Saratoga Sunrise

"Saratoga Sunrise", oil on linen, 5 x 7

This little painting was one of my first experiments with indirect painting.  I didn't intend to paint in layers with this little study as the underpainting was done in opaque rather than translucent paint.  Paintings done in an indirect manner usually start with a translucent underpainting followed by layers of thin glazes to build the color.  I like the soft effects you can get with glazes but I also like the bold, fresh quality of paintings done in one go ("alla prima").   There will be more posts on indirect painting as I experiment with this method in the coming months.   This painting is currently at Mimosa Gallery in Saratoga Springs NY as part of their small works exhibit which is on view through February 17th.

Along the Road to Schuylerville

"Road to Schuylerville, oil on panel, 6 x 6

This painting was done from sketches and memory.  I have been visiting a few spots on the road between Saratoga Springs and Schuylerville every day for the past week or so.  This is beautiful country very close to the New York/Vermont border.  Bordered by the Hudson River on the east,  there are horse farms, corn fields and apple orchards along the road.  From some vantage points you can see the Adirondack Mountains and Vermont's Green Mountains on the horizon.  I particularly like the winter landscape here.  Below is a pastel version of the same composition.  The colors are cooler and stronger in this version.  I like the texture of this piece (it reminds me of a Twachtman winter scene) but I am doing the larger piece in oil.

Saratoga Lake Oil Sketch

"Lake Ice Saratoga", 6 x 8, oil on linen

Part of my new approach to painting involves working more from memory and on site sketches.  Eventually I hope to get rid of photo references all together.   I am spending more time working out different design ideas and color combinations before starting a new work.  I worked from a couple of graphite sketches to create this little color study.  I was trying to capture the feel of an icy morning at the lake in late Fall.  There was just a light dusting of snow on the lake grasses and trees.   I remember the different colors of the shoreline were a mix of pale warm and cool colors.  I love the pale pinks, greens and greys that you see in a late Fall landscape.

Happy New Year

"Fresh Snow (from the studio window)", oil on gessoed paper, 5 x 7

I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays!  I had a great time with my family in Saratoga Springs NY and Ridgefield CT.  It's been a busy month traveling which partially accounts for my absence from the blog.  The main reason I have not posted very much is that I am starting to take my work in a different direction.  I took two classes in the past few months that have really impacted the way I create my artwork.  I will discuss these two classes and what I learned from them in more detail in subsequent posts.  I will devote more time in the coming year to doing the the preparatory work that goes into creating a piece of art:  drawing, design, conceptual refinement, color studies.  I am going to use my plein air pieces as real studies and not as just little copies of the scenes I happen to find wherever I may be at the time.  The bottom line is that I want to take my work to the next level in the coming year which will require a lot of hard work that doesn't necessarily result in something that can be posted on a blog everyday.  I will be working on ways to make this blog more interesting for those of you who like to look at art every day and those who create art every day!  I will keep you posted  .  .  .

See you next year!

Tortola Palms

"Edge of Water", 6 x 6, oil on panel

I am currently in Nanny Cay Marina in Tortola (British Virgin Islands).  It is beautiful here right now.  Sunny and warm!  I know.  Life is tough sometimes!  I have been sketching the trees around the marina as part of the coursework for the design class I'm taking.  I like the colors in this little study.   The assignment was just to do black and white thumbnails but I had my paint bag with me and took the opportunity to do a little painting as well.

Masterwork Study

This is a 6 x 6 oil study of a Chauncy Ryder painting.  Copying a masterwork is a great way to learn about color, value and design.  I have done many of them in the past but am doing more these days as part of an online design class with Deborah Paris.  I will post more about the class later this week but so far it's been very educational.

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