Two days, two paintings.

90  F  hot, hazy and humid.

 This was from this morning:

       #777  Hudson River @ Rodgers Island, NY.        5-29-16       14x16

           It took 1 1/2 hours to get to this place, where I've painted at least 2-3 times.

        By the time I get to this point, I've figured out a lot of things, basically what I'm going to include, or not.

My pallet.

     Today's money shot.

   Yesterday I went down to the Cambridge Town Hall, and found this scene.

    There were things I liked about the scene, but there was a lot of middle value greens that I didn't.

    #776 Center Cambridge road @ town hall.    5-28-16    11x14

      At the end of the day, not terrible, but there is probably too much stuff.

Here are a couple of sash, I've had a lot of them through the shop. I'm going to finish up the few projects I've promised out and quit this line of work.  I've done close to 1,000 of these, maybe that's too many, maybe I'm quitting too late.  

Two bridges, one familiar one new.

84  F  some sun, some haze,

   #775  Hudson River, Troy, NY.     5-25-16    11x12

              This is the Collar City Bridge, in Troy, NY. It's a draw bridge which explains it's unique shape, it's also an icon of Troy.  I've wanted to paint it for some time, I got my chance today when I finished up a window job early,  although the clouds were in front of the sun, I don't get down this way to paint that often.

     The design comes first with large simple forms, dark and light.

     I alway wonder how much I really need, and what is extraneous, what tells the story and when do I start to fuss with it, when to quit.

                The Money Shot for this afternoon.

       This was done on Monday,  a familiar bridge.

           This is the scene, one I like a lot, still not sure what happened, an off day?

   #774  Battenkill @ Battenville.       5-23-16   9x12


      As always thank you for reading my blog!

Friday late, South Union St, with a surprise!

62  F  mostly clear.

This is S. Union St. looking North at the back of the I.G.A, I've painted this scene at in the late day light a number of times, all wanting a re-match, Friday I had another opportunity, this is what happened:

                 #773  S. Union St. (with balloon)      5-20-16   12x16

     After I set up and started the balloon truck pulled up and started o set up, I really had no idea this was going to happen.

     Proof positive that the balloon was actually painted where and when, if it matters.

So there it is, ready or not for Balloon Festival, less than 2 weeks away!

Austin St. Newtonville, MA. my old home town!

65  F Mostly sunny.

    #772  Austin St. Newtonville, MA.   5-20-16   11x12

    I've gone to visit my family in Newton, every week for the last few weeks while dad's been in Rehab. I spend a little time with him, mom and doing errands, etc,  I got out this morning.
This is downtown Newtonville, the Star Market (as I know it) is on the left. I'm not sure what the building in the center is.  I grew up maybe a 1/4 mile from this place. It was in 1965 when we moved here. they are in the same house.

 
               There was a lot of light, and the darkness of the building, the shadows and the sidewalk drew me to this spot.

My pallet.


















      This scene is probably very similar to what it was when we moved here, as is my parent's house which hasn't changed much over the last 50 years. The city, and it is a city, is the proverbial leafy Boston suburb, the epicenter of the liberal elite, (of which I am a product) with large and ever more expensive houses, many have been there for a hundred years. Builders are buying "tear-downs", anything smaller or of later vintage and putting up million dollar houses.  Unlike my adopted hometown of Cambridge, NY, where you could buy 1/2 the town for that.

King Road, pastoral on the edge.

66  F  clouds moved in.(yesterday)

         #771  King Rd. @ Oak Hill Rd.       5-18-16     11x14

      This month continues to surprise me. it seems I'm going from one quirky painting to the next, which is alright, even if they're not the best paintings, I'm branching out, although maybe not with this one,  here I needed to be in a quiet place, and put some paint on. It was getting cloudy, and it was the only time in days that I could go.

     The sky toward the North was the one place that had some clarity, and some blue, plus the hay had be cut, and was in rows, I liked that, even if I could hardly see and didn't get it.

       The scene has everything I want in pastoral scenes;  green, a road, field, hedgerow, old cornstalks,  and that feeling of being on the edge of things.

2 trailers on plains rd.

60  F  clear.

             I squeezed in a painting today, at the end of the day.

                             It's often a great mystery just what catches my eye, but I found it here, even if I didn't get it this time, I'll come back some other late afternoon.

                   #770  Plains Rd.        5-16-16             9x12

Two bridges and a house, the familiar and the damned.

The last few days, weeks even have been a bit of a whirlwind, 5 window jobs have manifested themselves, my aging parents need some time and attention and they are out of state. Somehow I've managed to get out when I had sunshine. I love the sun in the morning, or evening, but I'll take it anytime if I must. So here is what I did the last three days:

         #769  County Route 60, Jackson, NY.     5-12-16    11x12

2nd time at this scene.

Yesterday I found this scene:

             

  #768 State Route 67 bridge, Valley Falls, NY.     5-11-16        12x16

Tuesday I had a different experience, I painted on this spot that's practically in the river.  

     

     This is the construction site that is the Johnsonville bridge.   The wrapped structure you see is the old trestle bridge, and the new construction is the new bridge.  The painting does not explain this, and maybe that's a problem, the confusion is about what you are looking at, it's subject and it's hard to make sense of it.  

  #767  Hoosic River@ Johnsonville bridge.         5-10-16       11x14 

     I've been thinking about finding new places and new motifs, seeing what happens with them. Sometimes they don't work. sometimes they need a re-visit or a re-think.  Other times I go right back to familiar places, sometimes it's to try and get what I had missed or to see what different light and different seasons look like.  It can all be maddening at times.  

3 days 3 paintings

We've had blue skies and big clouds with cool temps and a little wind.

This was today, downtown Cambridge, NY.

Here is the scene.

Lights.

#766  Memorial Dr.     5-9-16     14x11

This was yesterday,    #765  Hoosic River @ Eagle Bridge     5-08-16    14x16

There was everything to love about this scene, the result, meh.

Saturday I also got out:

Ollie wanted to come, but he got bored.

#764  Duel Hollow Rd.      5-7-16     8x10

I've painted this scene before, I like how the power lines are subtly present.