Sunflower surprise!

Sunflowers!  8x8

I arrived home the other day to a gift bouquet of sunflowers. After a cold and rainy spring, they felt so warm and cheerful that I knew I would be painting them before they faded. The next morning I set them up by the window and worked for several hours on an 8x8 painting. The flowers turned naturally in every direction giving multiple views of the same colorful "faces".  I decided to offset the dominant yellow orange subject matter with the blues in the negative areas. The small panel is a gallery wrap canvas, so the petals extend around the edges. They looked so happy that I, too,  felt happy upon completion. I think this painting defines a "sunny disposition".

Quick and Loose

The Rhody is the star!  12x16 oil May 2014

Painting some fragile pieces from the garden I knew would be a one-and-done session. I began, after a quick thumbnail, by mapping out the composition with a few broad strokes. Then I massed in the darks with a thin layer of paint. I knew I wanted a yellow-orange/blue violet harmony so I was able to mix some puddles of paint to blend with and start layering it on, blocking in my shapes and values. After, I was able to start applying the paint thickly and quickly to make the rhododendron the star, pop the colors and sharpen and blur edges to move the viewers eye rhythmically around the space. The rhythm corresponds to the manner in which I painted it: quick and loose.

BRUINS!

Living the Dream-2014 oil on board 9x12

Once again the Bruins were getting everyone excited with their post season series. The playoffs bring inspiration as excitement builds. A few pieces of memorabilia and team colors give the viewer enough information to know what it's all about. Unfortunately, I finished the painting just as they lost the series; but, as my friends tell me, it timeless. Go Bruins-there's always next year.

Red Sox!

"Painting for Sox"  9x12 oil

When you grow up in the greater Boston area, there is a certain passion that gets ingrained at an early age. Going to Red Sox games has been a lifelong treat; first with my grandfather as a very young child, later with tickets from First National Bank when I worked there after college, and always with friends and family over the years. The Red Sox are part of who you are if you are from Boston. I do believe a bit of seasonal art is essential to one's surroundings; and now is the season. Go Sox!

Vintage Themes

"Chopsticks" oil 11x14

"Vintage" oil 11x14

 Vintage themes are inspired by several influences. My mother and grandmother were both antique dealers. I grew up loving learning the history of unusual "things" that magically appeared in our home. We had beaver top hats, crank handle coffee grinders, and flow blue china. Delft tile,  tiles of Sculley Square and  half boats were on our beach house wall. None of my friends had stuff like this in their homes. There was always a story that went with it. Our Norwood Art Association gallery is in an old factory turned "antique mall" and I find myself once again surrounded by the type of items that intrigue me. In the still life above, the blue fan grabbed my attention partly because of it's vibrant color and partly because it reminded me of the Japanese influence on American artists at the turn of the century. The vintage hat, frame, fur and silver hairbrush are reminiscent of my grandmothers and the items that adorn our guest room now. They are more conversation pieces than utilitarian, but they tell a story of our ancestors and a life before throw aways. I was attracted to the fur, feather and lacy textures and the brights reds that made the subject matter become warm and alive.

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.

A Boy and his dog.

When you are feeling down there is nothing like a dog to comfort you. Seeing the boy feeling blue and his dog faithfully by his side brought up so many emotions. I raised Malamutes at one time and this dog reminded me so much of my Kiska that I had for 16 wonderful years. To put the focus on the relationship between the boy and his dog, I eliminated most of the detail in the scene. I left enough to let the viewer know they were on the couch without making it site specific and to focus on the relationship between the two. I made the red-orange  and blue/green combination a central part of the color scheme to reflect in the fur and on the boy's face to draw you right into the scene. I liked that it was more narrative than portrait. I think the owner agrees.