Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Friday, December 20, 2013

Apples and bean pot

Oil on panel, 6" x 6"
I started painting this a couple of months ago. The apples are from a tree across the street from my house, and I finally just put the finishing touches on it.
$100.00 plus shipping.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013


Artie, our portrait model last night, definitely had a DeNiro/ Stallone thing going…
Oil on canvas paper. I've been adding color to the Zorn palette that I usually use, this time some viridian green, and someone gave me a squeeze of cobalt violet for the hat. Not a color I'd recommend, as it has so little tinting strength.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Open Studio, and a raffle

Win a chicken painting.
 Oil on board, 7"x 5"
Oil on board, 7" x 5"
Open studio,about 20 artists, all on the third floor of 560 Mineral Spring Ave., Pawtucket RI. This Saturday, Dec. 7 from 11AM- 7PM. My studio is a little difficult to find, but your reward for finding me is to be automatically entered in a drawing to win a framed chicken painting ($150.00 value). Winner can choose from available chickens. Plus, light refreshments and congenial company.


Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Chickasaurus-sold

Oil on panel, 5" x 7"
I was wondering why, lately, painting chickens has been appealing to me and realized that maybe it's because I've been reading James Gurney's blog. Chickens are very dinosaurish- especially those feet.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Demo at Rowley Gallery-sold

Oil on board, 5" x 7"  Available at the Rowley Gallery.
I'll be doing a painting demo at the Rowley Gallery on Saturday, November 30 at 1 PM. Liz has lined up some live models dressed as chefs, so this could be interesting. In addition to the demo, there's also music, champagne and pate, and a lot of great paintings by other talented artists. (And, it's free.)

Thursday, November 28, 2013

A last hurrah

Oil on linen, 8" x 10"
I've been showing work at the Donovan Gallery at Tiverton Four Corners, RI, for many years. The owner is retiring and the gallery will be closing as of Christmas Eve. Hard to imagine Four Corners without it! There is an opening for the newest, and last, show this Sunday, Dec. 1 from 1-5PM. My last two skiff paintings will be there.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Rhode Island red- sold


Oil on board, 5" x 7"
I photographed these chickens at Coggeshall Farm, which is actually a museum- a "living history farm"- with costumed interpreters, animals and heirloom plants. I was there for the Harvest Fair, and these poor chickens were being chased all over by lots of little kids who were totally fascinated with them.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Chicken

Oil on board, 5" x 7"
Going through some old photos, I found some pictures of chickens, and it just suited the mood I was in to paint them. Here's the first.
$100. free shipping

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Another skiff- sold

Oil on panel, 8" x 10"
Another skiff, from this past summer. I like the simple masses and the strong colors. Here's a great quote from David Leffel:
 "A painting comprised of many small area of lights and darks will look petty and small. Conversely, a painting with a few major masses will look big, simple, and powerful."

Friday, November 15, 2013

Portraits

Oil on canvas panel, 12" x 9"
Jessica was our portrait model last week at Kate Huntington's Monday night portrait group.

Yesterday my "Intro to Portraiture" class at the South County Art Association in Kingston RI ended. It was a great group that I really enjoyed teaching. (You can see a couple of the limited palette color charts that we did- useful for referring to if you're not used to mixing flesh/hair tones.) The studio is in a building that was used as a schoolhouse, built in 1759! 

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Sunrise at the Seaplane

Oil on board, 5" x 10"
Ed and I went to the Seaplane Diner a few mornings ago to sketch. It was dark when we got there, the sun was rising when we left an hour later. I snapped a photo and did this little painting later.
$100.00

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Tending bar- sold


There's something about paintings of chefs, bartenders and waitresses that people like. I'm not sure why, but that's OK. I like doing them.
Oil on canvas, 8" x 6"

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Lily garden-sold

Oil on panel, 8" x 10"
I had put this painting away after I first did it because I wasn't quite happy with it, then found it a few days ago and realized all it needed was a lighter sky. I'm rather happy with it now.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Out by the barn

Oil on panel, 6" x 8"
A scene from one of my trips to Maine this summer.
$100. + shipping.

The Open Studio is this Friday night and the weather prediction is for wind and rain. Oh well…
560 Mineral Spring Ave., Pawtucket RI, 4-8 PM, Room 355. There's also an opening for the Pawtucket Arts Collaborative's 10x10 show in the gallery on the first floor.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Morning street scene-sold


Oil on panel, 6"x6"
Done from a combination of a watercolor sketch done on location and a photo.



It's Open Studio time! This year I have a studio, at 560 Mineral Spring Ave., in Pawtucket RI. Friday November 1, in the evening, 4-8 PM, then the next month on Saturday, December 7 in the afternoon, 11AM-7PM.  Third floor. Plan to come!

