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.

Early Spring Morning, Sag Harbor

This is a recently completed commission of Main Street, Sag Harbor. The challenge here was to get painting before the street filled up with parked cars. That meant getting set up by 6 am. A long run of rainy weather, however, curtailed my plein aire efforts and forced me back into the studio. I finished the painting and delivered it just in time for Father's Day... a favorite town for a favorite dad. 

Orchids with Sugar Bowl and Bottles

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I am so excited to have remembered a painting process that I read about years ago in Richard Schmid's book Alla Prima and just recently saw demonstrated by Daniel Keys in one of his painting videos. The basic idea is to look at the still life, determine the shape and color of an area and then put that color and shape directly onto the canvas. Return to the still life, look again, determine the next color and shape you see and then put that down directly onto the canvas. There is no underpainting, no glazing, no reworking. One precise color, value and shape placed repeatedly on the canvas until the painting is complete. When I DON'T use this method, I often find myself "repainting" the painting several times over which is obviously very inefficient and incredibly frustrating. I am so happy that I was reminded of Schmid's technique by watching Key's video. I am determined not to slip back into my old lazy painting habit of just going round and round on the canvas until it all works.

Orchids to Scale

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Please remind me NOT to put a round object dead center in the middle of a still life set up ever again. It is absolute self-sabotage.

Little Girl Leder

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This is a recent private commission. I worked from a photograph. For years,  I relied exclusively on photographs, but for the past two years, I have been working from life via still life setups and plein aire painting. It was remarkable to return to the photograph for this commission and feel the changes in the way I now paint. Photographs eliminate atmosphere and space. However, while painting this I found myself painting as if I could see the atmosphere and the space the way I can when observing directly from life. It was as if my mind remembered the way atmosphere and space would interplay with the little girl. I am happy with the result. More importantly, so are her parents!

Before the Crash

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Whenever I see men lined up like this, I always wonder what the heck they are talking about. My guess is, that if they are talking at all here, they are talking about business. But just in case I am wrong and they are in fact talking about the majesty of Mother Nature, then "crash" here refers to the wave! I love a good double entendre!