The Bush And The Mountain

The cow pasture off of Sloan Road in Williamstown. MA beckoned again.  Of course I selected a difficult landscape subject.  The first drawing is my thumbnail sketch.  Then the painting which was a struggle.  I finished by making another larger drawing in case I want to work on the painting again.  The mountain in the background is Greylock.

The Sun Shone

It's raining today, but yesterday the sun shone on what's left of my flowers.  12x9 inches, oil on panel.

A Second Drawing

A second drawing from my afternoon walk.  10x8 inches, pencil on paper.

Remnants

The remnants of the original flower bouquet.  6x8 inches, oil on panel. 

Walking Up The Road

Walking up the road this afternoon, I took time to draw a few trees by the side of the road.  8x10, pencil on paper.

Yellow

My flower supplier likes yellow flowers.  12x9 oil on panel.

Place Rossetti

The final version of this painting, a view up Rue Rossetti from Place Rossetti in Nice.  9x12 oil on panel. 

New Flowers

New flowers.  Yellow pansies.  9x12 inches, oil on panel.

A Still Life

A still life of flowers near a sunny window.  8x6 inches, oil on panel.

Succumbing to Temptation

This afternoon I painted outside in a cow pasture through which runs a stream in Williamstown, MA.  It's not easy organizing a landscape painting when the branches and tree limbs fly in every direction.  I've been there before.  That blue is always so tempting so I succumbed.

Disappearing Hay Bales

When I visit this spot, as I did a couple days ago, I discover that the farmer has removed a bale or two.  They will be gone before the nice weather arrives.

Fading

The flowers are fading fast.  Here are the current survivors in a smaller vase.  12x9 oil on panel.

Little Drawings

Three little preparatory pencil sketches.

A Sunny Spot

I moved the flowers to an indoor sunny spot.  I used a small panel, since the direct sunlight wouldn't last long.  8x6 oil on panel.

The Clock Tower

Le Tour de l'Horloge from la Rue de la Prefecture in Nice.  The clock tower casts its shadow on nearby buildings.  9x12 oil on panel.

Inside Wallflowers

If the weather was nicer, I'd set up my flowers outside.  But it's cold and windy with snow flurries.  So I painted them inside against a wall near a window.  12x9 inches, oil on panel.

Lasting

As long as these flowers last, I'll paint them.  12x9 oil on panel. 

Death and Destruction

The tulips have fallen apart and are no more. 

Getting Itchy

Getting itchy to paint outside, I walked up the road and into the corn field/pasture this afternoon.  There are some hay bales from last year tucked away against a few trees, which are promising material.  8x10 inches, pencil on paper.

Just Painting

During this time of staying at home, I haven't done much, just painting and drawing.  12x9 oil on panel.

Smiling

Someone told me to smile for my self-portrait.  I am smiling.  12x9 charcoal pencil on paper.

Flowers at the Window

A variation of the flowers in a glass vase.  Bernard Dustan, in his book on Still Life, says that the painter doesn't appreciate his flower painting until the actual flowers are gone, and he no longer has to compare.  12x9, oil on panel.

Drawing Apart

Today I went for a walk up the dirt road.   Few people and plenty of space to keep apart.  Of course, I brought along my sketch pad. 

Rue Saint-Joseph

Rue Saint-Joseph from Rue Rossetti in old town Nice, France.  9x12 oil on panel.

Another View

Another view of the tulips on the dining room table.  9x12 oil on panel.

Tulips

More flowers around the house.  Tulips.  6x8 oil on panel.

Around The House

For my last self-portrait, I moved my easel out of the studio and set up near a large window, which led me to start looking around the house.  These flowers were nearby on the dining room table. 8x6 oil on panel.

What I Did Today

What I did today at home.  12x9 oil on panel.

So Much For Serious Stuff

First,  I couldn't get this guy to look at me, though I know for a fact he was.  And he's been reading too much stuff on the Internet about the virus so I can't get him to smile anymore.  I kept thinking of the statue of Marshall Andre Massena that we passed every day in Nice.  Fittingly, a pigeon was always standing on top of his head. So much for serious stuff.

Once Upon A Time

The painting of an alleyway in Nice, which I've worked on some more.  More like a path in my mind. 9x12, oil on panel.

Whose That?

Still working on this one.  The English painter Bernard Dustan commented in his book Starting To Paint Portraits, "Remember that very few self-portraits are good likenesses, so you mustn't mind too much when you show the result to someone who says 'Whose that a portrait of?'"

Serial Self Portraitist

For this drawing I placed my nose close to the paper...er, mirror, maybe too close.  When I look at the work of serial self-portraitists, it's all recognizable, and quite variable.  I can guess why, but I'm not going to worry about it.

A Small Figure

Yesterday I looked across my studio room into a small mirror and saw a small figure looking back at me.  12x9 inches, pencil on paper.

A Malleable Head

While my wife is busy making masks, I'm showing how malleable my head is, making marks.  What is there to be afraid of?  12x9 inches, charcoal on paper.

A Natural Squinter

In yesterday's self-portrait, I didn't wear my glasses when painting.  Without them, I'm a natural squinter.  I put them back on for this charcoal drawing.  12x9 inches.

Mr. Potato Head

First, I did a drawing.  I looked like Mr. Potato Head, but then I settled down and did this painting.  Now I just look old and tired.  11x14 inches, oil on panel.

Place Rossetti

Place Rossetti next to the Cathedrale Sainte-Reparate in Nice old town.  9x12 oil on panel.

A Magical Place

A magical view down one of the alleyways in old town Nice.  Like a scene from a fairy tale for me.   9x12 oil on panel.

Just Gray.

A view from my studio window.  Not particularly sexy.  First, I thought I would do a painting, harmony in brown, green and gray.  Then, a drawing.  Just gray.  I've been reading a book by one of my favorite painters, an English artist who died in 2017 at the age of ninety-seven:  Bernard Dustan.  He did a lot of his paintings from drawings.  The drawings leave much to the imagination. 

The Tiny Space of Old Town Nice

The corner of Rue Rossetti and Rue Saint-Joseph looking in the opposite direction of the glowing building posted earlier.  The entrance to the rec/lunch room for the sanitation workers is the first door on the right.  I was amazed constantly at how much there was to see in such a tiny space as Nice old town.  And it kept changing as the light changed.  And the narrow streets are not flat but go up and down.  And wash is always hanging from windows to dry.  12x16 oil on panel.