I’ve always loved that brief period of time, just before sunset, when the low light of the setting sun rakes a warm light across the landscape. And in the hills and mountains of Vermont, at higher elevation, that light is extended by a few minutes. This place outside of Woodstock, glowed with warmth one recent late afternoon, “Twilight” 34 x 30
Several years ago I visited this farm in Chester, Vermont. The property was maintained by a handyman from Finland who gave me a tour through the immense barn, and who was in charge of keeping the place in good shape for the seasonal owners. The amount of work required to keep time from reclaiming this old structure was, as he explained, enormous. For him and the owners, I sensed it was more a labor of love than it was an effort based on necessity, as this was lived in only a few months out of the year. “Farmstead” 40 x 24
This looming barn sits at the top of a hill in Northern New Hampshire, and looks over one of the state’s largest Christmas tree farms. A fairly steep dirt road leads to it, and as you drive up, and get closer, you realize the true scale of this place. To attempt to capture that scale, beyond the composition itself, I chose a large canvas. As the sun sets to the west, the low, unobstructed light sets fire to the scene. “Facing North” 52 x 52.
This old farm is out near the seacoast of New Hampshire, a scene we used to pass fairly often on our way to various fields and gyms where the kids played soccer and baseball throughout their elementary and high school years. I’ve painted it a few times, but in previous pieces, I focused on smaller sections of this rambling structure. In this I opted to go for the entirety of the scene, as the long raking light of the afternoon seemed to fit both the format of the large, panoramic canvas…and the sprawl of the old homestead. “Late October” 70 x 30
This is one of the two twin barns I’ve painted often, based on a couple of slowly decaying barns up in Grantham, NH. It’s a favorite subject, for a few reasons…their side-by-side reflections of each other, the flat, grassy meadow they sit on, and the rolling ridgelines that surround them. In this piece, the fiery glow of the mown meadow in the afternoon sun takes center stage, while one of the two barns enjoys the show. “Fall Meadow” 16 x 20
My property is surrounded by stone walls. A couple acres of a centuries-old farm, with meadows once used as sheep pasture, was converted to a residence, but the stone walls that divided the fields remain. And one of those walls divides my property from my neighbor’s. These walls often remind me of that great Robert Frost poem, “Mending Wall” and the premise made in it that “good fences make good neighbors.” Many might agree with that, many might not…and I guess in some sense it depends on who your neighbor is. But in my case, my neighbors…who own and maintain this barn, are good people, and good neighbors. “Good Neighbor” 52 x 42
October is my favorite month. Might be many people’s favorite, as everything about it is perfect. Cool weather, bright color, and the landscape seems calm and still, as if bracing itself for winter. There’s an amazing preserve on Martha’s Vineyard…Felix Neck. It’s a 200-acre parcel, once farmland, now a series of walking paths that lead from the visitor center to several salt ponds, with amazing views of Nantucket Sound, Sengekontacket and Major’s Ponds. But aside from these amazing waterviews, there are hundreds of acres of meadow, some wetland, inland groves of cedar and oak. One of the paths, named “Old Farm Road Trail”, cuts through some of these meadows, which on the day of my walk (a perfect, sunny, warm October day), had just been mowed. Years ago the tractor seemed to have spared what had once been small cedar saplings, which could have easily been taken down with the meadow grass. But year after year, they remained. I came through this meadow at the end of the walk…having just seen some of the most beautiful views the Island offers, and noticed the trees and the dark shadows cast directly below them…and found this view just as beautiful. “October Walk” 20 x 16
On a recent bike ride through Vineyard Haven, scouting for inspiration, I came across an old house, tucked down an alley, and crammed up next to the cinder block construction of the town’s grocery store. The old place looked abandoned, or at least neglected, and would have been easy to bike right on by. But on this morning, the rising sun illuminated the southwest facing exterior, which made the place stand out from it’s weedy, commercial, rather ugly setting. Vineyard Haven Harbor is just a couple hundred yards beyond this place, and glimpses of the blue streak of water could be seen. Beauty can be found once clutter is cleared, and attention is paid to those simple elements that make something beautiful. “Harborside” 34 x 26
This old farm is a few miles from the house. It sits on the bend of the road that I drove daily to drop off or pick up the kids from school. I’ve painted it several times, maybe because I like the place and have seen it so many times…but also because it has become a landmark for the change of seasons. It’s surrounded by maples, and in the fall, it’s pretty much a blaze of autumn color, and in the Spring, the new buds and young leaves present that pale green haze of new foliage. It has become somewhat of a visual marker for the time of year in which winter turns to spring, and summer to fall, which coincide with the opening and closing of the school year. Now that the kids are older and launched, and the trips to school long in the past, I pass this place less often, and recently decided to paint it again, for old times sake. “Equinox” 36 x 36
Commissions are, most often, fun to work on. This recent, smaller piece is an example (of the fun ones), as it was done of an old family farm where the recipient grew up. As with many older structures, time and man adds clutter and modifies architecture to suit a current need. But if you strip that all away, the beauty of the simple classic form of old places can be found. This piece was an exercise in such stripping away, to get to the truth of what this place had once been, and how it might have fit into the landscape. “Ancestral” 24 x 12.
