Wild and Remote

Hoosic River, Williamstown, MA. 11x14 inches, oil on canvas panel.  The river is receding, so I was able to access another shore area seldom visited. The edges of rivers are often wild and remote.

Stony Plaza and Smart Phones

Plaza del Obradoiro, Santiago de Compostela.  6x8 inches, watercolor, gouache and pencil on mixed media paper.  The hikers don't seem to mind stretching out on the stony surface to use their smart phones.

Santiago de Compostela

Plaza del Obradoiro, Santiago de Compostela.  8x10 inches, watercolor, gouache and pencil on paper.  First of a series of sketches of the plaza, usually filled with arriving hikers and visitors.  I think of them as postcards to recapture the experience of being there.

From a Beach with No Name

Hoosic River, Williamstown, MA. 8x10 inches, oil on linen panel.  The river view from a beach with no name, east of Cole Avenue.  The water level is going down at this time making this beach accessible, but the coming weekend rain will inundate it again.

At Sandy Beach on the Hoosic

Hoosic River, Williamstown, MA. 8x10 inches, oil on linen panel.  I'm no longer in Spain, so I went out to paint this afternoon at Sandy Beach on the Hoosic.  

Many Paintings

Hoosic River, Williamstown, MA. 6x8 inches, oil on linen panel.  Testing out some pictorial ideas in a little painting.  The river contains many paintings.

A Rare Phenomenon

Hoosic River, Williamstown, MA. 12x16 inches, oil on canvas panel.  From my wanderings along the edges of the Hoosic, my guess is that this overhanging willow is a rare phenomenon.  

Hearing Voices

Hoosic River, Williamstown, MA. 11x14 inches, oil on canvas panel.  As I was setting up to paint in a secluded spot on the river today, I heard a voice.  It came from the river.  I heard it again.  Only then did I see a pontoon boat appear around the corner with three people in it: one person in the front fishing, another in the middle rowing, and a third at the rear along for the ride.  I told the rower pilot that I was going to paint and that I thought the river was speaking to me when I heard him talk. He said, "I hope that it does speak to you."   Then the fisherman in front yelled "Plein Air!" a couple times and the boat disappeared around the next corner.

Looking at the Water

Hoosic River, Williamstown, MA. 9x12 inches, oil on linen panel.  Here I am looking at the water to the other side of the river.  

Reacquaintance Drawing

Hoosic River Tree, Williamstown, MA. 9x12 inches, pencil on paper. Since the weather is not cooperating, I will do a studio painting of the river.  I went back this afternoon to reacquaint myself with this location. 

Perilously Close

Hoosic River, Williamstown, MA. 11x14 inches, oil on canvas panel.  The river flows perilously close to the old footpath's edge, which is caving in at some places.  But it's a great view.

At the River Bend

Bend in the Hoosic River, Williamstown, MA. 11x14 inches, oil on canvas panel. I went out earlier today. I was surprised when a walker asked if I was "Robert".  She said she's seen my paintings on FB.  Thank you, Lisa.

Never the Same

Hoosic River, Williamstown, MA. 11x14 inches, oil on canvas panel.  There aren't too many spots where the river is easily accessible for painting like this one right now, so pardon me for returning to a familiar site.  As the greenery expands and the water goes down, other views will become available for painting.  But even the same place is never the same.

 

On Top of the River

Hoosic River, Williamstown, MA. 8x10 inches, oil on linen panel.  Trees leaning over the river are on top of the river in a painting so they tend to blend together.  I did this plein air painting this afternoon.

Study of a Tree

Study of a Tree at Field Farm, Williamstown, MA. 12x16 inches, oil on canvas panel.  I've been working on this one for a while. It's a real study in the sense that I am trying to do something different and learn from it. When I first saw the tree three weeks ago, it was like Annie Dillard's tree with the lights in it. Time will tell what I've learned.