The Painter - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas - SOLD

You don't realize how large the Parish Center for the Arts (PCA) is until you see someone right against the building to put it all in perspective. Just look how this painter, who is probably 6 feet tall, is dwarfed by these massive windows. The stained glass was a bit of a challenge. I had to tone down the color and subdue the details to help keep the focus on the figure. I also wanted to "suggest" the clapboards but not draw in every detail so you see the occasional horizontal line running across the canvas. I'm always struck by how many decisions it takes to create a painting...sometimes it just hurts my brain.

Below is a photo of the PCA taken several years ago. The painter was working on the left between the two large windows.

Me and My Shadow - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

As I was walking our dog Cooper, I was inspired by the strong cast shadows and figured it would make an interesting painting. Having my camera handy, I took photos for the rest of our walk (which must have looked pretty strange). Our walk was fairly late in the day so the shadows were actually very long. I had to shorten and modify the shadows to get the look that I wanted. I debated about adding more details to the ground such as the sidewalk, grass, etc. In the end, I really liked the simplicity of just the dog, leash, and shadows.

Think Pink - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

I was looking for a subject to paint and asked a friend to set up a still life using any combination of objects. She had just purchased some beautiful pink tulips and used them to come up with this arrangement. The cloth, with all of its folds and wrinkles was challenging as I don't have a lot of experience painting fabric. I really like the little ceramic bunny as it catches the strong light from the window.

Bathing Beauties - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

These ladies were wading in the shallow waters at Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester, MA. This particular scene actually included much more…large rocks, a lighhouse in the distance, boats, etc. I could have "panned" out to include them but really wanted to focus on this trio and the beautiful reflections created in the water in front of them.

SAVE THE DATE! On another note, it's official: The opening reception for my show is the evening of Saturday, October 10th, 2009 at the Parish Center for the Arts in Westford, MA. (www.westford.com/pca). I haven't decided on the exact time but everyone will get an official invitation as the time approaches. All 50 paintings (along with a few other goodies) will go on sale when the show is hung on October 1st.

The Concert - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

The challenge of this painting was fitting so much stuff onto a small canvas. I wanted to keep the figures in the foreground fairly dark to emphasize the light on the stage. However, I didn't want to go too dark and lose all the details of their clothing, hair, etc. I had to include the theatre lights at the top of the painting to help balance out the composition.

Some paintings are easy to title. For this one, I debated between "Quintet" and "The Concert". I chose the latter since the painting is really about the entire experience of attending a performance and not really focused on the specific entertainment. Any thoughts on a better title?

Graniteville Foundry - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas - SOLD

I can easily find beauty in an industrial area that might contain dilapidated buildings, rusty machines and other assorted goodies. I was initially inspired by the light green building that contrasts with the tall red tower. This painting is really all about the shapes created by the awning, the stairs, the pipes and all the other elements. I love the subtle shades of greens, reds and grays.

Tic-Tac-Toe - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

I think acorns are adorable. They have tremendous personality with their chunky bodies and oversized hats. If you look closely, they're all slightly different - some are almost square with a flat bottom while others are more sleek and rounded. Their colors also vary from a light tan to a deep, almost purplish, brown. As with most paintings, the shadows are incredibly important for both the composition and for creating depth.

Trio - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

I recently hosted an oil painting workshop given by Carol Marine, a wonderful artist from Texas. When the workshop was over, students left their still life materials behind so I had a glut of fruits and vegetables sitting on my counter. This trio of pears was neatly lined up on my kitchen counter. I liked how they cast a shadow against the wall and left a reflection on my dark counter top. I painted this one in a slightly different style as I tried to keep my brushstrokes very loose and expressive.

Dreamy Day - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

This painting is very loosely based on some reference photos of Plum Island. I basically just let the paint flow and tried to create a simple and peaceful scene. A note about painting skies: if you look at the sky on a bright and sunny day, you'll notice that the color overhead is a very deep and rich blue. If you look towards the horizon, the blue becomes lighter and grayer. This also holds true for any object - colors are brighter and richer in the foreground but fade to a grayer (less saturated) color in the background.

Open Wide - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas - SOLD

Apparently, inspiration comes at strange times and in strange places. I was having a tooth prepped for a crown, and looked up at my dentist, Dr. Martin, peering into my mouth and thought, "this would make a cool painting". After he finished, I asked him to pose so that I could get a few reference photos. He graciously put back on his mask, glasses, gloves etc. and peered into my camera. Like many of my paintings, I used pieces of several photos to design the composition. I liked his hand position in one photo and the angle of his head in another. I added the light in the background by referring to some photos I found on the internet.


