High Tide at Lynch Park

We went back to Lynch Park for a walk yesterday. It was overcast, and the closer we got to the water, the windier it was.  And where we expected to walk out onto the sand, we saw these waves, covering the rocks.  Of course I took some pictures. Tonight I edited the original to get this composition.

View of Salem and Marblehead from Lynch Park Beach

We went for a late afternoon walk at Lynch Park and the light was beautiful. The clouds were casting shadows on the beach, with strips of sunlight breaking through.  In the distance, you can see Marblehead and Salem. Tonight I cropped the original photo to get this composition.

Pleasant Street Beach

Tonight I edited this photo, taken yesterday during a late afternoon walk to a local beach.  It was overcast, almost foggy, and threatening to rain.  But it was a lovely walk.

Through the Trees (Bass River from Pleasant Street Beach)

We weren't planning on a long walk this afternoon. It was already drizzling, and it looked like rain might be on the way. But the dog wanted to go for a walk, and she made it clear that she wanted to walk to the beach. (How does she know where the beach is? I don't know, but she does.) So we walked to Pleasant Street Beach here in Beverly, MA.  I took some pictures along the way. I took this one on the tree-lined path down to the beach. If you look through the trees, you can see the river.

Staircase, Trees, and Ocean: Independence Park

Tonight I edited this photo that I took a couple of days ago during a walk at Independence Park, Beverly, MA.  This was our first post-Labor Day walk (meaning "dogs allowed in park") and it was beautiful!

Reposting: Snow in June (Above Treeline) has new home

I painted this in April of 2020, based on a photos from a trip to Colorado.  I am reposting this because I recently shipped it off to its new home in Philadelphia, and I am glad to know it arrived safely.

Four Still Life Drawings (Porter Mill Challenge Comes Home)

I drew these four still life drawings as part of the "Porter Mill Challenge" a few years ago (2016 I think).  The challenge was for Porter Mill artists to do a drawing or painting each week in April, and then we had a show of all the work that we created.  This challenge was great for me because I like to draw from  observation and I had fun with it the checkerboard patterns, as you can see.  I created the drawings to hang as a set, just like this. I recently noticed these in the my studio at Porter Mill (while I was looking for something else, of course.)  Last week, I brought them  home from the studio so I could hang them in my house. 

"Toward the Mountains" Acrylic Watermedia Painting

This is my recent painting as it looked on August 29, 2021, which is the day I finished it.  That was also the day I needed to deliver it to the gallery in Boston, for display in September.  Yes, I know,  that was cutting it close.  On the morning of August 29th, I kept making small changes, even though my painting was wired, labeled, and ready to go.  At one point, I considered putting it in the car so I would just stop already!!!  These were all small changes, but I think they were worth making. I added a subtle dark blue lines suggesting shadow at the base of each of the dark green hillsides. I reworked the shapes on the mountains, including snow and shadow. I made a few changes to that sky, making sure that red sun would show up. These were all small changes, but they add up to an attempt to present viewers with a sense of peace. But  eventually it was time to drive to Boston and drop it off at Galatea Fine Art, where it will be on display this month.

That Smiling Face (Digitally Rescued Image)

I was looking for a picture of my dad to post today because August 28 was his birthday.  I tried a face recognition search on my computer in iPhoto, which is how I came across this image of my dad as a young man, probably a teenager.  But what iPhoto had turned up was a very tiny image, blurry, and in black and white.  It seemed unusable.  But that smile!  So I opened the image in Painter and got to work.  I enlarged the image, worked on the focus, added contrast, posterizing, woodcut effect, color overlay, you name it.  I drew into the image with digital pastel because part of the hair and one of the ears wasn't completely visible in the original.  Then I imported the image into iPhoto and did some more basic edited. It was worth it because I don't have very many pictures of my father when he was young.  And it was a nice way to celebrate my dad's birthday.

Toward the Mountains (Painting as of August 28, 2021)

Here is my latest painting as it looked on Saturday, August 28, 2021.  This was very nearly finished, and it had to be! I needed to drop it off at the gallery by the next day.  In fact, I had already attached wire and labeled it. I was pretty happy with the composition and the colors. But I was still working on some details, the shapes in the mountains and the sky.  I thought it was done when I went to bed. . . .

