October Leaves in Late Afternoon Light

October Leaves in Late Afternoon Light
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Today on a late afternoon walk, I noticed the sunlight hitting the trees, creating a golden glow as it played on the autumn leaves. I took several pictures with my phonecam to try to capture the effect of the light on those trees. I don't know if I succeeded, but this is one of the best of my efforts. This image has been cropped to improve the composition, and to focus on the play of light and shadow at the edge of the wooded area.

Transformation Landscape (Number 2)

Transformation Landscape (Number 2)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I went to the studio at Red Brick this morning. I only had an hour to spare, but I worked on three small drawings, landscapes "transformed" from an acrylic painting on paper that I cut into nine pieces, six by eight inches. I had fun drawing into the pieces with conte crayon and pencil. I don't know if this is the best of the three, but this is the best photograph of today's work that I got with my phonecam.

October Leaves

October Leaves
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

It is the peak season for fall color around here, and people travel long distances to see this. Lately, I have seen beautiful October leaves while running errands around town, driving up and down Route 128, or even driving to New Hampshire. But one of the best photos of autumn color that I have been able to take is this one, taken at the local gas station! There was a small tree with bright red leaves by the fence, and I made a point of taking a picture because I knew I would be able to reach high enough to get a good view of the leaves. Tonight I cropped the image, then opened it in Painter IX to clean up one little distracting mark, using digital chalk. Sometimes you don't have to travel very far to see something amazing!

Transformation Landscape (Number 5)

Transformation Landscape (Number 5)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This small drawing is part of a series I started this week at Red Brick. At home, I had found an abandoned painting (acrylic on paper), the beginning of a figure in pink and orange. I had started it in a class as an assignment, I think. So I took the painting to Red Brick, just intending to cut it up for collage. Looking more closely, I saw areas I liked, so I planned to crop them out and draw into them with conte crayon. Then I decided to just divide the painting into nine small pieces, six by eight inches, and work with whatever composition resulted in each rectangle. I drew the lines with pencil and T-square; instead of erasing the marks and lines, I decided to draw more lines in pencil, and then used conte crayon to add color. This is one of three drawings I worked on so far. Although I photographed the pieces reassembled into their original positions in the painting (I numbered them), I am not paying attention to that in my drawings. ( In some cases, I am turning them upside-down or sideways.) But the shared color scheme, technique, and subject matter will make them into a series. The way this project started is not that important, but it made me laugh and it is fun to see what I can do with each composition, determined by the random measurement.

Front Range Coasters (In Progress)

Front Range Coasters (In Progress)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Here is another set of coasters that I painted at Red Brick for their upcoming fundraiser. These are in progress because they are not yet fired. The shapes and colors remind me of the way the Colorado mountains look along the Front Range, even more so when all four are lined up horizontally.

Paper Flowers (Collage)

Paper Flowers (Collage)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I like to finish my collages with acrylic gel medium, but it always makes me nervous to do it. When the medium is wet, it always looks to me like I have just ruined the collage because the paper can curl up and bubble and look distorted. That is exactly how I felt when this piece was wet, so I was anxious to see how it would look once the acrylic medium dried. I was relieved when I saw it dry, and this is how it looks finished. I had fun making this collage, and I think I may do some more.

A Portrait in Progress as of October 12

A Portrait in Progress as of October 12
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I worked on this painting yesterday, a portrait I have been painting for my friends, and this is how it looks now. I added a transparent pink wash to the face, but otherwise left it alone. I worked on the blouse, painting in the shape with soft colors. Then I put a thin wash of purple over the jacket.

Grapes in the Arbor (Long Hill Gardens)

Grapes in the Arbor (Long Hill Gardens)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I was looking through some of the photos I have taken lately, and decided to post this one today. It is from a recent walk in Long Hill Gardens on a warm autumn day. I love to stand under the grape arbor, which is just what I did to take this picture with my phonecam. Tonight I cropped the photo to focus on the grapes and the sunlight hitting the leaves.

