Brushes with the Landscape

I spent a few hours in the studio the past couple of evenings matting drawings and paintings to see what I'd like to enter in my next juried exhibition.  Sometimes framing or even simply matting a painting or drawing help expose any compositional flaws. Moonlight on Mountain Pond There is a stillness in the wood That is hard to comprehend As I hike away from civilization, from the “should’s” I leave the car and my worries behind The daylight views are dramatic enough But the night sky and the dance of moonlight and shadow On clouds, mountain, forest and stream Leave me spellbound Like the sirens of myth It is possible to become lost in natures song   But the sound of my heart provides the rhythm To the silence Provides the anchor in the storm The storm we all carry inside In a few days I’ll be back at work Surrounded by activity and sound The “should’s” will have returned in full force In moments of decision, I strive to

Pen and Ink - Breakers Two I'm not sure what started me on this particular exploration of pen and ink but I do find it quite enjoyable.  I work in a variety of media: Watercolor, Charcoal, Acrylic, Oil, Pencil, and most recently Gouache, and Mixed Media experiments.  I'll write more about the differnt media in subsequent posts. I do find that the different mediums I work with all inform one another.  For instance, I find working in pen and ink makes me think further about composition and design as the medium is so direct and unforgiving.  I know that I've barely scratched the surface of Pen and Ink. I enjoy studying the many moods of the ocean.  The power of the waves.  The color and the shapes in the rock and in the surf, the reflections of the sun and moon, the mist, sea fog and foam, and , the movement of the waves create constantly shifting and new fascinations to me.  This is all purely the visual and doesn't even take into account the impact of the

These paintings are quick and simple experiments utilizing watercolor on tracing paper.  I occasionally paint on tracing paper as a quick way to get down some ideas for paintings.  This has always been studio work for me.   To say that tracing paper is not meant for watercolor is an understatement.  However, I also find that not considering a painting for display is incredibly freeing.  The subject matter was inspired by Aiden Lassell Ripley. The second painting is simply a view of the reverse side of the paper.  It shows the mirror image of the composition.  This can be done electronically through most photo editing as well, but I like to work with brush on paper. The bottom painting view was a simply accident.  I placed the tracing paper on my easal on top of a previously completed landscape.  This shows how I might combine the compositions into new paintings.  It shows what some different color combinations would look like.  Once again, these effects could be

Rugged Coast Gouache on Paper This painting is a gouache on paper over pen and ink.  As I've written about before, I will occasionally experiment over earlier paintings.  The Yankee in me hates to throw anything out.  Working in Gouache is still relatively new to me.  I prefer transparent watercolor, but whatever can help me achieve what I'm trying to achieve, I'll give it a try. I was watching one of James Gurney's video's about painting on location with gouache and he mentioned how gouache tends to dry a little darker than it appears when painting - something I found to be very true.  This painting was also over a sketch in pen in ink with a lot of shading, so that did not help.  None the less, my plan was to go for a stormy scene anyway. The picture below shows my current method for sketching on location and even studio work where I will work out different ideas in the margins - focusing on different compostions in thumbnail sketches before attem

I occasionally like to experiment with tracing paper.  Not to trace compositions, but I enjoy the feel charcoal on tracing paper.  Using tracing paper and even newsprint was also recommended by noted illustrators Robert Fawcett and Charles La Salle for practice.  I enjoy finding instructional books by artists such as these for inspiration.  Andrew Loomis is another favorite of mine.  The effects that Loomis and La Salle were able to achieve in Charcoal were amazing.  And Fawcett is an acknowleged master of line.  They make it look so easy.  Any expert does.   I also like to see what the composition looks like in reverse.  While looking at a few of my paintings and drawings in preparation for entering another juried exhibition, I also noticed the difference the colored background makes.   In this case I imagined a stormy sea where visibility was quite limited.  This was done from imagination, through I do enjoy storm watching along the coast.  The first image is simply with

Pen and Ink - Breakers Two I enjoy studying the many moods of the ocean.  The power of the waves.  The color and the shapes in the rock and in the surf, the reflections of the sun and moon, the mist, sea fog and foam, and , the movement of the waves create constantly shifting and new fascinations to me.  This is all purely the visual and doesn't even take into account the impact of the sounds and smells of the ocean. These drawings are half memory half imagination from my childhood explorations of Higgins Beach in Scarborough Maine, Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth, and my most recent trips to Pemaquid. Tidal Pool, Incoming Tide - Pen and Ink

