Robin Hood Flats

"The weather outside is frightful." As I write, our "Spring" weather in Maryland is raining/sleeting and snow is forecast. I want to paint but plein air is not what I want to do at this time. During these times I like to do what I call a Memory Painting. I have no problem in working from my photos. My goal, however is not to reproduce a photo-realist image but to work on my color theory, capture a spontaneous moment, and I must add, to recapture a joyful memory. How do I mix these odd and unexpected colors? In working out my issues with with color mixing in my studio I have found my I can mix colors faster and make decisions much faster when I go outside. . For instance, The orangey green found in the trees is a combination of a golden ocher (a new find) and permanent green. Morning sun on summer grass can actually be a from the tube hansa yellow if it is next to greens made with a color I found called Arylide yellow. I think I could even push it more. I also like to see how much information I can leave out and what kind of marks I can make that suggest information without being explicit. oil 10x10in

Morning- Keene Valley

I wanted to try a new color for a ground, a dark reddish-brown. I used an acrylic product that is made up of discarded paint left after manufacturing. The ultimate recycling. After priming my birch panel I was left with a very grainy fine textured surface almost like my sanded pastel paper. I think I like the effect. Like painting on a window screen (only a Baltimore person would understand this). This is a memory picture from an old photo. When the sun finally comes up over the mountain and shines into Keene Valley everything is bathed in this yellow-orange glow. It is now that I start thinking about the summer. My show has been very successful so far. Many pieces have sold. After the big push of production I now need to think about what direction I want to go. I want to play with the effects of light, let surface textures play a part , flatten and abstract the images and, if using a photo, continue to go beyond what the photo does. If I can take that spirit into my plein air, great. oil on birch panel 10x10in. SOLD

red snapper

Took a little workshop with the Maryland Plein air painters and created this little still life. I haven't attempted still life in years and had never painted a fish! What great fun. When dry I will "tweak" the ellipses and colors in the white. I was really attracted to the reflected color of the lemon in the skin of the fish.