new ski place in the hood!

I simply could not resist posting this! I stretched canvases for hours and then went shopping with my daughter at a shopping center near my house...........she took this photo with her i phone and it was just so "inner city" natural, I had to post it.

shell collector - 10" square

What pleasure to be painting someone in a bathing suit! It is frigid out and we had a bunch of snow over the past two days. Since I did not have to go anywhere yesterday I didn't clean my car off and concentrated on shoveling the driveway and sidewalk. There was about a 3" slab of ice on my windshield when I went out today - took forever to get it off.

Almost forgot - beach figures - 10" square

I nearly forgot to take a photo of this - amazing how quickly one can get out of the habit of recording work. I have nearly finished a bunch of stuff and have pretty much done all I can do to get ready for Christmas so I should be back to regular posting soon. My daughter is home and well and I have discovered that our new cat HATES snow. I wish all who chance upon this blog to have a very happy holiday season!

Gallery Eleven Fine Art - Opening Reception

Gallery Eleven Fine Art will be officially opening on Friday, December 10, 2010 from 5 - 7 PM and all who can attend are invited to the reception. I am very excited; our space is beautiful and the response from people in the area has been wonderful since the unofficial opening the day after Thanksgiving.

underpainting and break - 12" square

I will be posting less for the next month.......just feel like concentrating on larger work and not wanting to post "updates." So, I will resume regular posting after the holidays and hope you all have a wonderful hoilday.

gray day on Westport Harbor - 14x11"

I absolutely love mixing grays..........and this scene was perfect for it. I do not love how short the days are this time of year but love the slantedness of it so I guess it is a trade-off.

hazy walk - 8x10"

Boy, do I feel stressed now when I can't paint on a daily basis!  I had a great Thanksgiving with my family in NY. I managed to get this study done but couldn't get a decent photo last night. I am truly hating Verizon as my internet provider as well........the service has not only been exceedingly slow but there have been many days I have not been able to even get on. I heard a report on the radio the other day that the US is 27th in the list of developed countries in internet speed and quality and we pay the highest rates; sound familiar (shades of healthcare)?

catching up a bit

I have been sandwiching painting in between painting the new gallery, readying work for the gallery and cooking for Thanksgiving. I finally got a more acceptable photo of the two girls that I did the other day.....as little glare as I could anyway. The new painting (which I didn't bother to name) is 8" square - I am trying to get some smaller affordable figure paintings for the hopefully busy Christmas season.

watching waves - 10" square

I just started this picture this morning and am not done yet but felt like I had to post something since it had been so many days! Getting a new gallery off the ground (even with the assistance of many partners) is quite a formidable task. In addition to finishing two commissions, I began a new larger painting which is not working (and will not be photographed) o I hav been remiss and apologize. As soon as I have the final draft of the press release for the opening I will post it.

Gallery Eleven - 12" square

This is the storefront of 11 State St. in Bristol, RI which will soon be Gallery Eleven Fine Art.....the exciting news that I mentioned a few days ago. A group of 11 painters have come together to form a partnership and open a gallery. It is amazing to me how quickly this has all come together but we signed the lease today. I will have more details soon but decided to do a visualization of what I expect the front to look like.

commission - 14x11"

This is the second step of a commissioned painting from the customer's photo - I usually don't like working from "stranger photos" but this one has been pretty fun so far. Hopefully, the customer doesn't mind that I removed an entire wave and changed some of the buildings a bit. I have a bunch of larger things I am trying to finish as well so the new stuff I am dying to start has to wait a bit. I will have some exciting news in the next few days as well.

digging - 12"square

Summer is definitely gone and it is all cold, wind driven rain outside- when I woke up in the middle of the night I heard some sort of frozen precipitation hitting the windows. It was nice to finish this very warm painting even with what feels like a headcold coming on.

coco ice vendor - 10"square

I don't know if I mentioned a proficiency at taking photos while driving........must be worse than texting. I don't do it very often but sometimes you just have to catch a scene.

all alone completed

No light today in my house! It is gloomy, cold and raining so I have to use spotlights.........still listening to the even gloomier election fallout. I cannot believe that our President is planning on compromising any more than he already has.........sigh.

all alone - 24x12"

I have just really begun to develop this picture - I've been into surfers recently. I am trying to get the sense of a coldish foggy atmosphere and it is a challenge to retain  monochromatic color without deadness - as I proceed I am adding more warmth.

light through the pail - 12" square

I loved the way the light showed the shadows of the poles through the pail.

volunteers at Blythwold - 14x11"

Not the greatest photo ever but it is quite dark today and so windy outside I didn't chance a photo out there. Blythwold (I'm not sure I spelled it correctly) is an estate in Bristol RI that has wonderful gardens and grounds - the building is cool as well and rents out for weddings and the like. They also have a bamboo forest that is about 80 years old - bamboo takes 100 years to flower.

