Layers of Blue (Acrylic Watermedia)

This is the painting I have been working on, part of my "Mountain Daydreams" series.  It is inspired by a photo that I took last summer, near Central City, Colorado.  (The photo is posted here Oct. 18, 2018.)  What interested me was the lines of the mountains (seven or eight of them, at least), and the graduated colors.  Today I worked on the color, trying to make the colors gradually shift from dark teal green to pale ice-blue. I put in the basic colors and then made many, many tiny changes.   Now I am ready to say that this is finished.  This is acrylic paint used with water on Aquabord, 16 x 20 inches. I hope to display it in the December show at Galatea Fine Arts.  (If you want to know more about Galatea, visit www.galateafineart.com.)

Layers of Blue (Acrylic Watermedia) as of Oct. 24, 2018

Today I did some more work on this painting, which is based on a photo that I took this summer near Central City, Colorado. (The photo is posted here on Oct. 28, 2018.) Today I worked on color, adding blue washes to try to get gradations of blue.  To be continued. . . .

Layers of Blue (Acrylic Watermedia) as of Oct. 23, 2018

Here is my current work-in-progress, a painting inspired by a photo that I took last summer near Central City, Colorado. (You can see the photo posted here October 18.) Today I made one more set of changes to the shapes of the mountain peaks in the distance.  I decided the shapes were pretty close to what I wanted, so I mixed up some very pale blue and (finally) painted in the sky. Next up, I need to work on those layers of blue. To be continued. . . .

Layers of Blue (Acrylic Watermedia) as of Oct. 22, 2018

This is a painting I have been working on, inspired by a photo that I took in Colorado last summer. (The photo is posted here on October 18.) I didn't have a lot of time to work on this today, but this morning I made some more adjustments to the lines of the mountains in the distance. I am happy with the changes, but still see some adjustments that i need to make.  

Layers of Blue (Acrylic Watermedia) as of Oct. 21, 2018

I did some more work on this painting this morning.  This painting is inspired by a photo that I took near Central City, Colorado, this summer (photo posted here October 18, 2018).  There are six, maybe eight, lines of mountains in the photo, all shades of blue. I am trying show all of the subtle layers, while still maintaining the main bands of color that define the overall composition. This is a bit tricky. This morning,  I made some adjustments to the lines towards the top of the image.  Then I started adding layers and color to the lower part of the image. This is acrylic watermedia on Aquabord, 16 x 20 inches

Layers of Blue (Acrylic Watermedia) as of Oct. 20, 2018

Today I worked some more on the painting I started yesterday.  My inspiration is a photo that I took in Colorado back in June.  This was taken near Central City, and ridges of mountains seemed to extend one behind the other into the distance. (I posted the photo here on October 18.)  I count six or seven mountain ridges in the photo, all in shades of blue.  Although I am not trying for a realistic copy of the photo, I do want to capture the effect of those layers of blue. The trick will be to create a sense of depth with the shapes and to create all those shades of blue. This morning I worked on the distant mountain ranges (in the upper part of the image).  Of course, I already see things I want to fix, but I am happy because this seems to be a good challenge. 

Layers of Blue (Acrylic Watermedia as of Oct 19, 2018)

Today I got this painting started.  I only had enough time to rough in basic lines for the composition, but it felt good to begin. I am using one of my recent Colorado photos as inspiration.  (See yesterday's post, "Layers of Blue," Photo Taken Near Central City".)

Layers of Blue (Photo Taken Near Central City)

It is time to paint and am getting ready.  Today I looked through some of the photos that I took in Colorado back in June.  I cropped this image out of one of the pictures I took near Central City.  I am thinking about using this picture as the basis for my next painting. 

Necklace with Red Aventurine, Wood, and Silver

Today I finally finished the necklace I have been working on.  I started with red aventurine spheres, in almost a dusky rose color.  I liked the way the aventurine looked with wood and with silver.  It took several tries to get the combination of shapes and textures that I wanted. This is strung on a cotton cord and long enough that a clasp isn't needed.

Mountain Paintings in Porter Mill Studio

Today I brought some of my small mountain paintings up to the studio at Porter Mill.  Last spring I sold a set of nine small drawings, which was great, but I needed to do something about the empty space the sale had created on my wall.  I decided to hang four of my "mountain daydreams" in that space. These are all acrylic on paper, 9 x 12 inches. Each of these little paintings has spent some time, over the past few years, on exhibit at Galatea Fine Arts in Boston. 

Necklace in Progress

I have been working on this necklace on and off for a couple of weeks.  Today I took it apart and started again.  Now I think I will be able to finish it tomorrow. Here it is on the design board.

