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!

Rain on Phila Street

"Rain on Phila Street", 5 x 7, oil on panel

Hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season!  We are digging out from over a foot of snow in Saratoga Springs.  I just returned from the Caribbean last week.  It's quite an adjustment to go from 87 degrees to 0 in one week!  This is another rainy day study of Saratoga.  I guess it's time to move to snow scenes.  I have plenty of source material outside.

Moonscape

"Moon Rising", oil on panel, 6 x 6

I am still working on Christmas miniatures as most of the ones dropped off a couple of weeks have already sold.  Thanks to my collectors!  This small piece was done completely from memory.   I was thinking of the several summers we used to spend in Maine, both on land and on board the boat.  These days we go to Newport and Cape Cod - an equal but different kind of beauty - but I do think of Maine often!

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.

Rainscapes

"Study for Rainy Afternoon NYC", 5 x 7, oil on panel

Rain has been a motif that I constantly revisit.  I love rainy cityscapes.   There are so many surface variations on a rainy day:  wet concrete, reflections from cars and buildings, misty atmosphere, the list goes on.  The key challenge in creating a rainy day scene is to get the values correct which are usually compressed on the lower end of the value scale.   I have spent quite a few hours in the rain sketching wet streets!  I am currently working on the 18 x 24 version of this painting.  I will post more rainscapes as they appear.