Sunny Day in the Hollow

"Sunny Day in the Hollow"

18" x 18" oil on linen

A recent painting done at a CT state park called Chatfield Hollow State Park. With the beautiful sunny days, I often feel torn between hiking and painting. I got to do both the day of this painting!

"First Pepper"

6" H x 8" W x 1/4" D oil on panel

"First Pepper" was an opportunity to preserve in a still life one of the fruits of my summer gardens, and at the same time play with the lush, sensual qualities of oil paint.  It's now available for sale on my ebay auctions.  (You can check out all my works for sale on ebay in time for the holidays here.)

Sunset Haze

10" x 10" oil on panel

What can I say? I enjoy looking up at the skies for inspiration.  Their subtle and not-so-subtle shapes and colors, in their vast endless space, seem to offer a key to simplify life in this complex world. Sometimes I love looking at skies more than I like looking at (this) world.  Gazing up helps me clear my head: there are no intersections, no interruptions, and no clutter.

"Dalmation Two"

8"h x 6"w Oil on Panel

This painting is the companion-piece to "Dalmation One" and depicts the same dog in a different pose.  Again I used blue tones to represent the black spots; this time a slightly less abstract and more "painterly" style seemed appropriate, and the colors are more muted than in the first.  I almost never plan those sorts of things in advance, but let the painting itself guide me towards the "look" it wants.

Boston Terrier

5" x 5" oil on panel 

This beautiful little Boston Terrier was definitely looking forward to it's treat. I had fun working with the shapes of paint and creating energy with the brush strokes, colors and the forms created by the dog's pose. 

Door of Textures

9" x 12" oil on panel

Yes, I pushed the textures in this old door of peeling paint.  It appears to have been painted at least two or three times; the visible under-layers reminded me of warm, intense red-rust spots.  The building this door is attached to is in New London, near the Thames River.  I have never seen this door being opened in all the times I've passed the spot, but I think there is a business behind it.  A part of me wishes I knew something of the building's history - but I'm content to let it have it's mystery.

Land of Textures

9" x 12" oil on panel

I am inspired by the shapes, textures, and colors of old buildings, boats, wooden objects, plastered walls, etc.  Old surfaces are rich in patinated color, and thickness of texture.  The inspiration for this painting was an old door;  I kept simplifying the shapes and details in front of me until I discovered a landscape, or perhaps a seascape, emerge in the painting.

Polo Series

"The Blur" 6" x 6" x 1.5" oil on canvas

"Almost a Goal" 6" x 6" x 1.5" oil on canvas

"Going for It" 6" x 6" x 1.5" oil on canvas

 These paintings are based on drawings and photographs I took when attending polo games in Newport, RI and Saratoga Springs, NY.