I am continuing to experiment with seascapes.  Despite spending many years along the coast, I still have a great deal of study to do to capture the power and movement and color of the sea.  This is a small watercolor with some use of chinese white as well as scaping with a razor blade to achieve some of the whites This painting is not of an actual location, but is patterned after the rocks along the coast near Two Lights State Park in Cape Elizabeth Maine and Prouts Neck in Scarborogh, Maine.   I've had the privilige of seeing a number of Winslow Homer's original paintings at the Portland Museum of Art as well as in Boston.  His seascapes are incredibly powerful - and make you feel as though you are really there on the cliffs by the sea. Winslow Homer's studio is now owned by the Portland Museum of Art and tours are conducted on a regular basis.  The cliff walk around Prouts Neck is also open to the public.  Like many places in Maine, the trick is to find a

This was the first pass (in charcoal) of a subject that began nearly two decade's ago.   It is not an exact representation of the subject but a composition of design elements that do exist, just not exactly in this configuration. The process of choosing a subject, for me at least, is almost unconscious.  Sometimes it's an instant connection with a scene - often related to lighting, color or other effects of nature.   More often, its a place that I have a connection with through family, friends, or that I have visited or explored on my own. This is a subject that began first as on location watercolor sketch.  Once the sketch was done, I set it aside as I often do.  I am energized by painting on location and this also gives me a backlog of subjects to explore further when getting out on location is not possible.  It is also just good practice of both oberservational skills as well as painting skills. Yesterday, while Julie was shopping, I did a couple of studies (rough

One of my favorite artists, Aiden Lassell Ripley, spent some of his formative years studying the work of Velasquez and Hals while traveling throughout Western Europe, Spain in particular, and North Africa on the Paige Travelling Scholarship from the Musuem School in Boston at the turn of the century. It is amazing what you can learn from studying other artists.  I much prefer to paint directly from nature, but there are times when studio work is the order of the afternoon. This is a watercolor I did today, based on Aiden's work.  A poor imitation, but I learned a lot about composition and depth from this excersize.  A fun way to spend a little time between projects.  I If you've never seen Aiden Lassell Ripley's work, check it out.  I am still amazed at the effects he was able to achieve in watercolor.

I've always loved the ocean.  The salt air, the sound of waves crashing on the rocks, the waves retreating back into the ocean rolling the rocks and sand.  A steady rythm, power,  and a vastness that seem to make everything else feel insignificant. There are so many colors, both pure and reflected, and design elements that one could paint the same area of the coast day after day and never paint the same picture twice.  I particularly enjoy the coast during storms and other "off times."   Though it has been many years, I still remember the power of the ocean when body surfing.  Literally being carried along, surprisingly fast by waves.  Learning to be patient and not to panic when held underwater by the power of the breaking waves.  The sting of salt water in my eyes and nose and the loud roar of the water of the breaker and the hiss of the wave stopping on the beach and retreating into the coming waves. Below is a plein air seascape that I completed in Ca

This watercolor was created from an on location drawing trip to the neighboring town of Bowdoin. I was struck by the hill rising and disappearing to the left - begging the question of what is around the bend and the contrast of the shadows spilling across the road and the field in the process of being plowed. One of the things I've noticed in my travels throughout New England is how land is, or was, not wasted.  Rocky, sloping, and steep hilled land was, and in some cases still is farmed.  Toughness and persistence is required to earn a living in these conditions and climates.  I sense its far more of a calling than a business decision. In Pennsylvania there is farmland as far as the eye can see.  So to it is here in Maine - the difference is the miles one can see in PA is so much greater as the land is so flat.  In Maine, in many places you will see a hayfield tucked in a corner of a property where the Spruce haven't yet found their way to the edge of a road. The S

I saw a major show of John Singer Sargent's many years ago at the Boston Musuem of Art.  It included portraits and some of his work from World War One.  As is always the case, the original artworks were stunning beyond description - no matter how good the quality of reproductions. In some cases, even in larger than life canvases - a single brushstroke "made the painting" come alive with light or shadow. Personally, I've always been attracted to John Singer Sargent's watercolors from his travels thoughout the world.  In particular, his ability to capture a sense of light and atmosphere.  I have no idea of whether or not he ever intended to show his watercolors or if they were simply done for enjoyment or study purposes - I'm just glad that they have been preserved. Even a mundane (or potentially mundane) subject comes to life under his brush.  A simple white building sparkles with light as seen below. Bedouins His ability to render wh

One of the reason I love ducking into antique stores is that you never know what you are going to find. My introduction to art was primarily though the illustrators of the golden age through my wife's family of artists as I wrote about here.   Inspiration better late than never I came across this illustration study for a dust jacket by Courtney Allen a couple of weeks ago and I picked it up earlier today.. This painting was a preliminary study for the book cover for the book "Gold Mountain" by Charlotte Paul issued by the Peoples Book Club of Chicago in 1953. It's roughly 9" x 12" and appears to be ink and watercolor/gouache.  Historical interest aside, I love the freedom and confidence of the execution of this painting.  One of the things that I enjoy about these types of paintings is that you can see the artists thought process.  How the eye is led into the center of interst - the figures disembarking in search of gold and , perhaps, a litt

