Seascape

This is a plein air painting I did in September. I love the challenge of painting the ocean. It is constantly moving, making it difficult to capture what you are seeing. It is so much fun and I take it as a challenge! Me against nature! LOL!

9" x 12" Oil on Linen Panel

Wild Surf

This painting is featured in the June edition of American Art Collector.

9" x 12" Oil on linen board Framed

Lupines

I did this small study in the studio very quickly. It was a great deal of fun doing this painting knowing that I would do a larger version of some sort later on. I worked out some problems I was encountering and made some composition choices when doing this. The next lupine painting will be a bit larger and a slightly different design. I will keep the colors vibrant and do a lot more painting with the palette knife in the next painting. Working several different versions of the same scene is so much fun and you learn a lot while doing it.

                                                            6" x 8" Oil on Linen board

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

Thinking About Monhegan....

It is so cold outside. I feel rather cooped up today. I want to be outdoors painting. At this time of year my mind always goes back to Monhegan Island.  Probably because my heart is there. For those of you who are not familiar, it is a small place, an island one hour off the coast of Maine. It is now and has been for a long time, an art colony that draws artists, musicians, writers, and bird watchers to it's shores every summer. The scenery from a painter's perspective is spectacular. There is a potential painting around every corner.  I always stay at the Monhegan House.  The wonderful staff, great food, and interesting eclectic group of people who stay there make it for me the best place to be. I have been returning there for many years to be a part of the plein air workshops being taught by my friend and mentor, Stan Moeller. He is a wonderful teacher who goes above and beyond to help his students.  I cannot recommend his workshops enough. We have so much fun, but we work very hard. I always come back having learned something new. I am so looking forward to the warmer weather and to going back. Below is a still life painting I did in the dead of winter last year when I was thinking about Monhegan Island and wondering when I was going back. This is a symbolic painting because each item either comes from or I use while on the island. The title of this painting is "Missing Monhegan".

A Day at the Beach

It is very cold outside and I started to think about the very hot summer we had this past year. I love the hot weather. For me, it can never be to hot. That's the time when you go to the sea. This is a painting I did from several photos I took this past summer while walking along Hampton Beach. It was done in one session in order to keep it light and happy.

12"x12" Oil on Canvas, Framed