Spring in Rhinebeck

The weather has allowed me to get out again on a regular basis and paint in this beautiful place. We will be moving at the end of June so everything looks even more golden to me now. Here are a couple of local homes. I hope to have a chance to post more in the weeks ahead.

California Paintout '09

Brad Teare and I met for a 5 day paintout in San Diego. Since I usually paint alone, it was energizing to choose a scene, compose, paint and critique the result with another painter. I took him to some of my favorite paint spots and some new ones and together we would discuss the possibilities of composition, cropping, subject, lighting, etc. We approach a scene differently, I almost always see the panoramic possibilities, and he focuses more on a detail composition and explores volume.

Battiquitos Lagoon Eucalyptus

Mission San Luis Rey

Swami's Beach

Balboa Museum of Man

As often happens when doing plein-air painting, I asked myself why I bother. When I'm working on a commissioned painting or illustration I know why I am painting. I am completing an assignment, working for a living, solving a problem. But, when I am painting for myself, especially outdoors, if a painting gets difficult, or I loose my focus or things go badly I become discouraged, frustrated and bored and ask myself "Why do I paint?"

This happens frequently enough that I have to try to answer the question.  My current answer would  be to capture beauty, tell my story, develop my technique, see and design more clearly.  And when it works, I love it.

Self Realization Garden

Oceanside Pier

Torrey Pines

Painting outdoors again

During a very snowy winter I was able to take a trip to beautiful warm and sunny Belize and do some small sketches.

AT THE SEASIDE: Caye Caulker















Rainbow Hotel







A Caye Caulker Wharf








Rainbow Wharf











IN THE JUNGLE: Clarissa Falls

September Near The Beach

An opportunity to paint again in the strong sunlight and coastal fog, I love to paint in San Diego North County. Part way through the trip, my daughter, seeing the group of paintings develop, said I should include architecture more often.

Batiquitos Lagoon - Dusk

Carlsbad Surf Entrance

Bougain-

villa

Swami Garden - Encinitas

Looking for architecture and continuing to think more about composition, while pushing the wet effects of watercolor, I felt like I was developing some momentum.  

Mission San Luis Obispo

La Costa Resort - Carlsbad

Mission San Luis Rey -

Oceanside

Aviara Club Entrance

Blithewood Garden at Bard College

Over the years I have returned to a local garden at Bard College in Barrytown, NY.  I have painted during all the warm weather months in the past few years.  I usually have the place to myself. It's public, but a little remote and situated between a restored mansion and the Hudson River.  It draws me back because it has a spectacular setting.  Here are four views of Blythewood

.

Home portraits in July

I was commissioned to do a couple of home portraits this month. When working on site, I also take a few photos. After I return to my studio and give the paintings a rest for a few days I use the photos to adjust the values a little.

Two homes in Rhinebeck

Three homes in CT, NY, CA

Spring in the Mid-Hudson Valley

For the past couple of weeks I have been painting locally at a beautiful cemetery in Poughkeepsie NY.  It has a wonderful variety of spring blooming trees.  

From the top of one hill is a sudden spectacular view of the Mid-Hudson Bridge and the old train bridge which has been slated to become a pedestrian walkway park. 

 

I also painted on a quick road trip with my son in central NY and PA.

The linen-bound watercolor notebooks I mentioned in a previous post.