This sketch is an elaboration of an on location watercolor completed in Scarborough Maine more than a decade ago.  This is one example of why I do enjoy the challenges of studio work from on location paintings.   I hope to be able to take various elements that do exist (though not in this exact composition) in a place and bring them together into a scene that people feel as though they've been there.  In this case, the ocen in the distance with a small peninsula and a barn on a sloping hill tucked amongst elm, spruce, and other hard and softwoods encroaching on what was, at one time, a working farm. The trees existed, but for the purposes of the picture I reversed them.  I'll do another color study as the original painting was done in the fall.  The Ocean was not viewable in the acutal setting due to the heighth of the surrounding forest but it would have been where I've indicated it in the drawing.

I've managed to explore much of the coast of Maine, but somehow I'd never made it to Pemaquid before.  Julie, Ari, and I had a wonderful day at Pemaquid.   Before we left for the day, I decided to reorganize my paint box to strictly watercolor so that all the materials that I'd need would fit in my paintbox.  Brushes, paper, paint, water, palette,  tape, pencils, sketch pad, sponges, razor blades, pencils.   I wanted to reduce things so that I wouldn't need anything beyond the paint box.  Still a couple of things to iron out - but all in all I was pleased.  What I think I'll do next is get another paint box to prepare for acrylics and related materials. After exploring and finding some sea glass.  I did this pen and ink first.  I finished the day doing a quick watercolor study of this same scene.  I'll use both of these to do a finished work eventually. The next work was this watercolor. Sometime I'm so caught up in the moment, trying to cap

I recently took a trip Down East with family.  This post was from more than a year ago.  A picture drawn from strong childhood memories.  I was watering plants in the backyard yesterday, including a cutting from the lilac tree in front of the house (to the right outside this picture) I hope you enjoy the picture and poem. Pembroke A few half buried fieldstones are all that remain The house is gone The Barn and Shed… Gone Gone. Not forgotten I see Nana’s house In abandoned farmhouses  In bowed barns In my dreams I remember walking up the dirt road from one adventure or another Taking the short cut up the hill toward the house Avoiding the old well (Not really – Sorry Mom) The tall grass tickling my hands was laced with animal trails At the top of the hill The horses were shuffling in their stalls Anxious to get out The shed A large barn connecting the barn to the kitchen A magical place to me Could that have been Santa’s sle

This watercolor sketch of an inlet in Georgetown, Maine serves a couple of purposes for me. One, I'd been so focused on pen and ink drawings I missed painting.  In addition to composition and design, I truly enjoy working with  color and paint- watercolors in particular.  For whatever reason, I find it more enjoyable (and more efficient) to experiment with watercolor than the other mediums I work with (Acrylic, Oil, Goache, Charcoal, Pencil).  The medium of watercolor itself, I find it to be the quickest medium to get ideas to paper.   Some of that is simple physics - water flows quickly and smoothly.  Another reason is the ease of transport and clean up of watercolor.  I also began my artistic journey with watercolor so that is the medium I've worked with the longest. One piece of advice I would give, is take whatever advice that is given to you for what it is worth for your journey - not as gospel.  One of the most common pieces of advice that I recieved is that waterc

As I was leaving Bailey Island I was struck by the contrasts in the fading light with the fog rolling in after sunset.  The water was capturing and reflecting all the light it could, creating striking silhouettes of figures as well as the house.   I've always enjoyed monochrome painting and experimenting with different values.  My early reserach into Charles La Salle and his circle of friends and colleagues from the "golden age" of illustration I was struck by their mastery of charcoal.  "If a picture doesn't work in black and white - color won't save it."  Blunt but accurate I think.  Color can mask a bit, but won't hide a weak composition.  I also experimented with drybrush technique on this painting.  I recieved so much encouragement and advice from the late Bob Harris who was a very successsful illustrator and portraitist.  I still can hear his voice and chuckle about him talking about knowing when a painting is done before it is "fini

Have spent the last couple of evenings/sunsets at Lands End on Bailey's Island.  It's amazing how different the sea is every day.  The first day the water was as smooth as glass and the reflection of the sunset was breathtaking.  Even got to watch a seal for awhile just off shore. This sketch was completed from the parking lot.  It combines different elements that are present at Bailey Island, but not in the composition rendered below.  This composition combines the gnarled pine trees with rocks which dominate much of the landscape and on the horizon line is the lighthouse thats visible to the right of the island directly opposite the end of the road. A sailboat happened by while I was sketching so I did a quick sketch of it, the outline of the memorial for those to who were lost at sea and the edge of the island with the lighthouse in the distance. My wife laughed at me because, although I was at the seacoast I was sketching the pine trees in the parking lot - but that i

