Finback

Lately, I've been drawn to rocks. It seems that many of the paintings are of interesting formations that stir up some antediluvian fantasy. Here's one. It's a rock over by Liberty Point. I call it "Finback" because it does look like a fin, and we do have finback whales here.

The challenge was the shadowed side of the rock. There was so much light bouncing around that the shadow had to be quite light, but still function as shadow. Keeping the shadows on the "cool" side and the light on the "warm" side worked well. I was able to push the value of the shadows high, but have them still read as shadow by keeping the temperature consistent.

"Finback", 9x12, oil/panel, en plein air (PLUS detail shots!)

An Old Tradition Renewed

I write the occasional piece for the web-based ECVA* newsletter, and in the August 2006 issue, they've published "Plein Air Painting: An Old Tradition Renewed." If you're interested in reading this, please click on this link.

For your viewing pleasure: "Upper Duck Pond, Sky and Water", 8x10, oil/panel, en plein air

*ECVA stands for Episcopal Church & the Visual Arts. Web site address is www.ecva.org

Ragged Point

This is one of those paintings that painted itself. (Seems like I'm starting to say that more and more lately!) Part of the reason is that I was working on linen that had a couple extra coats of acrylic gesso laid on it to "kill" the linen texture. I don't like the woven pattern of canvas and linen, and when I run across a panel prepared with it, I always lay on more gesso. In this case, just enough texture was left so that my brushstrokes for the water and distant light on Ragged Point "broke" -- thus suggesting detail in a way that would have taken me many, many hours to create with a fine brush. You can see the effect in the detail.

"Ragged Point," 8x10, oil/panel, en plein air

Detail: