Joy, Peace, and Love

Merry Christmas to all my blog friends and followers.  Wishing you the happiest of holidays and a very wonderful, art-filled and heart-filled New Year. 

Thank you all for your comments and interest in my paintings.  I don't get a chance to paint every day anymore, but I really enjoy the days I do paint and am glad I have the opportunity to share my paintings with you.    Today, instead of a painting, I am  sharing a photo of my one year old granddaughter that I took during a recent visit.  She loves to play her viola like her mother plays the bass. 

Street Musician (Recorder)

This very animated gentleman was playing his recorder in the market square for summer tourists.  I so much enjoy painting figures. 

Red Boat on Essex Marsh in Summer

This is the second time I've painted this beautiful summer scene.  Using different colors and a larger canvas I had hoped to again capture the quiet beauty of this treasured marsh along the northern Massachusetts coast.

Roses and Mandarin Oranges

My most recent painting stems from memories of  Holiday celebrations with our darling daughters.    

After the Milking...

This painting was started during a plein air class with Donald Jurney at Appleton Farms.  I have worked and reworked it to convey an impression of the "old world" and the peaceful atmosphere of a dairy farm.  This style differs greatly from my previous post of the ocean. 

Coastal Rocks and Waves

In my youth I spent many hours at play near big rocks such as these on the California coast.  I painted this from my memory of the powerful roar of the sea, the biting cold winds and the excitement of the crashing waves.  

Homegrown Tomatoes and Garlic

Here is a small 6" x 6" still life to sharpen my observational skills.   I have been struggling to create engaging  landscapes recently and have found it relaxing to take a break and paint a still life.  I wonder what message I should take from this insight?   Hmmmm  Perhaps if I had the opportunity to revisit the plein air painting locations to "complete" a painting, I could make more accurate observations of nature.  Here in New England the weather and lighting is never the same for two days in a row, or even for 2 hours some days. My finished landscapes sometimes involve as much imagination as observation.  

Winter morning lights in NYC

After a long hiatus I am back in the studio painting again, reworking older paintings, and starting new ones in preparation for several upcoming Art Shows.  On a larger canvas and with a different focus and different palette I have again painted a scene from a photo I took in NYC last winter.  I enjoy the challenge of cityscapes.  

Wandering River in South Asia

This painting was inspired by a photo taken by friends in either Bhutan or Nepal.  The quiet beauty of this scene moved me and challenged me as a painter.  This is the first painting I have finished in a month.  I have been working on several paintings, and am struggling to complete them.  I am trying a new palette of colors and am slowly learning their qualities.  Hopefully, I'll have several more paintings to post very soon.

Ocean Waters in Rockport

I especially love the colors and excitement where ocean waters reach the rocks on shore.  I tried to capture  that energy and excitement by painting this scene loosely with thick paint from a palette knife. 

Red Sailboat, Essex, MA

A springtime view of the red sailboat on the Marsh in Essex, MA.  On a walk in Essex this week, I discovered the same boat in the water that I painted the previous fall painting of.  The clouds reflecting on the water and the warm sunshine inspired this painting.

Sailboats, Essex, MA

Bright Boats and fall colors inspired me to paint this local scene for an upcoming art show in Essex.  I have found that most collectors appreciate paintings of their familiar surroundings. Perhaps someone will recognize these boats. 

Calves Grazing

These darlings were born at  Appleton Farm, the oldest continuously operated farm in America.

Ipswich Pastoral

Cows, Barns and Trees...what else does one need other than a special loved one to share it with?

New York City Sidewalk Reflections

This is my latest painting of my NYC winter morning walk. Do you think those rushing to work and school were aware of the beautiful colors surrounding them?

Rocky Mountain HIgh

Forest Scenes and Mountains are always an inspiration for painting.

Amsterdam Canal Bridge

Can anyone tell me the name of this bridge?
My daughter took several photos on a canal trip around Amsterdam on a recent winter day. I was inspired to paint this because of the clouds and the fading low light.

Childhood Revisited

This painting was inspired by a 1949 black and white family photo, and an opportunity to be part of a gallery show titled "Childhood Memories". I really enjoyed working on this painting.

Bhutan Fields Among Mountains

This is the new and "improved" version of my Bhutan painting of a couple of months ago. I hope I have conveyed the immense drama and beauty of this special place on earth.

NYC Winter Morning Sunshine

This is my first attempt at a city scape. I ran outside with my camera when I saw the early morning sunlight illuminating the upper east side streets as New Yorkers were heading to work and school last week. I hope this painting conveys my joy at the sunshine overcoming the darkness of a cold winter's night. The bicycle shop on the corner, SOULCYCLE, expresses it all.

Herding Buffalo in Winter

I was excited to paint this striking scene from a photo my son-in-law took while on watch with the Buffalo Field Campaign in Yellowstone, Montana in December. I chose a limited palette for this stark, but beautiful winter landscape. Inspired by the many masterpiece paintings I saw during my visit to NYC last week I want to spend every day painting for the rest of my life! It is such a joy!