Entertainment + Fun and a Meeting

Almost time to change the art at the local gallery. I have three new pieces ready to go. Actually, I'm just about done with a fourth but I will save that one for another show. Two of the three are new subjects and the third is a revisit of a scene I painted several years ago. Those first two are based on reference photos supplied to me by one of my daughters who is always ready to send me new material. One is from  snapshot she took on a New York subway ride. An older gentleman was entertaining passengers with a drum solo. Apparently, he is a retired music professor and enjoys performing. I call this Subway Music. I painted this one on a linen covered panel to best achieve the smoothness of the skin.

 You wanna turn? is from a photo taken in a Boston park by the same daughter. I liked that on an obviously crisp day people were out enjoying the park. The posture of the young boy said to me that he was trying to share the fun. The cold, drab day wasn't going to dull his excitement.




The third piece, Lords of the Pond, is another study of the turtles that inhabit the pond behind the gallery. Every time I'm in the gallery I check out the back view to see if they are out enjoying our Florida sunshine. They always seem so serious --as if they're holding a meeting. 

3 new Paintings
It's almost time to change the art in one of the galleries that show my work, so I have readied three new pieces. The first one is from an early morning photo I shot from the deck of a cruise ship this past September. After a somewhat stormy night between the Azores and the Canaries, I went outside to view the dawn. The rolling waves and the light breaking in the distance served to say "new day--new adventures". I simply call this one Mid-Atlantic Dawn.

The second is from a collection of photos of street musicians. Whenever I spot one and have my camera handy, I shoot one for my files.  In cities everywhere you find them practicing their skills in the hopes that one of their tunes will entrance the passerby and lead to cash in the basket. Is it the hope of being discovered or just the love of making music? I named it Street Musician.



 The third is also from the September cruise. As we pulled into the harbor at one of our island stops, I immediately noticed the number of people taking advantage of the calm waters and nice weather for recreation. There were so many, that I instantly thought of traffic congestion. Obviously, that is why I named it Harbor Traffic.

More friends with four legs
As I began putting together ideas for new paintings for the Fall show, I was once again drawn to images of animals. These three new paintings came from a mix of family photos and reference photos that I have collected. I enjoyed painting each of them very much.

Kissing Kin is another one based on trail camera shots from my son-in-law. As my visits up to Maryland are infrequent, I feel very lucky that he shares the images of the abundant wildlife on the property with me. When I first saw the photo of this doe and fawn I was immediately attracted to it. It almost has a madonna and child feeling.


The second one I painted, Peek a...Baa, was inspired by a reference photo that I came across while searching for ideas.  The image of the sheep in the trees with one peeking around made me think that maybe they were playing at hiding.

The final one that I painted for the show combines a few images. I liked the old run-down building for its character, but felt that the painting would be stronger if I added in some cows and more rocks and trees. I call this one The Old Homestead.

So, now it is time to begin looking for my next inspirations. Maybe I will explore the idea of some two-legged friends for the next show.

Paintings for August Show

Wildlife?
Three new paintings are going into the Plantation Gallery this weekend. The first was inspired by part of the Fall Festival held here in our community. Last year, for the first time, our community staged a festival that included food, games and music in the park. My favorite part was the bands that performed on a stage set in the trees. This band with their southern, beachy look appealed to me as a possible painting.  I called it Songs and Oaks.

Earlier this year I displayed and sold a portrait of a donkey that I met in a Quebec City churchyard. His companion there was this little guy. Both were very friendly and curious. They seemed to say "Come on in and play with us".  This one is titled Portrait of Billy.

The third one is thanks to my son-in-law who  has trail cameras set up in various locations on family land in Maryland. The varied wildlife that they capture are part of the beauty of the land. This fellow seemed to say " I think someone is watching me but I don't see them".  I simply called this one Wary Fox.

Landscapes, seascapes, streetscapes...Three new paintings
In the last couple of months I have completed three new oil paintings. One is a forest scene. One is a beach scene and the third is a French street scene.
The first I called The Long Road Home. The long, obviously seldom-used road attracted my attention due to the mystery of where it leads. What lies at the far end?

The second one was a combination of an early morning beach scene with some horse riders from an earlier study. I named it Dawn Riders.

Horses and riders on the beach can be exciting and, perhaps, even romantic--especially when displayed against the bright colors of a new day dawning.






The third piece is a combination of a couple of scenes from France that I thought might work together to show the feeling of Provence. I titled it Rainy Day in Provence. All of the strollers with their umbrellas seem undaunted by a little rain. It just can't spoil the joy of being there
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Results of a few cold and rainy days....
Every once in a while we get a few days here in paradise that aren't perfect for outdoor activities. During a recent spell of those days I decided to drag out my seldom used watercolor supplies and see what might transpire.

Floats and Flowers II is a watercolor version of a previous oil painting. The location for the original was on Cape Cod. I stumbled across it while on a vacation there a few years ago.I think it worked as well  in watercolor as it did in oil.

Gathering Storm II is also based on an earlier oil painting. The oil was done a number of years ago and I don't remember the exact location, but I believe it was somewhere in New England. It was one of my earliest seascapes.




Barnyard was never an oil painting. It was an image that somehow stuck in my head from studies early on in my painting career. It was probably included in an instructional book that I perused a number of years ago. The simplicity of the images were perfect for a quick watercolor attempt.

Although I don't intend to leave oils as my primary medium, I think an occasional foray into watercolors may happen more often. These were quick and quite enjoyable to do.

Four New Pieces....
After selling the Paris at Midnight painting to a lovely couple from London who wanted to make it a housewarming gift for their daughter who was moving her family back a couple of months ago, I rushed in a painting that I had just finished to the gallery. Unfortunately, I had not photographed and posted it yet. So now, here it is.

I found this scene outside Quebec City last October while touring to see Fall colors.And, that's what I named it, Fall Colors. 
I have now completed another painting from that trip which I have titled  A Walk in the Park.  While exploring  around Montmorency Falls near Quebec City, I followed the path into an adjoining park that was still displaying magnificent autumn colors. Although a cool, crisp day, the beauty attracted a number of folks intent on admiring nature.  Meandering through the falling leaves of so many hues was an inspiring experience for an artist.                                                                                                           A third piece from that trip I call mon ami. While touring the old city part of Quebec City, I wandered into a churchyard with a walled off area. This friendly fellow and his goat companion came rushing up to say hello. His obvious need for human interaction made me immediately warm to him. I only wished that I had some carrots to offer as a gift. Lingering there for a while with him was a real highlight of the trip.   

Finally, the fourth new painting is from my last trip to London.This one I named Tap Dance. I remember it was early afternoon in London. I was just walking around trying to soak up the English experience. I realized there was a pub on the next corner. Suddenly, a hunger for fish and chips and a tankard struck me. It was everything I imagined with all the old wood paneling, numerous beer/ale taps and the well-dressed regulars with white hair. I sat in a corner absorbing it all while munching on my lunch. I believe it took another tankard while I filed all the details into my artist memory.