Connecticut Pastel Society

"Summer Moonrise," Pastel, 9 x 12

I am pleased to announce that my little moonrise pastel has been selected to appear in the Connecticut Pastel Society's "Renaissance in Pastel" show.  The show will be open to the public from October 7th to November 12th at the Slater Memorial Museum in Norwich, CT.  If you are in the area, please go! Summer has been very hectic this year and I have been traveling a lot, as always.  I have been working on some new cityscapes the last couple of months and should be able to post them soon.  Fall is going to be BUSY.  I will have 10 pieces in the Landscapes for Landsakes fundraising show in Saratoga Springs NY in October.  I will also be at the Saratoga Arts Festival with my portraits on September 17th.  So if you are in Saratoga on that date, please come by Congress Park and say hello!

Times Square Glow in New York City

Times Square Glow, 12 x 12, Pastel on Sanded Paper

I am pleased to announce that my pastel "Times Square Glow" has been accepted into the International Association of Pastel Society's annual juried exhibit.  This painting will be on view at the Salmagundi Club in New York City from June 6th through June 17th, 2016.  Stop by if you are in or around the city in June!

Hope and Memories

I am pleased to announce that two of my pastel paintings will be on view at the Adirondack Pastel Society's National Exhibit this summer.   There will be a reception on July 11th at the Shirt Factory in Glens Falls NY.  This painting was really done on a whim after finding an old black and white family photo while cleaning out my storage unit.  I love the facial expressions.  They seem so young and optimistic, don't they?  Hope to see you in New York this summer!

Steaming Sidewalk Study

"Steaming Sidewalk Study",  8 x 8, pastel on paper

I have had this reference for a long time and just now decided to tackle it.  This is the preliminary study on sanded paper.  I really like the way the texture of the paper makes the colors in the steam sparkle.  I  am going to do a couple of oil color studies because I think the red sidewalk is a bit saturated and makes the whole painting too warm.  I am trying to avoid using any photo references for my landscapes these days but cityscapes are a different story.  It's too hard to remember all the perspective issues and architectural detail without a reference.  More on that in another post!

Mist Along the Canal

"Study for Mist Along the Canal", 9 x 12, pastel on hand made sanded paper

Yes, another misty painting.   I like fog (unless we are sailing in it).  This is going to be a larger oil painting.  I think I will be able to refine the shapes of the trees a bit more when I do the oil version.  This paper has a lot of texture so it can be hard to get really refined edges.  I like the feeling overall but will probably do a small version in oil before I tackle the larger one.

Maine Fog Color Study

Maine Fog Color Study, 6 x 8, pastel on sanded paper

I made a new batch of pastel paper today and wanted to try it out with some color studies.  I actually didn't plan this one at all but I like it.  It has a kind of "japonisme" feel to it.  If I were to do it larger, however, I would really need to work out the shapes of the foliage beforehand. We'll see.  

Sunset Along the Shore

"Sunset ALong the Shore", pastel on sanded paper, 6 x 6

I finally broke out my pastels to do a few studies today.  I usually can't use my pastels on the boat (too messy!) but we are on land for a couple of days so out they came.  We can't see the sun set because of the mountains so it is really more about trying to capture the way the changing sky affects the colors of the trees and land.  I like this piece and may work it up into a bigger size lair.  The back mountain probably needs to be darkened a bit to push it back.

Crossing Broadway

Study for "Crossing Broadway", pastel on paper, 6 x 6

Merry Christmas Everyone!  Hope you all had a great holiday.  It went very fast!  Time for me to get back in the studio and try to get a lot of work done before I have to leave for the Caribbean.  I have quite a few rainy day studies that I am now working up into larger sizes.  I hope to post some big ones soon!  Have a great Christmas week!

And It Kept On Snowing . . .

"From My Window", pastel on paper, 6 x 6

We have well over a foot of snow up here in the foothills of the Adirondacks.  It is very beautiful and "Christmasy".  I love watching the snow fall . . from the comfort of my studio!

Hommage to Ryder

"Hommage to Ryder", Pastel on Paper, 5 x 7

I am sure I've mentioned that Chauncey Ryder is one of my favorite dead artists.  He was born in Danbury CT in 1868.  He painted all over New England but he mostly known for Connecticut landscapes.  His paintings really feel like a November afternoon!  This is available is currently hanging at Sorelle Gallery as part of their Holiday Miniature Show.

Rainy Afternoon Saratoga

"Rainy Afternoon Saratoga", Pastel on Paper, 6 x 6

On with the rain . . . This little study of downtown Saratoga was painted from a sketch that I did in the car a couple of months ago.  I like the texture of the street in this study.  Pastel is particularly good at depicting rough and/or wet textures.   I'll be posting more of these over the next few days.

Cape Cod Pastel

Cape Cod Fog, Pastel on Paper, 11 x 14

This piece has been accepted into the 23rd International Pastel Society's online show.  It can be viewed in December at the IAPS website in December.  Tonight is the opening for the miniature show at Sorelle Gallery in Albany.  Stop by if you are in the area!

Tiny Painting Season

Cape Cod Mist I and II, Pastel on Paper, 5 x 7

It's that time of year again!  The galleries want lots of teeny tiny paintings to sell for the holidays.  It is a trend that has really taken off over the past few years and now every gallery has a Holiday Miniature Show!  These two pastels are from my family vacation to Cape Cod this past summer.  I love the atmosphere on the Cape.  There are misty marshy views everywhere you turn.  Both pieces will be available at Sorelle Gallery for the holidays.

November Haiku

"November Haiku", Pastel on Sanded Paper, 5 x 7

This pastel was done from a pencil sketch along a rural road in Saratoga Springs NY.  The landscape is dotted with these little red buds everywhere.  The composition reminds me a bit of the japanese prints that the early American Impressionists loved so much.  I don't know how well this graphic design would stand up to a larger format but I may give it a try.  This piece will be available at the holiday miniature sale starting at Sorelle Gallery in Albany starting next Friday, November 15th.

Fall is in the Air

"Autumn Sunset in Saratoga", Pastel on sanded paper, 12 x 12

It's hard to believe summer is almost at an end.   I feel like I had just started to get into the summer plein air swing of things the past couple of weeks!  Fortunately, I love autumn plein air painting even more than summer painting.  I still have studio pieces to get back to but am trying to get the most out of the beautiful weather we've had here in the Northeast.  The painting above is available at Sorelle Gallery in Albany, NY.