BOSTON

  I have been wandering around Boston off and on all month, unable to decide which site to paint for the Virtual Paintout.  Finally, exhausted, I decided on O'Reily's Restaurant and Pub just so I could sit down, relax and have a Martini.

MONET

I am working on three paintings at the same time and none are finished, but here is a very interesting Monet, looking out into the snow at his wife.  Be sure to read about the painting.  One wonders if he intentionally painted his wife this way or the painting just happened to express his feelings so perfectly.

NIGHT IN THE HALL

The night throws a coat of mystery over everyday experience, turning what is usually a clock and a staircase into something from an Agatha Christie mystery.
SOLD

NEW WEB SITE FEATURE

I just created slideshows of all my blog paintings up til now.  It is almost a year since I began so time to take a look back.  Check it out if you have the patience and point out any problems please.

WINTER SUNSET #2

This painting from 1995 caught the sun right as it set at the end of my street.  I painted this on the spot - in a hurry.

Winter Sunset

Every year around Christmas the sun sets at the very bottom of my street.  It is a little past that point by now and I missed the moment this year, but the color is still really good with the very blue snow.

PAINTER'S HALLWAY

The light spilling over the canvasses almost makes this messy hallway okay.  At least that's what I tell myself.

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BLUE AND RED

Snow is blowing around our very old bird feeder but inside it is warm and cozy on this very blue day.  Margaret Whiting died yesterday and here she is singing with Johnny Mercer, her mentor and friend. BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE.

BATHROOM REDS

A little touch of spring in the bathroom.
This painting was done on very flat and slippery board so it had to be painted twice and stippled.  I like the way the stippling unites the edges but I am going back to canvas board in the next painting, still using the stippling.

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CYCLAMEN AND SNOW

This is a painting I did a while back.  The curtains and table cloth have long ago fallen apart and been thrown away, but it could be today as far as my interests are concerned.  I am in the middle of a painting looking out the same window through red leaves to the snow beyond.  I am endlessly fascinated by the same things it seems.  I have no idea (again) where this painting is.  I may have sold it or it has migrated to one of my children's walls, but if you are interested in purchasing it, I will see if I can find it.  I think it is about 24" x 36".

NIGHT SNOW

Out my kitchen window the snow makes lacy patterns in the night.

I am experimenting with different surfaces to paint on.
SNOW BLANKET and this piece were painted on a gesso board which has absolutely no tooth - that is, it is slippery.  I had to paint both pieces twice because the paint slid around in a most unpleasant way the first time.  I tried that because before that BROWN AND KETCHUP and COME ON IN were painted on stretched canvas with a broad weave and the weave soaked up the paint and was almost as prominent as the paint itself,  making too much of a play for attention.

MORNING AFTER SNOW

I want to talk a bit about process while paintings are drying, as I am experimenting with diferent surfaces at the moment.  More about that in later posts.
Most of the paintings I have posted on this blog have been created in my studio from photographs that I have taken and manipulated in photoshop to add, subtract, change the position of things or alter some colors.
This is an older painting that I created outside.
I spent many years painting outside and found that I could stand to be out in some pretty bad weather for a short period of time.  It was very invigorating and filled me with joy.  I may give it a try again, but the whole process of setting up, dealing with the wind or the sun or simply the quickly changing shadows is really daunting.
I just noticed the Barnes Foundation can be glimpsed behind the trees here.  Little did I know when I painted this how much it would occupy my time and energy in the future.
If you are interested in purchasing this painting, email me and I will try to find it.

SNOW BLANKET

  These pines almost seem to grab their blanket of snow.  Peeking under their branches it turns out there is still quite a lot of color after the snow, even before the sun comes out.