Fall in Beech Forest

Beech Forest is a beautiful nature reserve, in the national seashore park. It has great nature trails, bike trails and attracts many birds, and bird watchers.
For years many artist;s have been painting here because of the wooded and pond scenes it provides. Beech Forest is one more example of the many variety in landscape motifs Provincetown provides.
This was the last fall painting I did this season. After the recent storms we lost all the foliage. I was only able to work on this twice before beech forest turned to winter.
I find painting these type scenes challenging, the colors of the trees are so interesting as is the  reflection of the water.

Flower and Kettle Still Life

I bought this kettle at a garage sale, a few years ago. I always wanted to paint this kettle, the difficultly was in the arrangement.  I used lighter objects in front to soften the kettle and make it relate to the background.  I worked on the start of this painting with a brush, as apposed to the painting knife. I will develop this painting in my studio for the next few days.

Studio Painting of "Two Boats"

This is a large painting I worked on for several days in the studio. The painting size is 30x30. I like working on square sizes they give a very different feel to my work.
I worked on this painting in my studio, from a small painting. I am not afraid to work on large paintings from life outdoors I often do that, however working from a small painting in the studio is an interesting process. I don't like to to lock myself in my plein air rules.
In my studio I learn so much from the process of just painting. I am excited to paint different subjects and finding new ways of expressing myself through my art.
I will take a drawing and turn into a painting using my imagination to explore the color.
I'm not concerned with how original I am or if I have something to "say'. I simply enjoy the process of putting down the paint.

Fall Still Life

Still life poorly organized composition

 The Winter time is upon us and for most of us plein air artist's it's time to go to our studios.
Over the years I have had different studio's depending on my situation.
My studio is an  interesting destination. I can study and experiment away from the curious bystander that I meet in plein air painting.
I find doing still life in my studio the best way to learn color composition and form.


I first started painting my still life with a knife. Something was bothering me about it. The color was okay but the composition was alarming and uninteresting.
 After two days of working on the still I was thinking of abandoning my painting out of frustration."what was it, my set up? the content?" . By stepping back  from the set up I could see everything was veering to the left leaving empty space.
I made a small sketch and then started a new painting of the same set up. This time I used the brush to block in. Although the still life isn't finished it has a better arraignment and therefore more interesting  to paint.

Still life Better placement

Provincetown Art Collection

 

Voting day is a special event, in Provincetown the whole town gathers together for this joyful event.  Attending  town hall is like going to one of the greatest small museums in the country. Being the oldest art colony in America we have the widest collection of Provincetown art here in our town hall. Two of the painting on the top are some of the mud head demonstrations of Charles Hawthorne. Below it I included one of Hawthorne's famous fisherman paintings. Then there are two early paintings of Henry Hensche.

Every office in town is a special room of Art. Blanche Lizzell and Max Bohm are all among  the artist's in this famous collection.

I often bring student's who are from out of town here while they are taking my workshop.

There is always something to learn from these paintings and it's free!

Pam Hudson's office where the Hawthorne hangs

On Line to vote with Max Bohn Painting in the background.

Henry Hensche Painting

At His Breakfast by Hensche

George Bellows Great Design

     

George Bellows, was a great American artist, he was one of the "Eight" and Ashcan painters.
In the painting, " A Stag at Sharkey's" Bellows makes a terrific design of big darks and lights.
The unity of the two prize fighters as well creates this tremendous sense of space.
I copied this master painting shown above, to learn something of these tonal patterns that create space and design.
I'm not concerned with copying an exact rendition, I'm interested in the feeling of strong tonal patterns and design which drew me to this painting.
I think the best class we can take is from the masters who are no longer present in body, but their spirit lives on in their work.