First Sold Painting at the Exhibit

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On Frozen Pond was the first painting of mine to be sold yesterday at the opening reception of Recent Landscapes and Wishful Thinking at The Butternut Gallery. It is a small (image 10 x 10inch) tonalist* painting. The folks who purchased it spent a long time whispering to each other, walking back and forth in front of the gallery wall. It was a well-considered purchase. A joy for me, as they have several of my paintings all ready.

It will remain as part of the exhibit through April 19th and then it will go to a very good and appreciative home.

*"Tonalism is somewhat elusive and hard to define precisely. It means subtlety, first of all -- subtle shifts in tone and color." by William Zimmer, NYTimes, 1999

Recent Landscapes and Wishful Thinking

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Yesterday I delivered 13 new paintings to The Butternut Gallery for a exhibition called Recent Landscapes and Wishful Thinking. February 22 through April 19 at 42 Church Street, Montrose, PA. Hours 11-5 Thursday, Friday, & Saturday. 570-278-4011

I thoroughly enjoyed preparing for this group show; what turned out to be an eclectic group of pastels and two watercolors. I did not think much about sticking to a theme or genre; I painted just what I wanted. It really was a joy to have that freedom and at the same time be held to a deadline and the structure of a show. Absent was the angst of a solo show.

Shown is Acidanthera; one of the wishful thinking aspects of this winter show. These fragrant gladioli are favorites in my late summer garden. Their scent is musky and I love their structure. This pastel painting image size is 14 x 10 inches and sells for $400 framed under glass in rustic gold wood.

Just about 24 hours after delivering the work to the 2nd floor gallery on an icy morning here in NE PA, I slipped on my own freshly mopped mudroom floor and incurred an open dislocation of my left pinky finger. One of the joys of small town living is that I got to spend an hour with an old friend, Renee, the ER nurse, who I have known since childhood. Her expertise and good humor is comforting to all unfortunate patients and provides a chance to catch up on neighborhood news and children....supposed to be resting the hand now...hope to see you at The Butternut...I'll be the (hopefully the only) one with the bandage. The orthopedic surgeon said I was brave...he refrained from commenting on my co-ordination.

I'm sure it had nothing to do with the unlucky number of paintings....right?

Why Plein Air?

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Because that's where one learns to see...really see. Knowing what lurks in the shadows, what color the leaves reflect, even what the local sounds and smells are makes convincing paintings. Plein air painting for me informs all my other work. What I have learned looking at a mountain range in Arizona helps me paint my own Endless Mountains back in my Pennsylvania studio. Struggling against bright glare to see the waves rolling into the beach in Costa Rica teaches me something about the Susquehanna river. Just dragging an easel out your studio door for a quick warm-up painting will do so much for your skills. Plein air work teaches you to select for subject and compose to your canvas or paper borders. It teaches you to move along, speed it up and keep the energy flowing.

Plein air is the background, the homework for painting from other sources. I see many painters, wasting precious time, using photos when they should be out in the field observing. Once they've done that they may be ready to paint from photos and their own imagination.

Besides it's the most fun you can have and still call it work.

Day's End

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This is my first major painting of the year. I've been working on several large pastels in the studio and this one is the first to be framed. It will be for sale at The Butternut Gallery in Montrose, PA 570-278-4011. The show called Recent Landscapes and Wishful Thinking will open Saturday February 23rd. Cheryl Korb and I will be sharing wall space there through April 20.

I love painting for specific exhibitions; and I thrive on deadlines. I will have several brand new paintings for this show. Hope to see you there. This one is 30" x 18" image size.

Christmas Day

For weeks I've had a sparkling new 18 Colour Pearlescent Assortment of pastels sitting open on my work table. Everytime I glanced over, it made me smile a little because I adore the colors and they shimmer. I had no idea what I would actually use them for. I assumed that when the time was right I'd put them on a garden painting or maybe use them in a restrained manner in a landscape. It didn't matter because having the box next to me was good enough reason for their existence. In retrospect I see that the box resembled one of those compartmentalized storage boxes in which shiny tree ornaments are kept for eleven months of the year.

Christmas Day was a quiet, grey one here and when I walked into the studio I knew exactly what these particular pastels would do for me; inspire me to paint "Lonely Little Holiday Tree."

Great American Art Works uses delightful names for their colors - Blue Morpho, Black Pearl, Dusk, Whitecaps, Cameroon and Alpenglo.

Working in Series

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The last thing I do at night before retiring is check the sky to see where the moon is...and the first thing I do upon rising. There is something reassuring for me to see the cyclical nature of the moon changing shape and position in a predictable way. Rounding a corner on my way home and catching a glimpse of a full orange just-rising moon can lift my mood immediately.

Today I am finishing up a small series of four winter moonscapes. These simple, four-inch high watercolors are part of a much larger series of moonscapes; sort of a series within a series. I've been putting moons into my paintings for decades.

Working in a tight series, like this one, gives me a chance to explore some options of color and composition. I have confined my subject closely by making the moon the center of attention in each painting and using a similar color scheme.

I rarely show these "little paintings" on my website...and the photos you see here are not the usual professional ones...I took these photos. (I'm sure my usual photographer will appreciate this disclaimer) You can see these four paintings here or framed the next time you visit my studio.

Revisiting a Site

Over the years I've noticed that certain specific locations are fertile ground for my paintings. This particular place has given me more than a few good paintings. It is a comfortable place to paint on a bridge. It is rare to have low traffic while enjoying an elevated vantage point. Many years ago I realized the benefits to be gained from returning to "the scene". At that time I was persisting, stubbornly, in trying to paint a certain small waterfall with disastrous results time and again. On my self-declared final try I got a painting I liked. I think it was then that the light bulb went off! I need more than one painting session to learn enough about a location to make a decent painting. These days I have fewer failures and more successes the first time out, but it is still a pleasure to paint a familiar spot on an unfamiliar day and see what kind of "new" painting emerges. In fact, it is very rewarding and comfortable.