Mar. 13, 2008

PBJ, what more can I say?

Mar. 11, 2008

Today's painting is a very small miniature. I forget now, but it's something like 2 by 5 inches. I really like doing these little ones.. it forces me to skip unnecessary details, and go for the main idea. This old pottery jar and a lemon are lit from above, a lighting situation that is dramatic, but simple at the same time.
This same pot, and basically the same composition, is also about to appear as a full size painting. The larger work has apples instead of the one lemon, but otherwise the same. It's sort of fun to do a mini and a large work together. There will be several combos like that in the exhibit.
Today was a banner day. I am finally past my deadline (mostly self imposed) for an upcoming exhibit. I've got most of the work ready to go, with a few things that need just some final details. And, for the first time in several weeks, I was able to get out for a run. A back injury has kept me grounded, and with spring approaching, I've not been a happy camper about that. It is a beautiful sunny day, and life seems good! This might also be partially due to the fact that, for the first time in about a month, I got a whole 8 hours of sleep. Enjoy!

Mar. 10, 2008

The Freemont Land.
Spring fever has definitely struck. I can't seem to paint another winter view. Today's work is the view from some public land near here, called the Freemont Land. There are open meadows (I'm standing in the meadow in this view), two beaver ponds (that's one of them barely visible) and a few miles of forested trail. There is incredible bird activity here. The meadow gets mowed at the end of the summer, after the milkweed pods have cast their seeds. The hills in the background are part of the Wapack range - the left most slope is leading to the summit of North Pack Monadnock. This farm is at the edge of the Freemont Land. In the photo I worked from, my dog, Tucker was standing in the foreground. I had to paint him out for composition's sake. I don't think he cared.