Spring Sketches

I did two small sketches in the last couple of days. In the first, I sat in the warm sunshine on a rocky cliff overlooking the Lubec Channel. The tide was out, revealing acres and acres of green rockweed. I was most interested in the rocks, and I worked on capturing color and value accurately, especially in the shadows. I used no underpainting, but went in directly with thick paint. In this sketch, you're looking down upon the rocks with the revealed rockweed beyond.

"Rock Study"
5x7, oil, en plein air - SOLD

In the second, I overlooked our field down by the firs and apple trees. The evening light set the field aglow, making the yellow and orange weeds even more dramatic. We have a path through the field, and you can see a bit of green where the grass has finally begun to grow. Again, I painted directly.

"A Touch of Spring"
5x7, oil, en plein air -- SOLD

Tomorrow, I'm off to New Hampshire to teach the next workshop. Stay tuned for a workshop report!