Saint-Emilion

Many, many years ago,  while I was walking down Witherspoon Street in Princeton, NJ, passing a wine shop, one of the clerks motioned me in, and said I had to try a sample of a French wine from Saint-Emilion.   He was so excited about the wine because as soon as you tasted it, the wine literally gave you the sensation of expanding in your mouth.  That was the only time I've ever had that experience.  The result is that since then I've always had a fondness for the words "Saint-Emilion" and was fortunate to visit this wine center a while back.  This small painting depicts one of the side streets of Saint-Emilion.  6x8 oil on gessobord.

Large Painting on the Studio Wall

Two views of the studio wall from this morning.  I splurged recently to frame the large painting (3x4') with the hope of selling it.  The painting, which depicts the underside of the Gowanus Expressway in Brooklyn, came about due to a commission that didn't work out.

A Souvenir of Aix

This small painting is a souvenir of the time I spent in Aix-en-Provence.  I would pass this fountain daily on my way to and from French language class.  The location is the Place des Quatre Dauphins at the intersection of the Rue du 4 Septembre and Rue Cardinale.  In hindsight, I probably should have spent more time wandering in Le Tholonet in the footsteps of Cezanne.  6x8 oil on gessobord.

Painting at the Paddock

So this morning I went to the farm on Luce Road in Williamstown, MA to make a painting of the gate with the mountains in the background.  I posted a drawing of this view a few days ago.  When I did the drawing the two paddocks nearby were empty, but today there were three horses present, including a mother and daughter.  The daughter Carmelita is just over a week old.  I found out from the owners who came by to admire her.

A Cow's View

Here's the painting from the other day: a cow's view of the Hopper from the corner of the pasture.  The gravel road, barn and the flowering trees, besides the sky, help offset the various spring greens.  9x12 oil on panel.

No Poppy Fields but a Real Grey Lock

It was raining slightly when I started this painting today but I figured it wouldn't last. I had to paint since Mount Greylock this time had a real "grey lock" covering its summit.  After I finished the painting, I thought I'd better find some views with something more to help offset the spring greens.  I was hoping the mountains would be enough.  Unfortunately there are not any red poppy fields around.  9x12 oil on panel.

Completing a Sketchbook

Earlier today I went out to try to "complete" a sketchbook.  Probably like most artists,  I have piles of sketchbooks in which the last couple pages are blank.  I hate seeing a blank piece of paper.  It's hard to "complete" a sketchbook, since it often means carrying at least two when you go out sketching.  The sketchbook I took with me today spans three years.  Here is a sampling of drawings from it with the farmer's gate the latest drawing from today.  By the way,  I wasn't able to do the last blank page, since I had to rush home to avoid a rainstorm.

Gazing and Schmaltzy

This is where I was this afternoon, painting in the cow pasture, gazing, not grazing, at the Hopper in the distance.  At one point I included a cow in the painting, but then I removed it: too schmaltzy for me.  9x12 oil on aluminum panel.

A Wedge of Sky

A different kind of urban scape this time:  A small painting, just for the heck of it, of the plaza in front of the church dedicated to Mary Magdalene in the town of Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume in Provence.  It was like a stage setting with a wedge of sky.  6x8 oil on gessobord.

Scout Drawings

Two pencil drawings done last week in the suburban backyard.  I was scouting these views and compositions for the time when I return in the next week or so.  Hopefully the weather will allow me to paint some variation of them.

Franklin Avenue Handrails

Franklin Avenue approaching Dean Street in Brooklyn offers a bunch of diagonal handrails, which have always appealed to me.  Maybe because of their complexity.  The perspective of receding rooflines across the street offers a softer, contrary diagonal.  6x8 oil on panel.

The Mountain

Access to the top of Mount Greylock became available yesterday, but I drove to a lower point to view the mountain instead.  Here's Greylock from the top of Sheep Hill.  Sheep Hill is visible from the top of the mountain, but harder to find.  9x12 oil on panel.

Hoosic in North Adams

Yesterday I drove by this spot on Route 2 in North Adams, MA and needed to return to paint it today.  At this point the Hoosic River flows under Route 2, which is to my back.  The mountain in the background of the painting is Mount Williams.  The green still says spring.  Your may find it hard to believe that this is a city view.  9x12 oil on aluminum panel.

Sidewalk Shadows

Back to Brooklyn: a small painting of the shadows on Dean Street, actually the sidewalk on Dean Street.  6x8 oil on board.

Backyard Support

 

If you are a landscape painter, and it rains all the time, a day without rain is a welcome gift. I was able to paint outside in the backyard again yesterday.  It's amusing how one can use sheds compositionally in a picture to support a mass of trees and foliage, while when you are physically in the backyard, this aspect is easily overlooked (pun intended).  12x9 oil on aluminum panel.