OK, I'll do It! Kinda.

   

Step one, Simple mass drawing. Not just objects but light and dark masses. 

 So for quite a long time now I have heard "do another video demo!" "blah blah" " Blah etc blah". Well I'm not doing another one of those til I learn the soft ware well enough to make it the way I think it should be done (or hire Martin Scorsese) so til then.. here is a progression shot demo of "Recession" 30x30". one of my favorite pieces done in the last year. My paintings have changed over the years and one of the best things about that is not having a set way of attack.  By that i mean if you try to achieve a goal thru different means you will probably end up with different results. If you are trying to learn and grow then taking a different path is the only way to get there. where ever the hell "there" is.. There is nothing wrong with the hard road, it's still a good option.

Step two: Massing, massing massing.. oh massing how i love you.. 

guess i got caught up and forgot to take an in between photo..
anyway, dividing the masses up, trying to not break apart the  value structure or  distract from the "Big Picture".
If you are gonna place a brushstroke/mark that breaks up a mass, make sure its worth it and is paying rent for the real estate its taking up.. 

Don't Judge me..

Step 3,146, almost there.. 

Recession 30x30" now available at Camden Falls Gallery
UPDATE: This piece was recently chosen as a finalist in Raymar Art Contest. Yay

Contrast

"Contrast" 14x11, avail at Camden Falls Gallery

As I write this post I am preparing for some private painting lessons with a favorite student and thinking of our talking points to help them get back into their groove. So I thought, maybe Ill share a conversation starter here for those of you who still feel like you are learning or are more advanced in your painting journey but in a funk.

Like the title for this piece, "Contrast" if your piece is about contrast then let everything in it live or die to support that contrast. To heck with whats actually there, make your painting. Pardon my french.

disclaimer : the above writing is just to spark and inspire. Now go paint.

A Mixed Color On The Palette Is Worth Two In The Tube..

Morning Light, 11x14, available at Maine Art Gallery

These two paintings have a lot of the same colors albeit different temperatures and quantities. A true colorist knows his specific colors are worthless, its the related ones that are priceless.

These two pieces are available now thru Maine Art Gallery in Kennebunk. 

Old White, 16x20, available at Maine Art Gallery

Gallery News!!

Browns Boat Yard 16x20" (plein air) available now at Hopkins Wharf Gallery


I am very happy to announce my new representation with Hopkins Wharf Gallery on North Haven Island (just off the Rockland coast in midcoast Maine).  This beautiful, rustic gallery elegantly displays its select artists in a spatious and comfortable manner. I am thrilled to be there and honored to have my work hung with some great artists in such a beautiful gallery. I would love it if you would stop in if you are in the area.  FYI, One of the more famous artists who summered on this lovely island is Frank Benson. Ever heard of him?

Sharing is Caring..

Lobster Wall 24x30 avail

 As the summer sets in and this years paintings get shared, I wonder which ones I'll miss the most.
Some collectors will take the time to write and let me know how some of my work is doing. Thank you to those people.

Quote: "The worst thing you can do if you miss or need someone is let them know it" Sarah Dessen

Quote 2: "Sometimes the hardest part isn't letting go but learning to start over" Nichole Sobon

Both quotes apply to painting, I'm sure of it.

Blossoms on Summer St

Blossom 20x20" available at Maine Art (link in upper right of non mobile site)

 Springtime was when I strolled onto Summer St here in Rockland. It was a perfect day weather wise.





Quote: "March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns, or the sharp stones on life's path." Khalil Gibran

Summer Girls

Summer Girls 24x30 avail 

  This piece, "Summer Girls" started as a sketch last summer and finally found its way to a full sized, organized, contributing member of my little painting society. For about half a year it stayed on my wall with a dark foreground shadow that really seemed to make you look past the figures and not let the background read as land receding into the distance.
 So I asked advice from an Artist friend of mine who has been in the trenches with bad paintings and survived, the response lead me to this composition.  You know who you are, Thanks!
 Sometimes the answer to compositional problems is removing, not adding and definitely not adding details! Happy Summer everyone!