"Sunset on Federal" - 8 x 8 inches - oil on canvas

"Sunset on Federal" - 8 x 8 inches - oil on canvas

I recently went to Newburyport, a lovely coastal town on the north shore of Massachusetts.  I passed this scene as the sun was hitting the steeple of this church on Federal Street.  

To begin, I covered my canvas with a solid layer of orange for a warm undertone.  I mainly worked from background to foreground by filling in the sky, distant trees and then the buildings working my way forward.  

In other news...congratulations to Laura Araujo who is the winner of my monthly give away!   If you want to become eligible, sign up for my mailing list by entering your email and clicking the subscribe button on the right side of this site.

This 8 inch square painting is available for $95.  Click the Buy Now button below or click here for other payment options.

"Calm" - 6 x 6 inches - oil on canvas

"Calm" - 6 x 6 inches - oil on canvas

The main reason I wanted to paint this scene was that lovely reflection of the mast in the foreground. I started this painting while sitting in my car. and attempted to paint it "plein air". Painting on location is very difficult as the light, and in this case, the water are constantly changing and moving. In fact, I kept chasing the tide as the foreground changed dramatically from the time that I started to when I stopped. When I got the painting home, it was a mess...all the values were too similar with little distinction between the far trees, the water and the foreground. Ugh.

I let the painting sit for a few days and thought about how to fix it. I started by darkening the background trees as well as the foreground grasses. I also darkened the foreground water just a bit to give some contrast to the white reflection of the mast. With just a few brushstrokes, the entire painting came together rather quickly. I really wish I had a before and after photo since the results were quite remarkable. I'm really quite happy with the final result.

This 6 inch square painting is available for $60. Click the Buy Now button below or click here for other payment options.

"Cool as a Cucumber" - 6 x 6 inches - oil on canvas

"Cool as a Cucumber" - 6 x 6 inches - oil on canvas

I was slicing cucumbers the other day and paused to really look at them.  They are incredibly beautiful. I was struck by the subtle color and pattern of the seeds in the center. I also love how the soft green/yellow interior contrasts sharply with the dark outer skin. Lovely. Just lovely.

This 6 inch square painting is available for $60. Click the Buy Now button below or click here for other payment options.

"Sunny Day at the CCA" - 12 x 12 inches - oil on canvas - SOLD

The town of Chelmsford has been busily renovating their old town hall to turn it into an arts center...the Chelmsford Center for the Arts. Their renovation is nearly complete and they are getting ready to open their doors to the public. For the inaugural art exhibit, they've asked artists to submit works of art interpreting the building itself. This is my entry. It will be fun to see the other entries and everyone's individual depiction of this iconic structure.

I started by painting my canvas a bright purple color. I chose purple primarily because it is the complement of yellow -- the main color of the building. (Complements are pairs of colors that are opposites on the color wheel). If you place complementary colors near each other, they tend to make each other appear brighter.

"Bettyann's Barn" - 8 x 8 inches - oil on canvas - SOLD

"Bettyann's Barn" - 8 x 8 inches - oil on canvas

I was inspired to paint this barn because of the long and complicated shadow created by the forsythia wreath. This is one of those paintings that just flowed right from the start...I really didn't have to fuss too much over any one thing. I paid careful attention to my values noting that the barn interior was the darkest value, the wreath, shadows and pavement were medium values and the barn itself was the lightest value. I really like the abstract quality created by the large, bold shapes and simple color scheme. This painting is hanging at the Art on Main gallery through the middle of May if you want to stop by and view it in person.

Speaking of Art on Main, be sure to stop by on Thursday, May 3 from 5 - 8 p.m. for our monthly "Wine and Nibbles" open house. Our May guest artist is Italian artist Esilda Evans Corbin.