Evening on the Peninsula

 Late November I  traveled down to Sherwood Forest near Annapolis. It was quiet and misty on the Severn. Here is the Peninsula under different light. This majestic piece of land constantly gives me pleasure to gaze on. I have tried to create a sense of atmosphere using many layers of related values of bluish greys ,blending, rubbing and crosshatching.

18x24 in on sanded paper       

Honorable Mention in National Juried Show

 It's always nice to be "mentioned honorably". My painting was chosen out of over 500 entries to be in the "Small Wonders" show at the MFA Gallery in Annapolis. It is a 6x6 oil of the Methodist church on Sweet Air rd. in Balto. co. .  

Fadley's Landing

 One thing about snow days is you can hunker down and get some drawing done. I had this one begun a year ago and it was languishing in a drawer unfinished. I pulled it out and worked it a little more and framed it. 11x17in pastel

Big Cairn on Little Crow

 

 Revisited a drawing I did last year by cropping a good bit off the sides, changing it from a 16x20in to a 12x16in composition. I also drew more into it adding more marks and color.  I found this cairn on top of Big Crow Mt. near Keene, NY   pastel on board

Hello Wilber.

 Made a visit to the Schick farm and got a tour of the place. Bob and his wife Jeannie rescue horses. As we were walking through the paddock the sun came out and cast these beautiful shadows on the wall. And as if he was on cue this fellow popped his head out to say hello. He was a NYC Police horse during 9-11 and now spends his retirement eating grass and enjoying the sun.  I really liked the play of light and shadow and all of the interlocking squares and rectangles. The shadows were gone in seconds. I was lucky to get a shot of the horse. I took a lot of reference pictures and built the painting. Great fun getting back into the studio after a hiatus because of school. Pastel 18x24 in on sienna toned sanded paper.    

Some answers to some questions posed by one of my students

• I was in 4th grade when I knew I wanted to be an artist. Miss Donohue, My 4th grade teacher, let me  draw through a  math class once. I knew I was on to something there. I also assisted an experienced teacher in a summer program when I was in High School. I didn't know at the time she was the Art Supervisor for Anne Arundel Co. Schools. 
• I prefer to paint landscapes. in oil and pastel. I enjoy being outside , in the woods or along rivers. I feel close to nature and find spiritual sustenance there. But mostly I am attracted to bold color.
• I have had many mentors, living and dead. Artists are constantly learning from other artists. Andrew Wyeth and Vincent Van Gogh were very early inspirations. Later , in adulthood, I fell in love with American Impressionism and the painters of the early 20th cen. Edward Hopper, Rockwell Kent, George Bellows, and the paintings of Fairfield Porter and the Canadian Tom Thompson. Those guys still paint better and fresher than many artists working today.  Living mentors were my teachers, Frank Kelly, Duane Sabiston, John Saurs, and  Eugene Leake, Robert Stark , and many others.
• My wife has always supported me emotionally in producing art. She has always encouraged my art making.
•  When I met  gallery owner, Martha Corscaden in New York, who wanted to show my work, I was really inspired to produce. I have had annual shows since 2009.
• I always liked teaching. In Boy Scouts I used  to give "lectures" on stuff. I then became an Arts and Crafts camp counselor in high school through college. I  learned a lot on my own.  I found teaching something was the best way to learn something. I always enjoyed sharing what I had learned. I studied art teaching in college and got a job right out of school based on all my experience with kids in my summer programs.  
•  Advice? Paint what gives you joy. Paintings are more than just the objects you draw. In my case they are about light, or color.  And Don't be afraid to take risks.There are no mistakes in art, only adjustments and discovery.  When you face your fear you find your art. 

Painting at Chapel Pond

 Here I am with Maggie captured in a photograph by Terry Martin ,who was snapping pictures of the dawn the morning I was painting out at Chapel Pond.