Yellow Leaves and Blue Sky

About ten days ago,  I drove up to Manchester-by-the-Sea for a checkup with the eye doctor.  (Following two eye surgeries, these visits always make me super aware of/ very grateful for vision.) On the way in to the doctor's office, I saw a line of beautiful trees with bright yellow leaves. That yellow against the blue sky was a knock-out, so I stopped to take some pictures.  I think this is a honey locust; I have seen a lot of these trees in Boston's Back Bay.  Tonight I cropped the original photo to get this composition.

Sailboat Seen from Lynch Park (with Prisma Filter)

Yesterday's post was my photo of a sailboat, seen from Lynch Park (a beach-front park here in Beverly, MA).  Today's post is the same image, but with a Prisma filter applied.

Sailboat Seen from Lynch Park

On Wednesday, it was still warm, so we went for a walk at Lynch Park, a beach-front park here in Beverly, MA. There were a lot of boats out on the water, including three sailboats.  I had to hurry to get photos of them before they sailed away. I cropped this out of one of my photos; I wanted this composition, even though this image is a bit too blurry.  But I also made another version with a Prisma filter, and it worked fine.  I plan to post it tomorrow.

At Crane's Beach

Day before yesterday, the weather was close to 80 degrees, and we headed to Crane's Beach with the dog.  It is always wonderful to walk on the beach, but this time there was a surprise: a big tide pool had formed in the sand, creating a shallow wading pool. In addition to taking videos of the dog enjoying the water, I also had a chance to take a few photos.  This one was taken looking toward Castle Hill and beyond. The tide pool is on the right.  You can see the bright sand beyond, and then the ocean. Tonight I cropped the original photo to get this composition.

Grasses and Sand at Crane's Beach (with Woodcut Effect)

Yesterday I posted one of the photos that I took at Crane's Beach, a view of grasses and sand.  Today's post is the same photo, but with Painter's woodcut effect added to emphasize the lines of the grasses.

Grasses and Sand at Crane's Beach

The weather was unusually warm today so we took off for Crane's Beach, up in Ipswich.  Warm weather in the fall means we can walk the dog. (Dogs are allowed on beaches from labor day to memorial day.) I started taking pictures before we even got to the water.  Here I was interested in the contrast of the beach grass and sand.

Sunflower Bouquet (Posterized Photo)

Yesterday's post was a photograph of sunflowers with purple ornamental grasses.  It was one of many pictures that I took this weekend at Tendercrop Farms, here in Beverly, Massachusetts. The little store was decorated for October, inside and out.  Today's post is the same image, but with the addition of Painter's posterizing effect to make the colors pop.

Sunflower Bouquet

Yesterday we drove to Tendercrop Farm to buy some fruit. The whole place was decorated for fall, inside and out, and I took a lot of pictures.  My favorite was this display of sunflowers and purple grasses, combined into bouquets. Today I used Painter to get rid of some price tags.  I also made a posterized version which I hope to post here tomorrow.

View from Dane Street Beach

Yesterday we took a walk on Dane Street Beach, here in Beverly, MA. The air was cool but it was sunny and the colors were great!, so I took some pictures.  Today I cropped this one to get the composition I wanted. You can see Lynch Park on the left, and if you look closely, you can see the islands on the right, on the horizon.

Found Art: Veggie Rainbow

Yesterday we went to Long Hill to pick up our farm share from our CSA, "The Food Project".  We were about ready to leave when I noticed that someone had arranged vegetables by color on a piece of wood.  It looked like a color wheel or a rainbow. I took a picture because it made me smile to see this color exercise carried out in veggies. Today I cropped the original photo to get this composition.

Bees and Flowers (Video)

Last week, at Long Hill Garden, I was taking some pictures of these purple flowers when I noticed the bees. So I switched to video instead. If we want to continue to have flowers, we need to pay attention to the bees.

She Pulls Back Her Hair (Figure Drawing)

This is the drawing I came across yesterday, a figure drawing that I made back in 1982. Yesterday I took a closeup of this drawing, and posted the here.  Although I don't usually post my figure drawings here, I decided to post this one, because I think it is one of my best.

She Pulls Back Her Hair (Closeup from Figure Drawing)

Today,  while I was trying to organize the studio at Porter Mill, I found a drawing that I hadn't seen in years. I was looking through old portfolios when I came across what I think may be one of my best figure drawings ever. It is dated 1982. At that point, I lived in Lawrence, Kansas, and was part of a group of artists who hired models and drew from life for three hours every weekend.  The group was called "Artists and Models," and we eventually had a show at the Lawrence Art Center. Over time, I learned a lot during that three-hour block every weekend, and my figure drawing really improved. Well, all those memories came back today when I saw this drawing.  I took some photos of the whole drawing to preserve it, and then also took this closeup to post here.

