Light at the end of the day (x's 2)

This week was predominatly cloudy, but on Wednesday and Thursday, a little sun peaked out from the cloud cover and I was able to paint.

                        #904 RR Ave.                             12-9-16                                     9x12



                                    Here is the scene at the start,  a lot of contrast.


                                   On Wednesday I stopped here before the grocery store.

   
               #903  Burton Rd. Greenwich, NY.                             12-7-16                                       8x10

   Here is the scene when I found it and you can see how vastly different it is from the painting and the scene not long after.  I still don't know why that happens; the variables are many, but that's painting under the big blue.  I'm loving my new studio space, and had a great opening, with old and new friends visiting.  I think I'll enjoy actually working in there, and just made some new panels, it was warm and comfortable so I'm feeing great about it.  Thanks again for reading my blog, as always your questions and comments are always welcome!

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!

Another mega- blog! 7 paintings and a whole lot more!

   The first part of October has been full of stuff, yes of course painting, but also shows and some traction in getting the paintings into the world, all great, and desired, but a lot to process.  The weather has been just beautiful, with the fall colors changing in exciting and unpredictable ways.

     This is a scene looking down Carey Ave, a back street in Hoosick Falls, NY.  I honestly don't know how I ended up painting this scene, but it did have some redeeming qualities with the shadows crossing the street, the distant hill and the tree cut (where the tree is cut back for the power lines, and is a common subject for me)

                           Truly a back street in an old post industrial small town in Upstate New York, there is a scruffy quality, and a majestic quality and they co-exist in a lovely fashion.

                         #869  Carey Ave. Hoosick Falls, NY.     10-5-16            10x8



         The next day, I visited my parents in Newton, MA.  This is the city hall, not far from where I grew up, and my parents still live.

      This was a great scene, the light on the building, the shadows of the trees, and the traffic, so much traffic going by.

      #870  Newton City Hall, Newton, MA.               10-6-16                                11x12


         Friday night was the first of 4 days in the Landscapes for landsake show, a fundraiser for the Ag Stewardship Association, a cause close to heart, preserving farmland in our region, I'm friends with a lot of the other artists and many of the people that come to the show, and that's a lot of people.  It was a great success with a lot of sales, seeing old friends, meeting people and fun!

      Early (5:30) Saturday morning I took Alane and Hope to the airport for a trip to Puerto Rico, they would have a blast with Alane's sister, niece, and families.

   On Monday, Columbus Day, also the final day of the show, I went out to paint. This is what I found:

  I really liked this process shot, it shows how I'm thinking while developing the painting, notice the scraping away of the sky for the tree, and that the bright lights and darkest shadows are there early in the session.

    #871 Cross Rd.  Salem, NY.                   10-10-16                                    14x16

Later the same day I went to Greenwich and found this:

These village scenes close to the end of the day pose some interesting challenges, with the way that the light goes on one thing then another, it also give you an opportunity to create a very dynamic composition with these radical elements of different parts.

     I don't necessarily like "chasing" the light, that is to change things as the light changes, but I do sometimes.

       #872  Salem St. Greenwich, NY.                    10-10-16                        11x14

Tuesday was just too beautiful not to paint, and with the trees turning colors I went looking for trees, you'd think I could just walk out the door and find a tree to paint, but nooooo, I have to drive around past millions of them to find the ONE.

 

      #873  Black Creek Rd.  Salem, NY.                   10-11-16                     12x16


   This was Wednesday, another day with gorgeous light.

     This is the largest panel I've painted in a long time.

      #874 Lincoln Hill Rd.                             10-12-16                               16x18

Yesterday on my way back from Saratoga, I drove around way too much, but I found something pretty good. 

   In this case I had to stop because I was loosing the light, which was great, but fleeting especially toward the end.

       #875 Scotch Hill Rd. Salem, NY.               10-14-16                           9x12

Thank you for reading my blog!

4 days on the farm

      I settled in to a week of staying close to home, and wandered the farm roads in and around Cambridge.

Thursday, September 22:



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

        The farmer was plowing the recently reaped field but the impact on the land was too subtle to get in the painting.
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Sunday, September 25:

                  I wandered around and found this on Carney-Cassidy Rd.

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      #862  Carney-Cassidy Rd.                       9-25-16                                  11x14

                                                                      Another shadow selfie!

Monday, September 26:

       I found another field with the corn getting harvested, it was nestled in between a lawn and a treed hill, and it was off of Scotch Hill Rd.

         #863  Scotch Hill Rd.  Salem, NY.                     9-26-16                            14x16


 Tuesday, September 27:

          I wandered, like I do, and found this, the sun and shade on the lawn, and the back-lit barns.

    Part of the challenge is handling the brightness, when you and your canvas are in the shade, and handling the contrast is a challenge. I took the photo below when I got back and it's striking how much the color changes with the camera in different lighting.

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

     Almost caught up,  two more finish out September, then yesterday and today start October. Plus I'll have to photograph all the finished paintings of both August and September.  Thanks for reading my blog and following this serpentine path!