Despite the buildup of much large, and often beautiful and impressive architecture on the Cape and other coastal areas, stragglers of the simpler structures that once dominated these summer destinations still stand. This place is one of those. While in reality, there are other cottages and more stately summer homes surrounding it…the simplicity of this simple beach cottage, tucked into the dunes, reflects the Cape I remember as a kid. “Dune Breeze” 28 x 28
Light on the Cape is pretty unique. The Cape, being a sandbar, is low in elevation, and surrounded by sea level…so late day sun is pretty dramatic, no matter where on the Cape you are.
This scene, one of my favorite places on the Cape, was put on the map by Edward Hopper, in his painting “Corn Hill”…which is also the name of this small section of Truro. These old cottages still stand at the top of the hill, facing west, across Cape Cod Bay, and are likely the first to see the light of day come to an end. “End of Day” 40 x 30
Dawn and dusk share a quality of light that can, at time, be difficult to discern. Both cast long shadows and tend to be warmer, giving light and shadow a subtle glow. This scene could be at either times of day. As the sun rises, or sets, especially along a coastal area, the light has a similar effect on the landscape. “Shorelight” 32 x 28
As a kid (and even now), I loved the mystery of knowing there was something beyond what I could see. I grew up in a house on the top of a hill and would look out at the far, distant treeline and wonder what was beyond it. And summers on the ocean provided the same…looking out to sea, to where water met sky, and knowing there was something further out there, but not knowing what. “Beyond the Horizon” 34 x 34
Dusk is probably the best time of day for color. Things are normally a certain color (as we generically view color) in broad daylight, transform as the sun lowers and dims. Some colors grow warmer, others seem to cool. Late-day sun just makes everything look better. “Dusk Meadow” 30 x 24
Spent this past weekend (the third in May) on the Cape, and though the forecast had been blah, the weather actually couldn’t have been more perfect. While we’re still 2 or 3 weeks away from the official start of summer, this particular Saturday beach day felt every bit like summer had arrived. “Early Summer” 16 x 12
This place is about a mile away from home, and difficult to spot through the trees. It’s attached to an old house outside the historic Colonial village of our town. Most people probably miss it as they drive by, but I saw it once, and loved how this little building stood strong at the top of the hill…probably there for close to a century. It’s steady stance on that hill reminds me of times when I, or people I know, have had to be strong and endure tough times. “The Stoic” 24 x 24
I’ve painted this scene quite a few times. It’s in Grantham, NH, just off Route 89. Heading south, if you look to your right around exit 14, you can see these barns off in a large field. It’s a unique positioning…two similar (but slight different) structures, locked in place for decades. When I first saw them, and painted them, they seemed to have a human quality of sticking together…similar to how brothers, sisters, husbands and wives do. A recent family situation has driven home the importance of sticking together with family, and in interpreting a new view of this scene, that same quality carries through. “Togetherness” 48 x 30
Came across this scene years ago. This meadow, divided by two dirt roads, made up a beautiful, large tract of land owned by the Sears family, one of the old Cape Cod families, in East Dennis. The land has since been subdivided, and I don’t know if this meadow still exists like this, or is now part of someone’s summer home. I’ve been here often over the years, both in early morning and late afternoon…and with the exception of the direction of shadows, the light is similar at both times.
As seems to be happening often, lately, songs are helping with titles. In this case, my studio staple, @stickfiguremusic, inspired the title, with a song of the same name, “Break of Dawn” 36 x 32.
The section of my New Hampshire town, where my house sits, is surrounded by hundreds of miles of stone walls. Many of these walls line the roads we drive along…relics of the old farm roads of a century ago. But most of the stone walls that exist here extend beyond these roads, and disappear into the thousands of acres of woods that make up the majority of our town.
If you trek into those woods, following one of these walls, it seems that if you just keep following, you’re bound to end somewhere, or maybe back where you started. But they seem to never end…always connected to another wall, and that wall to another, and on and on. But occasionally you do find the end, and it’s those ends that get you thinking…why did the farmers who built these walls suddenly stop here? End of the property? Ran out of stones? There are so many walls, their presence almost gets taken for granted. It’s when a wall ends, that the mystery of that wall begins. “Wall’s End” 48 x 48