Topsfield Fair at Night

Topsfield Fair at Night
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Last night, my daughter and I made what has become our annual visit to the Topsfield Fair. It makes me feel like a kid to go to the fair, maybe because it reminds me of going to the Colorado State Fair when I was growing up. Yesterday was the last day of the Topsfield Fair, and we didn't get there till after five. But we had great weather, and had great fun in a short amount of time. We sampled strawberry shortcake, fried dough, and apple cider, and watched a greased pole climbing contest. By then, it was getting dark, and the lights were coming on in the midway. I love to watch the rides, and I took lots of pictures with my phonecam. Tonight, I edited my photos on the computer, and decided that this is the one I like the best.

Purple and Pink Mountains (Day 3)

Purple and Pink Mountains (Day 3)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is how this painting looked after my third opportunity to work on it. I added some pink to the sky, to suggest clouds, and some highlights to the mountains. Better, I think. Sometimes a little bit of paint can make a big difference.

Purple and Pink Mountains (Day 2)

Purple and Pink Mountains (Day 2)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is a work in progress. I went back to this little painting of the Colorado mountains for the second time, and here is how it looked when I was finished for the day. I added some blue washes to the sky as well as to the mountains, just to add layers to the color and to develop some depth.

Purple and Pink Mountains (Day 1)

Purple and Pink Mountains (Day 1)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This little painting is a work in progress, done with acrylics used as water-media. I love to paint the mountains, working from imagination and from memories of Colorado. I started this little landscape several weeks ago, and keep coming back to it. This is how it looked on the day I started it.

Fall Colors

Fall Colors
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I love to see the fall colors around here. This time of year, you can see beautiful colors when you are stuck in traffic on the highway, as I have been recently, or just walking around the neighborhood. Here's a photo from a recent morning walk. I used my phonecam for this shot, then cropped it tonight to get this composition.

Four Coasters (In Progress)

Four Coasters (In Progress)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Tonight I went to Red Brick to paint coasters again for an upcoming fundraiser. It was fun to work with the other artists around the table. This time, the little tiles had already been fired (bisque), so all of our work was painting (no carving into the clay was possible). We were encouraged to make sets of four. (These can be hung on the wall or used as coasters). Here is the set I made tonight. I wonder how they will look once they are fired. . . .

Paper Flowers (Collage in Progress as of October 4)

Paper Flowers (Collage in Progress as of October 4)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This morning I went to Red Brick for a bit. I decided to try to finish up this little collage. Ever since I added the little yellow petals, I have been trying to figure out how to make them fit with the rest of the piece. To get the yellow to show up against the white background, I added dark pink. I also wanted to do something to keep the flowers from floating. I started playing around with paper and scissors without a solution in mind, and this is what I came up with. The cylindrical shape suggests a vase and the color echoes the yellow flowers near the top of the piece. I decided I was satisfied so I signed and photographed it before coating it with acrylic medium. (I thought it would be too wet to photograph well afterward, which turned out to be the case). Now at least I have the digital image, in case it doesn't dry well.

Big Red Mountain

Big Red Mountain
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I went to Red Brick this morning to paint. I worked on this painting again, a landscape inspired by the Colorado mountains. Today I used horizontal lines across the top and bottom to break up the vertical format. These lines can suggest the straight lines we see in the landscape: jet trails, roads, fences, lakes. A vertical format is difficult to use for a landscape, but I like it because that's the point of view you get sometimes when you are in the mountains.

Bright red leaves

Bright red leaves
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Lately the night air has been chilly, although sometimes the afternoons are still warm. We are beginning to see some red leaves. Last week at Long Hill Gardens, I used my phonecam to take a picture of these bright red leaves and purple berries. Once I had the image in the computer, I cropped it to get the composition the way I wanted it. But I didn't touch the color. This is the image just as it came out of the camera.

White Blossom After the Rain

White Blossom After the Rain
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I took this photograph on a recent walk, right after it had stopped raining. I loved the look of the raindrops on the soft white flower. I wonder if this a squash blossom. From the position of the leaves and the location of the plant, it looks like it might be. But I saw no sign of squash growing there, but just a little feast for the eyes, and food for the soul.

