2 blue houses, 2 new spots, a church and an election.

This was a week, as they say.

             #890  Mill St. Greenwich, NY                       11-12-16                                11x14

           I came to this place because there is access to the Battenkill, with old rail road piers in the water, and because Ollie was with me and he loves the water!

          The light wasn't right for the river scene, but when returning to the van I saw this.  A back lot view, with light on the blue house.

     First 2 light colors.

    Most everything is blocked in. I didn't get a good end shot.

On grey days, and there are a lot of them in November, I've been working on my new studio, and getting ready for my "Grand Opening", more on that later.  Last Thursday I drove up to Salem, NY, it's the town just north of us on State Route 22.  I couldn't help being transfixed by this scene, right at the traffic light (the only one in Salem).

                           Broadway and Main, there is probably one in every town in America.

           I was feeling like the buildings were too large and I wanted to move farther back, but that wasn't possible, I was also concerned that there wasn't "a way out", that is the viewer is blocked by the buildings to (metaphorically) get out of the scene, I guess one could go down the dark ally or between the other two buildings.

       #889  Broadway and Main, Salem, NY                   11-10-16                           12x16


     Money Shot.

Tuesday, November 8th, if you remember was election day. and of course I voted.  I'm also a custodian and courier for the Board of Elections in Washington County, a very minor job, but one I've done for a few years now (10, 12?)  anyway after I cast my vote, but before any results were in, I went out painting:

   A short while ago I was painting in the neighborhood, and met the farmer and owner of this property, He invited me to go up this farm road (a path between fields) to see the view.

      1st.

     2nd.

     #887  Tiashoke Farm S. Cambridge.                  11-8-16                                        14x16

     Later in the day, I went to a familiar spot in the parking lot of the Presbyterian Church.

        At the end the light fundamentally changes from a white to a yellow.

      #888  Park Place.                                     11-8-16                                               9x12

    This is Little Colfax Rd.  not far from my house, but it's a dead end, so I don't go up there, not at least until last Monday.

              #886  Little Colfax Rd.                          11-7-16                                   8x10

    Not much time went by before I lost my light, and stopped here.  Day light savings had just happened, an evil plot by early risers to get the worms meant for night owls!

Finished September Paintings

    September was a productive month, with 25 paintings done, here are 15 of the best, although a few are missing because I had trouble with the photo files. The weather was spectacular, with a lot of sun and warm temperatures, and somehow I was able to keep life at bay enough to focus on painting.  I had a lot of successes recently with the "Best in Show" award from the Trask event and a bunch of sales. I got a show at Saratoga Arts, scheduled for the spring of 17'  and joined a new cooperative gallery in Saratoga Springs NY, to be installed this week.  All good stuff and I'm happy about that, as long as I can keep painting!

                   843 Strand @ night, Old Forge, NY.                         9-1-10                                    11x12

              #844 Moose River                                         9-2-16                                             9x12

         #845 View from Bald Mountain, Old Forge, NY.                      9-2-16                         12x16

                       #848 Park Place                     9-5-16                                   14x16

                 #849 Spraguetown Rd, @ CR 52 Greenwich, NY.                   9-7-16                          12x16

              #850 C.R. 59 @ South Rd.                                       9-9-16                                 11x14

               #851 W. Main St.                                      9-10-16                                        12x16

                 #853 Hudson River @ Thomson                                 9-12-16                                   14x16

                                 #855 Home                                     9-15-16                          11x12 

                      #857 Stuben @ James St. Albany, NY.                         9-16-16                            14x16 

             #858 Charles River @ Watertown MA.                       9-17-16                             9x12 

                                          #859 N. Park St.                                  9-20-16                          12x16 

                       #861 South Rd. @ C.R. 59                           9-22-16                                 9x12  

               

                 #864 McCray Rd. Greenwich NY.                            9-27-16                               11x12

                #866 S. Union St.                                           9-30-16                                            14x16 

                          

                                         As always thanks for reading my blog!

This week in the town and in the country

           This is 9-11 day and no matter what you think or feel about it, the world changed and if you were aware on that day you remember where you were and what you were doing.  For me I was working on a ladder on the side of a barn, in Washington County, NY. The sky clear and the air crisp, much like today, 15 years later.

Last Sunday I drove home from the cabin on 6th Lake, after the painting festival in Old Forge, NY.  I needed something familiar and green. There is a lot of that around here, I went to this spot:

       I've painted here before, just not too recently, it's a lot of green, and not much that is man-made, except or the mowed fields and an overgrown fence line.

           #847  Duel Hollow Rd.                      9-4-16                                 9x12

         The day light has been waning, just a few precious minutes each day, and it makes for a rush of elongated light as the sun sets, and then it's gone.

     This was Monday, Labor Day.  and another familiar scene just down the street.  The end of the day light made for some great shadows, but I failed on the drawing of the church, and a few other details lost in the process, seeing the image in front of the scene really points this out.  Maybe it doesn't matter, maybe I'll try again and get it better next time.

              #848  Park Place                         9-5-16                                    14x16

          This place, an intersection is one I've been through many times, and connects some fabulously picturesque scenery, but I liked the shadows and the trees.

      I've been working on the patterns of light holes, shadows, and the patterns of light and darks in the foliage.  There is a lot to those patterns and they can be vexing, getting them to feel right has come about after a lot of error, and we are still often vexed by them.

        #849   Spraguetown Rd. & CR 52, Greenwich.                          9-7-16                          12x16    

      
        It seems like I'm getting out to paint in the 2nd hour before sunset, this means I have some time before the light really starts to change, by the 1st hour before the sunset the changes in light turn most rapidly, and all hell breaks loose.

       The scene had a lot of glowing green and yellow, they were all so close, it was difficult to differentiate one from another, by the time I stopped the light was gone and I feared the painting was pretty dull and lifeless.  Much of this is because when you're out in the world the painting just can't do light the way nature does it.  When I brouht it back and saw it in artificial light, it looked ok.

      #850  CR  59 & Schweininger Rd.                  9-9-16                                          11x14

      Just down the street last night, a place I go by often many times a day.

    #851  W. Main St.                                      9-10-16                                             12x16

          This was tonight on Raefield Farm Rd. I was excited about the corn field being harvested, but in the end you couldn't tell in the painting, but the light and shadows carried the day.

              #852    Raefield Farm Rd.                          9-11-16                                           11x14