Boreas Sanctus
Plein Air Painting 2014
December 14th & 15th, 2014
Moonrise over Channel Island
Kenora, Ontario
Oil on Canvasboard, 16 x 20 in
Another painted in studio from a photo / from memory during last week’s Open Studios. Thanks to all who have come out and supported me and my work this year! Happy Holidays to all.
Sunset over Canoe Channel
December 6th, 2014
Kenora, Ontario
Oil on Canvasboard, 12 x 16 in
(sold)
My absence all this while has been due to a sudden and terminal illness in the family. I hope I can get back to painting regularly soon. Recently I had two weekends of Open Studios – the 6th of December and the following weekend, the 13th and 14th. Capitalizing on the hours I got to spend in my studio space, I painted this and the one above from memory & photo while I was there.
PS – if it looks familiar, it’s because I did a painting from the same photo not too long ago. I hadn’t brought any new ones into the studio, just decided on the spot to paint so had to make do with what was there. Also the previous one got ruined by an ill-timed car-door slam. The sky in this one, at least, is better than the previous (Feb. 11th. Wait for the re-take of this in better light to finalize your own conclusions on the matter!)
November 16th, 2014
Stormy Weather, Lake of the Woods
Oil on Canvasboard, 16 x 20 in
(sold)
For the past month I’ve been sick, I’m finally on the mend. I didn’t get out this weekend to paint, but I did some studio painting on Sunday. This is from a photo and a memory I have of a very stormy day on the lake this summer. I took this indoors and on a dark day, when the weather is better I’ll get a better photo of it. I should be back up posting regularly from now on.
Red Auerbach
October, 2014
Pencil, 16 x 20 in
This is just one of the sketches I’ve done as practice for a portrait I’ll be doing soon. It’s not plein air and it’s not from life, obviously – but because I’ve been sick I’ve been stuck inside and would like to show I’ve not been totally idle.
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.