Caribbean Market Women and Lion's Paw

"Strength", Pastel on Sanded Paper, 18 x 24

A selection of my Caribbean Market Women paintings is currently on view at The Lions Paw in Fairfield, CT.  There is a fundraiser for Kids in Crisis (www.kidsincrisis.org) tonight from 6 to 10 p.m.  The event will feature live music and wine tasting and is sponsored by Lions Paw and Venu Magazine.  Stop by for a glass of wine if you are in the area!  Lion's Paw is conveniently located next to the Fairfield train station on Donnelly Walk (63 Unquowa Rd.).

New Paintings and Show

"Sunset Sail", 9 x 12, oil on linen

Another long absence.  I have been busy painting everyday since returning from the Caribbean a couple of weeks ago.  I will be featuring all my new work at Mimosa Gallery in Saratoga Springs, NY from June 4th to the 29th.  There will be an opening on Friday, June 7th from 5 - 8 p.m. so if you are in the area please drop in!  I will post more details this week.  

Pastel Plein Air: Oak and Cherry

"Oak and Cherry", Pastel on sanded board, 9 x 12

This is my first plein air outing with my pastels in a long time!  I didn't get a chance to do any pastels in the Caribbean (pastels are not allowed on the boat!).  It was a beautiful morning in Saratoga Springs and this Oak tree was the first thing that caught my eye.  The park is filled with blooming cherry trees so it is literally a field of pink and green everywhere you look.

Back in the USA

Study for Spring in Saratoga, 6 x 8, oil on panel

The Caribbean season is finally over and I am back in the US!  I am enjoying the beautiful weather here in Saratoga Springs NY and have been visiting my favorite spots in the area.  This is an area of the Saratoga Spa State Park that has geysers and beautiful meandering brooks.  The last couple of days have been great for painting outside.  This study is an example of my new approach to developing a painting.  I now spend more time on numerous pencil sketches, trying out different compositions, and then execute a quick color study to capture the basic scene in terms of color relationships.  I will use the sketches and color study to paint the larger version in the studio over the next few days.  I will try not to use any photography references but I am keeping my options open . . .  

Afternoon Cloud Study

"Afternoon Cloud Study", 6 x 6, oil on panel

Another long stretch without posting!  Unfortunately, it has been a bad winter for technology in the Caribbean.  Between frying my laptop (now replaced!) and lack of internet access it has been difficult to post the last few months. But, the season is winding down here in the Virgin Islands and I will be back in Saratoga in a couple of weeks.  I am looking forward to some Spring painting!  This is a small study for some cloud paintings that are in the planning stage at this point.  This painting is all about the edges:  edges of the clouds and edges of the trees against the sky.  Again, it is painted from memory and sketches in an indirect manner.  For me at least, it helps to paint these kind of paintings in stages rather than alla prima (in one sitting) as it allows more time to work through the design, drawing and edges in the first phase of the painting process.

Late Afternoon in Lubec

"Late Afternoon Lubec", oil on panel, 8 x 10

This was the view from the backyard of a house I rented in Lubec Maine a few summers ago.  I painted this study mainly from memory and pencil sketches.  My photo reference was quite dark and blurry so I  used it solely as a starting point.  I am trying to do more complete drawings and studies in pencil, pen or charcoal on location so that I can use as them as references instead of photos.  Drawing takes much longer than painting and really requires you to focus on what aspect of the scene you want to capture.  I think you end up retaining more visual memory of a location because it takes so much more time and concentration to render something in pencil and paper than with a brush and paint.

Moody Marsh

"Moody Marsh", oil on panel, 8 x 8

I have done several paintings of the marshes around the Thimble Islands in Connecticut.  There are so many design possibilities with marshes because of the serpentine nature of the water winding its way through the islands.  I have revisited this particular design a few times and am still refining it.   I wanted to avoid leading the near edge of the river directly into the corner but I think I created a perspective problem.  I will adjust it when it is dry.