Friday, October 18, 2013

Hello Mr. Coyote

One of the bennies of plein air painting is the occasional unexpected wildlife sighting. This morning after I left the diner where Ed and I met at 6AM to draw for an hour, I went painting by the Providence River, sitting in my car, when this coyote emerged from the grasses. Pretty cool! I managed to snap a pic before he took off.


And finally broke out my colored pencils...





Thursday, October 10, 2013

The West Side Diner


Another early morning drawing, this time at the West Side Diner, newly refurbished and recently opened on the west side of Providence. The bottom drawing is my sketch partner Ed, who does some wonderful pen and ink work.

Friday, October 4, 2013

Morning at the Seaplane diner

 Ed and I went to a diner yesterday morning to draw for an hour before he went to work. At 6AM I'm barely seeing straight so my first one required a lot of erasing.

This guy sat down at the end of the counter in front of us- I'm getting warmed up.

Then in the few minutes before we left I got this guy captured- I'm really happy with the gesture and the economy of the line.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

The cemetery lane

While waiting for my students this morning I did this quick sketch of the minister's house and the lane that leads to the cemetery.

If you're in Providence- the painting students at the Handicraft Club, where I teach, are having their first ever show outside of the club. It will be at the Central Congregational Church, 296 Angell St. and opens this Friday night, 5-8PM. Drop in and have some free refreshments.

Monday, September 23, 2013

The Ice Cream Cafe-sold

Oil on canvas, 8" x 10"
Not for sale at the moment, I'm saving this for a show.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Sketching

The last couple of weeks it's been hard to find much time for painting but I have done some sketching around the 'hood. All in pencil in a small sketchbook. Someday soon I'm going to start using color, as soon as I figure out what to use- maybe Prismacolor pencils.




Friday, August 30, 2013

Geraniums and tea kettle oil painting-sold

Oil on canvas, 20" x 24"
I got a small studio at the beginning of the year with big windows facing north, figuring it would be great for painting still lives, but haven't been spending much time there. It's hot (on the third floor) in the summer, and there are too many other temptations. I did manage to finish this, though. Available through the Donovan Gallery.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Rudy

Oil on canvas paper, 9" x 12"
Local Rhode Island celebrity musician/ songwriter/ columnist Rudy Cheeks was our portrait model recently. He'll be hosting a show on RI PBS come October called "Meet me at the Met". Check it out!

I'll be teaching a portrait class at the South County Art Association toward the end of September, Thursday afternoons. We'll draw for 3 weeks, then paint using a limited palette of white, black, cad. red light and yellow ochre.

On the painting above, I added venetian red and cerulean blue to my usually limited palette. The venetian was more of a short-cut color, but I wanted to use blue to get a little lavender in the shadows. When mixed with yellow ochre, it also made some nice greens .

Sunday, August 25, 2013

On the coast of Maine-sold

Oil on board, 6" x 6"
Just back from a short trip to Maine to visit a friend. I didn't manage to get much painting done, and most of what I did I don't like, but I was kind of happy with this one, a view from Linda's porch.


Saturday, August 17, 2013

Morning in Jamestown- sold

Oil on panel, 6" x 8"
The weather has been great lately and I finally got out to Jamestown to do a little landscape painting.
$100.00 plus shipping

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Duck duck duck-sold


Oil painting on panel, 5" x 7"
$100.00 plus shipping
We spent part of last week in Maine and got to visit a neighbor's barn. A pig with piglets, sheep that had just been shorn, ducks (I loved the renaissance lighting in the barn), hens, and the former girlfriend of our host's dog (after a visit to the vet, she no longer was interested in romance).
Only in your dreams, Remy...

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

New Gallery


I have a new gallery on Cape Cod- the Elizabeth Rowley Gallery in Orleans. My assignment, should I choose to accept it- paintings of local bars and restaurants, such as the popular watering hole called the Land Ho. The research I have to do for these paintings is tough, but someone has to do it.

Oil on panel, 8" x 10" SOLD

Oil on panel, 10" x 8" SOLD

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Sketching, for a change



I spent a great morning sketching with my friend Ed Huff in lovely Hope Valley, RI. Ed has been dedicated to an on-line ink sketch challenge and has been doing some great work. I was a wimp and used pencil, although I tried to be really focused and not to use the eraser very much.



 I started with this Victorian, and broke out the color pencils to do this detail of the flag and gingerbread. I somehow missed one of the decorative cutouts at the top.


Turned around and saw this cute little old millworker house.

Then we headed back to Providence to draw this asphalt plant on Allens Ave. Quite a challenge.