Sunday, November 24, 2024

Another monolith

Sketched over two 30 minute sessions at the UMass Sun Wheel, plus detail work from reference photo.

This was interesting because of the variation in how the different facets took the light, affecting both the overall values and the textures.

Pen and ink wash drawing toned paper of roughhewn granite monolith with sunlight raking across its jagged surfaces.


Saturday, November 23, 2024

Little Tinker Hill

I've done this scene a couple times before. There's something adorable about its gently curved profile that keeps bringing me back. The late afternoon light in the fall is always spectacular.

Oil painting of Little Tinker Hill in Hadley, MA, USA. Late afternoon light rakes across the gentle curves of the small hill, bringing to life the fall colors of the trees.


Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Dead Bird

Poor thing crashed into a window at the bank entrance and lay there as customers came and went.

This is likely to be its only memorial.


Ink drawing of dead bird with dried leaves

I'm guessing it was a swamp sparrow,  although this one's colors are a bit darker than the illustration in my Roger Tory Peterson bird book.

Tuesday, November 5, 2024

Forest Path

I've sketched this little path heading into the woods several times in different seasons and times of day.

Election day significance? Well, we are heading into the unknown. But really I just happened to be in the neighborhood and revisited the spot.

Pen and ink drawing with ink wash and whit highlights of path heading into wooded area


Friday, November 1, 2024

Monolith

I was waiting for a friend at the UMass Sunwheel and sketched one of the monoliths used to track astronomical events.

These roughhewn granite stones are good sketching subjects for practicing measurement and proportion because their shapes are pretty arbitrary - no preconceived armature to fall back on. 

Pen and ink wash drawing toned paper of roughhewn granite monolith with sunlight raking across its jagged surfaces.


Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Three Dumpsters

Twice in as many days have I found myself in a parking lot with a little time on my hands. In both cases a cursory search revealed, in a remote corner, a dumpster or two, occupying that liminal space between the gritty asphalt and the rampant foliage asserting Nature's claim to our unproductive and neglected bits of turf. I tried to get a coherent image using only pen and ink on white paper, relying on texture and hatching to indicate a value scale.
Ink drawing of a dumpster next to a parking lot, with wild foliage in background.
Ink drawing of two dumpsters in a chain link enclosure  next to a parking lot, with wild foliage behind them.

Monday, September 9, 2024

The spooky house next to my dentist

Actually, it is perfectly respectable, home to doctors' offices, small businesses, and condos, but very striking in its Addams/Hopper/Bates-y way.

ink on toned paper drawing of spooky old house with mansard roof and wrap around veranda. White ink and toned paper give it an ethereal,  ghostly quality.

ink on toned paper

4" x 6"

Friday, September 6, 2024

Backyard Snow has now been accepted to the Workshop13 6th Annual Northeast Fine Arts Exhibition of Traditional Realism in Ware, MA.

Oil painting. Thick snow swirls amidst trees and play structure, simultaneously obscuring and defining the objects and the space between them.

It was on a waitlist - if other accepted entries couldn't make it for some reason, it would be selected. Now I can call off my Kind Hearts and Coronets operation.

Workshop13 Grand Hall
13 Church Street
Ware, MA 01082

Show Dates and Times:
September 28 to October 13, 2024
Fridays | 4 to 7 pm

Saturdays & Sundays | 1 to 4 pm

Opening Reception:
Saturday, September 28 | 1 to 4 pm
Awards, 3 pm

https://workshop13.org/calendar-event/northeast-fine-arts-exhibition-2/2024-09-28/


Wednesday, September 4, 2024

 Breakwater Afternoon will be part of the Workshop13 6th Annual Northeast Fine Arts Exhibition of Traditional Realism in Ware, MA.

Late afternoon light illuminates a seaweed covered stone breakwater linking the beach with the bay. Across the water a headland juts beneath puffy clouds.

