Foggy Afternoon

Study for Foggy Afternoon, oil on panel, 6 x 8

This little study started as an exercise in atmospheric tonalism.  There are two key ways to create atmosphere:  close values and low chroma color.  I picked one color (green) to use as my jumping off point for all the values and masses in the painting.  All the colors are mixed off of the one green puddle of color.  I was careful to keep the values separate but close.  I like the brushwork in this study.  I also like the underpainting showing through in the foreground as it adds a little sparkle and interest.  After spending the last several months painting in an indirect manner (lots of glazing and waiting) it was liberating to start and finish a study in one sitting.  I used a larger pastel painting of this scene from a few years ago as my guide to composing the sketch.  I may take it a bit further and create a new composition for a larger oil.  

Flowers on Cape Cod Marsh

"Marsh Flowers", 6 x 6, oil on panel

Well it has been a whirlwind of activity since last I posted over a month ago!  In that time I have closed on a new house in Saratoga Springs NY, sailed in Newport, RI and had a family vacation in Cape Cod.    While I was able to get some sketches and field work done, I did not have a lot of time for studio painting or blogging.  I am still unpacking and traveling between Saratoga and Newport but I am focused on getting some painting done this summer!  The above was a quick field sketch from last week in Cape Cod.  It was fairly early in the morning and quite humid.  I was focused on capturing the color relationships created by the humid atmosphere.

Marsh and Dunes

"Provincetown Dunes",  6 x 6, oil on panel

I have been revisiting my Cape Cod pictures.  They remind me of summer.  The small paintings continue . . .

"Marsh at Twilight,"  6 x 6, oil on panel