Something Different...

Here are some details of a small mural project I did in November at The Loxahatchee Club in Jupiter, Florida. With the dark blue wall color as the background, I was able to paint the mural using only one shade of white.... The turtle is the mascot for the club.

Markham Park Plein Air 11-12-11

8x8, Oil/Linen Panel

It has been a while since I have posted here or painted plein air.. Here is the most recent piece, a small plein air off the beaten path in Markham Park. For this quick study, I concentrated on finding the color hidden in the Florida browns and greens. I also wanted to catch the energy of the sun poking through the moving clouds on this breezy day...

Wet Paint, In The Studio...

Blue Crab II

12x12, Oil/Linen Panel

I revisited my image of this blue crab as my entry for an upcoming exhibition in Key West.. Aquatic Frolic-What Lies Beneath. More information to come...

The first Blue Crab was on a white sun bleached deck , while this one is on the beach testing the water with his pointed claw...

Provincetown Portrait Studies

John Clayton, 'Mudhead"

Arthur signing finished painting

John Clayton sketching in

Arthur Egeli and his Portrait Study

It was an honor to be painted on the beach in the Provincetown tradition of backlit "Mudheads" while vacationing in Cape Cod. I met artist and gallery owner, Arthur Egeli at our designated location in the East End at 9:30 AM. We were joined by artist John Clayton... While I enjoyed the view, both Arthur and John quickly captured my character along the mood, lighting, and colors of the morning.

The Mudhead tradition began in Provincetown by artist and teacher Charles Hawthorn between 1899 & 1930. They began as an effort to teach his students to see forms as a spot of color, as studies, in the brilliance of the Provincetown light.

Painting In Provincetown 2011

Painting the dunes in Truro

SOLD

Low Tide, Moors

6x8, Oil/Canvas Panel

Truro Dunes

6x8, Oil/ Canvas Panel

SOLD

Dune Road, Provincelands

6x8, Oil/ Canvas Panel

It was a great week vacationing and painting in Provincetown once again. Spectacular weather, good traveling companions, food, & art.. what could be better? Traveled with a small Pochade and limited palette this year.. and did these small paintings (plus 1 wiper!)... was good to be painting plein air after a long absence.....especially in Cape Cod!

Dry Series #5

20x10

Oil/Linen Panel

Dry Series #3 & #4

Dry #4, Bend

20x16, Oil/Linen Panel

Dry #3, Mirror

12x12, Oil/Encaustic Panel

SOLD

Dry, 1 & 2....

Dry

10x16, Oil/ 2-10x8 Encaustic Panels

I have been experimenting with a new surface.. Encaustic Panels. Made for painting with wax, or Encaustics, the surface is very smooth.. and absorbent. For me, it almost demands the use of a palette knife. The brushwork seems to get quickly absorbed and sets up instantly, allowing the impasto to rest undisturbed on top. This board also seems ideal for use in my goal to see more movement in the paint.

Complementary Me...

10x32

Oil/Linen Panels

This week I did a series of four self portraits using Complementary Colors, each on a 10x8 Linen Panel.. from left to right in the photo- 1) Chromatic Black & Titanium White 2) Cobalt Blue & Cadmium Orange 3) Scarlet Lake & Viridian Green 4) Dioxanine Purple & Cadmium Yellow Medium. It was a great value study project in using only the two colors for each painting.

Hot Fries...

10x10

Oil/Canvas Panel

... the glow of the heat lamps striking a bottle of hot sauce caught the eye of my friend Ellen Weiss , as we were having lunch after a morning of plein air. The cook at the Floridian, in his yellow shirt, showed up just in time to provide some action in her photo. Ellen was kind enough to share her photo with me for this painting... thanks Ellen!!

Testing The Water

10x10

Oil/Canvas Panel

A studio painting reflecting those moments of childhood we all remember ... endless amounts of time, new discoveries, testing the limits....

Wet Paint, In the Studio ...

Thirsty

12x12, Oil/Linen Panel

... outdoor dining on Las Olas, under the umbrellas, provided an opportunity for an interactive light play with the various shadows and reflected light....

Mango Yin & Yang..

8x8, Oil/Linen Panel

The mangos have been exceptional this year! The stacked crates holding several varieties of mango jams and chutneys made by Ken are a testimony to the tree's productivity... Since they are dropping from the tree less frequently now, it was time for me to get my yearly mango painting finished. It won't be long before the only presence of mangos will be in the smear on my English Muffin...

The Pups...

