It's almost November and summer has started to fade away

Three new paintings completed during the summer heat are ready for the Fall show. The first one I call Welcome to Tranquility. I had come across a photo of an old farm that spurred several ideas. I especially liked the way the dirt road led up to the barn and at first thought I would place an antique vehicle on the road. After playing with that idea I decided that it didn't add what I was looking for, so I explored adding different animals to the scene. I think my final selection works with the peaceful environment.

Wherever I travel I shoot photos of local scenery and wildlife.
I had shot pictures of ducks in several locations and thought I might combine a couple to tell a story. As I thought about putting these two together I wondered what the plainer one might think of the other's fancy feathers. I named this painting Fancy Outfiit.

The third one is The Margaret Todd. As our cruise ship sailed out of Bar Harbor heading for Canada, we passed the Margaret Todd with her eye-catching brown sails and sleek design. The number of folks on her decks in the cool Fall weather led me to believe she was a party boat headed out for an evening cruise. I wanted to capture the joy and excitement of such an outing.

Time for another August show. This time called Summer Reigns. Three new pieces are ready for entry. The first is a revisit of one of my favorites. This is a little different from the last time I painted it a few years ago. Using a slightly different angle and introducing a new character, I painted the Queen's horse guard and named it On the Way to Buckingham. Again, this stemmed from a chance encounter on one of the side streets leading to the palace. Obviously, they were on their way for the changing of the guard. I was taken by the pageantry and discipline of both the men and their horses.
I hope I captured at least some of that.

The second, Fun in the Park is from the time I was in the Canary Islands last September. While spending a week in Santa Cruz de Tenerife , I would wander through a magnificent park near my hotel daily. Parque Garcia Sanabria is a true oasis in the middle of a city. It is a  botanical garden filled with all manner of trees and flowers along with fountains and statues. One day I sat on a bench for a long time watching this little dog truly enjoying himself with the game of chasing pigeons. His owners seemed almost oblivious to his antics as they rested in the shade. I tried to capture his exuberance.

The third is from a photo my daughter took while we were in Boston for my granddaughter's college graduation.

I find old bridges like this one interesting not only due to their solid, lasting construction, but also from the great patterns that their stone make up reveals in both the bridge and its reflection. This tranquil scene exists in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of Cambridge, Mass. I call this one Stone Reflections.

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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