Morning Shadows Cape Cod

Morning Shadows Cape Cod, 8 x 8, oil on linen

This little piece is an example of the indirect technique that I have been experimenting with lately.  The yellow is not nearly as saturated in the original but I can't seem to get a good balance in the photo.  There are probably four or five layers of glazes and scumbles in the piece.  I like the soft hazy effect you can get with this technique.  It results in a look that is more consistent with my pastel paintings.  The down side is the amount of time it takes to work this way. a lot longer to work indirectly because the layers have to completely dry before reworking them.  Th

En Plein Pleut

"Rainy Day in Annapolis", oil on panel, 6 x 8

I am happy to report that the sun has finally been spotted in Annapolis Harbor after 7 days of rain.  Seriously.  It's been raining for a week.  This is a rainy plein air sketch done from the boat this morning.   At least it is dry under the bimini!

Cape Cod Marsh

"Cape Cod Marsh", oil on paper, 6 x 6

I have been using the Arches Oil Paper for small sketches and studies.  I really like this surface.  It is a little more absorbent than a gessoed panel but I like the way the paint looks after a couple of layers.  On the plus side, it is an inexpensive way to test out ideas, compositions, etc.  On the down side, it has to be framed with glass like pastels.  This small study was based on a sketch from Cape Cod this past summer.  I like the general color harmony and will see how it translates to a larger piece.

Saratoga Moonrise

"Saratoga Moonrise", oil on panel, 6 x 8

This is another oil sketch done by memory.  I stood on my porch a few weeks ago in Saratoga and quickly sketched the moon rising behind a neighbor's house.   My main memory was of the red violet color in the lower part of the sky so I developed the rest of the color harmony from that one observation.  I am trying to do at least one of these sketches every day to strengthen my memory skills.  It is amazing how much you can recall of a subject or scene if you spend enough time studying it beforehand!

Sunset Cape May

"Sunset Cape May", oil on panel, 6 x 8

I did the underpainting for this sketch while we were bringing the boat down from Newport a couple of weeks ago.  The light was beautiful but it didn't last long!  I had just enough time to get the basic shapes down before it was all over.  After the underpainting was dry I added transparent glazes to the sky to get that sunset "glow".

Memory Painting

"Morning on Birch Street", 5 x 7 , oil on panel

Yes, another long absence from the blog.   Our new house in Saratoga and the constant travel over the past six months have taken a toll on my productivity and blog material!  I still sketch and paint every day but most of it is preparatory work for pieces that I will work on in the studio later on.   I will have a long stretch of studio time coming up in a couple of weeks.  One of the exercises I am trying to do more frequently is memory painting which I've mentioned before on this blog.  The above sketch was done from memory this afternoon without any references.  It is the view from my window in the early morning in Saratoga.  I did a couple of pencil sketches a few weeks ago when I was there.  I looked at the sketches to refresh my memory and then put them away to paint the above oil sketch.  I find it liberating to not be tied to the scene in front of me!