Susquehanna thunderstorm

6"x6" oil/panel
plein air
sold
















6"x6" oil/panel
plein air
sold




I slipped out last evening as a storm was approaching Harrisburg. I took two little canvassas and painted them simultaneously. I mixed paint rapidly....applied via brushes even more rapidly! I ran back to the house and just barely got the door open when the skies let loose.







On another note, I'm very excited to have been picked by plein air phenom Kenn Backhaus to participate on a 6 artist panel discussing our approaches to plein air painting. The event will be Saturday evening, during Paint Annapolis week. Kenn will be the moderator..asking each artist questions to help the public understand our individual approaches, influences, techniques etc...This should be a very educational and fun evening.







I'm off to the Westhampton Beach fine art festival. It runs Saturday and Sunday. Fingers crossed the Hurricane stays far enough away that we can do the show. Also, after yesterdays stormy evening I've been really admiring the threatening skies again today. Turns out there was just a tornado north of Harrisburg. Visually incredible... but destruction...not good. I talked to fellow painter David Oleski a bit ago and mentioned the tornado. He said " wow, did you paint it? That would really put you on the map." That guy is funny. He gets where I'm coming from.

Rehoboth Art Show

36"x36" oil/canvas

I'm off to the Rehoboth art league fine art show.The show runs Saturday and Sunday. If anyones around stop by and say hi. I will have some of the big new pieces there. Art show link

Here is a 36"x36" blow up of the grain silos plein air piece from a year and a half ago.

City Island Marina

30"x40" plein air




Back in studio I break out the brushes... Do some edge work.... More boat markings..... By applying so much paint on site I was able to keep the same atmosphere back in the studio. Just had to push a little paint here and there. The energy that goes into these big plein air pieces is hard to describe. I felt like I was back racing mountain bikes!












As I slowly make markings for the boats, the thunder is getting closer. Since I'm on top of a building.... on the river.....With a storm approaching... Probably wise to pack up... So I do...The sky lets loose just as I cross the river in my car.... Close call....
















Mixed some more values......Decided to include the foreground tree...tweaked the buildings... Pondered just exactly how to tackle the boats.... Way too busy to attempt detail.... I decided to just use markings and forget about the fact that they are boats....Thunder gets my attention...















Brought out my studio palette, cans of paint included. Going big... using lots of paint....mixed my darks and knifed them in....

Yikes, That's alot of canvas. 30"x 40" to be exact. Saturday morning....on top of the parking garage...on city island....in Harrisburg, PA.... I decide to tackle a big plein air piece. I checked weather radar.....Storms were in State College...

river at sunset

24"x24" oil/canvas



















24"x24" oil/canvas

finished the two paintings for the conference room. The river is a predominate subject around here and it never gets old. Visually, I find it to be the most outstanding thing in Harrisburg. The bridges are a strong second but incredibly challenging to paint. The river proves calming in summer yet can flood almost the entire city at times.

Big Spaces

36"x48" oil/canvas
















36"x48" oil/canvas

When I heard that the business I will be displaying some paintings at has large walls.... I went to work. After viewing the space I see I was a bit ambitious. That's ok. I'm working on some smaller complementary pieces for the conference room. I'm posting the first big ones today(which will be going to the outdoor shows) and finishing the second smaller one tonight. These are grown up versions of smaller plein air pieces as will be the next two.

Wellfleet harbor revisited

30"x40" oil/canvas


I did a large painting referenced from a plein air piece from the Cape Cod trip. This piece required alot of energy. I premixed most colors, loaded up with stand oil, and still didn't have near enough paint to knife on. Mixed just as much paint the second day and got after it again. Finally got a good result.....I think.