I don’t get to Maine often enough. In fact, I get there very rarely, despite it possibly having some of the most beautiful scenery of all the New England states. I did, however, recently visit inland Maine (thanks to Google Street View), somewhere up near Belgrade Lakes, and came across this scene. I found the steep pitch of the barn rather unique and loved the almost autumn colors of the white pines behind it. “Down East” 20 x 16 o/c
New piece based on a scene I encountered in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts years ago. I’ve painted it several times, in each the palette is different, with this being the soft palette of the Spring-to-Summer colors of this time of year. “June” 30 x 24
Along the coast, sand goes where it wants to go. It constantly shifts depending on the wind, tides, and waves. One of our local beaches on the Cape, on the Bay side, is a long stretch of sand and dunes that gets hit hard during storms and extreme high tides. Several of the beach houses along that stretch are constantly consumed by sand dunes, especially after winter storms. They get dug out, but the following year, the sand is back. “Duneshift” 40 x 30 o/c.
In the up-Island town of Chilmark, on Martha’s Vineyard, there are several salt-water ponds that that border the town of Aquinnah. One of those ponds, Nashaquitsa (known as Quitsa), can be seen from State Road, which follows higher ground, and has many nondescript dirt roads that break from it, and lead down to the pond, and to older homes that can’t be seen from the main road. “Road to Quitsa” 48 x 24 o/c
When we lived on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, our first home was in Aquinnah (then called Gay Head). It’s the most remote location, famous for it’s lighthouse and clay cliffs. The roads that lead from the down-Island towns of Vineyard Haven, Edgartown, and Oak Bluffs, become more and more remote the farther up-Island you drive. This place is in Chilmark, the last town before Aquinnah. I’d pass this house daily on the drive from Aquinnah to Vineyard Haven, and back. Saw it recently, and it hasn’t changed since those daily drives, over 30 years ago. “Far Up-Island” 24 x 12 o/c.
In many places on the Cape (and anywhere coastal), lighthouses tend to be found in places that are difficult to reach. Others are more accessible, but stand in often barren locations close to the sea, built to withstand the harshest weather. They have a quality of strength and duty, enduring the elements to do what they were built to do. “Outermost Light” 48 x 24 oil on canvas.
Every now and then the inspiration for a piece comes from an atypical source. Normally, I find scenes while driving through rural areas of New England. But in the case of this piece, the inspiration came from a real estate listing of an old farm in Maine. The house wasn’t much, but the barn next to it was perfect, sitting on a knoll midway up a slope, with a low ridgeline cutting across the crest. Worked up a charcoal sketch to modify the composition, and got started. “Upland Ridge” 48 x 36 o/c.
Life is busy, and sometimes we feel the need to put it on hold, go somewhere where bills, responsibilities, and pressures can’t follow us. Here’s a place I’d pick… “The Escape” 48 x 24 o/c
I don’t remember where this scene is. Vermont or New Hampshire most likely, but it doesn’t matter. The piece isn’t really about the literal place itself, as it is the light, the simplicity, and abstract qualities of New England landscapes. “Southface” 40 x 30 o/c
While working on a commission recently, the buyer mentioned the abundance of Bluebells in her region of the Mid Atlantic states. I’m not sure if those grow up here in New Hampshire, so Googled them, and learned that while they are not native in the Northeast, you can buy them. Probably will add those to the garden, but more immediately their amazing color found its way into this piece. “Bluebell” 20 x 16
