I am extremely honored and happy to announce that my watercolor painting “Evening Comes” was selected by noted artist/author Mary Whyte to be included in the “NEWS 2016 North American Open Juried Exhibition” opening Sunday September 25th at the North Shore Art Association’s gallery in Gloucester, Mass.

http://www.newenglandwatercolorsociety.org/shows.html

"Evening Comes"

Watercolor on Paper

15" x 22"

Last week, I had a fantastic time on Monhegan Island painting with my friend, Kathy Morrissey. The flowers were in bloom all over the island. On this visit, I found myself drawn to them even more than the ocean.   Here is a watercolor inspired by the afternoon light. I love the golden sunlight against the bright purple lupines.

"Lupines in the Afternoon"

7" x 14"

Watercolor on Paper

I am so excited!! Soon I will be on beautiful Monhegan Island painting with my good friend Kathy Morrissey! We have been trying to organize our schedules so that we could get this thing together.  Finally it is settled and I am looking forward to my stay at the Monhegan House. I am doing something different this time around. I am going to work in watercolors only. I have decided to leave all other mediums back home. I travel light these days. In anticipation of my upcoming trip to the island, I did this painting of Lobster Cove in watercolor.

"Evening Comes"

15" x 22"

Watercolor on Paper

It's hot outside here in New England and a great day to paint the ocean! Here is a painting I did in watercolor of the Ogunquit Coast.

Coast of Maine

watercolor on Arches Smooth

11" x 15"

Last week during a major snowstorm I decided to escape from all the cold and snow. I went into my studio and cranked up the heating stove and turned on some great music. I had a mini vacation in my imagination listening to Jimmy Buffett and Bob Marley,  while I kept painting away. I took myself to a beach in Naples, Florida where I saw this cute little girl playing in the sand. Here is the result of my afternoon's work.

"Blue Pail"

12" x 12"

Acrylic on Gessoboard

A few days ago, I saw a video of huge waves on Lobster Cove on Monhegan Island. It made me want to be there. I cannot go right now so I did the next best thing and that was to paint it. Here is a painting I did this afternoon using several old photos as reference. I miss the ocean so much!

Lobster Cove

16" x 20" 

Acrylic on Canvas

It's been a long time since I last posted. I have been very busy traveling and painting and participating in family activities. It's that time of year once again, that I am thinking about Monhegan Island. This morning I went into my studio and painted this oil painting from a small watercolor sketch. This painting will be on display this summer and for sale at the Monhegan House. Please stop by and take a look if you are on the island.  

"Evening Light on Lobster Cove"

9"x12" oil on Linen Panel

$575.00

Two Painters By the Sea

I have not been posting lately. My life has been so busy and I have been traveling.  I recently returned from a Master Painters workshop with Kim English. He is such a great guy and a phenomenal painter. Unfortunately,  I had an accident on the first morning of the workshop and injured my right index finger and part of my hand. I am still recovering from it, but I am finally able to paint again for a few hours at a time. I had a dream that I was back on Monhegan Island painting by the ocean's edge with a very rough surf. A friend came to visit me and we chatted for a while. Here is a painting that I did from that dream. It's a self portrait entitled "Two Painters By the Sea".

Meadow By the Sea

I painted this one afternoon on site this past summer. One of my favorite locations. Hope to return there someday.

                                                             Meadow by the Sea

                                                        9" x 12" Oil on Linen Panel

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

Lupine Path

I have fallen in love with the beautiful lupines that grow on Monhegan. This is the third painting I have done of them and it certainly won't be my last! I love deep purples and magentas and this is the perfect setting for me to get to play with those colors.

                                                                     Lupine Path
                                                         12" x 16" Oil on Linen Panel

Sunny Day on the Cove

Last June, I went to Monhegan Island to paint. It was a tough week to be there. It was cloudy and rained most of the time, which is not my favorite weather to paint in. One day, the sun decided to pop out and we all went down to Lobster Cove to paint. I was so excited to be out there in such beautiful weather, I had this great burst of energy and I did this painting in less than 45 minutes. To top off the day, this whale decided to pay us a visit and we stood and watched her come up and down as she passed us by only a short distance from the shore where we stood. Now, that's my idea of a perfect day!

6"x6" Oil on Gessobord

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

Surf at Christmas Cove

6"x 6" oil on Gessobord

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

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

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

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

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