Gardiners County Park

Here is a painting done at Gardiners County Park in Bay Shore, Long Island. This was done a little while back, the beginning of winter. The spot I painted was bitterly cold, and I remember that even though I had gloves on, I had to keep taking a break and either blow on my hands or put them in my pockets to warm them up. Not only that, but since I was on the coast of Great South Bay, the wind was very strong and kept blowing my easel over. It was almost like the scene in "Lust for Life" where Van Gogh (Kirk Douglas) is struggling with a large canvas. I can't tell if my picture conveys the brutal cold and my "battle" with the elements, but I think it came out ok even if it doesn't give the whole story.

Gardiners County Park, Winter  (oil on canvas)

Subway Series, etc.

Two more entries for the Subway Series. I am using mechanical pencils exclusively now. I can't believe how many years I spent drawing with traditional pencils that needed sharpening every two minutes! Never again. Not only is there no need for sharpening of these things, but you can get a package of six at the dollar store for, of course, one dollar!


 Some Recent Paintings
I've been in a little bit of a slump lately due to a variety of issues, but I've had a bit of a boost after a recent sale. This is always a great way to get inspired to work more, and I wish it happened more often, but you can't wait around to feel a sense of purpose to make art. It has to be something you do every day, without fail! Here is a small painting appropriate for this time of year.

"Fall" (acrylic on paper)

This one is of the marsh area near Jones Beach, one of my favorite areas to go to, and a great spot to paint, especially during the cooler months. I hope to get out there more often in the next month, but not having my own car available makes it a little difficult. But there are always options.

"Expanse" (acrylic on paper)

Space is Everything

 The following are some images which probably illustrate my contradictory nature. The first two are images I did during my graduate study at Ohio University in the early 90's. My instructors were mostly representational landscape painters whose work I admired, despite the difference in my own work. I was determined to establish a bold presence with my work, and as a result one of the choices I made was to work on large format pieces. Not only did they stand out when exhibited but demanded commitment on me to create them. They were like environments that I surrounded me as I created them, and they required a physical involvement from me which was frustrating, yet cathartic. I also created these images in a studio not much larger than a standard bathroom, and often it was a struggle to get them out the door after I made them. The second two images were done in the last few years. I live in New York, where I could explore a rich diversity of abstract and cutting edge art. I also converted my garage at home to a studio that was spacious enough for some large work. Of course, with all of these resources at my disposal, what do I do but begin painting relatively small representational landscapes. My love for creating art has not wavered, and I feel strongly about all the work I do. However, I recognize that I never seem to see what would be obvious to others and as a result may not seem to be "at home" wherever I am. Maybe that's the constant search.

“Pursuit”(acrylic on paper 82” x 48"”)

“Moonlight Walk”(mixed media on wood 51” x 72"”)

“West End”(acrylic on paper 16” x 20"”)

“Moonlight Walk”(mixed media on wood 17” x 13.5"”)

Summer's here, and I miss the winter

Now that the weather is getting warmer, it would seem that the time is right for active plein air painting. Not so for myself, as I am more likely to go out during the colder months. The reasons: One, there are less people at the sites I wish to paint, two, I usually start sweating as soon as the temperature rises above 60°, and three, the most important one, NO BUGS! Anyway, here are just two of the landscapes done during my favorite time of year.

"Farmington Woods Creek" (oil on canvas)

"Winter Dusk" (oil on canvas)

Latest Work

This latest set of paintings are the result of seeing the work of Lynn Boggess at the Lines and Colors blog. I found his paintings really inspiring, and they made me re-connect with the days when I studied painting at the Maine College of Art in 1984, where we used painting knives exclusively during the early part of the year. I started using again at Ohio School of Art where I was working on abstract paintings. As a matter of fact, I still am using the same knife I bought in Ohio back in 1993. It is a difficult tool to master because the initial application of paint is so direct and striking that it is hard There is a purity of color that can be achieved when painting with a knife that is very different than that done with a brush. The “creaminess” of the paint really shows, and the intensity of the color is strong, which is partly due to its layering on the paint surface. Of course, these are the things I found in Boggess’ work. I have yet to get to that point, but these pieces attempt to bring that forth.

““”Freeport Marsh””-2014-oil on paper

““”Brookside”-2014-oil on canvas

New Year, Old Work

The first post of the new year is an old painting, but since I have no new photos of winter themed work, I wantted to post this one. It is of the Farmington River in Farmington, Connecticut, acrylic on paper. This is kind of a small piece that contains more detailed brush work than some of my other pictures. I wanted to make it seem cold and tried to capture that late day winter sunset when the temperature really starts to drop.

Icy River-2011 8x10" Acrylic on paper