

 

Easing gently into the painting process, I started by adding large washes of color directly over the bricks but leaving some areas a pure white of the paper. The lower arch had some darker washes over the shadowed part which I slowly intensified adding more paint after each layer had dried. I also made a start on the upper arch carefully painting around the old ladder and the plant that had taken root just inside. Some of the gaps between the bricks were lightly indicated with a warm grey while the lower shadowed cracks went in a lot darker. So far so good, next I'll bring the overall tone of the bricks closer to what I had intended then continue refining the upper arch.