"Morning Song"

Pastel on Canson Touch, 14x10

In late August on the marsh, the rising sun orchestrates a song for the morning.  The clear light creates the harmony by mixing the blazing, bright color of the day with the soft, muted tones of the shadows and distance.  At this time of year, the spartina grass is an intense green of almost blinding purity, and the tips of the long blades begin to turn to a golden yellow.  The taller cord grass begins to fade with touches of red and light brown.  When the tide is high early in the day, the water is like a mirror for the grass and distant trees.  The sky has a few fluffy, indistinct clouds that lose themselves in pink and lavender near the horizon.

I have set out to capture that image and atmosphere in this picture.

"Quiet Promise"

Pastel on Canson Touch, 14x10

In the early morning, the calm air and quiet waves give only a promise of the sea breeze that is to come - thus the title of the paining.

In the heat of the day, the wind and surf rise along with the temperature.  What I have tried to capture is the calm, quiet peacefulness of the beach before the day begins.  In those few moments, the colors are clear and the values are crisp.  Purple lingers in the shadows for a while before the blaze of the sun burns it away.

"Sense of Passing"

Pastel on sanded gatorboard, 14x10

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This painting was done from photos, drawings, and notes I made in the woods near Pablo Bay.  There are survey stakes all through the woods and new access roads being cut.  I wanted to get as much information and painting done here as possible - the woods may soon be a construction zone.

The day was overcast with few and infrequent breaks in sunlight.  The colors of winter dominated the scenes, but the gray overcast kept them muted and somber.

Everything seemed to be passing - the sun, the day, the weather, and soon the woods themselves.

I did make another confirmation as I worked on this piece.  I do not have to "explain" everything in the picture. The suggestion made with color and value does not need to be an explicit shape. I know this is true, but I still struggle with minimizing details.