"Toward the Mountains" (Painting as of August 27, 2021)

Here is how my latest painting looked on August 27, 2021.  Just a few days to go until I had to drop off the painting at the gallery.  I focussed mainly on color. l added some white washes to the sky, for contrast. I added more of that Colorado red to the mountain tops, and evened out the teal blue on the slopes.  I modified the shapes of those two green hillsides, and added some sage green to the foreground. Almost there, a few small things to fix. . . .

"Toward the Mountains" (Painting as of August 26, 2021)

Here is my latest painting as it looked on August 26, 2021.  At this point,  I was working on the sky and the tops of the mountain. I was pretty happy with the shapes, but was working on color contrast between mountain and sky.  I had tried adding pale green (as in my photo reference), but I wanted the mountains to "pop".  When I paint, I often reach a point where I need to let go of what is happening in the photo and focus on what needs to happen on the canvas.

"Toward the Mountains" (Painting as of August 25, 2021)

This is my latest painting as it looked on August 25th.  The previous day, using my photo reference, I had finally corrected the silhouette and shapes of the mountain in the distance. But I realized that in the processes, those lines and shapes had moved upward a bit.  So the next task was to adjust the shapes of those two dark green slopes on the right and left.  Still do come: repainting the sky, and readjusting some colors.  I was starting to worry about time, because I had a deadline.

Toward the Mountains (Painting as of August 24, 2021)

Here is my latest painting as it looked on August 24th.  On both the 23rd (which I am not posting) and on the 24th, I worked on getting the lines of the mountains to look the way I wanted them to.  This meant turning my painting and my reference photo upside-down, which sounds funny, but I am serious and it really does help.

"Toward the Mountains" (Painting as of August 22, 2021)

Here is my current work-in-progress as it looked on August 22, 2021.  I worked on the lines of those mountains. At one point, I painted with  both my painting and my photo reference turned upside-down, and as always, that helped.

"Toward the Mountains" (Painting as of August 21, 2021)

Here is my current painting as it looked on August 21st.  At this point, I had just been working on the sky, and also beginning a struggle to capture the lines of those mountains.  My reference is a (digitally modified) photo that I took during a trip to Colorado in 2018 (posted here August 13th ).  I am using acrylic paint with water on Aquabord, 16 x 20 inches.

" Toward the Mountains" (Painting as of August 20, 2021)

Here is the painting I am working, on as it looked on August 20th.   I continued to work on the sky, and also worked on the shapes of those mountains.  This is acrylic used with water on Aquabord, 16 x 20 inches.

"Toward the Mountains" (Painting as of August 19, 2021)

Here is my current work-in-progress as it looked on August 19th. That's the day I began really working on the sky, establishing basic shapes and colors.  My painting reference is a photo that I took during my last trip to Colorado, in June of 2018.

"Toward the Mountains" (Painting as of August 18, 2021)

This is my current work-in-progress as it looked on August 18th. This painting is based on a photo (digitally modified) that I took during a trip to Colorado in 2018.  In this version, you can see that I am still working out the composition and color scheme. I am working with acrylics used with water on Aquabord, 16 x 20 inches.

 

"Toward the Mountains" (Painting as of August 17, 2021)

Here is my current painting as of August 17.  Using my painting reference photo, I added some areas of color to the sketch from the day before.  

Toward the Mountains (Painting as of August 16, 2021)

Here is my painting as it looked on August 16, 2021, the day I got it started.  Using my reference photo as a guide, I used blue paint to sketch in the basic shapes and to establish the composition.  (I also used just a bit of red paint for the sun.)  To be continued. . .

The Necessity of Flowers (framed drawing)

This is the last of the four small drawings I framed recently.  I created these flower drawings with Sharpie fineline markers.  I have scanned the drawings into the computer and in some cases, have made some digital corrections.  But I framed the original drawings to hang in my house.  

Hopeful Flowers (framed drawing)

Here is the third of four small drawings that I recently framed.  There is a digitally edited version of this drawing in my computer, but I am hanging the original drawing in my house.  All of these drawings are 6 x 6 inches, and were drawn with Sharpie fine-line markers on paper. 

Flowers of Kindness (framed drawing)

Here is another of the small drawings that I framed yesterday.  These drawings are 6 x 6 inches, Sharpie fine-line marker on paper. I scanned these drawings into the computer, and in some cases, made some digital corrections.  I am framing the original drawings to hang in my house.

Counting on Flowers (framed drawing)

Yesterday I framed some of my small drawings of flowers to hang in my house.  Although I have created digital versions, I am framing the original drawings.  This is the first of four.  They are all 6 x 6 inches, created with Sharpie fineline markers on paper. This is the first of four.