Mountains in Clay (Tile in Progress)

Mountains in Clay (Tile in Progress)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Today I went to a coaster painting session at Red Brick. All the artists associated with Red Brick are painting small tile coasters which will be displayed and auctioned as part of a fundraiser later in the year. I made three little tile coasters today, all mountain images. I incised the image into the clay with a pointed tool, then painted with the glazes. I don't know how my little tiles will look once they are fired, and I may not find out for a month or two. But this photo shows what they look like right now. The goal is 100 coasters total for the group, and we are just getting started. I really had a good time, and hope to get to another coaster painting session soon.

Sunny Slope as of September 29

Sunny Slope as of September 29
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Here is another painting I have been working on: mountain imagery inspired by my home state, Colorado. This is acrylic used as water-media. I added blues and purples to the sky, and some pale green washes to the foreground. I actually worked on this one on Wednesday at Red Brick, but it was still too wet to photograph well by the time I had to leave. Today I went to Red Brick again, and while I was there, I photographed it.

Yellow Button Mums

Yellow Button Mums
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Yesterday I went to get my hair cut, and afterwards, I saw a big planter full of little yellow chrysanthemums outside. (My mom used to call these button mums.) I liked the bright yellow flowers, so I took a picture with my phonecam. Tonight I loaded the image into my computer, but the color seemed faded, compared to what I had seen. So I corrected the color a bit, then cropped the image to focus on the patterns that the blossoms make.

A Portrait in Progress as of September 27

A Portrait in Progress as of September 27
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is the portrait I have been painting for my friends, as it looks as of today. Yesterday I added details to the eyes and mouth, small changes to add expression. I adjusted the face shape just a tiny bit, and then began to tone down the blue in the background.

Big Red Mountain (As of Yesterday)

Big Red Mountain (As of Yesterday)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I worked on this painting yesterday at Red Brick. I added some color to the sky, and some dark blue washes to the mountains. This is how the painting looked when I was packing up to go home.

Big Red Mountain (Work in Progress)

Big Red Mountain (Work in Progress)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is a work in progress, a painting inspired by the Rocky Mountains. I am using acrylics as watermedia painting. This is the painting as it looked after two painting sessions at Red Brick. To be continued. . .

September Hydrangea

September Hydrangea
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

On a recent walk, I noticed that hydrangeas seem to be everywhere, and right now, most of them are beautiful shades of pink and cream. They make it look like spring in September! I love the way the flowers look hanging from the branches, so I took some pictures with my phonecam. Tonight I did some cropping to get the composition and colors right in the photos. This one is the best of the bunch, I think.

Apples in the Tree

Apples in the Tree
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Here are more apples. On a recent walk at Long Hill Gardens, I saw an apple tree full of fruit, and started taking pictures with my phonecam. I cropped some of the photos, and this is one of the images I like best

Apples for A Sweet Year (Reference Photo for Still Life)

Apples for A Sweet Year (Reference Photo for Still Life)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Last week, I was working on an oil pastel, a still life of apples in basket, and as I worked on it, posted it as a work in progress. Today I used the finished piece in my e-mailed greetings for the Jewish New Year. This is the photo I took of the apples when I started the drawing, because I wanted to have a photo to use as a reference for the still life in case I couldn't get to Red Brick on a sunny day or at the right time for the light. Well, the drawing is finished, and the apples were taken home and have been eaten. But I still like the photo for its own sake, and as a bonus, it provides a little peek into my studio space at Red Brick. I decided to crop the photo and post it here today because it makes a nice image for Rosh Hashona, when everybody eats apples with honey for a sweet year!

September Light in the Garden

September Light in the Garden
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Here's another recent attempt to capture the golden light of September in the late afternoon. The light is amazing but is it possible to do it justice? I used my phonecam to take this photo of vinca vines in the sunlight. Aside from cropping just a bit on the left, this is the image as it came out of the camera.

Evening Light on the Trees

Evening Light on the Trees
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I love the light in September, and late in the day (or early in the evening) you can see great long shadows and yellow light hitting the trees. I took this picture around dinner-time, using my phonecam.

