The Hour of Romance...

"The Hour of Romance" (30x30)

This piece will be in my show opening September 6th at Brian Marki Fine Art in Portland, OR.

23 landscapes in all... (the new work will be on their web site shortly at which time I will post a link).

Peace in the Valley (24x30) o/c

This plein air painting will be in my show, "Summerland" opening September 6th at Brian Marki Fine Art in Portland, OR. 

I came across this scene in Banks, Oregon; a rural community west of Portland that butts up against the east side of the Coastal mountain range... It has a kind of northern California feel to it since I reshaped the trees a little once I got it back in the studio.

I have eucalyptus (which are rare up here) on the brain right now...should probably see a specialist about that...

Plein Air in the Columbia Gorge

 Idyll Hour (20x24) o/c

The Columbia River divides the States of Oregon and Washington in the Pacific Northwest and has one of the most scenic drives known as "The Gorge"...a beautiful cavernous section of forest-lined cliffs carved by water over thousands of years. The mountains there turn an almost unbelievable brilliant rich blue with the moisture in the air on overcast days. I recently painted these pieces on sight there with my Russian born artist friend, Anton Pavlenko...

Blue Grandeur (24x30) o/c

I usually desire a sunny day for plein air painting, but after experiencing the gorge on a day like this, I will definitely be returning on the grey days!

Delicate Hands progress shots

 Day 1; block-in...

 Day 2; adding detail, adjusting value...

"Delicate Hands" (20x24 o/p)

This piece was juried into the American Impressionist Society's 14th Annual exhibition and will hang at M Gallery in Charleston, South Carolina from Sept, 28 thru Nov 2nd, 2013.

Recent Field Studies...

 Tillamook, Oregon (early evening)

A smattering of sketches from the road in Oregon: Summer is the time to get out and explore the countryside, and it's fun to capture different landscape and light situations... Some end up being no more than throw-away pieces, but a little something is learned with each attempt...

 Newport, Oregon (early morning)

 Kings City, Oregon (Mid-afternoon)

Banks, Oregon (early evening)

Summerland

 Summer Barn (12x16)

Been out barn sketching again. They end up on a lot of artists canvases, but they're a vanishing breed. I've done 3 the last four evenings; partly as an exercise to incorporate a man-made structure into a colorful landscape, and partly as an escape from my suburban existence to where I want to someday live. I will include this one in my upcoming solo show of landscapes entitled "Summerland" opening September 6th at Brian Marki Fine Art in Portland, OR

Barn Storming

 Historical Remnant (9x12) o/c

I found this old barn on a country road outside of Easton, MD during Plein Air Easton last week... The farmer wasn't home and I was a little leery of setting up on his property without permission...but I did it anyway. I figured a good little painting could be worth the possible trespass ticket, but an imagined load of rock salt in a shotgun made me paint as fast I ever had before, and I think produced a decent little gem...

Relic (16x20) o/c

As I was packing up to leave,  a renter of one of the many barns on the property drove up and said he thought it was fine to paint there, so I repositioned my easel and did this larger version... It came out alright too, but I think the smaller piece is the best one. Sometimes our best work is done under pressure, imagined or not...

Five O'clock Shadow

"Five O'clock Shadow" (9x12)

Painted this one on site somewhere in the country west of where we live in Oregon... I could find it again, but probably couldn't tell you how I got there. Sometimes you drive around waiting for the light to get good -- sometimes you drive around looking for a decent subject to sketch... Either way, you usually do a lot of driving around, but at least this time I came home with something.

Sometimes you don't...