Painting Lobster Boats

"Newport Lobsterman", 9 x 12, pastel on sanded paper

We spend a lot of time in the summer watching the boats go by when we are anchored in Newport, RI.  I've always loved watching the various fishing and lobster boats go about their daily routine.  Each boat seems to have a personality.  They really are all very different in size, color, age.  The big fishing trawlers look imposing and ancient with lots of rust and peeling paint and the huge machinery stacked on the decks.  The lobster boats are much smaller and more colorful.  They are usually painted a bright color but also have bright buoys festooned along their side like colorful balloons.  And, of course, there always at least two or three lobstermen (and women) in their bright orange coveralls hauling in the catch.  I have many reference photos and sketches of these boats but it has taken a long time to figure out how I wanted to paint them.  I like the way this pastel came out.    The focus is on the figure but you still get a sense of the boat without having to add too much detail.  I also like the color harmony:  the neutral grays help emphasize the orange overalls.  I'll see if I can keep it going.

New York Cityscape

"Downtown Windows", Pastel on sanded paper, 9 x 12

This is a study for a larger oil pairing that I have already started in the studio.  I have two cityscapes that I am finishing up before I head down to the tropics for a couple of months.  There are a couple of things that I really like in this piece and hope to keep in the larger painting.  I pushed the colors in the windows to achieve the grey harmony in the building colors.  I also tried to avoid being too "architectural" in my edge work.  I like the loose quality of some of the edges even though some of the lines are not quite in alignment!  The challenge will be to keep those qualities in a larger painting.

Directions for the New Year

Study for "Saratoga Lights", 6 x 7 pastel on paper

As the New Year races off I am trying to define my goals for the coming year.  The number one goal, of course, is to continually work on improving my painting skills which is a lifelong endeavor.   My second goal is to make my paintings more expressive which is in part a result of the first goal but also a function of selecting subject matter.   I am drawn to rainy scenes, night scenes and figurative scenes which would explain why I am often not satisfied with my plein air paintings of rural morning landscapes!  Sounds obvious, doesn't it?   So my main practical goal is to be more selective in choosing my subject matter and more expressive and less literal in translating that image or scene to paper and canvas.  Simple!

Happy New Year!

9 x 12, "Downtown Stroll", oil on linen

Hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve!  My resolution this year is to paint a LOT more than I did last year.  My travel schedule and other obligations made it difficult to get much painting done in 2011.  Hopefully 2012 will be a more productive year!  This is another of my New York City scenes which I love.  I really like the colorful grays in this.  I think I making some progress in my ability to mix the specific grays that I want without getting that dirty, muddy look.  I spent more time actually thinking about which colors to mix and slowly adding complimentary colors to achieve the desired effect.  I also made a concerted effort to keep my brushes clean (not my strong suit!).  Happy New Year to you all!

"The Cookie Party" Version 2

9 x 12, "The Cookie Party" pastel on sanded paper

Here is the pastel version of the last post.  As you can see, I changed both the composition - 3:4 ratio instead of square - and the color scheme.  The colors are actually richer and deeper than what is seen here.  I like this version better but am still struggling with the shape of the figure on the right hand side.  It is a difficult perspective issue.  She is leaning over so the shape of her back doesn't really read well without adding detail which I am trying to avoid.  It's a fine balance between suggesting a shape and too much detail.  I may go back and try another oil version but I will let this sit for a while.  Hope everyone has great New Year's plans ahead!

Happy Holidays

Study for "The Cookie Party", 6 x 6 oil on panel

Hope everyone is having a great holiday!  Christmas festivities have cut into painting time.  I did this little study last week.  I loved the shape of the little girl's dress and her hair falling over her face as she was intent on her cookie decorating task.   I am working on a pastel version as well and will post tomorrow if I am satisfied with it.

Below is a picture of my nephew with his favorite toy from Christmas.  He got some wonderful toys and stuffed animals for Christmas but this was the one thing that caught his fancy all day . . . my cell phone!

"Block Island Marsh"

6 x 8 oil on panel.

I have been working on a several larger pieces in between all the requisite Christmas activities like shopping, decorating, wrapping and baking!  It's amazing how fast Christmas comes every year.  Remember when Christmas seemed like an eternity away from Thanksgiving?  It's hard to get a solid amount of time in the studio but I took a couple of hours yesterday to do this little study of a scene in Block Island from last summer.  I like the paint handling in this.  Now I just have to remember how I did it!   Hope you all are enjoying the holiday season!