Winter stream

Oil on linen panel
8"x8"
SOLD

I was 95% finished with this one when I decided to add one more brushstroke. Predictably, I ended up painting over two thirds of the painting. No regrets, though. I think its important to not be afraid to make changes, even if it risks destroying some of the best passages in a painting. Remember what Picasso said, "Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction."

For those of you scratching your heads wondering where's the stream, its that dark sliver that runs across the bottom third of the painting

Along the woods
Oil on linen panel
7"x7"
$150

In my last post I talked about tightening up the image but here I returned to a more gestural approach. I wanted the brushstrokes to be more spontaneous while retaining their descriptive function. I also experimented with varying the temperature of some of the dark brushstrokes. You can see this in the green and blue strokes that make up the trees on the right.

Intervale: frozen river
Oil on linen panel
6"x8"
$150

Here I wanted to capture both a sense of place and of light... a frozen river in Vermont on a cold, crisp, sunny day. One of those days that don’t come often enough but make you glad to be alive when they do.

A year ago I couldn’t have done this painting and, truth be told, probably wouldn’t have even if I could have. I didn’t have the skill set needed... an understanding of how to manipulate paint to realistic ends, a firm grasp of how value and temperature changes help create depth, an awareness of lost and found edges. And even if I had the capability I was more interested in spontaneous, expressive brushstrokes and animating the surface.

Lately I’ve gone back to the basics, concentrating on being in control and getting results intentionally, rather than by accident. That’s not to say I’m where I want to be yet. And when I’m more confident with my skills I may ditch them and start in a new direction. I’m sure I’ll loosen up again but I want that expressiveness to be built on a foundation of control, rather than haphazard experimentation.

The long view
Oil on linen panel
7"x7"
SOLD

Vermont can be cold. It can be grey. It can be disagreeable. But I always end up forgiving it because of its unique beauty, that special combination of mountain and meadow, farm land and forest. Just when you think you've had enough, it takes your breath away.

River bend 2.8.09
Oil and oil pastel on linen panel
7"x7"
SOLD

This is a familar composition with a twist. I wasn't happy with the initial painting and went over it with a layer of oil pastel after the paint had dried. I really like the added texture and line and plan to experiment more with the pastels.

Snow day 2.6.09
Oil on linen panel
7"x7"
SOLD

Skiing through the snowy fields of Vermont I felt like a kid released from school because of snow. I hope that what this one lacks in slap dash brush strokes it makes up for in subtle attention to detail. My main goal was to capture the sense of light on the expanse of the field.

Snowy fields 2.2.09

Oil on panel

7"x7"

SOLD

All the snow here in the Northeast has made for some great cross country skiing. I always bring a camera to record the grandeur of the landscape and I'm hoping to do a number of winter landscapes in the next few weeks.