RAIN OVER SALMON RIVER

This scene was close by to the dawn study of my earlier post but of course at a different time of the day. I did a smaller study first then painted the slightly larger one. Initially I had a somewhat cloudy sky painted in but this didn't work so that was wiped off and a graduated sky put in its place. This really set the overall tone for the painting (as skies often do) so the trees and grassy banks were kept somewhat subdued. Again this is not a great photo of the completed study, I'm happy that the painting looks a little better! This oil is 12" X 9".

DAWN AND DUSK

I recently completed these two studies, again continuing with my Dawn and Dusk series. While I'm not exactly ecstatic with the outcome, the two paintings are after all studies so I have to take them for what they are - studies. I may do larger versions of them, that remains to be seen but often one painting inspires another and so on I go. Sometimes these small paintings will hang around my studio for months until I come across them again then I will consider them with a fresh eye. This usually leads to a more in-depth contemplation about what I was trying to do in the first place and consequently, a new painting arises. Dawn over Salmon River measures 6" X 8" while Cloudburst from Upper Fields is 6 1/2" X 10", both oils.

PIRATE

Awhile ago, we stayed with friends in Pittsburgh and still have many fond memories of that time. There were many walks in the woods along with visits to art galleries and eateries, most of the time accompanied by the stately Pirate. Mature and dignified is how I would describe Pirate. His gentle demeanour and intelligence gave him a sense of quiet but penetrating dignity. I knew that I wanted to do a portrait of him but only got around to it lately. I started by choosing a greenish grey background color which went on thinly. The rest of the painting was painted alla prima with just a few tonal changes over the next few days. Being so dark, the painting was extremely difficult to photograph properly and I feel that this photo (the best that I have) does not do Pirate quite the justice he deserves. The oil is 8" X 10".

BLACKWATER LANDSCAPE

Back in July, I posted an unfinished image of this painting and here it is now that I have finished the final areas of the foreground. I will have this painting (and others) at McBride Gallery this month in their Autumn Celebration Exhibition so if you are in the Annapolis area, please come in and have a look. I am continuing with the dawn/dusk series that I mentioned earlier and hope to post some more of these paintings soon. Blackwater Landscape is an oil, size 18" X 24".

SUNDOWN FROM UPPER FIELDS

Some time ago, I mentioned in one of my blogs that I was eager to start a series of dawn/dusk landscape paintings from scenes observed during my daily walks around where I live. This was one such a scene, actually the sun has already set here but there was still enough light in the upper sky to illuminate the landscape. While this is not the best photo of the painting, it does I feel, show something of what I was trying to capture insofar as the quality off light playing against the deeper subdued tones of the landscape. This series is coming along more slowly that I had hoped as I am still trying to finish off a number of painting that have been left unfinished in my studio. I'm determined to do them all by the end of the year! Sundown is an oil on canvas, size 9" X 12".

DUSK OVER SPLIT ROCK

I saw this scene in the South Californian desert a number of years ago and I was moved by the soft evening light and the shapes of the round boulders. I have done quite a few paintings of this area - the trip that I took left a deep impression on my psyche and I hope to go back one day perhaps to Death Valley. I started this painting some time ago and it has dragged on for all this time - even now, I'm still not convinced that I'm finished with it. Anyway, I have had enough of it for now and will take another look at it sometime in the future when I can look at the painting with a fresh eye. The watercolor is 15" X 22".