Turtle Island in Late Spring

The eastern coast of Long Island is populated by clusters of cedar trees that provide structure and color to the overall deciduous environment in winter and early spring. I've begun painting them and exploring the way they punctuate this landscape that I have loved since my childhood. Pictured here is Turtle Island, the magical isle I would swim out to in summer. I can remember exploring it in my wet bathing suit with bare feet hopping over rocks and shells, always in search of something. The victory of an abandoned bird's nest, or a dried clutch of wildflowers meant swimming back with the treasure held high above the water. They were my most favorite days, and so imagine the joy I had painting this place over 50 years later.
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Incoming Tide

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I can't tell a lie. I intended this to be a painting of low tide. In fact, I had checked the tide charts and got down to this little rocky beach in time, (or so I thought,) to capture the rocks and interest of sea grass and shoreline at dead low tide. Mother Nature had other ideas, however, and sent that tide in faster than usual, or so it felt.  Anyway, I was happy to get the sea grass in before it was completely covered with water since I considered it to be a big part of the composition.

View towards Jessup's Neck

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This was one of those days when I was determined to get a painting done. I had gone to The Hampton's Classic earlier in the day, hoping to paint some horses waiting to show. I grew frustrated, however,  not able to find a stable where there was good light and tethered horses. All about me were horses trotting or galloping or jumping. Not one was standing still, so I packed up my paints and headed to the beach. There I was dazzled by the brightness of the day and the bigness of the clouds. I got my painting done. While it is true that clouds can move quickly, they definitely don't move as fast as horses.

Montauk's Finest

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I had so much fun painting these two working fishing boats out on the docks of Montauk, NY.  The air, the light, the water, the boats and the fisherman themselves made it so exciting. I had to work fast not just because of the setting sun, but also because Montauk is a very busy fishing port. Moments, and I mean moments after I finished up this painting, a gigantic fishing vessel pulled right up against the dock I was painting on, completely blocking my view. That day, timing was everything.

Tractor at Foster Farm

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Working farms on the end of eastern Long Island are slowly giving way to big showy houses hidden behind high plantings of privet. So when I happened upon this barn, with its tractor standing in plain sight, I was elated. The day was hot, and humid and bright which only made this beautiful turquoise barn even more enticing to me. I spent a wonderful afternoon under a great big shade tree, painting it. Without that big shade tree, though, I do not think I could have lasted.

Hostas

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This past summer I decided to get out of my studio and go paint in the great outdoors. For this painting, I only went as far as my own backyard. I am not going to lie, this was a struggle. The white extensions of tiny bell shaped flowers seemed to paint themselves but the hosta LEAVES were another story. In general, leaves are difficult, after all, they are green (a tough color for me,)  and without much variation from one to the other. What made matters worse was that in this particular composition, they also took up over half the canvas. I tried painting them in full sun in the morning, but then as the day progressed and they started to fall into shadow, I liked that too. So then I started over and painted them in the shade. I literally chased the light for about three days when I finally surrendered to what it was and decided to "leaf" it alone. In the end, I am happy with this dancing flower bells painting. I am certainly better acquainted with "green" and am much less daunted by leaves in general. Oh, and I'm betting there is another hosta painting in my future ... next summer.

Cascade of Yellow Roses

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This was painted in plein aire in my front garden. On the first day of painting, I got in a good sketch and a smattering of color and felt pretty good about my start. After all, a 30"x48" canvas is a very big canvas for me. Later that night, the skies burst open in a downpour of torrential rains and in the morning, my beautiful yellow roses looked a mess. They were drooping and in spots their stems were broken. I don't remember what annoyed me more at the time, the battered rose bush or my now defunct painting sketch. I had been thinking about making this painting since the summer before and I was determined not to let a deluge get in my way. I propped up the broken branches with brooms and rakes from the garage and proceeded with the painting. I was now painting heavy clusters of yellow blooms, cascading downwards in a spiral. It was actually quite beautiful... even more beautiful than the original sketch of perky upright roses. In fact, when my art dealer saw the finished piece, she commented that what made this piece special, was that the roses were facing downward. Of course, this was not my original plan - Fate?, Mother Nature?, Dumb Luck? Something? intervened and the plan got better.  Hmmmm... I find that painting, like life, is funny that way.

