Jul 26, 2013

Cape May Beach IV


A painting of Cape May beach at mid-day when everyone is out and about. People are pointing at the water; I think there were dolphins that day. Oil on 11"h x 14"w stretched linen.

Jul 25, 2013

Cape May Beach III


A view of the beach at Cape May, New Jersey from the ocean. It is late afternoon, and only a few people remain on the beach since the lifeguard has left. Oil on 11" h x 14"w stretched linen. SOLD.

Jul 23, 2013

Jul 21, 2013

Cape May Study I


I've started a series of studies. I literally have hundreds of photos that I want to paint from my travels. I've narrowed it down from thousands of photos. This will satisfy my need to paint them all right now. I plan to do larger, finished, color paintings of the ones I like the best. As an example, I will have the color version of this composition on 11" x 14" stretched linen finished this week.

These studies are on 5"h x 7" canvas panels. I used my black mixture, wiped out the light areas, used white on the brightest areas, transparent red on the intermediate colors and a bit of gray. These are fun to paint and take the worry out of possibly wasting a good canvas on a mediocre painting. After completing one of these, I'll know whether I will like the finished painting. Also, I often like the slightly abstract way a painting looks when I first start it. I'm often tempted to leave them that way, but of course I can't stop painting. This will allow me to experiment more with different styles. SOLD.


Jul 12, 2013

Cape May II


All I seem to want to paint right now is beach paintings. This is another scene from Cape May, New Jersey. I painted this from a photo that I took last year.

Standing in front of the easel, looking at beach images and listening to Chopin is almost as good as being there. I spent a summer at the Jersey shore in college and worked at a store on the boardwalk. I was often alone in the store that sold gifts and collectibles between the hours 5 and 6 pm. There weren't many customers during that time because they were usually leaving the beach to prepare for dinner and evening activities. So, I would stand by the counter with my coffee and look out the big window at the ocean while listening to Chopin. That particular music wasn't allowed to be played in the store because we didn't have that CD for sale and the owner wanted me to only play the music that was for sale. It was the only CD that I liked, so I didn't comply. Who knew that listening to Chopin would make someone a rebel? I hope my old boss isn't reading this. Oil on canvas on 6"h x 8"w Ray Mar panel. SOLD.

Jul 10, 2013

Jul 7, 2013

Girl Talk at the Pub


This is a painting of a pub in Dublin during a quiet afternoon. Two girls seem to be sharing stories about their days. Oil on 12"h x 9"w stretched linen canvas. SOLD.

Jul 3, 2013

Cape May I


I've started the numbering system over again, since this is my first American beach painting of the year. Oil on 6"h x 8"w linen on 1/8" Ray Mar panel. SOLD.