Sky paintings

Golden field and clouds  12x16    oil

I love these simple subjects that pack such a punch of delicious color and joy.   I'm doing a series of sky paintings and enjoying this new subject very much.

Joy in the sky  16x20    oil

This larger painting is based on the first painting in this post.  For this second larger painting I enjoyed making the clouds more geometric and also allowed a red underpainting to show through.   These points of red make the painting more active and interesting.

This painting is for my show "Wide Open Spaces" at Duke Raleigh Hospital, Raleigh, NC, January 2012

"Cathedral Rock"

Cathedral Rock  16x20 oil

This is "Cathedral Rock" which is on the low road to Taos.  Behind the bushes is a cemetery, and, yes, there really are crosses on top of this rock.

"Cottonwood and Pine"

Cottonwood  14x11  oil

Pine  14x11   oil

I tried a new technique with these two paintings.  First, I painted the subject in greys only - to make a value study.  Then I painted high key, opaque paint over the greys.  The result is more muted color than I usually use.

Red Still Life

20x16 Red Flowers oil

Painted in my studio from a still life set up.

The Pedernal

For some reason when I am on location at Ghost Ranch NM I do not often paint the Pedernal itself; when I am there I think it seems too obvious.  I had a great photo of it so I painted this version in the studio last week.   This is the time of year when I normally visit NM for a week of painting on location but I will not be going this year.  So I am painting scenes of Ghost Ranch in my studio and dreaming of that magical place.

Church in Placita NM

Painted from a photo on to an 11x14 panel:  the charming church in Placita, NM is set amidst farmland on the High Road to Taos.

La Santisima Trinidad

This 16x20 painting is of the church "La Santisima Trinidad" located in Arroyo Seco, NM.  I painted this larger version using the 12x16 version that I painted on location.

Kathryn Stats instructional dvd

Yesterday I watched Kathryn Stats' instructional dvd "Overview - Mountain Scenery".  During the six hour video she painted a scene of mountains just outside Zion National Park in Utah.  I am a big fan of her work, and it was interesting to watch the video.

SOLD "A Russian Night in Taos" show

I'm pleased to announce that the painting "Ghost Ranch at Dusk" was juried into the "A Russian Night in Taos" show at the Taos Art Museum in Taos, NM.

In addition, it was purchased by the Executive Director of the museum.  A portion of the proceeds benefits the museum, and I am very happy to support this wonderful, southwestern museum.  It's one of my favorite places in NM.

This is a studio painting created using one of my plein air, on location works as an inspiration.

16x20 oil Ghost Ranch At Dusk

Painting on location in Pilar, New Mexico

Painting on location in Pilar, New Mexico

View from above Pilar, New Mexico 11x14 oil plein air

Aspen Trees - final phase

Aspen Trees  24x18  oil

In the final pass over this painting, I toned down the darks, gave the foreground more definition, and gave some detail to the tree trunks.  I also softened the edges of the trees to show more leafy patterns.  I'm pleased with this final result!

Aspen Painting - second Phase

 

Here after the second phase, the second pass over the painting surface, you can see that I filled in the trees, putting in the shadows and giving them shape and color.   During this second pass I also did a bit of over-painting of the background to tone down the mountains and give them depth.   Depth is created when I let some of the first layer of paint and colors show through while placing a slightly different color on top of that layer.

Aspen painting - first phase

 

I've taken photos of my latest painting in progress and would like to share this with you so you can see the methods I use when I paint.  First, I used many reference photos to study aspens and then I drew my invented scene on the canvas using pencil.  Next, above, is the first layer of painting where I put down the big shapes. I painted the background behind the trees first since this will be darker than the trees themselves.  My first layer of paint is the darks of the painting and I will come back later and make some of them lighter.  

Juried into "Scope: the North Carolina Lanscape" show

I'm pleased to announce that "Carolina Marsh" has been juried into the annual, national "Scope: the North Carolina Landscape" show at Visual Art Exchange in Raleigh, NC. The show was juried by Allie Pitcher, Curatorial Assistant, Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke, VA.

Join us at the opening on June 3, 2011 6-9pm at Visual Art Exchange during the First Friday Gallery Walk event in Raleigh, NC!

Something completely different

This past Thanksgiving my family and I spent 3 nights on Ocean Isle Beach in the southern tip of the NC coast. One night I managed to time my arrival just right - so I could catch the last rays of light as the sun set. These photos are just waiting for a time in my life when I can paint a new series inspired by the Carolina Coast.