Gobi

8x8, Oil/Linen Panel

Bella

8x8, Oil/Linen Panel

Our two dogs, Gobi and Bella, are both rescued dogs from a kill shelter in Miami. Following in the paw prints of all the gifted and best dogs we had before ( and there were many! ), they are without a doubt two of the most wonderful dogs... ever. But then again... aren't yours, as well?...

Spaghetti Squash..

The Model and the Portrait, In the Studio

8x5.75 Oil/Linen Panel

This Spaghetti Squash I picked up at the supermarket served two purposes for me this week. The first was to serve as a model in this small still life to help quiet my mind after several days of wipers in the studio. Its neutral colors gave me the challenge to focus and find the subtleties hidden throughout. The second purpose was to be the "pasta" for a beautiful Pomodoro Sauce sprinkled with fresh Basil that evening....Mmmmmm

Shadows And Reflections

12x12 Oil/Linen Panel

.. the cool shadows floating over the bank and into the water, along with the warm reflections of sunlight coming up and out of the shallow water...Plein Air, Markham Park, 6.04.2011

South Eastern Plein Air Invitational, Day Five..

Turrentine Ave. Roundabout

8x16, Oil/Linen Panel

The final day of painting this year was in the historic neighborhood district. There are several roundabouts located throughout this lovely neighborhood with its old southern homes and charm. Once I saw the early morning sun lighting up this roundabout with the rhythm of the cast shadows wandering up the street, I knew I had found my spot.... the gigantic Aborvitae that lent me its generous shade also acted as a sundial letting me know my painting was finished at high noon.

South Eastern Plein Air Invitational, Day Four..

Coosa Sunrise 2011

3,75x10, Oil/Linen Panel

SOLD

Cloud Shadows, Heron Island

12x18, Oil/Linen Panel

Thursday was an interesting day of painting.. since it was the morning after the tornados had ripped through the area. It so happens that the storms had passed over the region we were scheduled to paint, Southside.. a beautiful and hilly community along the Coosa River and its backwaters. As I left before sunrise to go paint, I was wondering just what I would encounter...

I arrived at Rainbow Landing safely and was grateful to see that there was no major damage along the way. The sky was still filled with moody and sluggish clouds that would not allow for a celebratory sunrise after such a devastating night. I was surprised when I turned to the west and saw this strip of determined ambient sunlight that willed its way through as a reminder, in spite of the turned about world. Coosa Sunrise was one of those paintings where again, all I had to do was show up and hold onto the brush. It was the smallest painting I did, but probably my favorite of the event.

As I moved down to the Highway 77 Causeway to paint Cloud Shadows, again, I was taken as to how nothing seemed out of order. It was a beautiful view looking at the mountains rolling along the water in both directions. The causeway jets across the water, connecting the valley of two tall hills. One of the museum Staff dropped by on his way from the distant hill, looking quite shaken.. he had just come through what was the town of Ohatchee, now flattened by the tornadoes. He had witnessed rescue workers retrieving bodies of those who did not survive the night. I was astounded and moved that I was standing with this peaceful view, yet just up the hill was trauma and suffering. Several passersby stopped out of curiosity to see what I was doing and shared with me the stories of their homes being damaged or in some cases.. gone. It was affirmative to me that the presence of plein air painters in the community is important for preserving the memory and presence of the fragile changing landscape.

South Eastern Plein Air Invitational, Day Three...

Broad Street Bridge

10x8, Oil/Linen Panel

The beautiful Broad Street Bridge spans The Coosa River which meanders through the city of Gadsden. This view is from beneath the bridge on the east side of town, East Gadsden. Unfortunately this day was cut short due to the devastating storms that came through ... it was a very close call at my Mother's house(where I was staying), but gratefully, no damages there.

South Eastern Plein Air Invitational, Day Two...

Yellow Meadow

16x16, Oil/Linen Panel

Little Wills Barn

12x12, Pastel/Wallis Paper

Little Wills Sunrise

The location for day two is one of my favorite ares of the region. Some call it the Old Chattanooga Highway, but it is known as Little Wills Valley Road. There are old dairy farms on the winding, hilly road and many vistas facing Lookout Mountain.

On this day the sunrise presented itself for about two minutes before the clouds covered it up... just long enough for me to quickly block in the light in Little Wills Sunrise. I then developed the rest of the painting with no concerns about the changing light.. the beauty of an overcast morning.

The poppies growing "volunteer" in the field by this old barn caught my eye in Little Wills Barn. The patina of the rusted tin roof was glowing on this Spring day.

Yellow Meadow, my third painting of the day, was an exercise in loosening up as the day was ending...