Windows in Manchester NH

Windows in Manchester NH
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Late this afternoon I took my paintings up to Manchester, New Hampshire, and set up the show so it can be hung tomorrow. Later, I had a chance to walk around the old mill area just as it was beginning to get dark. I like the pattern upon pattern in those old brick mills, and the yellow light in the windows, so I took a picture with my phonecam. When I got home, I rotated the image to get the windows lined up, then cropped the image to get the composition the way I wanted it.

Portuguese Vineyard

Portuguese Vineyard
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I didn't have time to paint today, but I did spend some time dealing with this painting! This is a watercolor of Portugal that I painted a few years ago. In fact, it is one of the first of the series. (I take photos during my visits, and then later, base my watercolors on those photos.) Tomorrow evening I am going to Manchester, New Hampshire, to hang a show of my watercolors of Portugal. But just last night, I saw that the glass on this painting was cracked, so this morning I took it in for a quick glass repair and just picked it up a few minutes ago, right at the five o'clock traffic rush. But now I will be able to hang the whole set of twelve paintings tomorrow as I had planned.

Sunflowers at Meadowbrook Farm

Sunflowers at Meadowbrook Farm
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

The weather has been warm for the past few days, and we have been making the most of it, including a recent excursion to Long Hill Gardens for a walk, followed by a side trip to Meadowbrook Farms, a great little open-air market. That's where I saw bunches of sunflowers for sale, so I took this picture with my phonecam. Tonight I adjusted the color and cropped the image to get the composition I wanted.

Basket of Apples as of September 16

Basket of Apples as of September 16
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Today I added a little more color to the basket, and then did more work on the background. I added more warm colors to the brick at the top left corner to suggest light, and added light to the table surface as well. I decided this is finished enough to sign, and enough to take the apples home to eat! Next week, I am going to include this image in Rosh Hoshona greetings for friends and family.

Basket of Apples as of September 15

Basket of Apples as of September 15
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This morning I spent another hour working on this drawing made with oil pastels. I am trying to work on this around the same time every day so I have the same light. I worked a little on the apples, but most of the time worked on the background. For about fifteen minutes, there was very bright sun, so I had a chance to work on the shadow. I left the apples in the studio so I can go back and finish this in the next few days.

Basket of Apples as of September 14

Basket of Apples as of September 14
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I went back to Red Brick this morning to work on this still life. Apples don't last forever! I meant to stay for just an hour, but I was there a bit longer. First, I worked on the basket, checking and correcting the position of the elipses, and then added detail and some color. I also adjusted the position of two apples to improve the composition. I decided to use the studio's brick wall for the background and sketched in the pattern of the bricks, and then started to add some color. It was so much fun working on the background that I lost track of the time. It was a cloudy today, but when the sun came out for a few minutes, I noticed some interesting patterns in the shadow cast by the basket. It was hard to stop drawing today, but I can go back tomorrow morning. . .

Basket of Apples as of September 13

Basket of Apples as of September 13
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is a work-in-progress. This morning I took some apples with me to Red Brick to use for a still life. I used the short time I had to sketch the apples with oil pastel, and then worked on the basket. Tomorrow I hope to work on this some more, but just in case the light changes, I also took a photo of the set up for reference. I like to draw apples this time of year.

Sunny Slope

Sunny Slope
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is a small painting that I started last week. This is a work in progess. I wouldn't usually start a painting like this with yellow, and I didn't like it at all until I added some pink. Then the sunny colors made me happy. To be continued. . .

Twin Towers from Brooklyn Bridge (July 2001) Posterized

Twin Towers from Brooklyn Bridge (July 2001) Posterized
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

In July of 2001, we drove to NYC from Boston for the weekend. We used to go to NYC quite often when we lived in New Jersey, and we wanted to do something different. My cousin suggested we take the subway to Brooklyn and walk back over the Brooklyn Bridge. The view of the New York skyline was great, but of course, I was concentrating on the Brooklyn Bridge. But it turned out that this was really my last look at the NYC skyline with the World Trade Center. It also turned out that a few months later, on September 11th, many people had to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge in the opposite direction to get home. Tonight I found an image of the Twin Towers in a photo Mel took that day, so I cropped this image out of the background. I opened the image in Painter IX and posterized it to soften it just a bit. I'm glad we decided to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, and glad to have a picture of the World Trade Center on a happy day.

