Boreas Sanctus
July 11th, 2013
Rocky Neck, Gloucester MA
Oil on Canvas, 12 x 16 in
Day two of the workshop on buildings and boats. I painted and scraped off two separate compositions this morning before finally settling on this one. I sat and worked on it through a mild thunderstorm and a decent amount of rain. It was a really lovely boat. I may yet tweak a thing or two on this piece, I may not.
July 10th, 2013
St Peter’s Square, Gloucester MA
Oil on Canvas, 18 x 24 in
(sold)
I am having trouble getting a good photo of this painting. I did this on location at the docks in Gloucester, day one of a workshop on buildings and boats. You may have noticed how carefully I avoid painting man-made structures. That is mostly due to my disdain for the careless and destructive ways of humankind, but also somewhat due to my inability to make a straight line. This is the first boat I’ve ever painted (in my adulthood.) I had several offers to buy it while I was working on it – which boosted my morale quite notably. Next time I may have the sense to hand off the painting in exchange for the cash right there on the spot. More than one lesson learned on this day.
July 2nd, 2013
The Breezeway
Rocky Neck, Gloucester MA
Oil on Canvas, 18 x 24 in
(sold)
We’ve had a tumultuous weather system hanging above us for about a week – overcast with sunny breaks, occasional rain, occasional thunderstorm, occasional tornado warning. I need to re-take this photo.
June 19th-23rd, 2013
Half Moon Beach, Gloucester MA
(January 15th revisited.)
Oil on Canvas, 22 x 28 in
(sold)
I tried painting this water in January and was not pleased with the result, so I tried again this week – and I’m not overly pleased with the result. However, I have learned a thing or two – so maybe the third time will be the charm. In another six months or so. Light reflecting in water is sinuous, smooth and flawless – I think the knife (palette knife) is just an imperfect tool for painting it, or I have yet to find the way to make it work. I resorted to a brush for some of this one.
June 15th, 2013
Gloucester, MA
Oil on Canvas, 16 x 20 in
(sold)
This is still not finished. I don’t intend to make it more polished, exactly – I won’t be adding more detail to the figure, I don’t imagine… this was an exercise painting a figure in the garden and attempting to depict the light as it falls through the trees – warm against cold.
Tree in Seine Field, Gloucester – With Tantrum
I have this painting – a cropped version thereof, on my “new work” page. I think the left hand side is just fine! But the right hand side, the boughs that were catching the brunt of the afternoon sun, I simply could not get right. I loved the tree, and wanted to do its beauty, and the beauty of the golden light justice. I can’t tell you how many times I painted and repainted those branches!!! And finally I had had enough, I scraped off the paint in a fit of pique and abandoned the project. It’s a shame because other parts of the painting I rather like…
September 3rd, 2012
Seine Field, Gloucester MA
16 x 20 in
(sold)
I had spent two weeks preparing to go on a painting trip up in Canada, when the car I’d just spent a great deal of money getting into travelling shape was hit and totalled by a woman in an SUV. As a result I am currently driving a rental, which I was too leery of getting painty to go painting in on Saturday. Then I realized that was dumb, and went on Monday and it was a great relief. The best thing about this painting was the sky; but when I got home I found a case of Tab had fallen into it and ruined the whole thing. Rather than screaming at a cruel fate and giving up, I sat down and fixed it, as best I could. I think it turned out better than it had been initially, and luckily I have no photos of it before the accident to contradict this.
Ponderosa Pine in Seine Field
August 20th, 2012
Seine Field, Gloucester MA
Oil on Canvas, 16 x 20 in
(sold)
This was day 1 of the tree workshop. I think you can feel how burnt out but pleasantly warm the field / day was. I built the tree skeleton first, which I don’t always do – and was happy (the following day, seeing it with refreshed eyes) with how it came out.
July 16th, 2012
The Breezeway at Rocky Neck, Gloucester MA
Oil on Canvas, 18 x 24 in
(sold)
A Conclave of Cormorants
June 28th, 2012
Bass Rocks, Gloucester MA
Oil on Canvasboard, 16 x 20 in
(sold)
What I like about this painting is the vibrancy of the sky at the horizon, which I think matches well the sky I was looking at. I also like the rocks. I want to make the birds darker and maybe more birdlike, and fuss with the spray and the water in the foreground, but the week has been so hot that it dried before I could. Just as well, because when I start fussing, I find it hard to stop.