Long Walk Back

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I find that I am better able to see color and pinpoint value on cloudy, grey days.  Furthermore, and for whatever reason, I am more drawn to painting the mood and mystery of these quiet days than I am to the brightness and glare of sunny ones.

Long Beach Life Guard

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Forgot to post this one. I painted it way back in July on probably one of the hottest days of the summer. This local life guard kept watch in the shade of an umbrella. Capturing the color and value of the shade on her figure juxtaposed to the bright sun all about her was the main challenge of this plein aire piece.

September Sunflowers

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This was a BIG painting for me to paint en plein air - 20"x40". It took several sessions outside and then a little bit of tweaking in the studio. I was attracted to the different stages each flower was at: one just opened and others already well on their way to seed.

February Freeze

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I did not know that oil paints can freeze. I found out making this painting! Must say, I never felt more alive than when I was outside, standing on frozen snow with temperatures in the teens, chasing the greys and waning light on this February day.

Rocks and Reflections

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I started this painting at high tide, but as you can see, by the time I finished it was low. This is a new way to gauge how long I've been out painting!

Stables at Comfort Farm

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It was another beautiful day at Comfort Farm, in Bridgehampton, New York.  I painted here with my daughter and fellow artist, Edwina Lucas. At one point, we found ourselves surrounded by curious onlookers, with their necks stretched long across the fence to get a better look at what we were doing.  One horse got so close, it almost knocked over Edwina's easel. He then turned his back to us and pushed his rump up against the fence. We really weren't sure how to interpret all this ... could it be he didn't like our paintings? Tough crowd!!

Barns on a Clear Day

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This day was particularly clear and gorgeous. The colors of the grass and sky were so bright it was as if they were iridescent. By the time I finished the painting, my eyes were exhausted ... but satisfied!

Comfort Farm

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This big old barn is the crown jewel of Comfort Farm, in Bridgehampton, NY. The barn is massive and an architectural masterpiece. I felt so much peace while painting it; surrounded by the sounds of corn stalks blowing in the breeze and flocks of birds whirling in the air. It was tremendous. I was accompanied on this painting excursion by the very talented Ben Fenske -  a dream come true! I love him and his work. Check it out, here - Grenning Gallery. That's me with Ben below. Some days are simply unforgettable. This was one.

Noyac Marina

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Here is another from my plein aire landscape workshop with artist Ben Fenske. It happens to be of the marina where I met my husband back in the day when we were kids. Sweet memories, and if I say so myself, a sweet little painting!

Lattice Roses

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This is a little painting I did last week in preparation for the plein aire workshop I am taking this week with artist Ben Fenske. Ironically, this painting was not really helpful at all. What I am learning this week about my landscape painting, is that I tend to miss the "big picture," by focusing on a "detail" in the scene. (I not only stop to smell the roses, but I get too close and paint them, too.)  It has been difficult for me to paint with a wide range of vision. I am working on it, and will post more paintings from the workshop in the next few days.

Wainscott Trees

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I am taking a plein aire landscape class with artist Ben Fenske through Sag Harbor Fine Arts Center. Here's today's effort. It was a very hazy day, and I was looking into the sun. So, as Ben pointed out in his demo before we got started, I could expect the sky to be the lightest value in my painting and the vertical planes (the trees) to be in shadow. It was incredibly helpful to be armed with this information before heading out into the field to try and "see" it/ "find" it for myself.

View towards Pumpkin Farm

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I went back to the pumpkin farm. The combination of the barn in the far distance, the dash of bright orange mid-range and the opening in the rustic fence make for a winning composition. Not to mention, the spot is so peaceful, located at the end of a long road just near the bay. On this day, flocks of geese flew overhead all afternoon in their typical V-formation, while swans floated out on the bay. I will definitely be going back... soon.

Farm in December

I am falling in love with painting outside, especially in winter. It is so quiet. I am finding that it's best to be out painting by 10 o'clock in the morning. That gives me steady light until around 2:30. During that span, the light changes, but subtly. Once 3 o'clock hits, the sun starts to take an ever-quickening nose dive into night. I now understand that old cowboy line,"move it along, we're burnin' daylight!"

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