MORNING OVER THE MARSH

Sometimes a quick study or plein air painting like this can be the motivation for a whole series of  new paintings.  Each time it is a little different and as my eye drifts over the forms and undulations of the land, takes in the weight of moisture-laden skies, a new feeling comes over me - a kind of joy that inspires my painters' heart. Exploring and working along the Eastern Shore like this has been for me a continued experience of discovery and joy. Even going back to some of the same places reveals new ideas and I am nearly always faced with exciting images from which to work. One of these days I hope to take a month off and spend the time painting along the coast - always a major source of inspiration for me. There is always so much more to see and my eye is eager for the next experience. So much so that I could spend the rest of my life working this way without ever coming to an end. This small oil study is about 5" X 7".

BLACKWATER SUNDOWN

Once again, sorry for the lack of posts lately, we have just got back from Spain traveling around the Andalucian region. Quite a trip! Starting from Madrid, we went on to visit many of the most important cities and towns of Southern Spain and saw many monuments, castles, churches etc. One of the many highlights was an early morning visit to the Alhambra and many pleasant hours were spent walking around there. I even managed to do some sketching and painting along the way so I'm sure that many of the places and people that I saw will become paintings in the not-too-distant future.
Far away from sunny Spain is one of my favorite places on the Eastern Shore of the US - namely Blackwater wildlife reserve. In the above painting, the sun has set across one of the many bodies of water there creating interesting cloud patterns in the sky. This one was completed for a client who wanted an evening sky painting and I am delighted to say that she was very happy with it. This oil on canvas is 27" X 40". SOLD.

EVENING SUNDOWN

On occasion, I'll come across a painting that has been put away in some corner or other of the studio and having had the chance to look at the piece with a fresh eye, one can sometimes make some changes. In this case I cropped off quite a bit at the bottom then worked on some of the more subtle tones within the dark mass of greenery. I also worked on the sky and water a little too (just about the whole painting then!). Unfortunately this one has proven to be extremely difficult to photograph correctly even though I tried many different lighting conditions. It then had to suffer some editing in Photoshop - mostly to no avail. I'll try again later and if I get some better results I'll re-post the pic. This is one of a group of paintings that will be heading to McBride Gallery in Annapolis MD soon. I have some larger works on the go but they are really taking their sweet time! I had hoped to post them before now - hopefully in a week or so. Evening Sundown is an oil on board - 4" X 8".

LATE FALL EVENING

In the nearby reserve, this particular view across a small valley is a favorite of mine. From the top of the hill looking in a westward direction, one can see miles across the varied landscape. Most of the open fields are behind me while more smaller areas of grass and shrub run down to the river and beyond. Tall trees on the right shelter a disused farmhouse while both lakes are in view from up here. On my right is a small white pine forest that gives way to larger oaks and sycamores and a smaller line of pines makes an effective wind break on my left. It is a wonderful place to sit and while away the hours observing wildlife, the clouds and in this case, a colorful sunset. I have painted here often and never seem to tire of the many and varied views through the seasons and feel privileged for having the opportunity to do so. This study in oil is a 9" X 12".

MISTY MORN STUDY

This study was painted, like so many of mine, as a way of discovering a subject before making a larger version. I don't usually copy my smaller studies exactly as often there are things I wish to change within the context of the work and besides, its not as simple as just expanding the smaller painting. Each work takes on it's own life as it were and for me there is this sort of continual back and forth dialogue with the canvas. I'm constantly asking myself things like "how well is this section working in relation to the 'whole' of the painting" and do these tones need to be darker etc etc. Standing well back helps, as well as squinting - I do this mostly to check on the values and overall design of the work. I do love these atmospheric studies though and am still experimenting with different designs and compositions. I don't think I will ever tire of this kind of subject.

HONEY JAR

Lately my studio has a lot of small oil studies lying around, all recently completed but nothing that I'm completely happy with. Most of these studies are landscapes so feeling rather frustrated, I decided to do something a bit different instead. I have quite a nice collection of small bottles and jars at home here and have been waiting for the right opportunity to do some paintings of them. So deciding to start of in a really simple manner, I picked up my oils and painted this small jar on a gesso-primed panel that I had lying around. I was quite captured by the structure of this jar and the way that the sunlight reflected and refracted through the glass. Most of the color in this painting comes from the lid (which is a bright brass color) and the small section of the label on the right. I oriented the jar this way as I mostly wanted to paint the effects of light bouncing around inside. I kept the background subdued in the hopes of allowing this idea to be more effective - I think it worked out okay but perhaps the jar is a little too bright against the darker background. Maybe I should have painted it when it was still full of honey! Oh well, that could be a project for my next study. All in all though, I really enjoyed working on this painting and am looking forward to doing more!

MORNING MIST - ADIRONDACKS

Some time ago I spent a few days painting in the Adirondacks in upstate New York. Wonderful landscape and really inspiring views for the tops of some of the mountains that I climbed. This scene was on one of the many inland lakes just before sunrise. A truly magical time and the haunting song of a Hermit Thrush singing in the forest nearby really brought the experience that much closer to heaven. This oil is 12" X 16". SOLD