Workshop13 Grand Hall
13 Church Street
Ware, MA 01082

Show Dates and Times:
September 28 to October 13, 2024
Fridays | 4 to 7 pm

Saturdays & Sundays | 1 to 4 pm

Opening Reception:
Saturday, September 28 | 1 to 4 pm
Awards, 3 pm

https://workshop13.org/calendar-event/northeast-fine-arts-exhibition-2/2024-09-28/


Thursday, August 29, 2024

Rail Road Crossing

I had about 30 minutes during which I did a pencil sketch, then messed around with it at home. The X shaped sign reminded me of James Gurney's analysis of the Rembrandt windmill and putting light against dark, dark against light, light against light, and dark against dark; so I tried to get something like that going. I ended up getting more into the overall flow of light, with the RR signal acting as a kind of photonic antenna or Van de Graaff generator.

Ink sketch of rail road crossing signal, with interlay of light and shadow using black, gray, and white ink on toned paper.

Pencil sketch of rail road crossing signal

More on the James Gurney Windmill Principle:



Monday, August 26, 2024

Breakwater, Morning; Breakwater, Afternoon

The same subject painted from opposite sides in the morning and afternoon. I just realized, it kind of reminds me of the Sphinx, who asked that riddle about who walks on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon and three in the evening. I'll have to go back and do an evening version.


Morning light creates luminous reflections and refractions in water behind rocky, seaweed covered breakwater on pebbly beach.


Late afternoon light illuminates a seaweed covered stone breakwater linking the beach with the bay. Across the water a headland juts beneath puffy clouds.

Thursday, August 22, 2024

My work on display at Burnett Gallery

Ego at Endo
Where I Stand
Three Women etching

I enjoyed seeing the show as a whole - interesting selection of artists, well curated and hung by @adeleggil et al. Worth a visit if you are nearby.

Burnett Gallery
The Jones Library
43 Amity Street
Amherst, MA 010023

Library Hours
Sun 1-5:15 (closed in Aug) Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat 9-5:15 Tues, Thurs 9-8:15


Gallery wall with three artworks displayed: Oil painting of bearded artist in studio with skeleton, oil painting of easel, palette table and paintbox seen from above, etching of three women on porch of house overlooking valley.

 

Thursday, August 8, 2024

31st Regional Juried Piedmont Art Show.

These three pieces have been accepted into the 31st Regional Juried Piedmont Art Show.

 Sunscreen

Pastel painting of mother applying sunscreen to her daughter's nose as a large wave breaks in the background.


Breakwater, Morning

Morning light creates luminous reflections and refractions in water behind rocky, seaweed covered breakwater on pebbly beach.

Three Women etching

Etching of three women on a porch, representing three generations. The daughter looks into the picture, across a valley with an old brick mill town with a Florentine tower. In the distance a thunder cloud looms. The mother is busy hanging a sheet on a clothes line, her gaze directed across the picture. The grandmother looks out of the picture, meeting our eyes with a cantankerous expression.

Piedmont Hall

604 Main Street

Somers, CT 06071


Hours (Thursday - Sunday):

Sept 19 - 21 12pm - 4pm

Sept 21 - 22 10am - 2pm

Sept 26 - 27 12pm - 4pm

Sept 28 - 29 10am - 2pm


OPENING RECEPTION September 15th 1-3pm

Awards at 1:30 pm

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Pix at Vic's

 I got to visit with my brother-in-law in Pennsylvania recently, and reconnected with these three little watercolors I had given him over the years, all depicting scenes around his house and farm.

Three framed watercolors of a road with trees, a house with  veranda, and a tractor in a shed.

2024-2025 ARTISTS BURNETT GALLERY GROUP SHOW

Light blue flyer with thumbnail images of artwork in grid array.

I'm very happy and proud to be sharing the Burnett Gallery with these excellent artists!
Ego et Endo, Where I Stand, and brand new etching Three Women will be on display.

