"Ocean Path" - SOLD

Acrylic  6"x8"  Canvas Board 

The subject of this painting was an inviting path along the shore at Acadia National Park. Part of what appealed to me was the way the sun lit the pink rocks near the shore and the “purplely” shadows across the path.

"Window Box"

Acrylic  6"x8"  Canvas Board 

This window box brightens the front of a weathered building on the edge of the harbor in Stonington, Maine. Walking along the main road through town, you can catch glimpses of the bright blue water and lobster boats between the distinctive shops and houses. Everywhere I looked, I found appealing subjects like this one to paint. The town is a painter’s dream, and I can’t wait to go back there someday.

"Low Tide"

Acrylic  6"x8"  Canvas Board 

Finally, a new painting posted on my blog. It’s been a long time, but the time hasn’t been wasted. For the past couple of months, I’ve been trying to paint a little bit every day. In spite of how difficult that is, I’m convinced it’s the single most important discipline I can pursue if I have any hope of growing as an artist. I won’t post every painting that results from this renewed effort. My focus is on learning and, if one out of every few paintings is worth posting, I’ll be excited to share my progress.

So, here’s one from my trip to Maine last summer. It’s an island near Stonington, photographed in the clear, morning light as we passed by on our way to spend the day on Isle au Haut. When I look at this painting, I can’t help daydreaming about spending a week or two camping and painting on this little island, watching the tides and lobster boats come and go. I’m including the value sketch I did to work out the lights and darks before starting the painting. Getting the values right in a painting is infinitely more important than getting the colors exactly right. Not sure I achieved that but, hey, that's something I'm working on, too.

"Green Gully"

Acrylic   8"x10"   Canvas Board   SOLD

This painting was done on location one lush summer afternoon as the sun was slowly making its way toward the western horizon. It's that time of day when all is peaceful and you just want to plop down in a lawn chair with a Diet Coke and contemplate life and nature. I love being a painter and having the excuse to stop and enjoy something so simple as this little gully...something so otherwise easily overlooked.

"Sun and Shade"

Acrylic   8"x10"   Canvas Board   NFS

Today, on this very wintry day in December, I like the way this painting reminds me of soft summer breezes, hazy afternoons, and the luxury of time to do the things one feels like doing...like setting up my easel on my mom's deck and painting the view from there. Only about six months until this scene emerges again.

"Cape Cod Boats"

Oil   8"x10"   Canvas Board   NFS

These boats were pulled up on the shore of a little inlet near Chatham, MA, the location of a workshop I took with Charles Sovek a few years ago. Having set up my easel with the rest of the class on the beach, I first painted the boats at anchor out in the bay. Then, I couldn't resist this group of colorful craft bunched together just above the tide line. The sun was high in the sky so the contrast in values isn't very pronounced. This was only the second plein air painting I had done in years, and I was pretty pleased with the colors and the fresh, loose quality of the brushstrokes.

"Shades of Blue"

Acrylic   6"x6"   Stretched Canvas  

Just a pair of sunglasses in a monochromatic color scheme. I had fun breaking up the space and leaving the area surrounding the glasses up to the viewer's imagination.