Brushes with the Landscape

Below is a link from my last entry, explaining why I started this process of quickly recording impressions from some of my road trips - while memories are fresh. https://robertkahlerlandscapepaintings.blogspot.com/2018/08/too-much-to-paint-too-little-time-paris.html Here is a set of rapid and small  Pen and Ink Sketches 3" by 4"  These are from my recent trip to Cape Cod with Julie and Doodle Bug.  These impressions will form the basis of future drawings and paintings.                  Gnarled Pine - Dennis MA Cape Cod              Dunes - Dennis MA  Cape Cod                                 Pen and Ink 3" x 5"                                         Pen and Ink 3" x 5"               Dune House - Dennis MA     Cape Cod                   The Harbor - Dennis MA   Cape Cod                     Pen and Ink 3" x 5"                                                   Pen and Ink 3" x 5"                       Beach - East

What do you do when confronted with Artistic Overload?  When every corner hides another dozen scenes to paint? I suppose there are as many different answers to that question as there are people in the world.  For me, direct observation and sketching and painting from nature are key to my process.  However, there are simply times and circumstances where it is not possible to do either.  In those cases I will try to take a few pictures for later reference.  As soon as possible, I'll record my impressions with a sketch and sometimes a brief written description of what drew my attention to the subject - initially without even referencing the photograph. The first time I went to Paris Hill was for a wedding at the church on the green.  If you've never been, it's well worth the trip and the effort to find it.  There used to be tours around Christmas of many of the historic houses.  I'm not sure if they still do that, but once again, worth it if they do. Below are some s

Had a wonderful time with family and friends Down East!  But those are stories for a different blog. The sketches from left to right top are Acrylic 4" x 6", Acrylic 12" x 16", Watercolor 8" x 10" and Acrylic 4" x 6" Bottom Left are two quick pencil composition sketches and bottom right is a partial sketch with notes and some small composition sketches which I will work up into larger compositions and paintings. The 4" by 6" were a first time experiment for me.  The format did make me simplify very complex subjects.  The jury is still out for me regarding this small format. The 12" by 16" inch painting is really four sketches in one.  Sky, Water, Distant shoreline and Mid ground cliffs.  I wasn't pleased with the overall composition but for study purposes it was a productive exercise.  I really want to focus more on my paint handling with Acrylics.  Need some new bushes, but more than that I just need to focus on

This Acrylic painting was accepted for the Juried Art Show - Local Color at River Arts Gallery in Damriscotta.  The opening is this Friday evening.  I look forward to seeing everyone's work. https://robertkahlerlandscapepaintings.blogspot.com/2018/07/lisbon-farm-in-summer-2.html https://robertkahlerlandscapepaintings.blogspot.com/2018/07/so-much-for-waiting.html https://robertkahlerlandscapepaintings.blogspot.com/2018/06/farm-on-location-sketch.html

New Hampshire Memories - Gouache over Charcoal 12" X 18" This painting is now in a private collection in Georgetown Mass.  The genesis of this painting was from a trip to New Hampshire with my family.   Here is the link below to the original post. https://robertkahlerlandscapepaintings.blogspot.com/2017/04/new-hampshire-memories.html Thank you so much for your purchase and your support!

I so enjoyed spending some time on Cape Cod with Julie and our dog Doodle Bug last week.  There was so much to see and paint.  Subjects were everywhere.  I remember hearing artists talk about going to places like Venice and having difficulty choosing what to paint due to the sheer number of possible subjects.  I felt a little like that at Cape Cod.  I'm not sure if its because it was all new to me or simply due to the beauty of the Cape.  We stayed in Dennis - and this church (@ 1838) was literally five minutes down the street from our hotel.  There was a cemetery next door, but I didn't want to take the time to dig too deeply in only one or two areas on this trip. It can often be challenging to find a place to paint a subject based on traffic and such. This morning was not one of those challenging days.  There were a number of benches throughout the church grounds and this is actually the view from one of the benches.  This small watercolor painting was completed on a block