October 4th, 2016

October 4th, 2016

October 4th, 2016
Magnolia, Massachusetts
Oil on Canvasboard, 18 x 24 in

Finally got to go painting today, beautiful weather, a new location, good company. At the edge of the beach were a pile of boats, and I thought to myself “I’m going to try something a little different today, I’m going to paint those boats! But first, the background!” Well, when I started the tide was low. I began, as one does, with the sky, then worked my way down to the land and distant water, taking some time to be attentive to the tree. Well, to make a long story short, the heaps of smelly seaweed and the water inadvertently became my subject, because I have a bit of a water fixation, especially if I haven’t painted in a while. The boats weren’t super interesting anyway. Maybe another time. Despite omitting the intended subject of the painting, I’d say it went pretty well.

September 9th, 2016

September 9th, 2016

September 9th, 2016
Kenora, Ontario Canada
Oil on Canvasboard, 18 x 24 in (I think)

I painted this, though I was not intending to fess up about it any time soon. I like the water on the left especially, I am angry about the trees. In real life, there is a bridge where lies that straight of sand. The right hand side is a still bay, while the left is subject to currents and a lot of boat wakes as it bears the brunt of welcome channel traffic (“Welcome” is a term I will use with extremely limited sincerity until the date silent, wakeless, environmentally protective boat technology is the law and custom on the lake.) Where was I? Ah. Well, I’m still mad at myself for what I didn’t think went right with the trees. Maybe next year when the memory of what it isn’t has faded, I’ll appreciate it for what it is.

August 22nd, 2016

August 22nd, 2016

August 22nd, 2016
Twin Island, Lake of the Woods, Ontario
Oil on Canvasboard, 16 x 20 in

Boathouse

August 17th, 2016

August 17th, 2016
Boathouse
Oil on Canvasboard, 16 x 20 in

July 15th, 2016

July 15th, 2016

July 15th, 2016
The Breezeway, Rocky Neck Gloucester
Oil on Masonite, 12 x 16 in

Great thing about the breezeway is it’s 10 – 15 degrees cooler than any other spot in Gloucester on any given day – but the downside is that there’s really only one view I’m interested in trying to paint – to the end that every time I go I paint the same thing. Tends to turn out pretty well, though- no doubt from all the practice!

July 12th, 2016

July 12th, 2016

July 12th, 2016
Lane’s Cove, Gloucester
Oil on Canvasboard, 16 x 20 in

It was a very hot, humid day and I had brought my dog with me this morning to paint. I was taken by the reflections in the water and the subtle shift from water to hazy sky. The two rock piers make for an awkward composition by any angle, I think- I tried to alleviate the symmetry with the left pulling diagonal of the buoys and boat.

July 11th, 2016

July 11th, 2016

July 11th, 2016
St Peter’s Square, Gloucester, MA
Oil on Masonite, 16 x 20 in

When I began this painting it was a heavy grey day and I was focusing on a fishing boat in the foreground as the subject of my painting. And then, in one fell swoop, the sky cleared and the boat left. I decided to change the painting to match the day it had become. There are people who see a foreground with nothing but water and think “this painting has no subject or interest in the bottom left!” But I am a person who can stare at water for hours at a time, riveted – so the bottom left works for me. However, as a concession, I scribbled my insignia all big in the “empty space” for those who need an anchor.