Paintings on View for December 2018

   Bernadette Livingston Furniture Gallery at 39 Main Street, East Greenwich, RI, is hosting a three-artist show through the month of December 2018 which includes the remarkable  oil paintings  of Anne-marie Duboissett, Larry Rubin, and me.  In all I have 15 oils in the exhibit.  The background of fine and truly grand furniture serves as a fine setting for these painted gems.  Come to the  Champagne Reception this Saturday (December 15 ) from 5PM to 9!  Hope to see you there: and Happy Holidays to all!

Painter at Work

Shore Explorations, oil on linen, 11x14

The joy of painting at Beavertail is shown here.  When the tide allows, one can observe the residents of tidal pools, safe from the pounding breakers.

The Missing Post

 

     These are some examples of still-life practice I had done during the depths of winter.  Incidentally, I had already composed a post about typical winter practice for this plein air painter, but somehow I guess I hadn't enabled the post to publish.  So here's another attempt.

     A daffodil had popped up outside my door--and later snatched up by a neighbor.  So these are from a local florist.  I like the pairing of fruit and flowers.

  I should add that the still life's and portraits are painted ala Prima--I.e., directly in the space of 2 or 3 hours.  I mention this as a "plug" for a course I am about to teach at the South County Art Association in Kingston, RI.  The course will explore several fun ways of painting in ala Prima spontaneity.

   Portrait Study, oil on illustration board, 16x20

   The above portrait was done at Kate Huntington's fabulous portrait group which meets Tuesday's at

Providence Picture Frame.  Such group sessions as well as solitary sessions in which still life is produced allow the artist time and mental space for experimental methods.

Pre-winter Mix

  The term "wintry mix" warns us of some adverse travel and painting conditions here in southern New England--enough to keep some painters home-bound, neglecting plein-air skills.  Most of us plein-air painters are fortunate, however, to be near groups which allow us to maintain our drawing and painting skill levels.-- allowing us to be ready when outside conditions improve.  In particular, there are "open studio" , still life, portrait and figure groups available.  One outstanding group I have participated with is that run by the talented Providence-based artist, Kate Huntington now housed at Providence Picture Frame.

     The Cape Verdean, oil on canvas, 14x18

     The portrait above was done at Kate's portrait session which takes place 2-5 P M each Tuesday at

Providence Picture Frame.  The one below is another example of the kind of portrait that can be done in the three hour period:

    Jacob, oil on canvas, 14x18

     Another session run by Kate is the Figure Sketching group which meets from 2-5 PM each Thursday at the same place as the Portrait Session.  Here's a recent example of one of my figurative studies:

    Charcoal on white paper

    Another portrait session of interest is run by Ray Finelli, who teaches portraiture at the Providence Art Club.  The charcoal sketch below was done at a session coordinated by Ray at the North Kingstown Senior Center.  This session runs weekly, 10 AM-12PM, on Tuesdays.

   Richard, charcoal on newsprint

    So there is no excuse for the serious plein-air artist.  We have plenty of opportunity for practice.  The oil sketches shown below were also done over the last week (between bad-weather days!):

    Easton's Beach, oil on linen, 11x14

     The Marsh, oil on linen, 11x14

Starting Fall

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    Trestle Bridge, Arnold's Neck, oil on canvas, 9x12

     This Post intends to introduce various aspects of  painting problems and steps towards their solution.  Those enrolled in my current course, "Gesture and Color in Impressionist Painting" may benefit from some of the discussion and examples here.

    The first example is the plein-air sketch above.  I have always been fascinated with the view of this trestle bridge which sees the Acela scream over it.  The view has considerable interest for me because of the small cove at Arnold's Neck (Warwick, RI) which is most interesting at low tide, when the purplish mud appears and numerous waterfowl gather.  In this particular sketch I attempted to resolve issues from many a prior sketch.  Some of the problems of the earlier sketches were compositional-- I centered the bridge on the canvas, for example. Most of the others showed a scattered focus among the interesting elements in the outdoor scene before me.  Was the painting about the waterfowl, a small white boat docked nearby, a couple of buildings on the shore, the low tide itself, or the bridge itself?.  Clearly, I needed to work on the very first phase of plein-air painting:  scene selection and simplification.  From the painted sketch above, there is still more work to be done. In this case, shaping the muddy areas including puddles to lead the eye more effectively to the area of interest--the bridge.  Additionally, the waterfowl can be dispersed in such a way as to again lead the eye.

