New Studio! New work!

Not so new now, since I've been there for the month of February plus a few days. After a reasonably careful artist-like search I was able to locate a really nice space to share with another painter at the Leverett Crafts and Arts building in Leverett, Massachusetts. Studio A-5, to be exact, on the second floor, facing east with a view into woods now covered with snow. Nice, quite artist's community of painters, potters, jewelers, instrument makers and the like. There is a large and open gallery space (Barnes Gallery) for exhibits and my sense is that LCA has a focus on being the center for arts in the local community by offering classes and work space. I am excited at the prospect of being there!

Just above is a picture of my space taken a few days ago as well as a close-up few of a painting I am working on this week. No title, yet, but "Nails" has a good chance, huh? It is oil and acrylic; the oil has been applied over some of the "original" acrylic under painting. As between the two mediums I find oil to be much more flexible, easier to move around and most appropriate for the way I like to paint.

The scene is of Greenfield and started from sketches I did of a portion of the block on the south side of Main Street opposite what was then Cafe Koko. Actually, I did the sketches while sitting in Koko's drinking iced coffee.

It is approximately 12" x 12". Nails is a fingernail salon; next door is a Korean restaurant.

New Work

The two finished oil pieces directly above were the result of visits I made to Old Deerfield during this past July and August. I set up my easel and began the sidewalk-scape looking for much more detail than the final result reveals. It was a hot but comfortable day, a bit of humidity in the air, enough that distant points in my field of view faded some. The image I've presented here isn't the best quality reproduction....some of the colors just don't look like the real thing...but a bit of the mood comes thru and I like the piece and want to share it. The Hopper-like look in the building/shadows picture just kind of evolved. Again, I began the piece (using a reference photograph taken in Deerfield during one of the visits described above) looking for more detail than the final piece has. It was started and finished in my studio; never was set up on location. The color as presented here is not true to the original. The yellow being a yellow-green in the original piece. So much for my attempt to photograph my work and scan it to this location! When I use the skills of a professional the results are much better.

The pen and ink sketches were completed recently and were done from photos.......don't know why the weren't completed from life except a lack of time at the time!!!

The trees at the top are a work-in-progress; oil on canvas. The subject are a cluster of trees I've painted many times; an earlier posting of a pastel is on a prior page. Now, I am painting this picture using reference to the earlier pictures.