As you sail into Vineyard Haven Harbor, two land masses welcome you…the first (if coming from Woods Hole) is West Chop…an exclusive section of the Island with stately old seaside mansions dotting the shore. The other is East Chop, which similarly is home to some of the Island’s oldest and grandest summer places. But East Chop differs…some of the old summer homes there are more humble. Still magnificent homes, but smaller and more weathered, having endured decades of battering winds, sea spray and sun. On a recent visit to the Vineyard, I took a drive along the shore road, East Chop Drive. While many parts of the Vineyard have changed since the almost 30 years since I lived there, the coastal cottages that still sit on on the shore, looking over Vineyard Sound, have not. “East Chop” 20 x 20
While driving around my small section of Cape Cod (in the “Dennises”), I caught a glimpse of this old shed/garage, tucked backed a bit from the main road. It is part of an old, quintessential Cape Cod farmhouse…now preserved in the historic district of South Dennis. It was a perfect Cape Cod summer day, with late morning light that raked across the landscape. Grabbed a reference shot, and attempted to capture the essence of the place, the light, and the day itself. “Summer Day” 24 x 24
I came across this scene quite a few years ago, in Bridgehampton, Long Island. The expanse of meadow behind the barn looked like a scene from one of our inland New England rural landscapes. But, behind the distant row of trees, the land met the sea…giving the sky that pale blue look you often see at the ocean. “Island Meadow” 64 x 30
Years ago, I lived for three years on Martha’s Vineyard. It’s there I met my wife, and together we lived in almost every town on the Island…summer/winter transients, moving from rental to rental. We left the island occasionally, by ferry, and on return trips, as the boat slowed into Vineyard Haven Harbor, you could see the familiar light at East Chop…It’s light rhythmically broadcasting it’s presence on the bluff. I was back on-Island recently, only for a couple hours, and minutes before the boat shoved off back to Woods Hole, I visited this light. Located on the East Chop section of the Island, it still stands, but is fenced off, blocking access to the benches I used to sit on, as a break, during one of the many bike rides I’d embark on. Not sure why access is now denied to this little grassy spot of the Island, but despite whatever the cause or reason, the light itself stands as sturdy as I remember it. Still a landmark to boats and ferry passengers. “Beacon” 24 x 24
I recently helped my daughter, Lily, on an assignment for a drawing project at her art school. The assignment was somewhat vague, and far too wordy, for what I gathered to be the core message… “identify what you love, care about, or are interested in, and paint it”. It was based on the premise of “locate yourself”. To me, that meant “picture yourself where you’d like to be, and draw it.” My pieces start through observing a real place, and then modifying it to be a place I want to be. This latest piece is such a place: “Atlantic Sky” 48 x 48
This recent oil, “Lowland Clearing” has been made available as a limited edition print.
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Love driving around Vermont, intentionally getting lost down roads I’ve never traveled. Each time I do, I find inspiration. I may not always know where a road goes, but I always find my way back, and discover new places along the way. “Back Roads” 30 x 24.
I visited this scene recently…one of my favorite places, in Grantham, NH, on Old Route 10. I’ve painted these barns a few times, each time something new reveals itself. This time, it was the irregular shape of the meadow, cleared of trees probably decades ago, to create grazing meadows. The twin barns stand as they have, but each time I visit, they seem to have settled just a little bit more into the landscape. “Lowland Clearing” 48 x 48
Old, abandoned places slowly succumb to nature, in the absence of human hands keeping the surrounding land clear. I often find scenes where land has begun to overcome a structure, particularly where the property has ceased to be used, or inhabited. Trees, vines, and overgrowth are often as interesting as the structure itself. “Maples” 24 x 30
Sometimes, when planning a painting, the composition comes first, other times, palette. In this case, hopefully obviously, color was the inspiration. I had seen a meadow recently, up North in Vermont, that was covered in a soft pinkish/red grass, made a deeper shade of magenta with the low sun. The composition, in this case, fit the “subject” well, as the large expanse of foreground meadow was the perfect vehicle for color. “Magenta” 40 x 30
