Two Boats

Here is the current painting I'm working on in my studio.

Fall Rooftops

With the fall trees loosing their leaves new painting spots are revealed.

Here in the east end an unusual red house is revealed that has been painted in a few old Provincetown master painters composition. 

Vollian Burr Rann, painted the red house in his "Spring Landscape, East End". This painting hangs in The Provincetown library.

There is little know about Rann other than he painted in Provincetown and studied art with Charles Hawthorne. The red house depicted in painting  was probably painted a hundred years ago; making it part of this iconic rooftop scenes of the east end in Provincetown.

New England Fall

I just finished this painting of Bradford street. It's almost too cold for me to stand out side and paint. I like to paint this scene in the fall because the colors feel better suited for a fall harmony and there aren't as many people around this typically busy intersection.

Fall on Cape Cod

The fall is a wonderful time to paint on the cape. There are many places that have great foliage, my favorite are scenes of Beach Forest and the ponds.

Beach Forest Moring

Shank Painter Pond

San Francisco Street Scenes

My easel and the bike I used to get around

I found painting in San Francisco challenging on many different levels; knowing where to paint, how your going to get you equipment there and handling the perspective of monster hills.
I figured out where I wanted to paint, I put my equipment in a backpack and biked to my painting location.
Biking across flatter streets using the "wiggle map"
made painting easier than I thought it would be.
San Francisco has some  of the most beautiful urban landscapes in the world. 

Bodega Bay

This week I traveled out to Bodega Bay in California, to experience  painting something new.

I have painted a couple times out there and love the crashing waves over the rocks. It's very challenging to leave my comfort zone of Provincetown.

I will post all the paintings of some of the street scenes, when I am able to download them.

Cottage Street

Here is a painting of Cottage street I'm currently working on. I love studying the flow of light that flows throughout this scene.

The Great Provincetown Schooner Regatta

Friday was "The Great Provincetown Schooner Regatta Race. The Schooner race celebrates Provincetown maritime history.
For the past 10 years Castle Hill Truro Center for the Arts, hosts paint the race, for which I was invited to attend and paint.
Getting on the boat with  your easel and paints is challenging not to mention painting the actual race from a moving boat.
I always bring small boards and try and paint the boats quickly and then paint the background, so I'm not painting too much from memory.
It's lots of fun and some interesting artist's attend.

The whole event is three hours and they served lunch. It's more fun for me than I think I actually finish a painting on a moving boat.

Provincetown Lane

Pearl Street

Recently I painted this lane in Provincetown for my show; that has taken up my time.
I painted this scene many years ago when I attended the Cape Cod School of Art, since it's just down the street.  I never felt that I was able to paint a good version of this lane, until now.
I have been trying to get a little depth in my painting so this scene is a challenge to organize the arial  perspective as in  background, middle ground, and fore ground.

Margaret McWethy workshop

Margaret McWethy is a great artist who knows more about still life painting than anyone I have had the privilege to study with . This past week I attended her demo. I have been busy getting ready for my show tonight, but found time to watch Margaret's demo at the Cape School of Art. Margaret pointed out the anatomy of the still life,that is so important for a still life painter.

Cottages by the Sea

Up the Road from Days Cottages, in North Truro is another scene I love to paint. The view from Highhead has many points of view and perspective. Two body's of water , Cape Cod Bay and Pilgrim Lake divide, the scene. 

High Key

This mornings light was a typical high key due to humidity.
Most people consider all impressionist painting high key, due to the brightness and little contrast.
There is quite a lot of contrast on a clear sunny day. Fog and humidity make a seemingly sunny day very high key, meaning there aren't a lot of contrast.
Similar situation arises in a cloudy day. I found this morning the colors where very warm and little contrast.

Days Cottages

Days Cottages are the beach cottages  nestled at the bottom of High Head and run along 6a in Truro.
I have been painting them on and off for years.
The lupine growing in the field made me inspired to paint them once more.

The Grassy Lane

The Grassy lane in Provincetown has been painted by all of us for years.
Cars parked down the lane many years ago I'm told by longtime residence. Now grass covers the old car tracks.
The lane is really a garden with houses on it and is a tour deforce of roses; creating a fantasy land environment.

Developing the Painting

Rooftops

Developing the painting has it's challenges. I seldom work on a painting in one sitting, "One Shots".
I usually return the next day at the same time in the same lighting conditions.
Nothing can replace the color and the experience you get from painting consistently from life.
I will get rid of the white spots in my studio however, and sign the painting.
I might work on a painting for two or three weeks.
I love to start the painting for me, that's where the fun is. Developing the painting takes patience and that's a bit of work.
This rooftop painting will take a couple more sessions to finish.
I like to think of developing paintings rather than finishing paintings. When the colors are true and I can't see anymore variations of color I begin to but on the smaller details.
It's interesting to see all the types of plein air paintings and methods folks have for outdoor painting.
It's a bit of a fade to see all these quickie "one shots", however it's important to have a great start of a painting then a developed crummy composition.

Painting Captain Jack's Wharf

 The many grey days this past week has given us interesting light keys to paint.
Captain Jack's wharf is a great misty scene to explore for color on cloudy days.
Provincetown brings many visiting artist's to town, because of the light and beauty of the town; John Ebersberger is one of those.
I enjoy the exchange of insight John and I share. Painting with John is a chance to learn something fresh.

