Painting In Maine

I just could not pull off finishing yesterdays painting for today and finish packing and getting troops ready for my absence. Tomorrow before the sun rises I'll be dragging my suitcase into LAX heading for Maine till mid September. Plein air painting will be magical, it has to be, with the pink granite cliffs, pine trees, lighthouses, small harbors and glorious sunsets. My gone painting sign is officially hung......

*photo credit to Marty Kranin (thank you Marty). And no I usually stand and paint, figures she would shoot me sitting.

"Marshlands" ©

Friday I am winging across the country to Maine. In preparation I have been reading about the area and intrigued by the marshlands fed by the tide I painted what I might see.

Oil on panel, 5" X 7"

"Serenity" ©

Simply calm and quiet serenity.

Oil on Canvas, 30" X 40"

"Copper Sunset" ©

In this painting I attempted to capture a copper sunset to use the copper surface to support the work. This piece was painted in layers over a long period of time. Because it is dry I was able to put the panel on the scanner, rather then photographing the painting for the blog, the result seems to be a much better image.

Oil on Copper

"Coastline" ©

Lately I have been experimenting the process of painting on copper, in between large canvases. A small piece of copper, sanded, cleaned with denatured alcohol and rubbed with garlic is the beginning. Once the garlic has dried the surface is ready to paint. The copper surface influences the color of the oil paint and sparkles just a bit here and there. The possibilities are limitless.

Oil on Copper

"Peaceful Pasture" ©

Within 30 minutes of home this classic California view still exists.

Oil on Canvas, 24" X 30"

"Sharing The Sheets II" ©

Last year I painted a small 6" X 8" canvas of "Sharing The Sheets", our beloved dog, Lucky in bed waiting for us. Missing him I revisited the image and painted a 18" X 24" canvas, using the larger surface to really explore the sheets and fur. I loved every stroke.

Just an update, I am still painting large canvases furiously for my show at Segil's gallery in November, exploring painting on copper and preparing for a plein air painting trip to Maine in 12 days. My blogging has been on hold, selfishly I have been sticking to the easel and not the computer. I have missed blogging and yet felt relief from the commitment. I'll be back in full gear blogging when I arrive home in mid-September. Thanks and appreciation to everyone that checked up on my absence.

Oil on canvas, 18" X 24"