friends - 12" square

The challenge of inserting two solid bodies into water believeably while retaining the sense of light was my goal in this painting.

renovation update

I wasn't going to post another photo of this until it was done but I had received a couple of comments so I decided to do an update. First, my son asked me why the figure was "floating" and then my landlord told me that he "felt like climbing the walls too." It's funny but the lack of the ladder had not bothered me a bit because I could sort of see it in my vision of where I was going with this.......mistakes or problems scream out to me but unfinished areas are mentally corrected.

horseneck bright - 12x9"

I was pretty much the only one at the Monday plein air group this morning at Horseneck Beach........must be a sign of the approaching season. I had really wanted to get the brightness of the morning sun on the water and I was pretty successful this time. I was freezing by the time I left (noon-ish) despite the bright sun. Another painter showed up late and we pretty much huddled behind one of the buildings to block the wind.

very complicated 20x16"

There are about a zillion things going on with this beginning - the warm/cool transitions and the various levels of depth are quite challenging and may take a bit of time. It is always hard to paint architecture and remain loose. The scene is a spot on a bright sunny day in Newport, RI - the streets are really narrow and the buildings on the opposite side of the street cast this neat shadow. I wiped down the plein air I did that day!

figure study

This is obviously unfinished (and won't be) but I liked elements of it so I thought I would post it. I spend Wednesday mornings at the Westport Art Group life session and, most of the time, wipe off what I have done. I have had a similar approach to plein air work this summer..............the sense that I am figuring something specific out rather than attempting to complete a finished/stand-alone painting. Sometimes a finished, frameable painting results but that hasn't been my goal. Monday I spent several hours painting at Fogland Beach and then wiped it all down - what I was attempting to do was not compatible with a compositional goal so I collected the knowledge and called it quits so I could return to the studio.

golden light - 12" square

I have been trying to achieve the warm shimmer that is so evident on warm, hazy, sparkly days at the shore. I tend to study (and wipe down) a lot when I am at the beach. Some of the lessons seem to be taking and I can translate the learning when I get back to the studio.

seagull day - 12x9"

I went to Horseneck Beach early yesterday and saw an amazing sight - baby seagulls. Funny, since I was just finishing the "seagull stealing a bag" painting. I don't believe I have ever seen a baby seagull before. I am showing a photo of the flock of babies being guarded by two older seagulls because I thought the sight was incredibly neat.

flowered suit - 12" square

Boy, did I have fun with this one. I am truly enjoying creating grays and this painting is almost completely gray. I keep trying to paint outside but everytime I go out it is either way  too windy (I hate it when the canvas vibrates) or it starts pouring. I am shooting for a full outdoor day tomorrow.

surfers part 2 - 18x24"

I am done with this for the most part - I will have to sharpen up in some places since it is so wet the details kind of soaked in. I am enjoying working larger again and plan on focusing more on larger pictures.

surfers - 18x24"

I started this yesterday so I have not gotten terribly far as of yet..........I wiped down everything I did at life group yesterday and then the beginning of a small still life today. I am just not that into still lifes and the model drove me nuts yesterday - her position was totally different after every break so I finally gave up. Truth is, I just wanted to work on this. I will get an early start tomorrow and the weather is supposed to be wretched so I won't be tempted to do anything else.

second prize at Portsmouth Art Guild & "boats lined up" at Sakonnet Point - 9x12"

I finished this study begun outside on Sunday and then dug through my archives to find the picture of the painting that won the prize. I neglected to post this a few days ago because, some days, I just don't feel like being on the computer - even for a few minutes!

red's through the back lots - 12" square

The illuminated sign is really interesting when seen in the gloom of a coastal-gray day. I also love what urban alley and backyards do for one's perspective. This is a combination of both.

sakonnet point

I was out painting at Sakonnet Point this morning and this is my set-up.....I have to finish inside since I ran out of solvent and then had a sneezing fit that lasted for about 10 minutes. I have always had seasonal allergies and actually painted inside yesterday to avoid triggering them. I had to go to the opening of the Portsmouth juried show "Taste This" last night since I won an award - I didn't want to be completely congested with a red nose. I didn't know what prize I had won until they actually gave out the awards (a new strategy on their part!) - turns out I won second place so I was happy and didn't sneeze once.

westport dunes - 12" square

Another gorgeous day - I met two friends in Wesport on the dunes at town beach. After Labor Day there is hardly a soul around.

warren's point study - 14x11"

It was nice to be able to paint at Warren's Point again - especially nice with the waves and froth generated by Igor! I made color my priority today and looked straight into the sun. This beach is private during the summer so it has become one of my winter spots - it is especially awesome in storms (if you can get there).

old port cafe - 16x20"