   Another approach is to begin a new sketch which de-emphasizes the foreground low tide area.  One such approach is the following which produces more of a sky painting:

    Trestle Bridge at Arnold's Neck, oil on wood, 8x10

       During the past week I decided to do tree studies , a subject that becomes increasingly important as autumn begins and even more so as the transition to winter begins.  This first oil sketch, done at Goddard Park in Warwick, RI, had as its stars two trees, one a type of cedar and the one behind it possibly a beech tree:

    Tree Study, oil on canvas, 11x14

    The trees were indeed on a sloping hill.  In the grass I suggested a path that wound between the two trees.  The path was an afterthought, an answer to the question of how one could turn a study into a painting.  I worked this idea into a second sketch done a couple of days ago:

   Tree Study (no. 2), oil on linen, 8x10

    That sketch needs more work in defining middle ground and background elements, but does suggest that this could become an interesting painting with the suggestion of two or three figures in the middle ground.

   As a note in technique, both the tree studies were begun with an acrylic underpainting in brown and white to lock in values.

Joys of Summer

    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.

    East Passage, oil on board, 10x10

    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.

    Second Beach from Sachuest Point, oil on board, 10x10

      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!

    At Belleville Pond, oil on wood, 10x10

     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.

    Pond by the Great Swamp, oil on wood, 10x10

    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?

Midwinter Melange

  When the weather turns seasonably cold, I tend to work (plein air) earlier in the afternoon, although I still prefer the more mellow light of late afternoon.  Less hardy than I used to be, I limit my exposure to the cold air.  One advantage to this self-pampering is that I must work faster--and "work" to an oil painter includes observation as well as mark-making with a brush or palette knife.  Yes, I occasionally bring my iPad along to record the selected subject, but the inspiration is often suggested by less colorful media such as pencil or even pen and ink.  As mentioned in other posts, I also paint portraits as well as till life oil sketches.  Below are some images of recent work.  Again, I realize these sketches demand more finish--another possible winter project!

    Wickford/February, oil on wood, 9x12

   

    Teapot and Orange, oil on canvas, 9x12

    Wickford Harbor/January, oil on bookbinder board, 9x15

   Marsh at Bissel's Cove, oil on wood, 11x14

Impressionist Color Study

    Studying color is, of course, much easier during mid rather than late autumn, and painting what you see can be a joy.  Here are two studies completed on two different days --one cloudy and one sunny.  My purpose here was to perceive and paint color as influenced by the ambient light key:

    Cloudy day near sundown, oil on bookbinder board, 11x15(appr)

   Near Sundown (sunny day), oil on bookbinder board, 9x15 (appr)

The paintings above were done at a local Audubon sanctuary in early November.  I was not disturbed by anyone walking the path and I was able to simplify the scene in order to observe color and temperature changes more closely.  The area itself was a lowland with not many trees in the marshy field.

   The following oil sketch, again essentially a color study, hangs now at Spring Bull Gallery in Newport as part of the Gallery's Little Picture Show:

   Beavertail Light, oil on Masonite, 8x10

   Beavertail is a painter's paradise, especially when the light is consistent, as it was on this November day.  Another subject which is always appealing, even when the colorful leaves are sparse, are the houses of Wickford.   Here are two basically color studies done within the last two weeks of November:

   The Red House, oil on wood, 11x14

  A Quiet Corner, oil on wood, 11x14

Both these houses encouraged bold paint handling, enabling me to push the chroma in impressionist fashion.  In this last painting forms seem on the verge of dissipating.  The stone bench and nearby path are near the corner of a small graveyard adjoining Narragansett Church.  It was this light of late afternoon that was the challenge to capture.

   Finally, last week I was curious to see where this paint handling would lead in portraiture.  I had the opportunity to find out at the senior portrait session given at the NK Senior Center:

   Naomi, oil on bookbinder board, 11x15

The sketch is a likeness of the model and reveals certain of her personality traits.  The spontaneity was aided by the fact that only two hours are allocated in these sessions to capture the likeness of the model.  

