In the Studio...

Daily Artist 2016 is moving along.  March is my chosen month to complete a finished piece of work every day.  Tuesday's was a small mixed media piece based on a photograph taken on River Street...

"Stone Wall in the Snow"

watercolor, pencil and marker

I went for a very cold--14 degree--walk in the village and was struck by the shadow patterns in Middle Bridge....

"Middle Bridge"

photograph

And ice is more evident than snow since this winter has been almost snowless.  Its patterns around stones are interesting...

"Frozen Pebbles"

watercolor, colored pencil and marker

Since I am in the studio a lot these days, I stopped at the library and picked up three books on cd to listen to while I'm working.

Daily Artist 2016

On February first, Daily Artist 2016 began.  I promised to work in the studio every day this year and post once a week.  Here is my first post from last week.  It is the finished drawing of a barn we drove by in the German countryside during our trip to Europe last summer.

"German Barn"

6 1/4" x 9" - soft pencil on gessoed paper

I have a couple of larger concepts for the year, but I'm not ready to reveal them yet....

"Small Works" at Artistree

At this time of year, there are many area exhibits that feature less expensive works for holiday gifting.  At Artistree in South Pomfret, VT, the current show is just that.  Interestingly, in addition to the framed paintings, the sculptures and ceramics, there is a special wall titled "50 @ 50" the idea being that there are fifty 7" x 7" panels, each of them available for purchase for $50.  Here is the wall as it looked earlier today.

Hmmmmm--I count 55 panels.  Below is my pen and ink drawing entitled "Ancient Tree"...

There is an exciting diversity of media and styles and over half of the panels have already been purchased though the show goes on until December 19th.  There was quite a rush to buy last Friday at the opening reception.  If you're in the neighborhood, stop by to see the show.  The gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 am to 4 pm or by appointment.

Dewey's Pond

Yesterday was a fine, warm November day to gather with the Odanaksis artists at Dewey's Pond in Quechee.  The sun was shining and there was a little breeze and we all know that any day now it will be cold and snowy--making the day even more special.

I took up a seat looking over the pond toward the west and using my Sharpie, sketched what I saw in my traveling sketchbook.  My watercolor brush with the water in the handle, accessed by squeezing the barrel, works well for this kind of sketch.

"Dewey's Pond"

watercolor and marker - 5 1/2" x 9"

Although the foliage was actually a bit muted, I decided that being a bit fauvist would be fun.  So, my painting looks a bit more peak foliage than it was...

Painting with Sandy

Yesterday was too wet to paint outdoors and too dark to paint in the studio so Sandy and I set up in the kitchen with a fall flower bouquet and got out our watercolors.  Working back and forth on two paintings is a good way to go so on a damp day like yesterday.  One can dry a bit while I work on the other.  At the end of the session, I had two studies, this first, a light and breezy painting.  I may go back in and add a few details...

"Fall Flowers"

watercolor - 4" x 6"

The next one is my attempt to add a dark background to make the flowers stand out.  I also sprayed it with water to soften parts but maybe I got carried away a bit...

"Chrysanthemums"

watercolor - 4" x 6"

So, I decided to add some marker lines to clarify details and edges and pump it up a little and I'm pretty happy with it now...

"Chrysanthemums"

watercolor and marker - 4" x 6"

As I get back to painting after a very busy season of guests and travel, it's fun and very accessible to start by working small. 

Art in the Round Barn

I was fortunate to be selected to show my paintings this year in Waitsfield, VT at the historic Round Barn.  

Artists from Vermont, New England and beyond were selected from a pool of over 100 applicants and all art works are for sale.  The "Meet the Artists" Opening Reception was held yesterday, September 20 from 4 to 7 pm.  The barn is a lovely antique building and the food, the wine and the atmosphere were great....

These are the three paintings I exhibited this year...

...and here I am with fellow exhibiting artists, Helen Schulman and Sheryl Trainor...

...and Randall Gardiner whose work was hung next to mine.....

It's a lovely ride up to Waitsfield and if you're in the area, the show is open to the public September 21 through October 12, 10 to 5 on weekdays and 10 to 2 on weekends...

In Obertsdorf

Yesterday we drove from Ulm to Oberstdorf--225 km per hour--or 140 mph--on the Autobahn, Angelika driving.  Quite exciting!  In the afternoon we went for a hike to the village along the hiking trails.

Along the way, we saw a beautiful little church, the church of Santa Barbara...

Inside it was just as lovely with little nosegays at the end of all the pews, perhaps left from an earlier wedding...

As we walked along, we came upon this bull with a bell on him, making the characteristic noise that sounds like the alps.  Some people today think that the tolling of the bell is driving the bulls crazy but it's been going on for years and I think we have to check it out on Google when we have the chance!

Dinner was at a llittle restaurant outdoors looking at the mountains in the near distance...

We enjoyed pork chops with crackle, noodles and with onions and cheese and, for dessert, a special caramlized pancake with apples, almonds and plum sauce...