Saint-Gaudens Iris

Using a photo that I took at Saint-Gaudens I added a bit to the watercolor I started earlier and I'm pleased with the result....

"Saint-Gaudens Iris"

watercolor - 9" x 12"

Now I'm looking forward to following the blossoms through the summer.  I only wish I'd started earlier in the growing season!

"Oil and Water"

Yesterday, Sandy Waldo and I hung our exhibit of plein aire paintings in the Mezzanine Gallery at the Norman Williams Library in Woodstock, VT.  Sandy and I have been painting outdoors together for six years.  She paints in watercolor and I in oil--hence the title of the show, "Oil and Water".  Fortunately, we get along really well although the title implies some sort of difficulty!

Come to the library to see the exhibit during library hours and please plan to come to the Artist Reception April 25th from 4 to 6 pm.  The idea behind the show is that since we paint in the same place at the same time, we could show two different versions of the same scene--one in watercolor and the other in oil and here's an example.

The first is Sandy's watercolor of the view from Church Hill Road looking south into the South Woodstock hills...

“Early Spring”

watercolor - 9” x 12” 

And this is my oil painting of the same view...

“Early Spring, South Woodstock”

oil - 11” x 14”

Not all of our painting match so neatly--some are of different views from the same spot and some are completely different paintings since one came out well and the other didn't!

Here are two more that we painted side by side at Silver Lake in Barnard....

“Silver Lake Reflection”

watercolor - 12” x 15”

"Sailboat on Silver Lake"

oil - 9" x 12"

We hope that our delight in the lovely, verdant landscape of Vermont will be enjoyed by all who visit the show.

Some Fairly Random Thoughts....

This morning, I took myself to the Woodstock Farmers' Market to get some heirloom apples.  For painting, not for eating.   I came out with a great sandwich and some very cool apples:   

     •  three "Knobbed Russets", all green and webby, also known as "Old Maids in Winter" back in England in the early 1800's
     •  A "Black Oxford", not really black--more like a deep, dark purpley red
     •  three "Reine des Reinettes", translating to "Queen of the Pippens"
     •  a "Holstein" (apple, not cow)
     •  three Ashmead's Kernels, a lovely 300-year-old variety with sort of scruffy green skin
     •  one "Hidden Rose" which promises to have pink flesh
     •  a "Hudson Golden Gem", gold, red and lime green, popular in this country in the early 1900's
I don't have any paintings of these lovely apples yet, but soon.

Below are the two plain aire paintings I'm now showing at Artistree Gallery here in Woodstock.  The first was painted back in May off Church Hill Road in South Woodstock....

"Early Spring, South Woodstock"

11" x 14" - oil

And at the end of August we found this site just off route 14 in South Royalton.  While we painted a fisherman was enjoying a day of fly fishing just upstream to the left and a couple of very noisy trains whistled by to the right....

"Railroad Trestle on the White River"

oil - 9" x 12"

I love this painting and will be sad to say goodbye to it when it goes to its new owners....