If you’ve ever been to Martha’s Vineyard, you know Oak Bluffs. Someone once told me that of all the Island towns, when it comes to OB (as it’s called), you either love it or you hate it. I love it. It’s (in my opinion), the most interesting and colorful town on the Vineyard. Away from bustling Circuit Ave, the famous Carousel, the Steamship Docks and Ocean Park, the architecture of the many summer places there is classic summer cottage style, with simple lines, huge wrap-around porches with ceilings painted robin’s egg blue. Many sit high on the hilly land that likely contributed to the town’s name. “On the Bluffs” 40 x 30
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.
Seems a theme is emerging with another piece based on the old, beautiful, and solitary fishing shacks found all over the Cape and Islands. “Amber Bay” 48 x 24 o/c.
Started this piece years ago, after coming across a house in Wellfleet, MA (on Cape Cod), with it’s whitewashed exterior, bathed in Summer sunlight. For some reason I set it aside, and only recently put it back on the easel, maybe inspired to do so by the current string of summery days we’ve had here in New Hampshire. “Midsummer Sun” 48 x 36
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
Having grown up in a Boston suburb, and lived for a while in Boston itself, I always preferred the more isolated rural parts of New England. Being in the country was (and is for many who live in densely populated areas) an escape from traffic, noise, stress, and other people. When I was younger, and out of college, my city friends and I would spend weekends in Vermont, and by the end of the trip, they began to feel there was nothing to do. They were ready to return to Boston. I wasn’t. I liked the quiet, the openness, and the abundance of nothing to do. “Country” 36 x 36
The Cape and Islands are home to countless boathouses. Many were built along the shores, but others built further inland, and often appear completely detached from any property owner. This one sits at the most inland end of a salt marsh that opens up to a small cove, and was likely built years ago by a local fisherman. “Marsh Cove” 20 x 20
