a gulp

                              8x8

A gulp of crested cormorants taking off from an abandoned lighthouse in the Delaware Bay.

I have a few photos from this tour of lower Delaware Bay lighthouses that I want to paint.

In this one, my sloppiness is good in some places, not so good in others.

trees

Page of trees, playing around with color and salt.

classwork

 I've been taking art history classes with Leigh Culver for a couple of years (you can look for her classes at Winslow art center). The classes always give me a lot to think about but some weeks the lesson just dovetails with where I am.

Last week was like that.

One of the artists Leigh looked at was Joseph Stella.

I'd never seen these works of his before: he would stack or otherwise strange various natural objects.

I happened to notice, after Leigh's lecture, that I had put a little shell on a leaf I'd picked up. And I saw it as a subject for painting

Which I may not have before.

pine cones

                                 12x17

I pick up pine cones. Especially when they're attached to branches.

Occasionally I try to paint them.

It's a subject that always calls to me. Maybe because I can never "get" it.

classwork

                               10x12

Been a while since I painted a bird. I see I need to touch up this flicker's s dots a bit; maybe add a little shading on the breast.

I painted this in a class with Ronna Fujisawa at the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance.

narcissus

                            14x17

One of the narcissus bulbs I'm forcing. Painted on multimedia paper, which can lead to some interesting puddling.

wip

                           10x12

Another work in progress. This one is a fishing boat in Nairn, Scotland.

wip

                           10x12

Starting to revisit my photos from Maine and Scotland. So many great scenes.

This is a scene I saw from the car in Southwest Harbor on Mount Desert Island.

classwork

                                8x12

Painted in class with SaltyWaterArt, a scene from Bend, OR.

I've never been to the NW coast, but I'm hoping maybe next spring.

stone harbor point

Out to Stone harbor point  to paint a jetty.

higbee beach

We went down to a nature preserve on the Delaware Bay, Higbee Beach, for the morning.

The wind was ferocious, but we got tucked in behind a dune.

I was painting in a Bockingford pad. Not sure I like it: very textured. But perhaps I just need to get used to it.

Hereford inlet

Saturday we went to North Wildwood to paint views of Hereford Inlet.

plein air sketching

A friend is visiting this week and we're trying to hike and sketch daily.

Friday we walked around East Point lighthouse where a major project is underway to save it from the rising tides.

Then we walked out to Thompsons Beach on the Delaware Bay.

There used to be a town there, about 170 homes, 107 of which were destroyed by a winter storm in 1950.

It's a nature preserve today.

goldfinches

                            11x15

Started this a while back; finally got back to it.

But now that I've photographed it, I see it's not done: need to work on the branch a bit more and fix the toes-- they look stubby!

classwork

.                            6x8

In order the studies painted in SaltyWaterArt's class.

Probably no tree that's more fun to paint than a birch--those black slashes!

The 3rd one, above, I painted on some 300lb Fabriano I have. I think it stayed wet a bit longer.

Below: started my bigger painting.

I think it might be close to done!

Lately I am really favoring unfinished paintings.

.                            11x15

homework

.                           11x14

                             11x11

Working on a small series of paintings for a class. These are the first two.

Painted from photos I have taken of the old houses built along the creeks here.

Struggling with two others ... So I'm going to take a break from them for a couple of days.

trees

                            6x8

Some tree practice.

Interesting to me that one is wetter, softer than the other: I painted them at the same time.

I think it'd be fun to paint like eight of these all at once.

classwork

.                               6x8

Started a six-week class on painting trees. I'm excited about trying different approaches.

Who knows, maybe I'll learn to paint trees! How great would that be!

still life

                                8x8

A little still life.

I really did not have high hopes for this when I started it-- even though I selected the objects!

But I just kept at, for once without overworking it, I think.

plein air

                             

                               14x14

.                               

.                              8x8

Was so nice out we went out to paint for a couple of hours.

Trees are a difficult subject for me. So I thought of start wet in wet ... Then I kept fruitlessly poking away at it!

I think adding darks will help.

My fave is my last, this monochrome drawing.

I am really going to miss these good, joyful, competent people.

practice

                  @6x8, hot press

Practicing water ripples and refections.

still life

                                8x10

A little still life session with my friend Gina.

Still lifes are so hit or miss for me.

paintalong

                                8x8

Painted this on a paint along with Cynthia Armstrong online at Winslow Art Center.

The paint along was free, one of many generally 1-hour-long classes over 3 days; they're all free and introduce you to the WAC instructors. The classes are recorded, and remain free, if you want to check them out.

WAC has some great instructors and classes and they're very well produced, still, a lot of the prices are high for me. But you can buy 2 months of access to the recordings of some of the classes for only $40. 

studies

                               6x8

Well these are a mess but I had (some) fun. Leafed through a couple of books of JS Sargent paintings and tried to make little copies. All way too wet; I'll try to be more patient next time.

classwork

                            10x12

Trying to keep it loose but I wasn't able to pull anything special out of it.

Below are the small, 5x7, studies I did to try to get ready.