Twilight in the Adirondacks

"Adirondack Twilight", oil on panel, 6 x 8

I hope everyone's Fall is off to a good start!  Summer certainly flew by fast but I love this time of year.  It is the perfect season for outdoor painting in my opinion.   The weather is still warm but comfortable during the day and the air is crisp - perfect!  As I've discussed in previous posts, I am trying to spend more time sketching and painting reference studies in my outdoor sessions rather than producing finished paintings.  The above color study was painted from a black and white pencil sketch done in the  Adirondacks a few weeks ago.  It captures what artists call the "magic hour" from sunset to twilight.  I have also been rising early to get some sketching done during the early dawn hours.  Luckily the sun rises later this time of year!

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.

Adirondack Plein Air Festival and Third Prize

"Morning on Bloomingdale Road", 9 x 12, Pastel

I just returned from the Adirondack Plein Air Festival in Saranac Lake, New York.   We had perfect weather for the event:  three days of absolutely beautiful clear skies and moderate temperatures.  I wishI could have spent the week up there as it took half the weekend just trying to decide what to paint!  The event was attended by 70 plein air painters from the Northeast and Canada.  There were some really good painters so I was quite honored (and surprised!) when I won the "Saranac Health and Healing Award" which was 3rd prize.   Second Place went to Charlie Hunter whose unique, starkly beautiful and moody paintings are always top award winners and First Place went to George Van Hook whose large painting of a fly fisherman in the stream was quite impressive.

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.

Rising Mist

"Rising Mist", 8 x 10, pastel on sanded paper (currently available at Mimosa Gallery through 6/30)

The last few weeks have been spent experimenting with an indirect painting technique which is opposite of the way I usually work in oil.  It involves a lot of pre-planning and patience.  The way that Deborah Paris teaches this technique is to develop a very thorough and detailed underpainting in a transparent color and then add layers of glazes, velaturas and opaque paint passages at the end.  It takes a LONG time and it requires your concept be completely thought out prior to even starting the painting.  I need to experiment with it more as I don't feel I have anything worth posting yet.   I have come to the conclusion, however, that what I really want is for my oils to look like my pastels.  So I am going to experiment with trying to marry the indirect method with my pastel technique.  We'll see what happens.   I'll keep you posted . . .

Maine Landscape

Study for "Evening in Maine"  6 x6 oil on panel

Thanks to everyone who braved the rain to attend my opening at Mimosa on Friday!  It was great to meet some new collectors and I really enjoyed talking to everyone.  Thanks to Michelle at Mimosa for a lovely evening.  The show will be up until the end of June so please stop by if you're in Saratoga Springs.  The above little painting will be staying in my studio until I get the time to paint a bigger version of it (hopefully soon!).

Show at Mimosa Gallery in Saratoga Springs NY

Please stop by Mimosa in Saratoga Springs NY to see my latest show "Latitudes."   There will be a reception from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. tonight.  See you there!