On another note, I was flattered to receive 1st place in the Westford Regional Art Event 2009 in the Professional/Experienced - Oil/Acrylic category. My painting, "Morning" was picked from almost 50 works from some artists that I really respect and admire. I'm truly humbled to have received this honor. Below is a photo of my winning entry along with a photo of the show - check out the magnificent paper sculpture of a magnolia tree in the center of the room. The buildling was filled with almost 500 pieces of art!

Weight Limit 3 Tons - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

I occasionally pass under this rusty, narrow railroad bridge. There are actually a lot of electrical and telephone wires that run across this roadway that I was initially going to include in the composition. In the end, I settled on a closer, more cropped view. On this winter day, the scene was rather dull and drab. So, using some artistic license, I added interest with shades of pink, blue and other variations of gray.

Powder - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

When I finally ate "my subject", it was a huge disappointment as it certainly looked and smelled a whole lot better than it tasted. In any case, I finished the painting and showed it to my 14 year old art critic who immediately told me that the napkin was way too clean. He was right. The painting improved immensely when I added the assortment of crumbs to the foreground.

Clementines, Peanuts & Garlic - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

This trio of pottery bowls (made by my sister Julie), sits on my kitchen counter. I didn't do much to change the composition from how I found it. I did, however, spend a long time figuring out the cropping and the viewing angle. In this case, I "zoomed in" to show a piece of each bowl. I wanted a mostly top-down view with part of the bowl sides showing so I could add a few reflections. To make the tan-colored peanuts more interesting, I accentuated the shadow color with hint of purple.

Timberland II - Oil on canvas - 12 x 12 inches

I have a friend to thank for inspiring me to do this painting. We recently celebrated her 50th birthday and she commented on a painting I did many years ago of my first pair of Timberland boots. She talked about how much she liked that painting.

Prior to this conversation, I had been thinking about painting these boots but couldn't get too excited about a dull, primarily brown subject. I knew I had to add splashes of color to make the boots more interesting. The photo probably doesn't show it very well but there are a variety of yellows, reds, blues and greens in these brown boots. I'm very happy with the end result...thanks, Taylor, for giving me the push I needed!

Undressed - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

I often cover my canvas with a layer of color before I start a painting. In this case, I started with a light blue undercoat. When I painted these clementines, I allowed some of the undercoat to shine through and create reflections on the wood table and the peels. I used a limited palette (mostly yellow/oranges, blues and browns) and think the combination is very effective and powerful.

Carlisle Cornfield - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

This cornfield is in Carlisle, the next town over from where I live. In winter, the field is filled with snow, and, on warm winter days, puddles that reflect the surrounding trees and sky. The actual scene was very grey and dull with little color variation. I decided to accentuate the purple color in the distant trees and added a variety of color to the melted snow in the foreground. Initially, I painted the sky a much lighter color but felt it competed too much with the white snow. This painting was a challenge and a bit of a struggle, but I'm very happy with the end result.

Plum Island I - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

Plum Island is one of my favorite nature spots especially in the colder months when fewer people are around. Landscapes can be incredibly challenging - trying to represent a large area on a few square inches of canvas. In general, painters typically use warmer colors in the foreground and cooler colors in the background to create an illusion of depth. In this case, I made the rich browns (for the wet sand) very prominent in the foreground which fade to a grey-blue in the background.

Big Ben - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

I was with my Mom, about 30 years ago, when she bought this clock from an antique dealer. If my memory is correct, she paid a grand total of five dollars. This "Westclox Big Ben" was made in 1927 so it is just over 80 years old. With her "Pepto-Bismol" color and gold numerals, she is quite a charmer. She sat on the bathroom counter for years to compliment the pink decor.

I kept the composition very simple, similar to a portrait, to let the focus of the painting be on the clock...the star attraction.

Duff - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

This little guy, McDuff, is quite a character. Fearless and spunky, Duff is the master of his household. During "Ice Storm '08" when I was displaced from my house for several days, McDuff and I shared some quality time together. When I looked down on him standing on this colorful rug, I knew it would make a cool painting. The rug was actually more difficult to paint than I originally thought. I started with the blocks of color but they looked much too flat. When I blended the areas together and added some contrasting colors, I was able to create a more "shaggy", realistic carpet.

This Old Couch - 12 x 12 inches - Oil on canvas

This couch proudly sits in the main hall at the Parish Center for the Arts in Westford, MA. I'm not sure how old she is but she's been around a very long time. A few years back, she was sent out for repair and new upholstery. She hasn't missed a concert, art reception or dance since.

I decided that painting the entire couch didn't really add anything more so I cropped the image and made sure that the center "crown" was included to show the beauty of the carved wood. I also took a bit of artistic license and made her color a bit brighter and shinier than it really is.