Toward the Mountains (Modified Photo for Painting Reference)

My previous post was the original version of this photo, taken in June of 2018 as we drove through the Colorado mountains.  I recently chose that photo to use as a painting reference for my next painting.  But in the original photo, the highway runs right through the foreground.  I decided that in this case, I didn't want to include the road, so I opened the jpg in Painter and used digital pastel and "cut-and-paste" to change the foreground, to produce the basic composition that I wanted for my painting.

Towards the Mountains (Original Photo)

It is time to paint the mountains again, so I have been looking at my photos of Colorado. This photo was taken back on June 7 of 2018, during our trip to Colorado. (A double celebration of our 50th wedding anniversary  and 50 years of friendship with our friends from Brazil, who were also celebrating 50 years married.)  I am not sure of the exact location, but I think it is somewhere near Breckenridge.  This is the photo just as it came out of the camera, although I have obscured the license plate.  I like the composition and decided to use this photo as my painting reference. Of course I could paint the highway, but decided not to. Instead, I created a digitally modified version of this photo, which I plan to post soon. .   

Two Bridges over the Hudson (with Prisma filter)

Here's another image from our recent road trip from Massachusetts to Nashville. We began with a northern route through Western Mass and upstate New York, eventually heading south through Ohio to Tennessee.  I took this picture on July 24, our first day on the road, as we were crossing the Hudson River into New York. Tonight I added the "Vivid" filter from the Prisma app. The blue bridge is called the Castleton Bridge, and the older bridge in the background is the Alfred H. Smith Memorial Bridge (built for train traffic).  I got excited when I learned the name of the older bridge because during our road trip, we listened to "The Power Broker" on Audible, a book about the history of New York in which Alfred Smith figures prominently. But alas, this is named after a different Alfred Smith.  Anyway, there is only one Hudson River, and this is it. 

Indoor Garden (Fabric Appliqué), Framed

This is a fabric appliqué that I made a few years ago.  We had our kitchen redone in February of 2020, and I had decided to have it framed to hang on our kitchen wall.  But Covid happened, and that little project was delayed until a few weeks ago, when I took my appliqué to the framers.  Today I picked it up and hung it on my kitchen wall. 

From "The Peach Truck" (with Prisma filter)

One of our destinations before leaving Nashville was "The Peach Truck" (yes, an actual truck) where we received a huge box of Georgia peaches and a bag of pecans as a gift. So we ate peaches through two-day drive home, and since we got home, we have been making peach crisps and muffins.  Here is a picture of the peaches still in the box, with  Prisma's "Watercolor" filter add.

Bashert (wall decoration)

The Yiddish has various translations: "soul-mate", "destiny," or just "the one,"  While we were visiting Nashville, I noticed a jar full of Sharpies (fine-line markers), so I found some paper and made this simple hand-lettered wall decoration for the newlyweds. 

A Special Place (Bench with Magnolia Tree)

I took this picture on July 29th on the Vanderbilt campus in Nashville. Even on a hot summer's day, the bench under this lovely old magnolia tree is a lovely sight.  But we could only imagine how the magnolia tree would have looked when it was in bloom, as it was on a spring day in March of 2020, when this bench was the scene of a marriage proposal.

At Vanderbilt University

More from our recent trip to Nashville. We had a chance to see a little bit of the Vanderbilt campus, which is very beautiful. It was a very warm day, but lots of lovely old trees provided shade.  I took lots of pictures.

Tree and Wall (Vanderbilt University Medical Center)

Here's another image from our recent trip to Nashville. As we passed this landmark,  I took a quick photo.  I liked the way the wall was framed by the old tree.  Later I did some editing to remove a pesky street sign, and cropped the original to get this composition.

Morning Light in Tennessee

From our recent road trip, taken on our first morning in Tennessee.  I loved the tall trees in the morning light so I took some pictures.

Driving Through Western Mass (with Prisma filter)

This image began with one of the photos I took on July 24, the day we set out on our road trip.  The scenery in western Massachusetts is beautiful.  I cropped the original photo and use the Prisma app to add the "Whale" filter. 

 

At the Carwash (Bass River)

Back on July 22, we were getting ready for our road trip so to vacuum the car, we went to the local carwash here in Beverly, MA.  This carwash has a great view of the Bass River.  I noticed a couple of kayakers going under the bridge, heading toward the ocean.  I decided not to wait to start my vacation photos.  

