Landscapes

Green and Greener Pastures

Green Lakes Trail  7x7"  Acrylic

One of the most common issues with painting plein air landscapes is...all that green. Everyone loves lush green landscapes, but we also have a backpack full of colors that we are dying to use. This setting is in a beautiful park in Syracuse, NY, called Green Lakes. Not only is the lake green, but everything else is too. Sometimes when I'm trying to introduce more excitement to a monochromatic scene I either choose a harmonic color scheme to base my interpretation on, or play with temperature relationships, or use the setting as a springboard to design a more interesting composition and modify the shapes accordingly. The one given is a quick value sketch, so I can stay on track no matter which path I choose.  Below is a photo of the landscape. Altho the colors may look dull in the photo, it was actually inspiring, dramatic and colorful, and thats what I hoped to communicate.

There are still a couple of spots left for my workshop in Tuscany in late September - it's sure to be fun!

Bleeker and Thompson St., NYC

"Red Awning"  8x8"  Oil  

A while back I was asked to do a painting for American Express that they could use as window sticker to be placed on doors of retail stores in cities in and around New York. They asked for a "typical" NYC image, so I headed downtown, and did a painting of the other street corner (the left hand side that doesn't show here). In typical NYC political fashion, the upper east side merchants wanted a scene that depicted their neck of the woods. So as luck would have it, I was hired to do two paintings, to make everyone happy. (No one was happier than me). This painting was from the pictures I took for that Amex job.  It was a cloudy day, but the job was a "rush" so no time to wait for better light.

Yesterday I came upon this photo and decided to paint it, but wanted to change it to a sunny day. I don't usually do that - but  that beautiful red awning seemed to need some drama. By adding some shadows and strong highlights I think I kinda pulled it off. And if I didn't, thats OK... it's definitely snappier than the photo.

Want to paint urban landscapes in an ancient hillside town in Italy? Come to the Cortona, Tuscany Workshop, Sept 24 - Oct 1, 2014.

Rye Marina

"Rye Boat" 12x12" Acrylic  

I painted this one plein air, for an event/auction that was taking place that night. In true fashion, I never found time to scout out the better sites, it was about 3pm and I was frantically searching for some place to stop and do a painting - any painting. I saw a sign for "Rye Marina" and pulled in, pulled up, set up shop and made my self at home on property that was not open to the general public. I was way beyond out-of-time. No value sketch, I did quick value painting. Good enough, then jumped into color. By the time I was finishing up, the sun was low in the horizon and the owners of this adorable little boat showed up to take a spin. They offered me a sunset cruise - with beer - but I had to run. Threw the painting in a frame, (acrylics rock) turned it in, breathed a sigh of relief - Miller time!

Below I included a photo of the site, it needed a little infusion of color, I thought.