Friday, February 25, 2011

Coastal Path






I love to paint fast. I get bored with the subject if I have to wait for the paint to dry. Most of my work is done "alla prima" in my studio or outside "en plein air". Sometimes, on dreary winter days, I like to pretend that I am outside. I paint very quickly, trying to get down what I see as if I were fighting the changing light. This is a good exercise for any painter to do. It keeps you on your toes and the work is fresh.



                                                                        Coastal Path 
                                                               6"x6" Oil on Gessobord

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Boat at Hampton

I am daydreaming a lot these days of warm summer days. Yesterday, I looked at a group of paintings I did during the summer and fall. Some of them were studio pieces and many of them are plein air work that I never got around to photographing. This was one of them. I painted this scene at the end of the street on the bay at Hampton this past summer. There was not much inspiring me that day and then I looked out at this grassy area and spotted this lovely boat just waited there. The light was just beautiful and it made the boat almost glow.
12"x16" Oil on linen board

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Children on Swim Beach

This is the second painting I did from the photos I took of the children near the water on Swim Beach on Monhegan Island.  I painted the same little girl in the white dress but this time she had a friend. The two of them were standing in the water looking out at the ocean. It was very hot and sunny that day. What a nice way to cool off.


 6"x6" Oil on Gessoboard

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Sunflowers and Shadows

Sometimes in the cold, dreary days of winter, I paint from reference photographs that I took during the warmer weather. This is a painting I did last winter on a very cold, dark day. The photograph was taken from a still life I set up in my porch during the summertime. I immediately became lost in the process of painting this one. The bright colors of the sunflowers are so warming and cheerful! It lifted my spirits and I hope it does the same to yours!


20"x 20" Oil on Canvas, Framed
$1575.00
On View at the Levy Gallery in Portsmouth, New Hampshire for the month of March.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Little Girl in a White Dress

I was painting on Swim Beach on Monhegan Island last June when I looked up and saw this beautiful little girl playing near the water. She looked like a glowing little angel. Her Mom was nearby and I explained to her that I was a painter and would like to paint her daughter. The nice woman said "yes" and this is the first in a series of paintings that I will be doing of that special little girl.
6"x6" Oil on Gessoboard, Framed