Image description:
Light blue flyer with thumbnail images of artwork in grid array.
Text:

2024-2025 ARTISTS
BURNETT GALLERY
GROUP SHOW
AUGUST - OCTOBER 2024

We’re excited to have a rotating selection of pieces from our 2024-2025 Virtual Show artists on display in our gallery this fall.
View our virtual show at JonesLibrary.org/BurnettGallery

NANCY CARROLL
ANN CLOUTIER
STEVE EAGLE
MICHAEL GILBERT
STEPHEN GINGOLD
TATIANA HARSHBARGER
MAUREEN MANNING
MATTHEW MATTINGLY
REBECCA REID
LEE SPROULL
ROBERTA WARSHAW

Burnett Gallery
The Jones Library
43 Amity Street
Amherst, MA 010023

Library Hours
Sun 1-5:15 (closed in Aug) Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat 9-5:15 Tues, Thurs 9-8:15


Etching of three women on a porch, representing three generations. The daughter looks into the picture, across a valley with an old brick mill town with a Florentine tower. In the distance a thunder cloud looms. The mother is busy hanging a sheet on a clothes line, her gaze directed across the picture. The grandmother looks out of the picture, meeting our eyes with a cantankerous expression.

Oil painting of man with beard and glasses wearing tan raincoat and holding a paint brush and a wooden palette. He is in a dark basement surrounded by painting paraphernalia. Behind him, a skeleton reaches from the shadows.

Oil painting showing birds-eye view of painting studio with easel, palette table, paint boxes and trash can.

 

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

Paul Rahilly 1933 - 2024 RIP

Oil self-portait of Paul Rahilly

Paul Rahilly, artist, teacher and good friend to many aspiring artists in the Boston area, died yesterday, July 15, 2024. He was one the few keeping the flame of figurative art alive during the late 20th century, and taught several generations of students the figure drawing and painting skills to build their own styles and approaches. I first encountered him at a life drawing class at Mass Art night school in the early 80's, and immediately realized that he was offering the knowledge and attitude to art that I had been seeking. It could be summarized as a method for identifying the intuitive, gestural sense of a pose and relating it to an armature, a "system of lines," that made it possible to record the essentials with verve and accuracy without wasting energy on aimless scribbling or getting bogged down in compulsive recording of detail. I went on to take his classes repeatedly, and with a few fellow recidivists established a painting group (the "Rahilloids") to continue to develop our skills with this knowledge. He became a good friend to all of us, and his influence is present with me to this day, as are the close friendships I found in his classes.


Oil painting by Paul Rahilly of studio with easel, unfinished painting,  female model with patterned sheet over head and palette table

Oil painting by Paul Rahilly of female model wearing green turban, black camisole and striped cloth wrapped around waist seated on couch with various objects including Pepsi can, studio spotlight with reflector, and bicycle handlebars


Sunday, July 14, 2024

Etching of three women on a porch, representing three generations. The daughter looks into the picture, across a valley with an old brick mill town with a Florentine tower. In the distance a thunder cloud looms. The mother is busy hanging a sheet on a clothes line, her gaze directed across the picture. The grandmother looks out of the picture, meeting our eyes with a quizzical expression.

 Three Women

etching

8 5/8" x 10"

Loosely based on my painting of the same name.

I fixed a few things that bothered me, mostly places where the the lines were either etched too deep or had run together to create blotches. The grandmother's right eye is probably the most noticeable example.

The way I made the corrections is something I hit on myself. They were too deep to scrape and burnish in the traditional manner, so I carefully applied epoxy to the offending lines, let it harden, and then sanded it down and burnished the area. Seems to work pretty well. I don't know if other etchers do something like this.

Wednesday, June 26, 2024

"Backyard Snow" in situ at the Academic Artist Association 74th Annual Exhibition of Traditional Realism. There's a lot of great artwork on view by excellent artists with whom I am honored to be sharing a wall. Well worth a visit if you're in the area.

Framed oil painting of climbing structure in snowstorm hung on gallery wall.

June 16 – July 14, 2024

Thursday - Sunday, 1 to 5 PM

Arts Center East

709 Hartford Turnpike, Vernon, CT ~ 860-871-8222

https://www.academicartistsassociation.org/

Sunday, May 26, 2024

Horseshoe Crab

 On our last morning at the Cape I found this recently deceased horseshoe crab on the beach. It was studded with little white shells.

Pen and ink drawing of dead horseshoe crab, upside down, with small white shells attached near its tail.


