"Woods"

Outside my studio window, the field across the road goes up to meet the woods that climb our western hill.  There are deer tracks and shadows that mark the snow and then the deep woods claim the view.
This is the beginning of the watercolor I made yesterday.  It is a loose composition using the colors on my palette, mostly burnt sienna and ultramarine blue but with the added springtime yellows and greens that give hope to us all at this stage of the winter....

"Woods" - stage one

"Woods"

transparent watercolor and gouache - 4" x 6"

My small finished painting is a loose representation of the snowy field and the deep woods both waiting for spring which arrives in about three weeks.

Key West Two

It was eight below zero this morning as I got my coffee in the kitchen. We now have clear, blue skies and lovely, bright sunshine but the actual temperature at one pm is still only one little degree!
So it's a treat to remember our days in Key West with beautiful, warm breezes and abundant, healthy plants.
Here is a collage of photos of palm trees and such I put together this morning....

Key West Abundance

collage - 4" x 7 1/4"

Key West One

We had a great visit with our friends in Key West and while there I took the following photos through the glass table on their balcony....

Each photograph is a lovely small abstract painting and to my mind, there is no point in painting them when they stand alone so beautifully just as themselves....

It's been awhile....

Here it is almost Christmas and I haven't blogged in ages.  I have been working however, and here are a few of the drawings I have done recently.  Here is a quick, little 3" x 4 1/2", compositional study....

Continuing with my series of soft pencil drawings on gessoed paper, here is the finished drawing.  Lately, I have been fascinated with dramatic skies heralding changes in the weather.  I was trying for the feel of a sunny winter day when the dark sky in the west tells you a storm is coming, bringing more snow.

"Hillside Farm"

soft pencil on gessoed paper - 8" x 12"

Below are three recent drawings exhibited this month in the "Small Works" show at Artistree.  The first one is a small drawing sold in the "50 @50" portion of the exhibition....

"Old Barn, North Hero"

soft pencil on gessoed board - 7" x 7"

The tree below is one of many beautiful old ones to be found on River Road.  

"Peggy's Tree"

soft pencil on gessoed board - 8" x 10"

And when we were on Cape Cod this past summer, I found this salt marsh that spoke to me--as they always do!

 "Salt Marsh, Dennis"

soft pencil on gessoed board - 9" x 12"

So, that's it for now.  I have some framing to do and another large gessoed board waiting for my attention.  After the holidays....

Two Finished Plein Aire Paintings

Now that November has arrived and little white flakes are sifting down, it's been time to finish work begun outdoors in the warmer weather.  It was uncanny how often Sandy's and my planned plein aire sessions unfortunately coincided with rainy days this past summer.  But we managed to get out and paint several days.  The two paintings below were done at the end of the season and just finished....

"September on the Ottaquechee"

12" x 16" - oil on canvas

"Swanzey Pond"

16" x 20" - oil on canvas

It always involves some gear switching to get back inside the studio with different approaches to new work in the fall.  It will be interesting to see what develops in the coming days....

Daily Painter Week Sixteen

Here is the finished version of a painting begun last summer.  It's always gratifying to complete a plein aire painting using reference photos taken on the day....

"Cider Mill Gardens, Windsor"

oil - 11" x 14"

And here are three more Boomer Portraits....

Dave Lachapelle

Erin Brocovich

Bill Gates

Contour drawing is a great way to warm up and build eye-hand co-ordination ....

Daily Painter Week Fifteen

Well it's been awhile!  This week I decided to do a stop action of the PBS program "the Boomer List".  The show is comprised of short interviews of nineteen baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964, one chosen for each year.
As each person told their story, I looked for a place to freeze the frame and when I found a good facial expression, I did a contour drawing of them.  Here they are....

1948 - Samuel Jackson

1946 - Tim O'Brien

1951 - Tommy Hilfiger

1952 - Amy Tan

1947 - Deepak Chopra

1955 - Maria Shriver

1950 - Steve Wazniak

Their words are as fascinating as their faces.  It is a most worthwhile show to catch when it is replayed....