Crosswinds landscape

...and here's the result of the plein aire session from the front yard... what a spot.

Plein Air Palette

The marsh has been gorgeous all fall. The Salicornium plant turns color - beautiful yellow ochres, burnt sienna colors mixed in with bright yellow and greens. I've worked on a few landscapes out in the front yard. Here is my palette with a piece of the Salicornium on it and the marsh in the background.

Sunrise at Crosswinds

We've been enjoying some incredible sunrises here this fall... I've attempted to capture a taste of this morning's pre-sunrise colors on video, doesn't do it full justice of course!

Latest commission

This was a fun commission. The husband of a friend of mine wanted a painting of her in my choice of fun colors based on a photo from her when they were first married many years ago. I delivered it to them for her birthday and she loved it (phew!).

Through the looking glass...

Here's a photo my friend Michael took of me from outside looking in through the window... I was concentrating on a new painting. You can see the reflection of the river in the window. Nice shot.

SeaFair Mega Yacht

Just went through a wild wonderful week-end aboard the SeaFair, a mega-yacht decked out with 4 floors of gallery space. See www.expoships.com for some photos. She docked in Morehead City for the Seafood Festival last week-end, and I was fortunate enough to be one of the artists on-board. The state-of-the-art gallery spaces were a joy to use. Here's the gallery I was assigned. It was satisfying to have a body of work shown in the best possible conditions.

There was a steady pace of visitors to the ship. I did a painting demonstration most days and really enjoyed interacting with folks. A very successful week-end.

Latest commission

The couple who commissioned the large, traditional oil painting of their daughter have given me permission to post a photo of the painting on my blog. Here it is. This was 36" x 60." A lovely subject.

Debussy

Here is the painting that I mentioned in an earlier post about Debussy. I was one of three visual artists invited to create a painting based on one of Debussy's movements from the Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp. It was presented Thursday night to the accompaniment of musicians with the Carolina Chamber Music Festival.

I collaged the score of the movement on the canvas first, then collaged and painting the three instruments and painted a portrait of Debussy in transparent colors over that.

Good night Irene!

I've been hard at work on a couple commissions, and then got interrupted by hurricane Irene. She was a big storm and they were having a hard time predicting how strong she would be... so we decided to board up and evacuate to Chapel Hill. When we got back to our little cottage by the river, we were relieved to find it had not flooded. The wind switched just in the nick of time to spare us water (and mud!) in the house... it came close though and the yard was a mess.

So after a week of clean-up things are returning to normal and I'm working double-time to catch up on my paintings. Feels good to be back in the studio.

A miracle

I've been checking on the chrysalis pretty regularly. I went out on our screened porch about noon and instead of the chrysalis there was a beautiful swallowtail butterfly. I set the plant with him/her on it outside and it flew over to my Lantana. Wow. I noticed that the other chrysalis which was outside is empty now too.

Swallowtails

The beauty of the natural world is such an inspiration. We were sitting out on our deck last week and saw a Swallowtail arrive and check out every herb plant until she found our parsley. She then proceeded to lay tiny little dots of eggs around the plant... we've watched them closely and they grew into little then big caterpillars - buying more parsley and fennel to feed them. Then a couple disappeared... after looking really closely all around I found two on my sage plant - one had already turned into a crysalis and the other was starting. I took these photos with my cell phone - will try to post some better ones later... Awesome!

Interesting Request...

I received an interesting call last week from the folks at the Carolina Chamber Music Festival. They are doing an event in New Bern in conjunction with the Craven Arts Council called Debussy After Work Thursday, September 15. They will have three musicians (a harpist, a flutist and a viola player) playing the three movements of Debussy's Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp. They then invited three visual artists to each create a painting based on one of the movements. I was pleased to be asked to be one of the artists. I chose the final movement to inspire my piece. Here's a link to a YouTube video of it:

Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp


I've already gotten started on the painting and am having great fun with it, but won't share it here yet - I want it to be a surprise at the concert. If you want to come join us on the 15th, here's a link to more info at the Carolina Chamber Music Festival website.

Latest commission

Those of you who follow my blog know that I don't usually publish images of the commissions I do, out of respect for the privacy of the sitter. However with my latest I was granted permission to do so.

This was a fun commission. Its of a local teenager and both he and his mom liked my big bold colors. This is the result. After mom got it home, she sent me an email in which she said that she showed it to her son, "I was watching his face when he saw the painting the first time. He had a smile on his face, a soft one, and said “It’s me."

More river influence..

I've been working on a large (36 x 48) commission this week. Its in many layers of thick paint so in-between layers, while the paint dries, I've been working on some smaller sketches (16 x 20). Here's one. It reminds me of one of our neighbors who clams the river. Think I'll keep it as a rough sketch - seems to fit. I love being on a "working river" - many of my neighbors work the river - for clams or oysters or fish. Their knowledge of the river is amazing. I love it here.

Bounty of the River...

In addition to the wonderful light and views, we have been enjoying the bounty of the Newport River as well... right out our front door are crabs, clams, shrimp, oysters, fish. Amazing how much life is in this nursery area of the river.

Food is one of my art influences - I started out painting large paintings of peppers. The colors and shapes are wonderful... I also did large fish paintings when I started out - perhaps its time to come full circle? The fish we catch are so beautiful when they first come out of the water - their colors are brilliant and translucent. More inspiration!

Splendid Storm

Our parched coast was so happy to see these storm clouds roll in a couple days ago. So beautiful to see the storms roll in over the river. I love my studio here...surrounded by beauty every day.

"Nonchalance"

Finished this painting up in time for this week-end's Bridgeton Riverfest. I especially like the texture in this one...

Ripples...