Pen, ink wash, white ink on toned paper

4" x 6"

Monday, May 20, 2024

Atlantic Spice Company Pallets

 Atlantic Spice Company Pallets


Ink drawing on toned paper of pallets stacked up in bright sunlight by wooden retaining wall


Pen, ink wash, and white pen on toned paper

4" x 6"

Sunday, May 19, 2024

Long Point Lighthouse from Truro, MA

 Long Point Lighthouse from Truro, MA


Watercolor sketch of calm. slightly ruffled bay with sandy spit of land and squat white lighthouse on horizon beneath white and purple clouds.

Watercolor
4" x 6"

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Truro Breakwater sketch

 First 2024 Cape sketch as well as first sketch in new Montanapolitancroptic sketchbook. I've done this breakwater many times before, but this time I was trying to work methodically with the reality of the constantly changing tide. The problem is that there is no stable baseline to use as a reference, and the overall visible size of the subject is changing, making it hard to judge proportions. I knew that the tide was going out, and that I had about an hour and a half before it reached low tide, so I made sure to use the parts that were visible and that would remain constant as my reference points, and gradually added to the drawing as more of the subject was revealed by the receding waters.

The gull showed about about halfway through, and I was of two minds whether to include it. Would it make the image too hokey? However, the way it stayed there posing for so long made me think it really wanted me to put it in the picture, so I did. I think it provides a nice accent.


Pencil drawing of breakwater with basic outlines and shapes


Pencil drawing of breakwater with details filled in

Ink drawing of breakwater at low tide with seagull perched on top

Ink drawing of breakwater at low tide with darkened water, sand texture, and highlights




Saturday, May 11, 2024

Academic Artist Association 74th Annual Exhibition of Traditional Realism.

Oil painting. Thick snow swirls amidst trees and play structure, simultaneously obscuring and defining the objects and the space between them.

 "Backyard Snow" has been juried into the Academic Artist Association 74th Annual Exhibition of Traditional Realism. This exhibition always attracts top notch artists from New England and beyond, so it should be a great show.


Logo with palette and paintbrushes on a fancy shield with text: Academic Artists Association "The Enduring Triumph of Realism"


June 16 – July 14, 2024
Thursday - Sunday, 1 to 5 PM

Arts Center East
709 Hartford Turnpike, Vernon, CT ~ 860-871-8222

Opening Reception Sunday, June 16, 2024, 1 to 4 PM
Awards announced at 3 PM

https://www.academicartistsassociation.org/


Wednesday, May 8, 2024

New MontanaPolitanCroptic sketchbook

Time to make a new MontanaPolitanCroptic sketchbook. It's been ten years since I designed and built the first of these.  Also,  some pix from the old one, selected with an eye to repeated places and subjects.

Two handmade sketchbooks, one old and one new. They have different types and colors of paper and are covered with black cloth.

Bookshelf showing spines of handmade sketchbooks with dates going back to 2014

Ink sketch  of railroad crossing signals with road in background on white paper

Ink sketch  of railroad crossing signals on toned gray paper

Ink sketch  of railroad crossing signals on toned tan paper





Ink sketch of dense foliage with light filtering through leaves at top

Ink sketch on toned tan paper of path entering woods with large rock on left, dense foliage in background


Ink sketch on white paper of path leading into woods, light streaming through trees and foliage


Ink and white gouache sketch on toned tan paper of river view with power plant and railroad bridge



Watercolor sketch of river view with power plant and railroad bridge


Watercolor sketch of closer view of power plant with smokestacks and complex ductwork; trees and river on foreground.




Friday, May 3, 2024

 Backyard Snow

Oil on linen panel

9.5" x 12"

I started this back in January, during the only decent snowstorm of the winter. There's also a shot of the first pass, showing how I was trying to get the movement and feeling of the snow down first, filling the details later but always referring back to the initial sketch; and my snow painting setup, Artistic In Tent.

Oil painting. Thick snow swirls amidst trees and play structure, simultaneously obscuring and defining the objects and the space between them.


Underpainting sketch showing movement of snow


Pochade box with tent made of plastic bag on file folder frame to shelter palette and painting from snow