Hydrangea and Oranges

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This is the final in my hydrangea series. I found it difficult to create the bigness of each hydrangea bloom, while tending to the delicacy and airiness of each little floweret within the blossom. It was a painting paradox, for sure. Comparatively, the oranges and pottery were quite straight forward.

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.

Yellow Tulips and Books

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Note to self: Stop putting the focal point in the center of the painting. Not effective. Otherwise, good job.

Sunflowers and Blue Bottle and Pears

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This is a painting I did a few weeks ago, and have been meaning to post. Creating a still life in plein aire and alla prima was a double challenge. I had to work quickly. I had to be precise about what I was seeing. I had to really look at the values. I find this all to be very rewarding because my primary purpose as an artist right now is to stay loose and painterly. Plein aire and alla prima sort of force that to happen. When I work this way, not every painting is a keeper. In fact, some are truly bad. The ones that work out, however, are very satisfying to me.

Duck Walk

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I think one of the elements that makes this painting successful, is the element of tension. The ducks are walking, quickly in fact, to get away from the approaching onlooker. As I was painting this I imagined one duck saying to the other, "Keep walking. Don't look back, just keep walking!"

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!!

Roadside Sunflowers

All around my little village of Sag Harbor, are wide open fields that in the summer sprout the most loveliest of things such as these sunflowers. I painted this from a photograph that I took of the fields last summer. This coming summer I am plan to give it a go, plein aire.