Purple Flowers in Late Afternoon

Purple Flowers in Late Afternoon
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

I saw these flowers on a late afternoon walk and took a picture with my phonecam. I liked the way the purple flowers looked in the low light of a September afternoon.

A Portrait in Progress as of September 9

A Portrait in Progress as of September 9
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Today I worked on this portrait that I am painting for my friends. I made some adjustments to the shape of the face, and made changes in the line of the shoulders. I also added more light to the face and more detail to the hair.

Pink Hillside with Clouds (to be continued?)

Pink Hillside with Clouds (to be continued?)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is the latest version of one of the paintings I have been working on. I added some more washes of color, including more pink in the sky to suggest clouds. I don't know whether or not I am going to do more with this one . .

Yellow Begonias

Yellow Begonias
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

The other day I passed the garden shop on my morning walk. Most of the flowers in front of the shop are mums. But there was one pot of bright yellow begonias that attracted my attention, so I took a picture with my cameraphone. Tonight I cropped the image to get the composition I wanted. I noticed some marks on one of the leaves that were distracting, so I opened the image in Painter IX and used digital pastel to clean up the leaves.

Red Hills Day 3

Red Hills Day 3
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Here is the painting after the third session. I added some light and dark washes to create a little more depth. I am never certain, but I think this is the final version.

Red Hills Day 2

Red Hills Day 2
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This acrylic watermedia painting is a work in progress, inspired by my recent trip to Colorado. This is how it looked at the end of my second painting session. I added pink washes to the foreground to tone down the green, and also added some pink to the sky. The color is not realistic (I am working from memory and imagination), but the Colorado mountains really can look pink at certain times of the day. And when the sun rises and sets, it sometimes glows red in the sky.

Red Hills Day 1

Red Hills Day 1
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Here is another work in progress. This painting is done with acrylics used as watermedia. The image is from imagination and memories of the Colorado mountains.

Singing Beach Fantasy

Singing Beach Fantasy
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This began as a photo taken with my phonecam last year at Singing Beach in Manchester-By-The-Sea. Tonight I rotated and cropped the photo, then opened it in Painter IX and used the posterize effect to create this image. Tomorrow marks the end of summer, but not the end of beach days if you live around here! But I am posting this image today because I finally had a chance to see "Painting New England in Summer," a terrific show at the Peabody Essex Museum. It was a gorgeous show, with a lot of surprises, but I especially enjoyed seeing all the different ways of painting the ocean.

Paper Flowers (Collage in Progress Day 3)

Paper Flowers (Collage in Progress Day 3)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

Yesterday I had a chance to do a little more with this collage. I added more leaves and some yellow flowers, for contrast.

Pink Hillside (Work in Progress)

Pink Hillside (Work in Progress)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is one of the paintings I have been working on this week. This is done with acrylic paint, used as water media. This painting is still a work in progress. I began with one hill, outlined in pink. I decided it needed a second hill, so now it is two hills, and there is as much blue as pink. I guess even the title is a work in progress. . .

Bridge over the River in Porto (Day 3)

Bridge over the River in Porto (Day 3)
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This is a work in progress, a little painting I have been working on. It is based on my memories of the beautiful view of the river in Porto and the Arrabida bridge. Recent changes include extending the line of the water beyond the bridge, lightening the color of the bridge, and adding detail to the houses and the roads that run along the riverbanks.

A Portrait in Progress as of August 30

A Portrait in Progress as of August 30
Originally uploaded by randubnick.

This week I did some more work on this portrait that I am painting for my friends. I am starting to focus on the details of the face, trying to catch a likeness. I also added more light to the face. I know I still have a lot of changes left to make. . .but this is how the portrait looks today.