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.