New: “Temple Road”

I was recently asked about the process of composing and titling pieces, and whether these are “real” places, or imagined. They’re both. The inspiration is a real place, and that scene usually dictates the initial composition. But in the process of working up a charcoal sketch from the source, I modify to include things they may not have been there, or remove things that were. My memory of the subject can blend with memories of other pieces, and when that happens, I may modify the composition towards that other mental image. This is a good example. The actual barn complex is in Vermont, but while working on it, it reminded me of a small, hilly town not far from here…Temple, New Hampshire. I’ve done many paintings inspired by scenes in that small Monadnock Region town, so I took it’s name for the title. “Temple Road” 36 x 36.