"Spring Green Mountains" at Galatea

Today I took this painting to Galatea today. It is going to be on display this month in the in the Artists Alcove.  I liked the way my painting looked on the wall, so I took a picture. 

Crab Apples on the Tree (Posterized Photo)

I few days ago, I posted a photo of a heavily laden crab apple tree.  Today I used my Painter program to add posterizing effect.

Crab Apples on the Tree

On a recent neighborhood walk, I saw this crab apple tree, so full of fruit that I could hardly believe it.  I took out my iPhone camera and took some pictures.  Tonight I cropped this image out of the original photo.

Basket of Peaches (Posterized Photo)

Last night, one of the couples in our Wednesday night ballroom dance class brought in a beautiful basket of peaches to share.  They looked so beautiful that I took a picture. Tonight I used Painter to simplify the background and add some posterizing.

Berries on Japanese Dogwood (with Woodcut Effect)

Here's one more version of my photo of berries on a Japanese dogwood tree.  This time I used Painter to add a woodcut effect.  I had to do a lot of fiddling with the controls to get just the right amount of black line.

Berries on Japanese Dogwood (Posterized Photo)

Yesterday I published my photo of red berries on a Japanese Dogwood tree.  Today I used Painter to add some posterizing effect. While I was at it, I punched up the saturation.  I also created another version with a woodcut effect, which I hope to post here tomorrow.

Berries on Japanese Dogwood ("Wonder Trees")

Last week we went to Beverly Cove Community Center and saw loads of these berries on a couple of Japanese (or Kousa) dogwood trees.  Before I moved here, I had never seen anything like these berries. I used to call these trees "wonder trees" because I wondered what they were. I had to use a search engine to find out out.  Now I know what they are, but I still call them "wonder trees" because I am still amazed when I see them. 

Red Berries in September (Posterized)

Yesterday I posted a photo that I took at Long Hill Gardens, a picture of a branch of red berries.  Today's post is the same photo, but this afternoon I used Painter to add a posterized effect.  I also used Painter to change the focus of the background. I think this might make a good reference photo for a painting.

Red Berries in September

This is one of the photos that I took at Long Hill Gardens a couple of weeks ago.  (Long Hill Gardens, aka Sedgwick Gardens, used to be a private estate, but the house and gardens are now open to the public.) The main road to the house and formal gardens is lined with trees that flower in spring. But in September, they are covered with berries, each tree a different color.  I took a lot of photos that day. Today I cropped this image out of one of the pictures.

Stone Wall at Long Hill's Children's Garden

This is a photo that I took last Thursday. We were at Long Hill Gardens, where we pick up our farm share from The Food Project (our CSA).  We took a walk over to the Children's Garden.  I liked this stone wall, so I took a picture. Tonight I cropped the original to get this composition.

Apples for a Sweet Year

I posted this photo of apples at the beginning of September.  Tonight I used Painter to add the border so I can use this image to wish friends and family a sweet year ahead.

Yellow Daisies at Long Hill (with Woodcut Effect)

Tonight I used Painter to add a woodcut effect to the photo that I posted here yesterday

Yellow Daisies at Long Hill Gardens

On Thursday, we went to Long Hill Gardens to pick up our farm share at the Food Project. I liked these yellow daisies growing in front of the yellow house, so I took some pictures.  Tonight I cropped the original photo to get this composition.

Quick View of Zakim Bridge (Posterized Photo)

Here is another image of my favorite bridge.  This started with a quick photo that I took as we were driving over the bridge on Tuesday night, on the way home from Boston.  Today I cropped the original photo, then used Painter to add some posterizing and color overlays.

A Glimpse of Blue (Zakim Bridge at Night)

We drove in to Boston Tuesday night, and on the way home we drove over the Zakim Bridge.  I almost forgot to get my camera out in time, but I just made it and caught a glimpse of blue.  Today I cropped the original photo to get this composition.

"Bright Tree at Long Hill" at Historic Beverly Exhibit

This is another oil bar painting that I did a couple of years ago, working  from a photo that I took at Long Hill Gardens, here in Beverly, MA.  (Long Hill, aka Sedgwick Gardens, was once a private estate but is now open to the public. The gardens are amazing!.)  I am reposting this now because this is the second  of two paintings that are on display in an art show at "Historic Beverly" for an art show celebrating Beverly, Massachusetts. The opening reception is tonight, September 13, at 6 pm at the John Cabot House, 117 Cabot. The show will be up through December 8. If you want to know more about Historic Beverly, visit http://www.historicbeverly.net 

View of Boston from the Taj (with Prisma filter)

Last night we drove into Boston to have dinner with visiting family.  They are staying at the Taj (formerly  the Ritz-Carlton), and after dinner we went up to see their hotel room.  I was interested for all the usual reasons, but in addition, I am a fan of the Robert Parker detective novels and many scenes were set in the Ritz-Carlton.  Let me just say that I was not disappointed in the room, which looked out on the Public Gardens and the Boston skyline beyond.  I took a couple of pictures of the view. I liked this image because of the reflections: inside and outside (and a bit of a self-portrait).  Tonight I added a Prisma filter and cropped it to get this composition.

