I’ve never been one to plan a palette. Knowing (or thinking you know) what colors everything should be, ahead of starting a piece, seems (to me, anyway), very restrictive. I do have a sense of color, but for the most part, I just start…establishing the initial color somewhere in the composition. Once that initial color is in place, I let future color choices happen on the fly. This piece started with a greenish blue sky, and as I worked around the composition I liked how sky and ground seemed to almost mirror each other. Then I didn’t like it, fearing there wouldn’t be enough contrast…but then, as often happens, I liked it again. The crimson treeline broke the two apart, and that seemed enough. “Greenland” 24 x 24 oil on canvas.
On a recent trip to the southern part of the White Mountains, I came across a heavily overgrown and abandoned farm, with several aging structures somewhat hidden behind the many saplings growing in the old meadow. The barn and shed were barely visible through the trees, but their aged wood had a bluish tint to it, as the hazy sun illuminated their facades. Having taking some liberties with the trees (leaving some, removing others), these buildings regained some of the presence they once had. “Northern Slope” 84 x 52 o/c
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.
