The Chambly Canal #4

Acrylic and oil on panel

8"x8"

Here's a third painting from my Chambly Canal series. I like the way the bridge frames the image, cropping the scene into a horizontal format.

Last week I came across a book on American impressionism and while I knew some of the artists in it (Hassam, Chase, Twachtman), I was surprised by how many were unknown to me. Also, I had never heard of the group, 10 American Painters, which was active at the beginning of the 20th century. According to Wikipedia, "The Ten were J. Alden Weir, John Henry Twachtman, Robert Reid, Willard Metcalf, Frank Weston Benson, Edmund Charles Tarbell, Thomas Wilmer Dewing, Joseph DeCamp, and Edward Simmons. When Twachtman died in 1902, William Merritt Chase joined in his place."

It's interesting to see how these painters absorbed the lessons of french impressionism without abandoning their academic training. Now I'm wondering if I was asleep in my art history class when "the ten" were covered. Or maybe they were just overlooked. Anyone else heard of them?

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Summer storm

Oil on linen panel

7"x7"

Here's another one from this summer. When I started this painting the sun was out and the shadows were strong. Gradually the sky darkened, the shadows lightened and then the rain began. Twenty minutes later the storm was over and the sun came out again.

Later I finished the painting indoors. As I worked I realized I was mainly interested in the light on the tree and began to remove distracting details in the background. What you leave out can be as important as what you put in, a distinct advantage of painting over photography.

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The Chambly Canal #2

Acrylic on canvas

8"x8"

SOLD

Here's another from my Chambly Canal series. As I rode along the canal on my bicycle I snapped photos for reference. Back in the studio I tried to keep the sense of motion.

The Chambly Canal #3
Acrylic on canvas
8"x8"
$150

This June I rode my bicycle 90 miles over two days from South Hero, VT to Montreal. The ride was organized by Local Motion, a non-profit organization dedicated to “promoting bicycling, walking, running, in-line skating and the facilities that make such travel safe, easy, and fun!” On the way we rode along The Chambly Canal, now a national historic site of Canada. I strongly recommend this route for biking enthusiasts in the area.

I've done several paintings based on the canal and will post them soon.

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Fiesta pair

Acrylic on canvas

8"x8"

This is one of the pieces that I showed in my 81 Days and Nights project. The painting was just about finished when I decided to jazz it up with the coral color brushstrokes. I knew I was taking a risk but in the end I like the result.

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The Maroon Bells

Oil on canvas
8"x8"
$150

Last month my wife and I took a trip to Colorado. While visiting friends in Snowmass we took a hike to see the Maroon Bells for the first time. What a sight! Both peaks are just over 14,000 feet and the view from the Maroon Creek valley is one of the most famous scenes in Colorado. The fact that it is reputed to be the "most-photographed spot in Colorado" didn't stop me from snapping a few photos and then painting from one of them. I occasionally took liberties but did try to get some sort of a likeness.

I've posted about five different versions of this painting but I've made a promise to myself not to touch it again. I'm working on a looser version which I'll post soon.

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Bennington pond

Oil and pastel on panel

8"x8"

$150

I'm back! So sorry for the lengthy delay in posting. I did a lot of painting over the summer but didn't want to post the results until my show at the Amy E. Tarrant Gallery was over. Now that I've taken the work down I feel free to share it with you. You can see that work here and I'll also be posting some of the images on this blog.

I spent a week in July at a workshop sponsored by Art New England. There I painted "plein air" for the first time. What a challenge! The light kept changing. Clouds came and went. Wind nearly knocked over my easel and rain soaked me. It was great fun! I started this painting on location and later completed it indoors.