3 Phases of the painting "Native Son"

Here are three phases of an acrylic painting called, "Native Son", which was completed two years ago.
I couldn't get the photos set up correctly on this blog so the first phase is actually the one on the bottom . The canvas has been covered with a terra cotta underpainting which is just like the papers and panels used in my pastel paintings. The warm tone makes the cool color palette in my work sparkle. It's rare that I paint on a white or light toned background.
I paint with a big brush(house trim painting size)
and use all the tips and edges for blocking in and shapes right down to the smallest areas including the mooring line. The only time I use a small brush is for my signature. I found that this works for me because I have to move my whole arm to get what I want...there's more energy in the strokes. Yellow was added midway then white and green mixtures were scumbled over areas of the boat. I used a dry scumble of greens on the water for depth and reflections.
The scene is from memory. When I was a kid we lived near Casco Bay and these islands could be seen from the beach where I spent many summers. How fortunate I was....

The outboard motor was my favorite thing to paint..love the shape of it, especially the little prop in the sun.

The clouds came from a photo I took in the California desert around Palm Springs.

The skiff....well... she was on dry land in the middle of December...

Who's your Buddy now.

This is 'Buddy' a handsome mixed breed dog owned by a friend. He reminds me of a German Shepherd in this portrait, especially with his large upright ears and coloring. His direct gaze speaks to his personality which I'm told is strong and energetic but lovable.
This guy loves to run and he has just the right home for it with a big beautiful field on the owner's property and plenty of pesky wildlife around to keep him entertained..like a family of foxes.
His new mother loved him from the start, but he was a handful and his dad wasn't quite sold on the idea. It took a little time but Buddy worked his way into everyone's hearts and now his dad takes him everywhere.
This is acrylic with touches of casein mixed in, painted on a terra cotta toned panel. I started using toned pastel papers several years ago and use that same underpainting for acrylic and casein. You can see it peeking through in the background and in areas of Buddy's chest and neck. I like the warmth and cohesive quality of this method.

Photoshop experiments

The pastel panels I ordered should arrive tomorrow and until that happens I'm playing with recently finished acrylic paintings in Photoshop. We've had this program for about 12 years now and it's been really helpful when it comes to altering paintings for the "What ifs". I'm never satisfied with a finished painting...there's always something I should've done differently and this program gives me a chance to try it. I've also found that by flipping a painting horizontally distortions are easy to spot. That's come in very handy since there's no mirror in the studio and dragging some of my paintings down spiral stairs to the bathroom is an accident waiting to happen.

Here are three versions of the acrylic painting 'Puddy' and it's interesting how the hues and tone values change the feeling. One of the applications makes him look like he's moving.

These are my favorites..

Cape Porpoise In Winter Light

Easter was a great day for Steve and I. We had a good hike in the morning then a short break before going to our son's home to celebrate the holiday and two family birthdays. The weather was cooperating for a change so we had a cookout prepared on their new hot dog cart that will be set up in Freeport this summer. Check it out on Depot Street.

After such a full day I like to go to the studio in the evening to paint. The act of painting has become almost like an act of meditation. I think it's the result of painting more often in the past two months and just getting into a rhythm. I care less and less about little mistakes and let them be.

I liked the roof shapes in this scene of Cape Porpoise, the dock with the light bouncing off the poles and the land across the cove. This little harbor will be busy soon...I like to remember it this way.

A walk in the woods

On Easter morning we decided to take a short hike on a new trail here in Pownal, cleared by volunteers of the Royal River Conservation Trust. This organization received grant money to install two bridges and extend a public trail system connecting Bradbury Mountain State Park to Pineland Farm in New Gloucester. The new section includes a beautiful wooden and steel bridge that spans the Chandler River and was just completed about a month ago. The trails are all open, free to the public, for hiking, mountain biking, cross country skiing and horse back riding. We are fortunate to live in a place where these natural amenities are at our doorstep and can be enjoyed every day.

We met like minded neighbors who were hiking with their two boys and were just as impressed with the work as we were. We plan to go back often this summer and bring our family members too. Koda enjoyed the walk and gave me a happy face on the bridge.

One of the photos shows an ancient piece of farm equipment left there long ago. Many of the original farm's stone walls are still intact and run everywhere through the woods down to the river. They are covered with rich

green lichen now and mark off old cow pastures.

Tight Quarters - New Harbor

New Harbor is just outside of Pemaquid Village and is unique in that there are two separate harbors in the town.

This one is narrow, deep and stretches inland to the right and out of frame. It's more protected from the open ocean than the other larger harbor out of frame to the left and around a V shaped peninsula. There are several docks on both sides of this gut with many pleasure craft and working boats moored or tied up all through here. I actually left out three other boats that were jammed into the photo shot, but even so, these four remaining boats are pretty snug in the scene. While we were here the ocean swells rolling in from the mouth of the harbor tossed the boats up and down, swinging them precariously close to each other. I wanted a composition that would convey a sense of tight quarters and moving water. The jostling maneuvers must be exciting to watch on a busy summer day.

Friendship Harbor in the Fall

Two years ago we drove up the coast and took some roads out to coastal peninsulas we'd never visited before. It was a sunny October afternoon so we decided to check out Waldoboro and continue on out to Friendship. I say 'on out' because Friendship is fairly remote and way off the beaten path..our kind of place. The village was very quiet as expected and the summer homes were tidy and buttoned up tight. Only the local residents live there year around..and maybe a few city transplants. I wondered if the locals look forward to this time of year or miss the people from away...easy answer. Down on the docks it was business as usual with fisherman bringing in traps and securing equipment for the coming season. The original founders of this area sure knew what they were doing when they settled here because the harbor is a well protected cove and the water is calm. I heard alot of men talking but couldn't see them, but I did capture one of their companions sunning himself next to a truck. He got up and wondered up to see me. Acrylic 5 x7.