Exploring new ways of adding pattern and texture to paintings. Here's the latest idea...together with a detail showing the "ripples" of color.

Latest Artist Statement

"What was any art but a mould in which to imprison for a moment the shining elusive element which is life itself - life hurrying past us and running away, too strong to stop, too sweet to lose."

~Willa Cather

The paint is squeezed out of the tube. Mixed with another color or two. Another color is squeezed and mixed. They start to sing next to each other on the palette – imagine what they could do on the canvas… ideas start to snap, crackle and pop… which way to go… no fear, just dive in, can always do the other idea next time…grab a palette knife, swirl some color, make a line, dance with an image. Live it.

Philadelphia

Had a good show at the Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show last week-end. I finished the 6' x 6' in time and she looked good when the light came out, as in this photo.

Progress...

Here's the latest progress on the 6 x 6 foot painting...

Revisions

One thing I've been doing this year is taking paintings from the last couple years that aren't quite right and re-working them. It is satisfying when you can bring it further along... This week I've been working on re-doing an abstract that I liked quite a bit, but felt it needed a little "more." So after playing around with it... a face emerged (but of course!). Here's the work in progress as well as the original. I like the direction its taking. Did I mention that it's big? Four 3 x 3 foot canvases, so it's 6 x 6 feet! I am so much happier when I can stretch out on a big canvas...

New work

Here's my latest. I'm working hard to prepare for the Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show in Philadelphia next week!

Best in Show!

Wow, this 3' x 4' painting was awarded Best in Show Purchase Award at the Craven County Art Council and Gallery's 2011 juried Regional Art Show on Friday night! Now it will go into their permanent collection. I am humbled and honored by the award. I do like this painting and am happy that it will be resident there among my many friends in Craven County.

Its called "Soft Eyes." The New Bern Sun Journal did an article on the show.

Latest...

One of my favorite quotes is by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin:

L'amour est la plus universelle,
la plus formidable, et
la plus mysterieuse
des energies cosmique.


It was the inspiration for my latest painting, which I plan to enter in the Craven County show tomorrow. This started out as a drippy abstraction, then I added in the words and then created the face from the whole melange. Its hard to see the colorful abstract detail in the small post here, so I included a detail shot to try to convey it. It has good energy.

Update: decided to wait and work on this some more before entering it in a show... I like its energy but its still a little too dark.

Squiggles

I wanted to create some works on paper. I have some beautiful French-made Arches 300 lb. paper that was just crying out for some creativity. That combined with some Golden GAC mediums that make the paints really drippy resulted in these experiments. I dripped these images of faces directly on the paper without any drawings... of course only 1 out of 3 worked... but I'll make something different out of the ones that didn't work. Its fun and scary and rewarding when it comes through.

Spring Moon

Every day brings a beautiful new delight at Crosswinds. We've now seen dolphins, red drum tailing near shore, many species of birds (from hummingbirds to bald eagles), daily clam-diggers and crabbers working the river... we're starting to get into the rhythm of River Time. Like most folks in the Mill Creek area, we're finding ourselves loathe to going to town! Why bother when you can get clams, crabs, fish right outside your door?.... once the garden's in it will be hard to leave...

Another view...

Just love this new studio space. I feel at home here.

Studio by the Sea...

...its hard to believe but a wish I have had for a long time has finally come true. I'm moving into my studio by the sea. I love it here. Its in a little cottage on the Newport River (a salt water river that leads to the ocean). I'm only about 20 minutes from my old place. The light here is so wonderful, its going to be an incredible inspiration... more to follow. Here's the view from my studio, and the sunrise.

New work for New Bern

Here's a 24 x 30 painting I submitted to the Twin Rivers show at the Bank of the Arts Show in New Bern. Fun experimentation with a new color palette.
Update: This painting garnered 4th place in the show.

Croatan marsh work in progress...

I've been out camping in the local Croatan National Forest campground. Got started on a marsh view from the Neusiok trail. I love to paint outside at this time of year - not hot and no bugs yet. I was out there for several hours and didn't see anyone. This isn't finished yet but its a nice start... the marsh almost looks like velvet in places, and the spring colors are changing each day. Hope to get back out there soon to finish this up.

New work...

Took a couple paintings to New Bern Artworks yesterday to be a part of the members' show. They will be a part of the March 11 art walk. Feels good to be back at work!

Progress...

Here's the latest... exploring a new palette for spring.

Works in Progress

Back to work in the studio. Feels good to be swirling some paint around... here is (for me) a small work I've started...12" x 16" acrylics.

juicy blues

...another clayboard start...

More Clayboard experiments

Still playing around with transparent color on Clayboard. Its such a versatile surface and can go so many ways. This week I've experimented with several approaches, and plan to work each surface alot more... but here's an example of a first layer. Love the transparency you can get...

Morning inspiration

The last two days have warmed up and I've gotten up at sunrise to walk down to the little beach near my house. Both days I've first heard, then seen dolphins. It is such beautiful light...

Explorations

Ok, finally at least got paint to canvas! Or in this case clayboard. I love how the paint soaks into the white clay covering and how liquid it can be. This calls for more exploration. Here's a sample 6" x 6" experiment... we'll see where it goes.

Natural Inspiration

I've been spending alot of time hiking and exploring on the mild days interspersed in our Carolina winter. On a recent walk at the trail out at the Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores I was attracted to the wonderful colors of the lichens on the bark of the holly trees there. I took a couple snapshots. These look like abstract paintings in themselves.

Nature influences me in so many ways - shapes and colors like these, and emotionally by the lift it gives my spirit.

Finally got back in the studio today after taking a break for awhile. Feels good. We had an unusual 6 inches of snow yesterday and it's reflecting glorious light into my studio. More inspiration! Hopefully I'll have something to show for it soon...