This piece, done as a commission, exemplifies the freedom taken with the composition, where the real and the imagined come together. The buyer, who was raised on Nantucket, loved some of the coastal work she’d seen, but also loved the more inland barns, and hoped we could combine subject with setting. The end result (from my perspective) does that well…”Seaside Dusk” 52 x 36 oil on canvas (commission).
When we lived on Martha’s Vineyard, our place was not far down the road from this lighthouse. It overlooks Vineyard Haven Harbor, and at night, we could see the slow-approaching light as its arcing beam shone towards the Steamship dock and the center of town where we lived. On a recent visit to the Island, I visited this coast guard sanctioned light, and nothing about it had changed. Known as the West Chop Lighthouse, it’s a favorite stop for day trippers, as it’s walking distance from the boat launch. The bright white of the keeper’s house and the light itself, as well as it’s prominent perch on the shoreline, make it a place filled with light. Natural and man-made. “Beacon Light” 48 x 48 oil on canvas.
This meadow is just down the road. I pass it every day, and like many subjects, it can take hundreds of such passings before the setting becomes inspiration. I recently drove by on a grey day. There was no color in the dried meadow grass, and the distant treelines were a foggy gray. But the sloping farthest point of the meadow seemed to glow by some unseen light source, and I envisioned it on a brighter, sunnier day. “Meadowlands” 36 x 36 oil on canvas.
Winters in New Hampshire are beautiful. A bit too long, but beautiful. Spring in the Granite State is also beautiful. A bit too short, but beautiful. While it’s white and monochromatic outside the studio, with last night’s snowfall, inside…Spring is here. “Springtime” 36 x 24 oil on canvas.
Beyond the farm across the road from our house, there’s a small pond, the last remaining water of an Ice Age lake that once covered this entire area. This small kettle pond is surrounded by marsh and wetlands. An old railroad bed runs along and through the treeline in the background, part of the old Boston & Maine line, which now serves as a hiking and horse trail. It’s a beautiful spot…stark and monochromatic in winter, and alive with color in fall. “Wetland” 48 x 36
I came across this scene on Long Island, I think in Bridgehampton, years ago. The barn and meadow were part of a huge farm, that occupied a vast flat piece of land. The whole place looked like a still-functioning farm, but appeared worn out, as if it could soon cease being a farm. Valuable land for sure, with likely a lot of pressure on the owners to develop. No idea if that barn is still there, or the farm for that matter, but when I came across it, these structures appeared still ready to serve, to be useful, despite signs of neglect. “Sense of Grace” 48 x 30 o/c.
I love snow for about 3 weeks a year…week before Christmas and then two weeks after. By then, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed winter, and my mind and body are ready for a change of seasons. While walking the other day, I passed this often-painted scene, with the December-dormant Forsythia looking stalky, gray and lifeless. Imagining warmer days ahead, I opted to bring spring color to it, and make it the central element of the composition. “May Day” 24 x 20
New Year’s resolution to expand my walking route, which winds up and over Walnut Hill, will include addressing the varied landscape found there. This section of town has old farms, horse properties, sloped meadows, and an old railroad bed that runs alongside a large marsh and kettle pond. Beautiful spot. The other day I passed this meadow, on which the owner has dutifully maintained a patch of tall bush blueberries. It was a warm, but bleak, gray day, but in painting the piece, I imagined it as it looks earlier in the Fall. “Blueberry Meadow” 20 x 24 o/c.
This setting is about a mile from the studio, painted several times before from different angles. The barn and shed are part of an old farm that sits on hundreds of acres soon to be developed. I drove past it the other day, and though I’ve seen this place hundreds of times, each time something catches my attention. The light on the bare forsythia bushes cast a pinkish hue, which seemed to glow against the grayish light that day, which made them the focal point. “Pink Hedge” 24 x 20 oil on canvas.
Farms, and farming, seems to me an idyllic life. If you’ve spent any time working in an office, or cubicle, thoughts of escaping to a freer way of life have likely crossed your mind. Anyone who actually does live this life will set you straight…it’s not as easy, or idyllic (I’ve been told) as it appears. So for me, escaping the office/bad boss/politics of my earlier-in-life day jobs, happened by painting these places. It was the closest I’d come to living that life. Fresh air, wide open acreage, quiet and peaceful. Seems the perfect life. “Farmland” 40 x 30 oil on canvas.