Autumnal Beauty

S

  With my last class (under the sponsorship of the South County Art Association (SCAA)) I had briefly described to my students of Plein air some of the working methods of a few of the post-Monet impressionists.  These artists included Hawthorne, H.Hensche, and, more recently, Lois Griffel whose Provincetown workshop I was lucky enough to have attended some years ago. To properly convey their methods, of course, requires the discipline of "block studies" on different light keys.  Without the time available to practice this discipline, we could only stress the importance of identifying the light key, establishing the scene as spots of color, color masses of the right temperature -- I.e., at least attempting to establish the "first notes".  With second notes, " holding to the masses", use of palette knife was stressed.  I hoped to expose these students who were primarily trained in traditional painting approaches to the importance of color observation-- and, basically, that there is a lot more to color than identifying hue.

    Color is a driving force for me to paint, although most of my work would look out of place in the "Provincetown School".  I appreciate that it takes most of a lifetime -- or two!-- to begin seeing sensitively enough the color truths held by the first masses.  Here are some practice pieces I attempted to exercise the color sense in specific light keys:

    November (Wickford), oil on wood, 8x10

    

     Sheffield Cove (Jamestown), oil on wood, 9x12

         

   East Greenwich, oil on canvas panel, 11x14

From Summer's Sizzle to Fall's Fizzle

  Here in southern New England we managed to dodge a hurricane that tracked out to sea.  That was a relief to the property owners, but there were some severe rains, spin offs of the storm.  When that happens, of course, this Plein air painter turns to indoor subjects -- in particular, still life and portraiture.

    

   Floral Still Life (study), oil on WC paper, 9x12 (approx.)

       The still life shown above is a quick study done on watercolor paper.  I find that 300-lb watercolor paper, gessoed with at least one coat of acrylic gesso makes a wonderful and economical surface for an oil sketch.  I was interested in just getting practice in drawing, value and color perception.  So the concept of this painting was color and light as a statement of form.  Also, I was experimenting with a limited studio palette consisting of cad yellow light, quinacridone magenta, ultramarine blue, burnt umber,  raw umber, pink ( Rose Julia from Charvin oil paints), and titanium white.  The sketch was done in a few hours.

   Cape Verdean Woman, oil on canvas, 14x18

    The portrait sketch shown above was done at the studio of Kate Huntington.  If anyone reading this blog is seriously interested in portraiture, they should consider attending Kate's session running from 7-10 PM on Monday nights.  This likeness was captured in two hours since the model arrived late -- and I left a tad early.  I'd love to finish this portrait, but not without another sitting by the model.  I have found that any attempt at finish without the model present results in a loss of likeness.

    Mr. Hoist, oil on canvas panel, 12x16

This portrait was done this morning at a local senior center.  The gentleman wore a western style shirt and sat against a bland background of  stained wood.  I converted that background into something that complements the ruddiness of his flesh tones. Incidentally, the location is the North Kingstown Senior Center which is lucky enough to have Prof. Ray Finelli, a retired RISD art instructor as the leader of the Tuesday portrait group which relies on volunteer models.  Ray often rewards these volunteers with a portrait sketch.  I feel very fortunate in living only about a 20-minute drive from the center to take advantage of the wonderful opportunity to practice portrait sketching skills each Tuesday from 10 AM- 12 PM with a talented group led by Ray.

   Wickford, oil on denim panel, 9x12

      Of course, there are some beautiful fall days too and yesterday was one of them.  On the early afternoon I set up my easel at a corner off Bay Street in Wickford Village.  I didn't carry the sketch as far as I had intended.  I fell prey to one of the hazards of paining in public on village streets.  An old acquaintance came by , bringing up stories of what transpired before I became a full-time artist.  I found myself tracking off the concentration required for finishing the picture and ended up closing my easel after my friend walked off.  Fortunately, I at least carried off the essence of the village street in this small sketch.  Working on the denim panel was also an experiment.  It seems to present a grainy appearance despite the fact it had two coats of gesso applied to it.

    Wickford Village is tomorrow's destination for the small Plein air group I teach for the South County Art Association.  Let's hope for a continuation of this sunny weather!