"Indoor Garden" Fabric Appliqué (at framers)

I finished this fabric appliquê in 2018.  Back in early March of 2020, I decided to have it framed and hang it in our newly renovated kitchen. But then came Covid  and lockdowns, etc., it never happened.  But this week, I took finally took it in to the framers; should be ready in two weeks. Before I left it with the framers,  I decided to take a picture.

Accidental Self-Portrait

A couple of days ago, I was trying to take a picture of our new bathroom mirror, and I didn't realize I was also taking a picture of myself.  I liked the composition, but I the edges of the mirror were cut off in a few places.  I have a thing about squaring the circle, so I opened the image in Painter, added pixels on all sides, and used digital pastel to finish the lines of the circle.  I haven't done a self-portrait in a while, so I guess this will have to do.  This is my everyday look: T-shirt, lock-down hairdo, phone in hand, taking pictures. This is me, at 73.

Bargain Bouquet (with Prisma's "Disco" filter)

Here's another take on my "Bargain Bouquet".  I used a Prisma filter, and this time I chose "Disco" which as you can see gives the image a very different look.

Bargain Bouquet

We made a quick trip to the grocery store, even though it was almost closing time.  Some beautiful bouquets were marked down, so we bought this one. This bouquet was a bargain, but if you ask me, flowers are always worth it.

Windowbox in July (with Prisma filter)

Yesterday's post was a photo of a windowbox on our deck. 

Here's another version of the photo, this time with the Prisma app's "Dallas" filter.   

Windowbox in July

 Windowboxes are back on our deck this year, thanks to my daughter, who comes over to garden. Despite a rollercoaster of temperature extremes, torrential rains, and even fog, the flowers are doing well, as you can see in this photo.  Tonight I cropped the original photo and did some retouching.  I also used my Prisma app to create another version with a filter, and I hope to post that here tomorrow.

Flowers of Suggestion (Digitally Modified Photo)

“We need milk,” I said at Whole Foods. He insisted there was enough milk at home. I was wrong, he said. Okay fine.

We checked out (no milk), went home, put the groceries away. I went back to work in my office, upstairs. He stayed in the kitchen, getting ready to bake something. 

A few minutes later, he says he is going back to the store. To buy milk. For his recipe. Because we are out. 

“Anything else we need from the store?” he asked. 

“Well,” I said, “while you are there, you might want to pick up some flowers for your wife.”  

And so he did.

*Photo is digitally modified with Prisma, Painter, and iPhoto.

Glimpse of Zakim Bridge (with Prisma filter)

On the way home from our recent trip to Boston, I took a picture of the Zakim Bridge.  I try to do that whenever I am in the driver's seat.  (Gertrude Stein said that there is no such thing as repetition, only insistence.) But really, the photos are different every time.  I added Prisma's "Mononoke" filter to this one, and cropped it to get this composition. 

Back Bay Scene (with Prisma filter)

Here's one more photo of Boston's Back Bay from our recent run into town to have breakfast with friends.  You can see the Back Bay mix of old and new, churches and skyscrapers, trees and traffic jams. I edited the original photo and added my favorite Prisma filter, "Watercolor".

Boston Public Library (with Prisma filter)

Here is another of the photos that I took during our trip to Boston's Back Bay on June 25th: the Boston Public Library. Today I added Prisma's "Speed Boat" filter and cropped the original photo to get this composition.

Happy Fourth! (Procreate animation)

Sending this out to wish everyone safe travels and happy times to those celebrating the Fourth of July! This little video is part of my ongoing attempt to learn more about animation this year. I made this using "animation assist" in Procreate.  (It is more like traditional animation rather than an automatic capture of drawing strokes.) 

In the Storrow Drive Tunnel

Here's another photo from last week's trip to Boston, a picture taken in the tunnel under Storrow Drive, heading toward the Zakim Bridge and the ride north on 93.  Driving through Boston's tunnels can be daunting, but when I am in the passenger seat, I can relax and enjoy the lights, colors, patterns, and shapes.

Back Bay Windows (with Prisma filter)

Here is my "Back Bay Windows" photo, but with Prisma's "Tokyo" filter added.  This is such a beautiful part of Boston.

Back Bay Windows

Here's another photo that I took last Friday. After our breakfast in Boston with friends, we drove through the Back Bay on the way home. This is another photo taken at the intersection of Beacon and Berkeley.  The "special effects" reflection and the quirky composition happened because I was taking photos from the passenger seat of a moving car.  Those things can be corrected, but sometimes I prefer to just embrace them instead.