Almost back to normal....................

I have been squeezing painting in with cooking, shopping, celebrating Christmas with my family and the like. I have been out to this site to do several small color studies and have made a lot of progress with expanding the smaller studies and bringing them into the studio. Am pretty much "getting there" with this one and have several things in the gestation period. The refrigerator is nearly cleared of leftovers and I have no desire to eat turkey for a very long time! I met my daughter and her friend Tiffany for brunch yesterday and was so desperate to eat something light that I went to Whole Foods and bought red kale and mustard greens............I plan on having them tonight with tofu. Sorry that this photo is so awful but it is super hard to get everything right with artificial light.

golden, slanted light

It has been really gloomy around here for the past two or three days. I have been working on a picture that I posted yesterday......it's 22" square. I am hoping that the sun comes out between 9 and 10 am tomorrow since I need some more color info. The adjustment in paint mixing for a picture of that size took me close to an hour this morning since I have been regularly working in a smaller format for the past year. I had a very good time after I got crazy with the amount of paint and put my #2 brushes away. The site for this picture is this little side road under the Sakonnet Bridge down next to Tiverton Harbor. I have been scoping it out for quite some time and have done several studies in the area but the concept finally came together for me. I will definitely have to make a stop at Utrecht tomorrow to get some more of certain colors.

the week in review!

I have been remiss about posting but have been exceptionally busy............finishing things and beginning things in addition to Christmas prep. I find that the studio work I am interested in is larger, more complicated and less immediate, less likely to be finished in a day. I finished a picture that is sold but needed a few tweaks and nearly finished the two figures walking (it is way too wet to complete the lettering on the sign). I went out and completed a color study for the newest picture I have started.......the light changed completely within 45 minutes so I slapped down color, did a drawing and took a couple of photos; then began a rather large canvas. I find that the winter allows me to distill some of the outdoor visual learning I have accumulated into larger and more constructed work. Last year I was not nearly as aware of this but this year it seems logical.................it is more the lack of light than the cold that forces me in. So, after my son called me to ask why I have not posted for a week, I will now post a bit of the week past. I am still waiting to paint some snow!

working steady indoors

I got up wicked early today and am fading fast..............worked on a couple of things and went to the gym. This picture is the one I am most into at the moment and the other ones are just things I have to finish this week. The temperature went up dramatically this afternoon and it doesn't feel nearly as bitter as it did this morning (it was about 8 degrees). The Christmas season seems to be approaching at warp speed and I find that I am not really worried this year, it will be what it is.

creek study

I had a great time visiting with my Dad..........no snow until I left, though. I did manage to get in a little painting in the woods behind his house; it was freezing and took me several hours to warm up afterwards but it was fun. Winter is such a totally different palette than even fall. Within hours after I left it was a veritable blizzard! Today I just worked on a picture inside and wasn't tempted to venture out except for going to the gym.

correction

I really don't have anything to post today.............just a better picture of the picture I was working on yesterday. I did go out and paint all morning (in the car) but ended up with a picture that I wasn't willing to wipe off because of a couple of areas where I feel I made some progress but one that I wasn't willing to publish either. Then I made an enormous batch of beef stew to bring to my father tomorrow. I am off as early as I can get out of the house and am hoping for not too much snow as I approach the Adirondacks......the photo is a little better.

Inside

I tried to work outside but the wind killed my plans so I came home. It was a beautiful day anyway and I took a bunch of photos on my road trip. It is also a fight to take decent photos this time of year - I could never live with less daylight than we have in New England during this season. I am posting a photo (poor quality) of a 12 x 24 picture I just began. One more day at home and I head off for upstate NY to visit my Dad.............am hoping there will be some snow to paint!

Nature vs Christmas

I brought some paintings down to the Spring Bull Gallery in Newport today - for their small painting Christmas show and was immediately torn between beginning to shop for Christmas and blowing it all off and painting at the beach. Since I was starving I opted for a quick shopping mission and then home for something to eat. God, I detest stores; I was fortunate to find what I was looking for quickly and headed home. I am now working on a larger picture since it is nearly dark at 4:30. Hopefully I will get out early tomorrow. I am posting last night's portrait which is 10" square.............oh, and the model actually had green streaks in her hair (I'm not sure how one actually does that to dark hair).