A Change of Pace
Although  I have been painting with oils for many years, I had never really given any thought to trying watercolors. I only knew that I had heard it was a difficult medium to use--especially without training. On a whim, sometime last year, I bought some watercolors and paper. I put them in my studio and pretty much forgot about them. Recently, I found some extra time with nothing planned. So I dug out the untouched supplies and decided to try to learn how to use them. I have now completed three pieces. While I am still not totally comfortable (or very knowledgeable) with them, I think the pieces are presentable enough to be seen. I will slip them into a bin at the gallery that contains original unframed pieces and see what kind of reaction I get from customers. The first I titled Old Barn. Based on some old barns that you might see in the country down south, I was going for the weathered, peaceful look of a barnyard with a few chickens scratching around.

The second one I attempted was based on a photo I shot while vacationing in Europe a few years ago.  Quiet Harbor spoke to me with its lack of activity and the orderliness of the repetitive shapes of all the boats tied up at the seawall.

The last of the three is from a photo I shot some years ago on a trip in the Caribbean. I painted it in oils then and called the painting Island Transport. The new watercolor version I titled Island Freighter.  If you have time, you can go back through my blogs and compare the two.

Three New Paintings

It has been an eventful few months since my last posting--a real roller coaster of emotions. First, we had a wonderful cruise aboard a sailing yacht from Barcelona to Lisbon. It was particularly enjoyable as we traveled with old friends whom we don't get to see very often anymore. The trip was spectacular in that it was a wine and food tour. We sampled many fine wines from Spain--I lost count about 45, and the food was excellent also. There should be a number of paintings coming from the reference photos I shot along the way. Two of them are completed and you can see them now.
Unfortunately, when we arrived home we found that my mother had been hospitalized for bronchitis and began a spiraling down from there. Several falls led to additional hospitalizations and then came the pneumonia. She passed away in early January at nearly 96 years old.
Prior to that, we had both daughters and their families visiting with us for the holidays. Six additional people plus another dog made for some happy chaos. When they returned for the funeral along with additional relatives, it wasn't as happy but strangely comforting.
In all the confusion, I did manage to finish three new paintings and begin a fourth. Rest Stop is based on local scenery here.

I find it interesting the way wildlife adapts to our intrusions into their world. The scene was comfortingly peaceful.
 The other two paintings are from the trip. Flamenco used a red palette to try to capture the vibrancy and excitement of the local dance troupes. Swirling costumes and exuberant Spanish guitars exude energy and love of life.

The third, Looking at Ewe, came from a day trip where I was wandering around a farm in Southern Spain and came across a flock of sheep grazing. Most of them totally ignored me, but one seemed as curious about me as I was of her.

I am nearly finished with a Spanish vineyard landscape and will post that sometime soon.

                                            Fall is upon us.
It is almost time for another new show at the gallery and I will have two new paintings entered. Additionally, I just delivered a commissioned piece to a long-time client from Massachusetts. She had told me about the beautiful blue hydrangeas she grows on the Cape. She asked me to do a painting that would allow her to see them all year long. Using photos of local pink hydrangeas and some photos of her own blue ones, I designed and painted the piece I call Rhapsody in Blue. Instead of canvas, I decided that this one lent itself to a vertical wooden panel. As the panel was fairly thick, it allowed me to paint the image all around the edges so as not to need a frame               


  One of the two paintings for the gallery show I called Down the Road.     It  is based on a photo that my daughter took of a young friend and her new horse. As she is working on training and developing a companionship with him, this image, hopefully, conveys the growing trust as they move together toward whatever is next.

The other new piece is titled King of the Woodpile. There are some wild peacocks here on the island that have become somewhat infamous. Some of the residents in the neighborhood where they roam believe they should be protected as they have been here for many years. Others who have more recently built in the area would like them to go away as they are sometimes destructive to car finishes and can leave some messes where they wander. So far, protection seems to be winning. I love them for their gorgeous colors and haughty attitude.

A Few New Paintings

It has been a busy time the last few months with travels between Florida and Maryland and Illinois for family events. I did manage to complete a few new paintings for the next opening in our gallery.
The first two are from previous trips to Italy.
 

 

The Balcony The carved stone. The iron work. The recessed windows and doors. All of these make the balconies on older buildings in Europe so attractive.

