Pink Rock-Bouquet River II

There are 3 things I enjoy about painting rocks, especially these rocks. 1st. It brings me back to the Bouquet River, finding my favorite site in the Hemlock forest on the way to Keene Valley. It's a place I discovered over a decade ago where the light changes from dappled yellow to green filtering in through pine branches and the forest floor is a silent carpet of burnt sienna pine needles with the suprise of a crimson salamander. The scent of balsam permeates the air and the sound of rapid water over the rocks make speaking impossible. 2nd. Constructing a rock painting is like building a stone wall. One has to work rock by rock so the pieces of the painting have to all fit together like an Adirondack fireplace. 3rd. I can be endlessly inventive with marks, lines, textures and even color as I work. My rocks are made of slashes, squiggles and many built up layers of calligraphic marks. Pastel gives me immediate freedom of color and gesture that describes for me the feeling of moving water. It may seem photographic from a distance but on closer inspection I try to be loose and very expressionistic. pastel on sanded paper18x26in.

CHAPEL POND TRIPTYCH

On our last day in the

Adirondacks in August I went out early in the morning painting with Bear Miller on the shore of Chapel Pond. It was a cloudy morning that threatend rain but never did. Clouds moved quickly across the sky.

12x36in. oil on birch panel

IDLE RIVER

This is the view I was painting in the photograph below. My goals were to flatten the trees into shapes and to capture the orange-yellow light of the setting sun reflecting off the boats. I also liked how the white sailboat in the shadows turned blue and had to keep waiting until the boat drifted into sideview.

12x12in. on birch panel. oil

Painting on Brewer Creek

Sunday was a clear evening down in Sherwood ForestMD. I painted until dusk on the shore of Brewer's Creek. I grew up calling it by another name which Iprefer, the Idle River.

Painting on Brewer Creek

A passing Kayaker snapped this photo of me painting at water's edge with Maggie.

Kilgore Falls

Last sat. weather was so clear and cool I drove out to Harford Co. MD's highest waterfall and painted on site.Kilgore Falls is a 10 min hike into the woods. I set up deep in the shadows. The sun broke through the trees in little bursts of bright color. It was a 2 hour color sketch but it was good to get out into the world and sit in woods and try to capture a fleeting moment. I will probably
re-work this sketch and deepen the shadows.
It was quite dark when I painted it in the woods and the painting is very pale under brighter lighting conditions. oil on birch panel 12x12 in

cairn II

This cairn sits atop Big Crow as well. It may be closer to the Nun da ga o ridge trail that links Big Crow with Mt Weston in the High Peaks region of the Adirondack Mts.

18x26in pastel