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The Waning Light of Summer

    Shrinking Lily Pads, oil on denim, 9x12

        I sketched the oil above primarily as a color study yesterday.  At this pond (Belleville Pond in North Kingstown, RI) one could see the marsh grasses turning from green to gray-green to golden yellow and ochre.  I began the painting with three under washes of pale blue, violet blue and a deeper violet blue from top of the canvas to the bottom, respectively.  Some rubbing out in selected areas of the wash was done before the addition of a first layer of color.  The sun, the source of light was at the upper left in the sky, and as it began its westward journey, more color and value secrets were revealed.  I noticed, for example, that the pads became almost translucent at their turned-up ends, allowing in some cases a yellow/orange passage of light. The most hardy swamp blossom was still lovely, one standing tall above the water, but another, seemingly exhausted, was sprawled upon a lily pad.  Some buds were like triangles piercing the surface.   In the foreground there were very small pads, perhaps children to the larger, more mature pads.  Even in this waning summer spectacle, the pond is a joy to paint!

   A Gusty sundown, oil on board, 9x12

     The painted sketch above was meant to be finished in situ, but the wind --which gusted to about 35 mph or more-- had other ideas.  Sunsets at West Ferry in Jamestown usually allow the painting of tranquil scenes.  In this case low hanging clouds, ominous and threatening , moved in over the background allowing a rather dramatic strip of light along the horizon and some cloud shadow.  In addition the Dutch Island light almost blended in mysteriously with the background.  All these elements must be quickly put down since the light changes rapidly toward the end of day.  But in the bursts of wind I had to use one hand to steady the easel.  So now the painting rests on my studio easel where, hopefully, a Mahl stick can help me toward a steadier finish.

    Scarborough View, oil on linen, 9x12

     At sScarborough Beach it was a pleasure to attempt the small sketch above.  This was again a somewhat experimental piece using a classical palette initially followed immediately with a more colorful  version.  This method of working is difficult since the under painting is not quite dry when the more vibrant colors are added.  If one is careful to avoid too much mixing with the earth-toned underpainting, colorful and yet realistic effects can be achieved.

   Fox Hill Salt Marsh, oil on canvas, 9x12

Another joy to paint was the late afternoon light at Fox Hill Salt Marsh at Ft. Getty in Jamestown, RI.  Here,again, the experimental approach mentioned above was attempted.

  The painting sites and approaches described in my series of blogs will be on the menu for a plein-air workshop I will begin conducting next Wednesday (23 Sept, 3-6PM) under the sponsorship of the South County Art Association.

The Beauties of Low Tide

,    As a coastal painter, I find that low tide offers richer possibilities for picture-making as compared to high tide-- unless, of course, other factors, such as an energetic sea, are present.

 

    Rocky Neck, oil on linen, 9x12

       The oil sketch above, rough and unfinished as it is, was begun at Rocky Neck, famous for its artist colony, in Gloucester.  This old boat has been painted many times by many very good painters, but I find it an ever-fresh subject, particularly at low tide when it sits in a purplish muddy shore.  The boat rests in a shadow cast by a nearby building and the waning light of early evening falls gently on the Gloucester harbor background.   The painting was a side benefit of travel to Essex to participate in the Essex Paint Out.  (Unfortunately, I do not have photos of the two paintings that went up for auction -- and are now gone to happy homes!). Here are some shots of the area:

    Photo taken from the Essex River Motel

     Another photo taken from the same bank of the River.

      The area becomes almost a tidal flat during low tide, the mud and its sky reflections becoming both a challenge and a joy to paint.  Other exciting painting areas include the surrounding salt marsh.

    Before leaving for this weekend event ( Essex Paint Out and auction), I did manage to get some local practice:

    Near Sunset (Beavertail), oil on birch panel, 8x10

    

    A Beavertail View, oil on wood, 8x10

More Making Use of Summer

    Reader on the Beach, oil on linen, 12x12

       This oil sketch was done plein air just a few days ago.  I often travel to Ft. Getty in Jamestown (where I now reside) to capture an impression of this wonderful beach.  The beach itself is primarily sandy, but, on one end is this remarkable rock outcropping, complete with passageway through a small arch, through which more water and rocks may be seen.  I estimate that another hour on the easel may help in correcting some deficiencies.  For example, the foreground plant may be too green.  This may be a consequence of my employing an "upgrade" to my usual palette.  The palette for this painting and others you see on this post consists of a modified "twentieth century" palette first successfully used by Robert Gamblin.