I have been trying to finish up some larger pictures this week - this is one of them. I probably need to do a few more small things but the paint is so unevenly wet now that I have to let it sit a few days. I am going to NY tomorrow so I won't be posting til I get back next week.

old port cafe - 16x20 (beginning)

Some wicked bad glare on this one! Since I am pretty much composing this from some rudimentary photos and memory, I expect this to go through some changes.....I worked on it all day today and yesterday as well, changing the drawing and composition as well as the value relationships. We shall see.

female portrait study

Fall is approaching for sure, I had to wear a polar fleece this morning. The light is fading too so I have to readjust my photo taking again.

red stipes - 12" square

A few finishing touches left on this one but I started a portrait at life group this morning and want to finish that one this afternoon. Plus, it's my birthday, my hay fever is awful and I am being a bit lazy!

purple pail - 11x14"

The weather was beautiful today but I stayed home since the crowds are so awful on this holiday that I stayed home and just gardened and painted. I went down to Middletown, RI yesterday to hike the bird sancuary but all of the beaches were closed because of rip tides from the non-hurricane. I ended up parking at the only available place and then walked the beach - there were tons of people and I got lots of photos - my models for the winter. I know what kind of figures I am looking for now and had the waves as cover so I didn't look like a weirdo.

fishing off the point - 14x11"

The glare is bad but there is no way of getting a better photo today! The south coast is waiting for Earl - we have had several bands of heavy rain so far but the wind hasn't picked up. There has been enough rain to have to close most of the windows resulting in an almost unbearable humidity inside the house - my glasses have been fogging up.

juliette's back - 9x12"

Went to life drawing yesterday and decided to work on a value study - I feel quite rusty since I have not been going every week.  We now have hurricane warnings for friday night - living within sight of water there is always a sense of dread coupled with a strange sort of excitement at the prospect of a big storm. I will be spending a good portion of tomorrow bringing plants in from the porch and filling the shed with various pieces of lawn stuff.....then, waiting.

cemetery study - 14x11"

I just got back from helping my son move from one house to another in Portland, ME - it was scorching hot there as well. This cemetery is at the Little Compton town common and the day I painted it was quite foggy - in fact I didn't totally finish it because the fog rolled back in as I was nearing the end. I find that I like the abstraction of the scene and will probably not do too much more. I had a great drive back, even Boston was pretty clear.

cityscape underpainting - 22" square

I am just beginning this (duh) but figured I would post it anyway since I am so behind in posting this month. I worked at the gallery today and, in addition to doing this, I managed to break a back tooth (sigh). Of course it is too late to call the dentist so I will have to suffer through the weekend (their office is closed on Fridays). At least painting takes my mind off pain - plus I am going to visit my son in Portland on Sunday which might distract me as well.

couple (in odd light)

The last few days have been quite cool and rainy - I decided that there was enough natural light to grab a decent photo of this but it still looks weird. Oh well, shades of the season to come.

open studios thanks! & sandbar couple - 14x11

The open studio tour this past weekend was wonderful! I must apologize for my spotty posting this month but it really was a lot of work to get ready for it - I framed 64 paintings of various sizes. I sold quite a few paintings and just completely enjoyed the contact with those who attended the tour. I usually make all of my sales through a gallery and I don't even know who has purchased it let alone why or what they thought. One tends to work in a bit of a vacuum with no real input - there are always self-doubts and insecurities (at least for me) so it was wonderful to speak with people who appreciate my work. Anyway, I was totally tired yesterday; I got the remaining paintings unloaded from my car, cleaned the studio and took a short nap. I had done an underpainting for the new painting on Friday so I would have something to work on during the show but then didn't do a thing until this morning. I should be back on track fully by tomorrow. And thanks to all of those who came to the show.

morning boats - 16x12"

I am hoping to finish this painting today but continue to prepare for the open studios this weekend......every task seems to lead to another so finishing this might not happen.

summer day at the point - 16x12"

I finished this one and then worked on various finishing details and tasks associated with the open studio....it was a gorgeous day here and I got to spend much of it outdoors while I was doing these tasks so I was happy.

finishing stuff and starting stuff

I have been lax about posting things but that is the way it goes sometimes. Getting ready for the open studio, framing things and life in general does not always synch with blogger. My daughter is safetly in Austin for grad school and I continue framing and painting. Yesterday I went out with my painting buddies to the middle of Westport Harbor - we parked (the correct word?) the boat on a sandbar and painted for more than an hour.......then returned to shore and cooked hamburgers on the grill, drank a bit of wine and talked about our respective weeks. I would have to say it was as close to paradise as I can imagine. I found myself just wishing to put down spots of color on my canvas, no structure, no nothing.....appreciating the goddamn beauty of the place and the night without worrying about the state of the world for a change. So, this morning, I started a picture based on the color sketches I did yesterday...........obviously just a beginning.