Stork Island

On Friday, Mike Rooney and I met up with some local artist's and painted together. It was interesting to see the different paintings.

This is a start of creating this very high Key painting.

I am going to work on it again this week and see if I can finish it.

That's my painting hanging in the Seamen's Bank in Provincetown. There's more than one way to get exposure in the dead of winter when most of the galleries are closed including the Egeli Gallery where I show my paintings. That's Amanda who's desk it hangs over. Amanda and I worked at the Moors restaurant, as waiters. So sad that the Moors is no longer in existence.

Reflections

This morning I went with Mike Rooney to Stork Island. This is one of Mike's favorite Painting places in Key West. The folks are nice here at the Marina. They always say hello and never mind us coming to paint. I painted this scene because I love the reflections the boats create. I find reflections a challenge and I learn more about the light key of nature from them. They can tell you weather it's a clear day, or windy by there movement.

Second Day of Painting

Here is my painting after working on it a second day. I am going back out and see if I can resolve the painting today.

Bougainvillea on the Fence

This yesterdays start. I keep my start loose and make it flow with paint.

I hope to develop this painting further. I will try and see if I can make fresh color notes thereby developing the painting and holding in the same light key.

Mike Rooney and I went out to paint later in the afternoon because the light is so lush at that time.

Years ago I lived in Key West in the winters, I painted many of these lanes. Mike really found this perfect spot I don't think I ever saw before. It's says it all. This lane is the quintessential Key West sunny afternoon lane. It has the bougainvillea growing over the white picked fence and flowers surrounding. Key West is the southern sister to Provincetown.

It was wonderful to see the difference between Mike and my painting same scene and two distant styles.

Key West paintings Done with a painting knife

I did these paintings this morning. The paintings are done with a painting knife. People often ask me why are all the Cape School paintings done with a knife.

The Cape Cod School of Art was founded by Charles Hawthorne. He had his students study color and made them paint with putty knives. His reason was two fold. The first reason was, the knife puts the color down in it purest form. The second reason is Hawthorne didn't want his students to get caught up in needless details. This is very much the reason I paint with a pallet knife I want my paintings to express the joy of sunlight not how great a draftsman I am. After all only the owner of house you are painting counts the windows. All my paintings are really only studies of the color and light. Some are more studied and some are less, studied.

JC

Old Town Key West Street Scenes

Here are two painting that I am was working on today they are both afternoon paintings.

I will return tomorrow and work on them again provided the light is the same.

John Clayton Painting in The Keys

Here's Mike Rooney and I in Key West. Today we went to Stock Island and painted the Marina with all wonderful different boats. This my first blogg

I hope to share more, from my time in Key West.

John

This is a " one shot" painting. I am going to finish it in the studio tomorrow. I would like to clean it up and maybe add some rigging to the boats. All of the main masse/s are established now it just need some tweaking!