Last of the Color and Lady Bugs

 

View from Sheep Hill, Williamstown, MA. 8 x 16 inches, oil on linen panel.  I'm trying to get the last of the color before it disappears.  Insects are one of the perils of plein air painting.  I was bombarded with ladybugs this afternoon.  They landed on my hat, my face, my painting, and inside my collar but their numbers eventually subsided.

This Autumn Afternoon

 

Sheep Hill View, Williamstown, MA. 8 x 16 inches, oil on linen panel.  This autumn afternoon I painted at the top of Sheep Hill. Mount Prospect, Mount Greylock, The Hopper and Stony Ledge range across the background.

Demand to Be Painted

Tree on Luce Road, Williamstown, MA. 9x12 inches, oil on linen panel.  Some things demand to be painted, like this tree, which I saw yesterday, which demanded to be painted.

Pond Drawing 2

Pond at Field Farm, Williamstown, MA. 9 x 12 inches, pencil on paper.  While painting at the pond yesterday I managed to do this drawing (not at the same time).

Pondering the View

Pond at Field Farm, Williamstown, MA. 9 x 12 inches, oil on linen panel. Since rain is coming, I spent the afternoon at the pond painting outside while I can.  This is the same view as yesterday's drawing.

Pond Drawing

Pond at Field Farm, Williamstown, MA. 9x12 inches, pencil on paper. What I am trying to do here is draw what can't be drawn easily, abundant bursting nature.  I've been looking at the English artist Tom Fairs, whose drawings display a mastery of drawing the impossible.

In Front of Me

Rocks and Sea, Ogunquit, ME.  9x12 inches, pencil on paper.  I sat on a bench on the Marginal Way and sketched what was in front of me.  

Amidst and Behind

Entrance to Perkins Cove, Ogunquit, ME.  8x10 inches, oil on linen panel.  Done while perched amidst the rocks behind the Ogunquit Museum.

Looks Idyllic

View from the Top of Luce Road, Williamstown, MA. 12x16 inches, oil on linen panel.  This view, slightly different from the other day, looks idyllic but there was frequent car traffic going by.  I was only ten feet from the road.  Some people slowed down to say nice things though.  

A Lot of Them

View from Luce Road, Williamstown, MA. 11x14 inches, oil on canvas panel.  It was a nice cloud day so I went up to where I could see a lot of them.  

Breadth of the View

Mount Greylock from Sheep Hill, Williamstown, MA. 10x20 inches, oil on linen panel. With this size panel I was able to place Greylock at the upper right and include the near foreground tree at the lower left to suggest the breadth of the view.  The mountain at the left is Prospect, which usually hides Greylock from view.
 

In the Top Center

View of Mount Greylock from Sheep Hill, Williamstown, MA. 8x16 inches, oil on linen panel. Earlier this week I painted at the top of Sheep Hill.   I used a 1:2 ratio panel to prep for a possible larger painting.  A different format poses different issues: my aim here was to put Greylock in the top center.

 

Nape of the Neck

Oakes Cove at Rocky Neck, Gloucester, MA. 6x8 inches, gouache on mixed media paper.  A plein air depiction of the nape of the neck.

A Mountain Interlude

Mount Greylock from Sheep Hill, Williamstown, MA.  12x12 inches, oil on linen panel.  A mountain interlude painted yesterday.  I used a square panel to include more sky in this iconic view.

Morning Low Tide

Low Tide, Wellfleet, MA. 6x8 inches, gouache on mixed media paper.  I did this one quickly Saturday morning.  The smoke rolled in shortly after.
 

In the Heat on the Path

Path, Field Farm, Williamstown, MA. 9x12 inches, oil on Raymar panel.  The path looks like it's going into a cave.  I set up in the heat on the path to paint it this morning.  The tall grass probably won't be around much longer for this is about the time when the mowers appear.

Juggling On the North Trail

Mount Greylock from Field Farm, Williamstown, MA. 9x12 inches, oil on board. I was juggling compositional elements on the North Trail yesterday afternoon.  

Passageway

Path, Field Farm, Williamstown, MA. 9x12 inches, pencil on paper. I drew this while on my walk the other day.  It's a path cut into the tall grass going into the woods that feels like a passage from one realm into another.

In a Different Spot

View from Sheep Hill, Williamstown, MA. 9x12 inches, oil on Raymar panel.  My power over the weather diminished today since the sun stayed out.   I set up in a different spot this time, more to the left, mainly determined by the location of some shade.  The painting sort of rolled off my brushes as if it knew where it wanted to go.

Weather Power

View from Sheep Hill, Williamstown, MA. 11x14 inches, oil on canvas panel.  I'm starting to think I might have some control over the weather.  I show up to paint, and the sun disappears.  Today, it even rained after I finished.