Brooklyn Bridge for Jen

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  My wonderful friend, Jen, finds inspiration in the story of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. Specifically, she is awed by the staggering number of obstacles and bad luck the designers had to overcome during construction. Wikipedia gives a quick synopsis of the daunting events and explains Jen's respect for the process, never mind, the absolute beauty of the finished structure.
  So, it was no wonder that she commissioned a painting of this engineering marvel and architectural masterpiece. What I love about commissioned pieces, is that I end up painting subjects I might never have thought to paint on my own - the Brooklyn Bridge, for example. My thanks to Jen, for giving me this opportunity and for helping me see more than what meets the eye when driving across that spectacular span.

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. 

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!

Peggerty's Green Truck

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This green truck filled with flowers is headed off to a beautiful home in Garden City, NY. My friend Peggerty commissioned me to paint it as a gift for her brother and sister-in-law. Green can be a tricky color for me, especially when it is in sun and shade as with this shiny truck.  So before I started, I mixed up a few color combinations so I could stay focused. My greens were made from cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, veridian green, cadmium yellow lemon, cadmium yellow light and  cadmium yellow medium.     

Brothers

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 The boys featured are my friend Peter's nephews. He had a few old photographs of them - they are both now in college - and wondered if I could create a painting for him. I did. He plans to surprise his brother and sister-in-law with it for their upcoming 25th wedding anniversary. Some great uncle... some great brother, and a really great friend! Thanks, Peter, for all your support.

Sunlit Sisters

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     It is so good to be back painting and posting. Since my return from Florence, last weekend, I have been working on this private commission. It was promised for November, so I had to get cracking. From the minute I snapped the photograph of these sisters, I knew the painting was going to be about the sun on the dresses and grass, and the reflected light on their faces. I really had to pay attention to values and temperature. I am quite satisfied with the feeling of warmth and atmosphere I was able to capture, and their likeness is good, too. As an aside, I donated this commission at a fundraiser for my nieces' and nephew's grammar school. It brought a substantial donation for the school. It is an added bonus for me when my paintings can help support important organizations.  (Pardon the glare.)

Got Each Other's Backs

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Here's a private commission I just completed. I worked from a photograph given to me by these adult children's father. As I was painting it, I imagined how proud he and his wife must feel about the beautiful family they have raised. I thought about the lifetime of comfort and strength brothers and sisters can give each other if they so choose.  And the dog, their furry mascot, won my heart with his evident loyalty. I feel especially honored to have been asked to do this commission because I knew this little family way back when.....

Yup, here they are back in the day... probably painted about 10 years ago!

Grandkids

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This is a little painting I made for my sister and brother-in-law's 60th birthday present. It is of their 4 grandchildren. The 60th birthday party was two years ago, and I am delivering the painting today! Everyone is two years older... but I still live by the motto - better late than never!

Soaking Siblings

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When I was commissioned to paint these children, I was amazed at how "at home" they were in the water. On this particular day, the ocean was incredibly rough (end of August,) and was rushing way up onto the beach, creating tidal pools and rivers of water. It was like a water amusement park for these two and they just could not get enough!

Brother and Sisters

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      I have been organizing all the photographs I have of my work... years and years worth - from the pre-digital days. I am scanning them and uploading them into computer files. A lot of work. I came across this one.  It is a private commission I did several years ago. I haven't seen it in a while... and still like it. I guess that 's a good thing. Thought you might like to see it, too.

Mama's Girls

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      I met with this woman and her two daughters at their home in Sag Harbor, NY. Their house sits on a bluff overlooking the harbor. Just as the sun was setting, I sat them in the grass near the edge of the bluff. The warmth of the sun on the grass reflected on their summer dresses and the radiant blue of the watery backdrop made it all picture perfect. Even better, this was a surprise for the girls' daddy. Could it get any sweeter?

Boy of Summer

  
  I love how children can be completely absorbed in the moment and be captivated by the simplest of things. I think they have a lot to teach us.

Sisters and Sunflowers

    This is one of my first commissions. I remember how nervous I was driving to the client's home to take photos. My mind was racing with ideas of how to pose the girls. Sitting? Standing? Looking at the camera?  Each other? Still anticipating the shoot, I spied a flower stand on the side of the road.
  

   

     I pulled over and bought a bunch of sunflowers. Those flowers calmed me. They ended up working beautifully as a way to tie the girls together. They were a graceful touch to the finished painting. And now, any time I see sunflowers, I think about that day and smile.

Colorful Crew

 

   Upon arrival at the home of this family for our photo shoot, I was struck by all the artwork in the house. The dad, it turns out, is an avid collector of living artists' work. I was shocked and humbled to see, among his collection, several of my pieces. It was such a terrific feeling - one I'll never forget.









Nor will I soon forget the energy of his vibrant family, from the caring nature of the eldest sister to the silly antics of the littlest, who kept the others laughing that day. Always good for a shoot! Overall they were a colorful crew, and so it is that the commission was painted with bright and warm colors, reflecting happy times in the sun.