Tree scape

This was the first painting I did during the Mel Stabin workshop I took a couple weeks ago. We were pretty much rained out every day, but one...but I managed to step outside under a covered porch and paint the tree scape outside the studio. It was a fabulous week at a great place...check out the workshops offered at the Landgrove Inn. Great food, great location, great people...a winner!

View of the Boat

This should have been yesterday's post...in 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue... Hope you all had a nice day..thanks also for all the recent comments...This piece was done from a photograph and I really pushed the dark trees and lively shadows in the foreground. If you look closer the darks are made up of various colors...this adds interest and avoids a dull solid color dark.

Multi exercise

This is a fun exercise I do in my workshops...I've posted about this before. You divide a half sheet of wc paper by using white artist tape..try to divide it in odd numbered squares and rectangles. It's a study in variety, variety in sizes, shapes and taking one still life and picking a variety of images from that one set-up, trying for cohesion in either color, texture, paint application, theme etc..etc..I think it gets you out of the head set of trying for a "completed" painting.

Cottage 2

Another small sketch of a cottage I did this past summer. Variety in the greens is where this is at. I guess variety in every color is the way to go. Not in an overkill way, but in a subtle way, just to give the eye some interest...so much to think about.

red roof

This was a quick sketch I did this summer looking out of a cabin we were staying in across to the neighboring cabin. It's small: 9"x6"...Thanks for all the great comments everyone! It's nice to know you are following along!

Red Blossoms

This should be more familiar to most of you. I know it is to me, gladiola... I just came back from a 5 day Mel Stabin workshop(it was great!)...we unfortunately had 4 days of rain and were forced to paint inside from photographs and not the beautiful Vermont foliage! I'll post my efforts soon... (22"x15")

Soaked

Rain rain go away...come again...way way later! Boy oh boy have we seen rain and I'm quite frankly done with it! This painting reminds me of the lovely summer we had...oh well, next year. The water table needs it I guess! Does this mean we'll have a mild winter? Hmmm.

Interpretation

This piece was done the same day as the little landscape two posts ago. Can you tell what it is? I try really hard to "tweak" my personal vision when I look at a particular set-up...going for a slightly unique approach, close-up, vertical, color etc.. just different enough to break away from the "norm" or "obvious" interpretation of the subject. (hopefully:)

The Palisades

Aha...a landscape I did this summer overlooking Lake Champlain from Basin Harbor. Really tried to make the clouds dark (which they were), but I think we err on the side of caution because they are clouds and we want them to be white and fluffy...another myth shattered!

peony demo

Did was the demo painting I did at my last workshop in Manchester. It was painted from a photograph and stressed negative shapes (leaves in foreground), bright, clean color and a unique perspective.

stop thinking

A little landscape with water I did earlier this summer...this was after some frustrated attempts and then I decided to just throw caution to the wind and paint without thinking, since I was reusing the backside of the ruined piece...hey nothing to lose!

no such face

So this might look a little scary, but I was experimenting prior to the figure session with some new supplies and made this face up in my head..I was using conte pencils and charcoal pencils and then washing watercolors over top...trying to loosen up.

gazing

Okay time to veer away from vacation thoughts and onto the next...this was done from a photo of a friend of mine while having dinner. I tried to abstract it a bit and used some "tricks", like bubble wrap pushed into wet washes of pigment...has some potential. (22"x15")

aaahhh vacation

I'm still posting from the Maine trip sketchbook...this was the view from the kitchen of our friend's house.. what a nice place. Everything on vacation always looks, tastes and feels good..that's why it's called vacation, right?

back again

I'm baaaaaack...took a couple days off from blogging...to run around and deliver artwork, finish up matting prints and tons of other stuff...but all is done now, well at least whatever is done that needed to get done..now it's on to the new things that need doing...phew. A little sketch from my Maine journal..and yes the water there looked gray/green..

Small Farm

This week is all across the board with my work...today a barnscape...but that's half the fun, keeps things from getting boring. Changing up the subject, colors, paper etc..I might try some hot press paper soon...hmmm.

Male Model

Back to the weekly figure sessions...the brush does get rusty when it comes to another, not so familiar, subject. It's all about the measuring and comparing when you draw the figure...I need to do more to get better or at least not end up with super long limbs and other out of proportion features. This one seems to work.

On the rocks

I spent the weekend in the Eastern part of the state and had a chance to photograph some new inspiration at the farm across the road from where my art show was. Lots of feathered friends and a very impressive Tom Turkey...boy was he vocal and fluffing up his impressive plumage..so maybe a turkey painting sometime...