Waiting

Pastel, 12x16
As the line of showers approaches, the estuary lies in quiet expectation waiting for the rain.  The long line of pines on the shore have seen the storms come before, and they will weather this one easily.

Pond Pines

Pastel, 11x14 on drawing paper

I did this study on drawing paper with pastel pencils and NuPastels.  The subject was taken from earlier sketches on photographs of retention ponds near my home.  As I worked on this, the composition and materials began to look more like watercolor, and the image became more informal.  I left white paper to keep that quality. 
I am doing a series of views of these ponds to highlight the beauty and wonder of the small vistas that surround us and that we pass without notice.  What beauty could there be in an ordinary retention pond or roadside canal?

Pine Portrait 2

Sepia Conte on tan Canson, 12x9

Second study for a new project - Urban Parks and Vistas

Pine Portrait

Conte on Paper, 15x11

I wanted to capture the substance and stature of a stately pine that grows on a pond near my home.  I did the drawing with sanguine Derwent Drawing pencil.  I like the sense of color and the smoothness that these pencils supply.
This is my first effort of the new year.

Three Late Etudes

New Oats 1 - 7x5

New Oats 2 - 7x5

Windy Morning, 5x7

These three small studies are ink and watercolor with pastel.  They represent my final work of 2016.

Morning Reverie

Pastel, 9x12 on UArt

As the morning fog rises from the pond and reveals the colors and forms of the trees and grasses, I find myself drawn to remember and reflect on all that is good and peaceful.
Looking back over 2016, I set for myself the challenge to select my one favorite painting for the year and describe why it’s my favorite.
“Morning Reverie” 9x12, is my choice for the following reasons:
1. It represents a scene I love and to which I had a distinctly visual and emotional reaction.
2. Painting it forced me to make design and color choices based on values, temperature, and form rather than old habits of color and perceptions.
3. The result communicates a feeling about a time and place rather than a picture of a location.

Late Showers

Pastel 9x12 on UArt

Demonstration done at GNGallery.  In the late afternoon, the brief showers move quickly through the marshes bringing out the deepest colors.