Another evening in Aptos

Beach Solitude 16x20 oil

 When I visit, waiting for my daughter to get home from work provides me with a perfect ending to each day. I walk the beach in front of her home and watch the colors that swirl and change as the sun gets closer to the horizon. The colors reflect in the wet sand and water. The sounds of the waves accent the patterns of the water as it advances and recedes.  The distant shore in Capitola becomes an amorphous shape silhouetted against the horizon. Although I have painted the same scene many times, no two are alike. I am enchanted and enjoy the solitude and time for reflection this ritual provides.

A Cape Cod Ritual

"Cape Cod Pastime"  16x20 oil
Every summer when we are at the Cape we pick different spots to watch nature at it's best. Depending where we are during the day, we have some spots we consider prime for this. Skaket Beach is one. Local people come with families and if the tide is low, the reflections of the sunset along with the silhouettes of watchers and their reflections create a dynamic and colorful scene. The little rivulets between the sandbars form patterns of color and shapes that are quite beautiful. In this painting the blue/orange colors help capture the intensity of the landscape. The silhouetted figures represent the various ways people reacted, some in small groups others strolling along the water's edge and some just alone and taking it all in. I was back from the crowd on a bench watching both the people and the sunset. Occasionally boats or birds would appear, but I decided to leave them out this time and make it more about the relationship between nature's palette and the watchers.

Evening tide, Aptos, CA

"Evening Tide"  12x24/oil

My fascination with the ocean has been lifelong. Growing up on the beach, I listened to the waves crashing as I fell asleep at night, smelled the salt air as soon as we got close to home and had the Atlantic shore as my "backyard". I miss it every day, but never stop thinking about it and feel grateful that I was so blessed. I also learned to respect the ocean and it's power. The waves on the Aptos beach were large and loud and only seemed to quiet down when the day ended and the sun was setting. The birds gathered each evening along the shore and there was a kaleidoscope of  different colors each evening. In this painting I chose a blue orange harmony.  I used the water that pooled on the shore to lead the viewers eye through the gulls, back to the surf and beyond to the merging of sea and sky. The long horizontals of the clouds in the sky give a calming effect to contrast with the surf breaking the horizon line and the staccato movement of the birds as they gather on the shoreline. The patches of bright blue sky breaking through the clouds are reflected in the water to unify the painting.

Aptos evening

"Aptos evening"  12x24 oil

My daughter recently moved to Aptos, CA. We drove cross country from VT to CA in January and after seeing many magnificent places along the way, we arrived at her place in Aptos. I felt she had about as perfect a view as anyone could have. The beach in front of her condo is magnificent from the moment the sun starts to rise in the morning until it sets at night. Rain and fog only add another mysterious dimension. Even in the dark the sounds and smells are a sensory delight. This painting is from our very first evening there. We walked to the bottom of the hill and watched the sun set towards Capitola. The birds were all lined up along the beach and the colors were vibrant and constantly changing. It was a different feeling than an Atlantic sunset, each with it's own special beauty. Each night after, the scene would repeat itself in one form or another and I will probably paint a few more while it is still fresh in my head.

Lake Champlain

Lake Champlain Sunset- 9X12 oil

My daughter lives in VT and we spend many hours on and around Lake Champlain. By far, one of the most mesmerizing times is days end, when the sun sets. The lake glows with vibrant color and ripples create patterns of light in the water. The NY Adirondacks  become a bluish silhouette  and the vast lake becomes a hypnotic and seductive sight. This is one of many visual delights to be found by the shores of this beautiful, vast lake. It is a sight that I will always treasure seeing and I'd swear to you that no two sunsets are ever the same.

WOW!

Clark's Pond in Walpole, MA 16x20 oil

Driving home when the sun is setting is always a special time. There are days when I just have to pull over. This was one them. The sun coming through the trees and radiating out across the freshly fallen snow prompted me to make a U-turn and savor an impressive sight. I tried to evoke that feeling in this 16x20 painting. The weeds were growing up along the roadside and the bright orange contrasted with the blues of dusk. The stand of trees was vibrant and glowed in the distance.

Inspiration

"Inspiration" 24x30 oil

"Inspiration" 8x10 study and 24x30 studio version

If you have looked through my paintings, by now you've discovered that I love to walk in the early morning and evening. I am captivated by the stunning light and color I am treated to by sunrise and sunset. The light reflecting on the water and earth brings a harmony to a scene that can leave me breathless. In creating the small 8x10 painting, I became so enamored of the scene I wanted to keep painting when I was done. I went into my studio and began working on a larger version. The different proportions of the 2 canvases meant some alterations, but that was just another challenge that made it fun. The large version is a gallery wrap; I find it easier to deal with edges when I do a smaller version first. I particularly was drawn to the blues and violets in the sand as darkness descended. I used the meandering storm fence to draw the viewer back into the distance at a slow,  leisurely pace. The shapes of the houses silhouetted in the distance are meant to give enough information with only a suggestion rising up against the sky. My aim is to  keep the scene quiet and the viewer transfixed on the transformation  in nature.