Ft. Wetherill Fjord, oil on canvas, 9x12
The painting of the fjord in Ft. Wetherill was an attempt to outdo my past approaches to the same subject. This time I paid more attention to the gestural lines in the subject and avoided leaving the dry taste of a rocky cliff study. The tree line is played against the suggested cliff rock line. This, of course, is just a first jotting down. You can see the faint intimation of a gull. I may add one or two more to break up harsh lines and add the sparkle of life to this sketch.
The painting above (East Passage) is also of a subject I often visit. It shows the view toward Newport from the rocky eastern shore of Beavertail in Jamestown, RI. About 85% of this painting was done plein air and the rest , mainly corrections and some minor enhancements, was completed on the easel indoors. The late afternoon light on this eastern shore does not last long, but is beautifully mellow.
One of the strangest days on which I have painted, with fog rolling in and out and a dreary sky that let enough light escape to illuminate the beach! I feel I should have had at least two other surfaces available. One for clear conditions and one for obscure conditions! But I was determined to capture that magical first impression in which St. Georges became the ghost of an ancient castle in Scotland!
This pond in North Kingstown is rich in its summer finery of water lily and blossoms. Moreover, the afternoon light allowed the shade of a tree on the bank to contribute to foreground interest.
The pond painting above was sketched in an area bordering Kingston and Wakefield, RI. The day was cloudy and dreary, but I was attracted by the cattails and spare color. To me a summer pond is no less beautiful on a cloudy day than on a sunny one!
The above paintings may appear at "Art Al Fresco", an art festival run by the Bristol Art Museum. Small artworks will be hung along the fence at Linden Place, July 31(Sunday), 10AM- 5PM. See you there?
