Boreas Sanctus
October 25th & 26th, 2014
Marsh in Tewksbury
Watercolour, 12 x 16 in
I have some kind of infection in my chest so was not too fit to go out this weekend, instead I stayed in with my watercolors and worked on this. I never use black but I did in this, not as much as it looks like in the photo mind you I think the contrast is too high – anyway it was a nice peaceful activity, enjoyed the change. I may or may not finish it – not sure yet.
October 20th, 2014
(Unfinished as yet)
South Natick, MA
Watercolour, 12 x 16 in
I went to visit & paint with a friend in the Newton area. I had all my paints with me but felt me and oils needed a bit of a break, at least for the day – so I opted initially just to sketch, but then I realized I had watercolours with me and I thought, why not?? It’s been a while, but I enjoyed the drawing and the brush for a change.
October 19th, 2014
Cox Reservation, Essex, MA
Newfane, Vermont
Oil on Canvas, 20 x 24 in
Well, longtime no paint. I went to Vermont earlier this week but didn’t have enough time while there to paint – then was busy all week. Got to the Greenbelt nice and early on Saturday, was bedazzled by the beauty… I stayed there later than anyone else, laboring, laboring, swearing over this painting that just would not be tamed. I brought it to the studio and labored on it more this morning, and when it did not come to life, I got mad and scraped it all off. Then I decided to try and paint the old sugar shack I had seen on my trip to Vermont, though I was too frustrated to really rein in. This is the result – I think a picture in better light could show it to greater advantage but even so, NEXT!
ps – I have been working on sketching some portraits in preparation for a commission I have upcoming, which is half the reason I’ve been AWOL. The other half is just being busy and I hope that things have settled down. I may post a photo of the drawings I’ve done, eventually.
September 30th, 2014
River and Leaves – Andover, MA
Oil on Canvas, 16 x 20 in
(sold)
I didn’t get to paint this weekend but a friend and I went yesterday (Tuesday the 30th) to paint the turning leaves. It was a cool day of rain cleverly disguised as “heavy mist.” The darkness of the atmosphere showcased the luminous beauty of the early fall colors. The weather today is darker still and today’s rain is explicit – poor conditions for photographing paintings in natural light. It is a dark painting, but not quite so dark as I think it looks here.
I liked the different casts of color in the water – the centre of the river looked green and the edges were an inky purple with some faint reflections coming through. It was a good painting day.
Tidal River and the Sea
September 23rd, 2014
Good Harbor Beach, Gloucester MA
Oil on Canvas, 18 x 24 in
(sold)
This was a glorious day – one last little “Hurrah” of summer before the inevitable fall. It was warm, the sky was cloudless, and the parking was both legal and free! As usual I was captivated by the water and worked on painting it as I saw it. I had intended to put in another outcropping of shoreline and maybe even the grand house that sits high atop the rocky shore – but by the time I got to work on it (Thursday, it had been painted on Tuesday) it was mostly dry. As a result, there was little I could do but polish a few edges here and there and let it be. I couldn’t even scratch my name into the bottom as usual! The only drawback of warm weather is the accelerated drying time. However, I might have overdone it had I tried to put extra things in. As it is, the painting is peaceful and open.
September 20th & 21st, 2014
Cox Reservation, Essex MA
Oil on Canvas, 18 x 24 in
(sold)
This was a “late light” painting day, and I was facing west watching ornamental grasses blowing as the clouds and sun sporadically light up and cast shadows over the land. When the light shone through the leaves and grasses, their colors gleamed like gemstones on the tarnished silver of the dying reeds. I enjoyed the day’s work on Saturday but did not consider the painting finished. On Sunday, I returned to the painting having left the scene and rather than plumb the depths of my memory for all the details of the land, I followed the play of colors that had evolved on my canvas. It’s no longer exactly accurate, but I like the way parts of it turned out.
September 12th, 2014
Oil on Canvas, 18 x 24 in
(sold)
I had gone to The Old Granite Pier in Rockport last Tuesday to paint, but I was not – it was just not working for me that day. I spent hours and used a lot of paint, and at the end of the day I scraped it all off the canvas in disdain. I do not believe in wasting paint, especially not my favorite new paint – so I decided to look for a photo in my midst that would work tonally with the paint I needed to recycle. I came across one from this past summer of a loon, and worked from it. I will retake this photo in better light.
September 7th, 2014
Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30 in
(sold)
On Thursday, without warning, my Uncle’s and my incredibly fit and healthy dog suddenly died. Apparently there had been a large tumor all around his heart, and it burst – and he passed away. He never had to be sick, never had to be old, lived with all his favorite things (water, balls, and affection) in constant supply. I know he had a wonderfully happy life. I’m so grateful to have gotten to share his life, he is deeply missed. Saturday I had an Open Studio. It was hot, I was sad – I decided I would paint, so I wouldn’t need to think or feel too much. I had a photo from the Island this summer I decided I’d work on, and set to it. I left out the buildings, left out the bridge – just set my sights on the warmth and beauty of the light.
August 29th, 2014
Old Granite Pier, Rockport MA
Oil on Canvas, 16 x 20 in
(sold)
I felt like I’d been a bit of a wimp, leaving out all those buildings, boats and piers in my previous painting so reluctantly I decided to include a sampling of houses in this one. I think my degree of interest and sincerity in portraying them is evident in their execution*, unfortunately. So now I will quote a poem to deflect attention from something I feel I do poorly:
Man’s ingenuity was good.
He saw it plainly where he stood
Yet found it easy to resist.
—Robert Frost
(* – They were permanently executed this morning, September 1st, and I’m much happier with the painting now. There’s still one distant house on the far peninsula, for those who like that sort of thing.)
August 23rd, 2014
Sun Dappled Woods
Oil on Masonite, 8 x 10 in
(nfs)
Because of the size of it, this painting looks to me like a paint-by-numbers type product. I worked from a photo of the path to the boathouse on the island. I wanted to get the feel of motion through the patches of light on the ground of sun dappled pine needles. Those gems of light dance as the branches sway and shimmy in the wind.