First Day Of PAAM

Today was the first day of the Provincetown Art Association and Museum's summer workshops.
My first day of class went off with beautiful weather; we painted a simple landscape of the pier on the beach. We finished the class as the tide forced us off the beach.

White In the Light

White has often been said to be the absence of color. In order to make white convincing we need to express first white in the light as well as the shadow.
On the right is an example of Henry Hensche's resent auctioned painting shown at the PAAM.
Clearly a typical silhouetted  outdoor portrait, Henry painted the white blouse very cool without being just some blue formula.

Clearly the white is many colors and their reflections holding within the mass.
Students hate to paint simple blocks because they aren't as exciting as the model or landscape; the struggle with white can be reduced through those exercises.

The White on the shoulders is not the white of the board it's a particular color, that relates to all the light planes.

Dulah Evans a student of Hawthorne, expresses an almost tour deforce of white in painter's on the beach.Hensche always said, "white in the shade is deeper than blue in the light. You can see all the reflections of color expressing the shade.

close up of hat by Dulah Evans

Dulah Evans oil on Masonite courtesy of Jim Bakker

The Hat below is a great example of this fundamental truth.

Hillary Osborn

 

My recent workshop in Falmouth, included a short visit to the Osborn Rugh Gallery. Hillary and I painted together in Provincetown years ago. It was wonderful seeing how her work has grown and discovering that Hillary and Her husband Dough Rugh have opened a gallery in Falmouth.
Osborn simplifies the landscape to the essentials and details are subject to the landscape as a whole.
I love Hillary's treatment of the foliage, because she treats them as masses more than a distracting linear approach.
Osborn's work is colorful and simple.
If you find yourself in Falmouth stop in and meet Hillary she is approachable and interested in sharing her work.  Osborn's website with address is   http:/www.osbornandrughgallery.com
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Falmouth Artist's Guild

Painting at Quissett harbor

Quissett Harbor brush demo by John Clayton

My workshop at the Falmouth Artist's Guild this weekend, brought me to exciting new painting places that I never would have explored.
The Falmouth students were for the most part accomplished artist's and very much open to painting with color.
I enjoyed sharing some of the principles of cape school painting, along with passing on some history.
We started with simple block studies and then moved on to some elements of landscape painting; using the pallet knife to keep things simple.
Some of the students felt the knife created much needed challenges that will help their painting stay loose and fresh. Others found the knife difficult to handle.
The weather was perfectly sunny. I was becoming concerned that I wasn't going to demonstrate the cloudy day; crucial to understanding the light key.
Sunday  we had an overcast morning and I did a quick demo before the sun came out.
The last part of workshop we used brushes.
It was great to see the growth during a few days of painting; teacher included.

Chit Chat Town

I wanted my painting to have a feeling of Provincetown, more than making a picture of Provincetown.
Provincetown is a bustling small town that is very laid back. People often stop and converse on the street.
I put in  a couple figures and some trucks to give some breath to the small painting.
I once heard it said "Don't worry about making it real; make it feel real".

Spring on Prince Street

Cherry tree blossoms drew me to this scene initially, however this painting is about the hill that wines down the hill.
I have always found this scene interesting; shying away from it due to the perspective problem and the lack of color it often presents.
With the colorful cherry blossoms I was seduced.
The perspective of the hill makes it challenging to paint.
To be honest I was always afraid I would be chastised by the "perspective police" so I never attempted it before.

Spring Awakenings

Springtime in lope Square 8x10 canvas

Mcmillan Wharf Provincetown 6x8 canvas

Law Street 6x6 masonite

Finely the spring has arrived at the Cape; the landscape is going to change rapidly from this point on. This weekend the light was incredible; painting small one shots was a great way to warm up.
I painted a few sketches of street scenes this weekend, putting in some of the peeps to create a feeling of the town coming to life again.

Lope Square Provincetown 6x6 Masonite

Pond Village Truro

Alla Prima Street Scene

The Italian, meaning of alla prima is the first attempt. Painting wet into wet is another way to explaining "alla prima". I like to work on the spot and put down the paint directly on white canvas , fast. When I painted this street scene I didn't use an under painting. Many plein air artist's use a yellow or burnt senna ground; killing the white of the canvas. I like the white and put all my colors down that I see; using the white of the canvas to gage the values and temperatures of color.

There is no fast rule for alla prima. Using a base color or not doesn't make a bit of difference, wet into wet is the meaning of  first attempt because you aren't going to apply wet paint over a dry color.
 It was a beautiful warmish day in Provincetown when I painted this scene. The white truck is my focal point. The details are the icing on the cake; details are subject to the whole of the painting.
A few telephone poles and figures give life to the scene, I felt.

Spring on the Provincetown Flats

Early spring is always a big adjustment, painting on the cape. Wharf scenes are the best to paint because they don't have the non existent foliage to deal with.
Arthur Egeli and I painted yesterday on the flats at  low tide.
I did a sketch of the fisherman before they got up;  then started a scene of Captain Jack's Wharf.
A very excellent day to paint with no wind and perfect light.

Chinese Pears and Flowers

While spring is taking it's time getting to the cape; still life is something I enjoy painting in my studio. I like the controlled
environment the studio provides.