Leaving the camera at home

This summer I decided to leave my camera behind while on painting excursions, leaving only sketching as an option for recording the experiences. I did this for a week on Monhegan Island, a week in Stonington, Maine, and several day trips. Some sketches were more detailed, but here's an example of thumbnails I did on location in Stonington. Doing sketches really makes one look carefully at the landscape. While only recording the essentials, and doing some serious simplifying, one can set up the structure of a painting, while totally absorb the experience of the place.... color, atmosphere, light, temperature. The painting above the thumbnails was done later, in the studio, directly from the sketch on the right.

Getting back to it.

Yike, it's hard to believe it's been since June since I've posted. This fabulously beautiful summer went by so fast and now I've got a fire in the fireplace tonight. I spent one wonderful week on Monhegan with painter friends, then another great week in Stonington, for Stonington Painter's Workshop. Both weeks were heavenly and painterly. Much of the remaining summer painting time was spent fulfilling orders for little 6 X 6 paintings which have become very popular for wedding gifts and experimenting with new techniques and approaches that I learned at the Painting Workshop. I will do upcoming posts about that and Monhegan.  For now here are a couple of the 6 x6" works that were commissioned for young Mainers leaving home...special places for them to remember.

5 February 2010 - Small and bold

Another unintentional work in the continued series. A landscape suggestion but mostly just about bold rich color. I'm calling it Velvet Ground. 9 X 8" oil on masonite panel.

September 30 - Zoom in, zoom out

Bangor Art Society's summer project was to choose a subject and zoom in close to it, and zoom out for a broad view. I chose one of my favorite Maine spots, Flye Point in Brooklin, Maine. Great color at low tide. The little spruce trees on the island really do grow like that! The broad view is 6 X 8 and the closer view is 6 X 6. Both oil on panel.

August 24 - "Borrowed Views" from Starboard Watch

Working on my greens during this week. It's a color that's always been problematic for me, especially in summer landscape painting...getting the right values especially. These three were done plein air. From left: The Neighbor's Meadow (sold), Summer House (Sold), and Lilies in the Garden.