World Trade Center from Empire State (Revisited Photo)

I took the original version of this photo during a visit to New York City in 1988. I was taking a tour of the Empire State Building and I took a photo of the New York skyline. Although I have visited New York City many times (especially while I was living in New Jersey), I don't really have that many pictures of the Twin Towers. So today I went back to this photo and re-cropped it and I also kicked up the color saturation.  It's a view that only exists in memory, so maybe the repetition isn't a bad idea. We need to keep that memory alive.

Rosh Hashanah Still Life (Drawing)

Yesterday I posted a little animation that I made using the Procreate app on my iPad.  Procreate captures a little video as you draw.  Tonight's post is the drawing itself, the final frame of the video. It needed a little cleanup so I opened the image in Painter. I used some digital pastel and cut-and-paste to fix some mistakes and to improve the lettering.  Seems appropriate for Rosh Hashanah. There is always room for improvement.

Rosh Hashanah Still Live (Video)

This is a little animation that I created on my iPad using the Procreate app.  Sending this out to say L'Shana Tova (Happy New Year) to those celebrating Rosh Hashanah, and to everyone, a sweet year ahead.

Pink-Purple Petunias (Posterized Photo)

Yesterday's image was a photo of some purple and pink petunias that I saw on a walk in my daughter's neighborhood. Tonight's version is the same photo with Painter's posterizing effect (which flattens shapes and enhances colors). I also created a version with Painter's woodcut effect, which I plan to post here soon.

Pink-Purple Petunias

Yesterday I saw a lot of petunias growing in front of an apartment building in my daughter's neighborhood.  I took some pictures.  The ones in this photo were hot pink heading toward purple. Tonight I cropped the photos to get this composition.

"First of May at Long Hill" at Historic Beverly Exhibit

This is an oil bar painting that I did a couple of years ago. I worked from a photo that I took at Long Hill Gardens, here in Beverly, MA.  (Long Hill, aka Sedgwick Gardens, was once a private estate but is now open to the public. The gardens are amazing!.)  I am reposting this now because this is one of two paintings that I delivered today to "Historic Beverly" for an upcoming art show. It will be fun to see it in a show celebrating Beverly, Massachusetts. If you want to know more about Historic Beverly, visit http://www.historicbeverly.net

Back Bay Doorways (with Prisma filter)

A couple of days ago, I posted a photo that I took in Boston's Back Bay on Sunday.  I had added a Prisma filter and cropped the image, but kept second-guessing the composition.  I kept thinking that there were two images that I wanted to get in the photo, and that was making the cropping so complicated.  So I decided to try again, cropping two images out of the original photo.  Yesterday's post was one of those two new images, a view of the roof line. Today's post is another of the new "crops", showing two neighboring Back Bay doorways.

Back Bay Roof Line (with Prisma filter)

Yesterday I posted an image from Sunday's trip into Boston's Back Bay: a building on a tree-lined street.  I took the photograph from the passenger seat of a moving car. Later, I cropped the image and used a Prisma filter on it. I liked it but cropping it was tricky, and I kept thinking that there might be two images in there. Today I decided to see if I crop out two images:  this one, of the windows, and another view of the doorways, which I plan to post here tomorrow.

In the Back Bay (with Prisma filter)

Here's another image from yesterday's trip into Boston's Back Bay.  I love the tree-line streets and the old buildings. I applied a Prisma filter to this one, and also did a little cut-and-paste in Painter. Then I cropped it to get this composition.  That was the hardest part and I am not sure I got it right.  Maybe what I have here is two compositions: the two doorways on the left, and the row of windows upper right. I like this as is, but I might try again tomorrow to see if I am right.

Marlborough Street, Boston (with Prisma filter)

This morning we drove into Boston.  We were headed to the Prudential Center. I have always loved driving into the Back Bay. I love the old buildings on the tree-lined streets. I was in the passenger seat, so I took a few pictures. This is at the corner of Essex and Marlborough Street, the latter a famous location in the detective novels of Robert Parker. When I got home, I added a Prisma filter and cropped the image to get this composition.

Closeup of Apples in August (Posterized)

Yesterday I posted a closeup cropped from a recent photo of a neighborhood apple tree. Today I opened the image in Painter, did a little cleanup with color overlays and digital pastel, and then posterized it. I also kicked up the saturation. I think this is best image for Rosh Hashanah greetings.