While delivering a painting to a buyer in the hills of Woodstock, Vermont, I passed this old place, long abandoned, and overgrown with saplings, vines and bushes. There is something mysterious about abandoned structures…especially when nature begins to take them over. There is also something beautiful about the way nature and man-made things almost become one, over time. “Bramble” 24 x 24
This week promises temps in the 60s…a welcome increase from the 10s, 20s and 30s…and with that comes thoughts of spring. Days grow warmer and color returns to the landscape. With these days ahead, this recently completed smaller piece attempts to capture the warmth to come. “Coming Spring” 12 x 12.
The origin for the title and one of the focal points of this recently completed commission (currently out for preview),comes from a farm a couple miles from the studio. The house and barn sits along the side of Spring Road, flanked with stone walls, and a huge 60-acre meadow that extends out about half a mile to the distant ridgeline. I drive by this farm every day, and for a couple years now have noticed a small hemlock growing a hundred-or-so yards into the meadow. Somehow, as the meadow is mowed each fall, this little tree has been spared, either by chance, or intentionally. “Hemlock” 40 x 40
Came across this scene several months ago, did a quick charcoal sketch, but only recently brought it to canvas. There is a time of day when light illuminates horizon and ridgelines as if under spotlights. I saw such light recently, and brought it to this piece. “Upland Meadow” 20 x 16
I’ve been working with a couple who recently moved north from South Carolina to Henniker, NH…a small, quaint college town about 40 minutes north of me. We are working on four pieces…two large works for dominant spaces within their new home, and two smaller accent pieces.
I rarely title pieces based on literal attributes about a scene, but I opted to do so with this piece. A scene close to their new home was spotted by the buyer, and after she sent a photo, I worked up a charcoal composition, which was well received…and proceeded to the finished piece, currently out on approval. “Henniker” 46 x 40
This recently completed commission is, in itself, a variation from another commission of the same subject/location. I’m not a fan of duplicating a piece, but do love the challenge of doing a variation on another piece, even if the differences are in scale and dimensions. This piece, “Distant Ridge” 40 x 30 is based on an earlier, more horizontal piece…both capturing a sense of serenity.
The pandemic has separated many of us from each other. People we used to get together with, we do so less often, if at all. We may live close to each other, work together, or bump into each other in town, but we are encouraged to keep a “safe distance” from each other. It’s an odd sense of isolation, as we know where our friends and family are…we know how to get to them, yet we’re encouraged not to do so. It’s as if we’ve all become outliers to each other. This rural scene reminded me of how this sense of isolation feels. We’re together, but we’re not. “Outliers” 48 x 24
Every now and then, as I scout the countryside for inspiration, I’ll come across a scene where some element stands out…usually a structure, or a tree, or stone wall…and that tends to become the subject of a painting. In this case, while driving on the rural roads south of me, over the Massachusetts line, I came across this massive old barn…tucked into a slope, dominating the landscape. “Majestic” 20 x 20.
I wrote yesterday about the neighboring development that converted many acres of pristine woods into a housing development. And while most of us lament the loss of land…including me, I can’t be too critical, as my house was, itself, was built on the land of the old Wilbert Parker Farm. My property is surrounded by old stone walls, and sits down a slight valley from the hill that is home to the old corn crib, a historic relic of the old farm. The corn stored in that crib was used to feed farm animals, including the many sheep that used to graze the meadow upon which my house now sits. The old farm is right across the street, a snowball’s throw away, and is surrounded by stone walls and meadows, much as it was over 100 years ago. “Sheep Meadow” 36 x 36
My house is surrounded by several hundred acres of woods, stone walls and old hiking trails. About 10 years ago, thirty acres were sold to a developer who proceeded to build a 40-home development. Before he did, they excavated the acreage, leveling most of the trees to prepare the building lots. I imagine he looked over his newly cleared land, thinking of what he would call his new neighborhood. I heard once that developers often name their neighborhoods after things that were once there…”Deer Path” or “Highland Woods” etc. This developer must have found his newly felled trees to be inspiration enough…and the place became The Fells.
My property abuts the edge of this development…and on a recent walk down one of the old trails, I came across these trees and loved the contrast between the dark, shady woods-floor foreground against the bright blast of lime/orange treeline behind the neighboring farm. “The Fells” 30 x 40
