A yellow barn

I recently participated in a weekend plein air workshop with a painter whose work I greatly admire, Jon Redmond. The weather ranged from frigid and raining to bearable and partly cloudy. The sun made brief appearances just to remind us that painting outdoors is fraught with uncertainty and change.

Here's a yellow barn, upon which the sun happened to shine for 10 minutes or so.

Yellow Barn, MA

Oil on canvas

8 x 10

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First post in a Florida series

This year's Spring Break trip to Florida was memorable for the chaos that resulted from an ill-timed blizzard on the day of our scheduled departure. Nevertheless, we were still able to spend a whole week in St. Augustine, a city still recovering from a devastating hurricane last Fall. Here's one from the porch of our B&B on the river. Oil on wood panel, untitled as yet. 

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Another view of the Little Pamet River

This is a spot I've painted many times, over the 20+ years I've been spending time in Truro, MA — way out near the tip of Cape Cod. It's peaceful here, and though the poison ivy and deer tick population are somewhat of a deterrent to painting on-site, I can't resist.

"Little Pamet"

Oil pastel on board

10" x 10"

Available

My new, in-progress website:

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The Sunshine State

Yes, Florida! We shoveled out from a gigantic snowstorm and were in sunny Florida within a few days of our scheduled arrival date. The weather was on the chilly side but NO SNOW whatsoever!
Here's a couple of tourists visiting the St. Augustine Lighthouse.

"Tourism"'Oil on Canvas

20" x 10"

Available

Downtown

Here's the oil version of a scene in downtown Andover, Massachusetts in the 1940s. Using a photo posted on Facebook by a fellow "townie" for reference, I have shamelessly channeled Edward Hopper. "Downtown", oil on wood panel, 24" x 24". Available.

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Hot and cold

Some young friends dropped by for lunch and a studio visit. We played outside in the snow until sunset. This small painting is an interpretation of a moment in late winter.

Untitled

8x10

Oil on canvas. Available.

Artistic License

Winter may be trying hard to stick around, but Spring will eventually win out. Walking the neighborhood today, I had to deal with some melty slush on the street but thankfully, no ice. 

Not soon enough, it will be time to head to the beach. Here's one from last summer. To my peeps who are familiar with this beach  — yes, I know this house isn't exactly like this, nor is it in exactly this location. It's an interpretation.

The painting is also brighter than this looks.

Beach Day #2

Oil on wood, 12 x 12.

Available

Buying the Farm

When you buy an old farm, sometimes there are surprises in the form of foundations from long-demolished barns or other structures. It's too much trouble to chop up the concrete and dispose of it, so here it sits. This foundation has been used by us over the years as a pool surround and as a vegetable garden. Lately, its sole purpose has been to support a healthy jungle of ivy and other wild greenery. On a recent snowy day, I decided to capture the scene on canvas.

Ivy & Snow, oil on canvas.

Sleeping on it

I'm working on a series of oil paintings from last Spring's trip to Tuscany — Florence and Siena, to be specific. This painting, possibly probably finished, shows an architectural  phenomenon that's common in ancient cities that need to upgrade their buildings structurally but also save the features that define them. I've chosen not to include any details of the ongoing construction here; rather, I wanted to showcase the wonderful arched window that remains more or less intact.

More work from this trip in the near future.

Untitled

Oil on Wood Panel

24" x 24"

Four Little Words

"Congratulations on your acceptance..."

In a Friday morning email, these words served to validate and reward the efforts of the past 6 weeks, as I frenzied my way to the completion of 11 new works to be juried by the Illuminations team at Mass. General Hospital.

All 11 paintings, including this one, will be part of a rotating exhibit, opening in October, 2017. Details to follow.