    Waning Light (Beavertail), oil on linen, 9x12

       At the tail end of a hot summer day I often set up on the eastern side of Beavertail Light to study the effects of the last rays of the day.  There is a resigned, peaceful mood at this time, despite the mild roar of waves rolling in.  Here the support was linen glued to birch panel.

 

    The Coming Rain, oil on denim, 12x12

     As an experiment I used this denim canvas to sketch my picture.  The surface, though gessoed, had a coarseness somewhere between burlap and medium grade linen.  The rain cloud formed as I got busy laying in the bridge at Colt State Park in Bristol, and ,in fact, I had to rush to the car to save what paint I had on the support!  If you have ever attempted to paint under a rain cloud, look up overhead.  There in the cloud you will notice veils akin to torn and rippling silk, an awesome but ominous sight.  Take cover!

    The downpour lasted about half an hour, my Soltek easel getting drenched.  The ground was covered with puddles and the light had changed too drastically to continue.  The picture here has been  worked over on the easel for another half hour.

Just in Time

                                             Beavertail Light, Oil on Board, 8 x 10

 

        My move to Jamestown came just in time to enjoy the summer season of painting and sketching on this beautiful island.  The image above shows a painting I had done during the first two weeks of my arrival.  The day was fickle in its light, flirting with cloudiness but not quite overcast . ( A larger painting of a truly overcast day (at nearby Ft. Getty)  is currently on display at the Jamestown Town Hall.)  The start of summer has been challenging at times for the plein-air painter due to the changeability of the light and at times stiff breezes.

  

                                         Beach Roses (Ft. Getty), Oil on Canvas, 16 x 20

 

     I have always wanted to attempt a kind of outdoor still life, the subject being the beloved sea roses.  (These hardy beauties, I learned,  are looked upon as a kind of weed in other parts of the world such as on the coast of Holland .)  Well, it seems what I carried back from this beach at Ft. Getty is a landscape featuring beach roses, not an intimate study.   I must yet paint a true still life of these roses!

 

                                             

                                                       Beach at Ft. Wetherill, Oil on Canvas, 14 x 18

 

      Note that the last two works shown are larger sizes than my usual smaller oil sketches.  Once in a while  I think it is good for painters who continually do smaller work to "stretch themselves" and have fun with a bigger canvas or board.  The Beach at Ft. Wetherhill shows a wonderful small beach often populated by scuba divers as well as sunbathers.  It has this remarkable rock formation with what looks like a small grotto carved into it and always scaled by youthful bathers.  No diving is allowed from these rocks, but not everyone heeds the warning.  Again, the challenge here was to include the salient elements without allowing the other equally beautiful aspects of the place to intrude upon the focal area.

 

                                       

                                                               Trail below the Lighthouse (Beavertail), Oil on Board, 8 x 10

 

         The oil sketch above is, like most of my outdoor work, slightly unfinished.  I looked down upon this trail which was bordered on the left by rocks and on the right by a slope having some threadbare trees filtering the late afternoon light streaming from the right.  I had set up on the east side of the island where the shadows ,to me, are more helpful in establishing mood.  Most visitors to Beavertail flock to the west side in the late afternoon to watch the often spectacular sunsets.

 

                                             

                                         Wheeler Beach, oil on canvas, 14 x 18

 

     Off-island, I am at the beaches, particularly in the late afternoon.  In the painting above I captured the particular markings of this subject well.  In the far-to-middle distance is a breakwater, there are the rocky outcroppings joining shore to sea, and the lifeguard chair.  This painting will receive more attention in the studio, particularly with respect to the rendering of the figures and the life guard chair with resting surfboard.  Most of these later elements were in a state of flux-- not only the figures moving as they packed up and left the beach, but also the life guard who went off duty at 6PM-- and took the surfboard with him!  I think the sketch did succeed in coloring and atmosphere; indeed, it was a joy to paint.

 

                                                             Along the bank, oil on board, 8 x 10

    Another subject that I love to paint is the growth along ponds.  Although the oil sketch above shows the joyful waterlilies in the foreground, the song of the sun continues to the leaves of the green pond plants behind them and the sunlit and dappled large rock before the tree.  Again, such subjects--even if they "fail" as paintings --  are foods for the painterly soul.

    Enjoy the season with a brush in your hand!