How long it takes to complete a painting is an often-asked question. Time to complete varies from piece to piece. In some, the stars align and the piece seems to be “done” fairly quickly. Others are a bit more of a struggle. Some take forever. This piece, for instance, took 10 years to complete. That’s a long time for a small piece. It was done fairly quickly–too quickly–10 years ago. It’s been around the studio most of that time, with brief stints at this gallery or that. Recently realized the piece was never finished. It was pale, washed out, and void of color, so I put it back on the easel, and finished what I started, a decade ago. “Treeline” 24 x 12 o/c
The summer homes along the shores of the Cape and Islands sit, in many cases, just a few feet above sea level, just beyond the high tide line. In some parts of these shorelines, erosion brings these structures even closer to the sea. There are many homes in Chatham, and other parts of the Cape and coastlines south of Boston, that have lost the battle and have been taken by the sea. There’s an undeniable beauty to an oceanfront home, but there’s also an undeniable risk. “Island’s Edge” 48 x 48
With dune conservation being much more of an issue in present times, than it was when I was a kid, many of the coastal areas of New England stake “Keep off the Dunes” signs at the base of these fragile, shifting sand masses. With childhood summers spent running to the beach down (and over) these dune paths, it’s difficult at times to abide by those well-intentioned signs. There are, however some dunes where foot traffic is still allowed, and heading up and over these hills of grass and (often very hot) sand rewards you with the ocean and beach on the other side. “Beach Path” 20 x 20 o/c.
An upside to being an early riser, sometimes before sunrise, is ability to actually see the sunrise. It’s not a time of day for everybody, but I find those first few minutes of light to be the best part of the day. While on a drive along the beach road recently, just after sunrise, I came across two cottages I’ve painted often, both glowing in the low light of sunrise. “Morning Light” 36 x 16
Living on an island, as I did many years ago on Martha’s Vineyard, there are times you feel trapped by island life. It’s often difficult, and expensive, to get a boat back to the mainland. And despite the beauty and uniqueness of the Vineyard, sometimes you just needed to get off-Island. And that wasn’t always easy, or possible. This place is in on the Vineyard, in Tisbury. Painted several times…and in this case the fence reminded me of those days you didn’t have the freedom to go where you wanted. “Fenced In” 48 x 36 o/c.
As a kid who summered on the Cape, days were spent barefoot, walking the sand roads that lead to the local beaches, to a friend’s house, or to the ice cream truck that slowly stalked us as it drove slowly through the beach parking lot. Those roads still exist, and this one, located in Dennisport, reminded me of those similar roads near our summer cottage on Scraggy Neck, on the shores of Buzzard’s Bay. “Beach Road” 14 x 14
Incredible weather here on the Cape this Memorial Day weekend. Being the weekend that marks the start of Cape Cod summers, it can just as easily be a beautiful sunny weekend, as it can be a cold and rainy one. This year we lucked out. And while on a drive back from Chatham, I came across this old property and found the light to be the perfect display of the perfect weather we’re enjoying. “Late May” 20 x 20
Lilacs are one of those trees that are beautiful for a very short period of time, when in full bloom, but after that are just sort of blah. Same with forsythia (all my opinion, of course). But when at their peak bloom, there’s nothing like them. In honor of their very brief moment of glory…”Lilac” 24 x 20
The coastline of the Northeast shares the pure simplicity of where land meets the sea…the horizon line, preceded by a band of sea, with land in the foreground. Three simple shapes. Anything that interrupts the simplicity of those horizontals is instantly in the spotlight. There’s no shortage of old beach houses along the shores of the East Coast, with this one being not too far from the Cape studio. “Seaboard” 24 x 24 o/c.
I can’t remember where I first saw this cluster of barns…could have been Vermont, or New Hampshire, or in one of the rural town in Mass just south of me. Doesn’t really matter, but I like the intersection of angles the structures make, with two at right angles to the dominant front one. These geometric shapes contrast (in a good way) with the very-much-not geometric nature of the landscape. “Red Maples” 48 x 36 o/c