This is a sketch of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland ME, from Marginal Way.  I've always been fascinated by city skylines and rooftops.  This cathederal is also where my sister got married which is why I chose this subject to sketch. The day itself had some incredibly dramatic lighting - clear skys one minute, rain the next and ultimately a thick sea fog which obscured the top half of the steeple.  I didn't have the time to try some of those different lighting patterns, but will another time.  As we say, if you don't like the weather in New England, wait a minute. This was also a subject to work on how to indicate the substantial nature of the construction of the Cathederal without indicating every little detail (It couldn't be seen at this distance anyway - at least not with my eyes).  A few seagulls showed up and further illustrated the scale of the building.  They can barely be seen around the steeple on the left. I'll adjus

Here are a few working sketches that I completed while picking up some of my paintings from the Plein Air Painters of Maine show at the Georgetown Library.  It is such a beautiful area. The sketchpad I use is a simple 11" by 14" Acid Free medium weight paper. This first page represents some quick sketches I made sitting on a granite bench right alongside an inlet.  I generally make a few quick compositional sketches of scenes I am considering as well as local sights that could turn into additional paintings or elements that I might add into the composition later.  In other words real local buildings or natural scenes that you wouldn't see from this point of view but that anyone familiar with the area would be recognized. This was a grey day and quite windy, but enjoyable.  Two ducks kept me company the entire time I sketched.  One black, one white.  Both very busy fishing.  I'm going to change the mostly hidden modern car port for a lobster shack that I rem

This large watercolor is based on a nearby mill brook in Lisbon Falls, Maine.  The wollen mill was torn down within the past decade.  I'd always said I'd paint it, but I waited too long. The rock wall in the foreground is part of the old canal system and actually is not visible from this view.  The two rock walls in the mid ground are part of the canal/power system for the old mill.  On this day the water was low but running rapidly over a breach in the dam. This is one of the few spring paintings I've done.  There are so many colors in the spring as the trees begin to flower.  Not quite fall like, but colorful none the less.  I've simplified the overall composition while trying to stay true to the acutal location. This location is actually quite a gem.  There is a walking path on the left with a view of the brook which continues along the Androscoggin River.

Have you ever wondered what happens in your studio when you turn in for the night?  I went downstairs and Echo (one of our cats) came sprinting out of my studio looking very guilty... I went to my drawing table and there it was - an abstract sketch that I didn't paint:  It isn't signed, but there is some incriminating cat hair on it. What had spooked the cat?     Was it the horses?   The B 29's? Or the moose? Echo came back to the studio and curled up in my lap - keeping one eye on the moose. Will the Man and Moose ever meet? I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring!

Here is a sketch I completed today at a local stream.  I've also included a page from my sketchbook to further illustrate some ideas I'll pursue later in the studio. This sketch represents the bones of what I'll work from later in the studio.  A number of things added some challenges (some avoidable, some not) to this day of sketching.   My brush carrier had opened and most of my brushes had spilled out in the car.  Rather than go back I decided to forge ahead.  Another "mistake" I'd made was setting up directly in the sun - but this was the view I wanted to capture.  The paints dried very quickly in the pallette as well as on the paper.  Oh yes - I also did not bring my easal or paper towels.  So basically I brought myself and a partially stocked paint box :)  I hadn't restocked since my last outing. Many year ago, any one of the above factors would have caused me to get frustrated and potentially not to have done any painting at all.  I

This painting is an experiment with an old charcoal drawing that I completed after a trip to New Hampshire with my wife and daughter.  Both the trip and drawing were completed many years ago.  Like many of my drawings, there were things I really liked about it and some things that didn't work the way I wanted them too. What I've learned over time, is that by observing a subject closely,  there is more that I retain / notice from the location than I'm able to capture at the time. So I simply put it aside and moved on to other subjects knowing at some point I'd return to the subject. This painting is gouache on paper (over the charcoal drawing).  I'm really learning to enjoy gouache, though I must admit that transparent watercolor is still my favorite!

"Reflections" - Oil 18"x 24" I've always been humbled by nature.  In particular the oceans and as in this scene - the mountains.  It's always amazes me how quickly the noise and concerns of everyday life disappear when entering the woods and exploring along a river. I have fond memories of camping with family and friends, but I have equally fond memories of the times spent exploring alone and recharging to the rhythms of nature. I thought about including other figures in this scene, perhaps a canoe or a cabin in the distance. However, as the painting developed, the emotion and mood I was reaching for was that of a solitary figure.  In terms of scale, the figure is a small portion of the picture, but for me it was a corner piece of the puzzle.