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!

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.

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.