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
We had some interesting light yesterday, up here in New Hampshire (and probably most of the Northeast) due to forest fires in Canada. The smoke vapor in the atmosphere gave the daylight a golden glow, and at dusk, the sun was red. It was a beautiful light…shadows looked softer, and everything seemed to be a bit less defined. This piece was already finished, but the palette of the sky, and the light, could have been inspired by yesterday. “Lowland Light” 36 x 24 oil on canvas.
This smaller piece is based on farm close to home, in Mont Vernon, NH, which I’ve painted several times. Pretty simple scene, with the barn tucked into the slope of the hill, and a few small saplings growing here and there. Each piece is different, but focuses on some other aspect of the scene, depending on time of day, light, season, etc. This piece is less about the barn, and more about the landscape, and the deep rich red ground cover (not sure what it is) that creeps across the meadow as summer progresses. “Uplands” 14 x 14
There’s a narrow stretch of the Cape, in North Truro, that runs along Cape Cod Bay. On the west side is the Bay and on the east side the Atlantic. These two summer places sit feet from the shoreline and are subjected, at times, to winds from the Bay and winds coming in from the Atlantic, caused by the unique geography of this farthest most part of the peninsula. The Atlantic is almost always turbulent, and the bay most often calm, but in this part of the Cape, you’re subjected to the winds of both, at the same time. “Crosswinds” 40 x 30 oil on canvas.
My approach to commissions differs from some, but works well for buyers who are looking to fill a specific wall space, and have several images in mind of pieces they’ve liked in the past. My process is simple. You can read about it on this page. This recently completed piece is a good example of working with buyers who knew what they liked, and worked with me to develop a composition that contained elements of those pieces they’d indicated as their favorites. “North Country” 58 x 38 oil on canvas.
I often, but not always, do smaller pieces that I consider studies for a larger canvas. A recent example is the smaller piece entitled “Weathered”, a 12 x 12 canvas that I referred to while painting a larger version. Studies, to me, are piece to be referred to, not strictly adhered to. The end result is similar to the study, but shows signs of taking its own path through the process of making it. This piece, which is very true in some ways to the study, has a different feel. It’s a bit richer in color, and has a bit more energy. I had not set out to create an exact replica of the study, but use it as a starting point, then see where things go. “Opal” 48 x 48
Warm, summery weather past few days has seemed to jump start the season. Up here in New Hampshire, where Spring comes a couple weeks later than more southern parts of New England, the greens of the season are emerging ahead of schedule. “April Green” 14 x 14
Subjects of a painting aren’t always about the dominant thing in the composition. I’ve painted this place a few times, so these structures could be considered the subject. But in painting scenes multiple times, you get to thinking about the setting differently, and reconsidering what the actual subject is. In this version, I was more concerned with the light, and ultimately the light created by the time of day. “Sundown” 36 x 24″ oil on canvas.
Not too many weeks ahead until Summer. Though it’s been a mild winter here in New Hampshire…and a beautiful Spring day today, I am looking forward to those hot, sunny days where bare feet have to move a little quicker from beach blanket to water. “Summer Sand” 20 x 20, oil on canvas.