 

 

Rialto This famous landmark is known to all visitors to Venice. It is one of the many charming sites that make that city so popular with tourists and inspires me to paint another scene of Italy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Making Waves The back of our gallery looks across a small pond toward the golf course. One day as I was sitting in the gallery I looked out the window and noticed a pair of ducks swimming across the quiet pond. The pattern of their wake caught my attention and inspired me to try and capture it on canvas.

Bright, sunny and warm
As I lie here in bed recovering from my second surgery in just over a month (knee this time, back four weeks before), the scene through  the window makes me long for the outdoors. I am anxious to feel the warmth of the sun and  the promise of a fresh canvas as I dip my brush into bright colors. But, the doctors say I must be patient,  "perhaps in a week or two".
Since my last posting I have managed to complete three new paintings, start a fourth and do preliminary sketches for a commission piece from a good client.    

While on  a visit with relatives in south Florida I wandered outside to do a little exploring. The property backs up to a canal which gives the residents boating access to deeper waters. I was amazed at how still and quiet it was. The only sounds were the rustlings of the iguanas as they searched the plantings for a tasty morsel. There was almost no movement in the water giving it a mirror-like appearance. Almost every detail was reflected. So, I titled that painting "Still Waters".



Here on the island the first weekend in May is time for the annual "Shrimp Fest".  Every year there is the celebration of what was a major industry here in the past along with a very important outdoor show of art and antiques. Estimates are up to 100,000 visitors come to enjoy the food and art. The part that has always interested me has been the colorful crowds. The diversity of the people enjoying themselves all together is more exciting than most of the exhibits. Since I was not going to be able to join in the festivities this year, I tried to capture some of the feeling based on snapshots from previous years. I call this painting "Centre Street Crowd".

As a longtime admirer of Western artists Remington and Russell, I often thought I would like to try my hand at cowboy art. Since I had done numerous animal paintings in recent years and felt comfortable with those subjects, when a friend offered me photos of a local rodeo for reference material, I decided that the time had come. I tried to depict the concentration of the cowboys, the skill and training of the horses and the determination to escape of the cow. This one is named "Rodeo Practice".

It has been a while...
Production has slowed somewhat over the past few months due to lots of family happenings. I did manage to complete two new paintings for the gallery show opening this week and a commission painting for a client.

"Welly"(short for Wellington) was a rush commission for a client. She wanted to give her daughter a surprise portrait of her new dog for a Christmas present. All I had to work from were some small phone photos that she passed on to me. With only days to spare it was finished, dried, varnished and packaged.








The two new paintings for the gallery show came from photos I shot on European vacations a couple of years ago. One of the things I particularly enjoy is watching people on the streets in cities around the world. "The Shoppers" is an example of capturing the scene as I try to imagine what the people are thinking about as they stroll along gazing into the shops and cafes.

"Light Lunch" came from a visit to a waterfront restaurant in Dubrovnik. We had stopped for lunch after a morning of touring the city. As we came to the table overlooking the boats at anchor, I knew immediately that this was a special place that I would one day try to capture on canvas.

It took a while to plan out the image as it needed to be very vertical. I ended up painting on a gallery-wrapped canvas that is twice as long as it is wide. Although you can't see it here, the image continues around the sides. This one hangs unframed so that none of the image is covered.

Six New Paintings to show at local gallery
I have to thank my daughter, Stephanie, for the inspiration on four of the new paintings. Her commitment to her photography hobby provides me with a continual flow of images. This time her visits to a stable/farm near her home in Maryland and to the beach across from my house were the necessary influence.
Hi Mom, Guess what I saw is intended to show the enthusiasm of a young colt discovering his new world under the watchful eye of his mother.

 Colonel who??? This painting is about attitude. The defiant countenance of the rooster says "I am the king of the barnyard...and don't you forget it!"





 IL POZZO is a memory of a small gallery I found in an alley in Tuscany a couple of summers ago. The idea of fresh, new art being displayed in the crumbling facades of past generations was echoed in the bright sunlight on one wall of the dim alley.

The promise of a new day as a shrimpboat plies the Atlantic waters off Amelia Island led me to Amelia Sunrise. And, the golden light of dawn reveals a small group of residents searching for treasure in the sands of Amelia Island. I call it Dawn Patrol.

Finally, the local gallery asks the artists to produce small paintings for gift buyers at the holiday season, otherwise known as a box show. This year I have painted one I call Fire and Ice.