California Trip/Big Sur

I just returned from 10 days in California...this was a work-related trip to the Marina/Monterey area. I've been traveling to this area about 1 - 2 times a year since 2003. California has some of the most spectacular scenery anywhere, and my favorite area is the stretch of coastline south of Monterey called Big Sur. I didn't do any painting during this trip - actually took out some supplies (watercolor) but I only had 2 days at the end of the trip and all I wanted to do at that point was sit on the beach, do some hiking, etc. So here I'll post a few photos in lieu of paintings...perhaps some of these photos will be used to develop studio paintings. These were taken during the weekend of November 17-18.

Perhaps my favorite spot along the coast is the beach at the south end of Garrapata State Park. It's a windswept stretch of pristine coastline, usually empty or only a few hardy souls there. The waves can be very large and I almost got caught by one. On Saturday I started out at this beach, and this scene is looking north from the trail leading to the beach, a sliver of which can be seen just below the center of the image.

After spending some time at the beach, I drove down to the "town" of Big Sur and did some hiking at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. The trail featured a walk through a redwood forest to a small waterfall, followed by another trail up to a high viewpoint overlooking the valley. On a clear day the coast can be seen, but it was too hazy/foggy on this day. Nevertheless, a nice vantage point.

On the way back down through the redwood forest, I found a big ole redwood tree that had a large hollowed base...large enough for me to fit inside quite easily. It was dark so I couldn't see how far up the hollow extended, so I aimed the camera up and used the flash to illuminate the interior. The hollowed out section doesn't appear to extend too far. Strange feeling standing inside a living tree!

On the way back, the fog that had been sitting offshore all day finally moved in. I spent the last half hour on a rock outcropping somewhere along the coast, watching the waves crash over the rocks. This view is to the south through a gap in the coastal rock formation, and if you look carefully you can see a bridge peaking through the fog (just below the center). I think this is the Rocky Creek Bridge, but it could be the Bixby Bridge.

On Sunday I started out at Garrapata Beach again, the sun was warm but it was very windy! So I sat behind a cliff out of the wind for a while, and even got a little sun burn. Afterwards, I did some hiking in the hills, in Mountain Lion country. Didn't see any lions but did hike through a nice redwood grove. I wasn't able to complete the hike to the top of the coastal mountains as my legs were too sore from the previous day. However, I took some nice photos along the coast...this one is stitched together from two images (I'm obviously not very proficient with photoshop).

Ice Fishing

This 9x12 pastel was painted late in March, 2007, at the Braddock Bay Marina. It was the warmest day of the year so far, about 65 degrees. The bay was still frozen solid (the ice fisherman reported the ice thickness to be about 14 inches), so I decided to venture out onto the ice to get a viewpoint that is not accessible most of the year. Because it was so warm, I could literally hear the ice melting all around me...it was a stange feeling.

I was trying to capture the warm light on the trees as they were just starting to bud - they made a beautiful contrast with the approaching clouds. The textures and colors in the ice were very interesting and quite difficult to pin down, but I feel that area came out pretty well. This painting just won a 2nd place in the pastel category at the October 2007 Suburban Rochester Art Group Show.

As a side-note, I was painting this day with Colette Savage, and though we were looking basically at the same scene, we came up with rather different interpretations. You can see her work on her blog, scroll down to find the painting also titled "Ice Fishing". We paint together quite a bit, but don't often choose the same scene...so it's always interesting to compare what we come up with.

An Experiment with Casein

I had been reading some interesting things about casein, a paint that is made from milk protein and thus is water-based - so I decided to give them a try. The obvious benefit is the ability to use water for thinning and clean up. Also, the paint dries pretty quickly but can be re-worked a bit even after dry. This may not have been the best day to try a water-based paint (sometime in March, 2007), as the temperature was hovering just above freezing. However, it worked pretty well - the casein paint has a matte finish when dry and that suited the overall tone of this day pretty well. I haven't used the caseins since, there's just not enough time right now.

Salmon Creek, Under Snow

This 8x10 oil painting was done during a paintout on February 28, 2007. The location was along the shore of frozen Salmon Creek in Hilton. It was quite cold (upper 20s) but fairly calm, so the painting conditions were pretty good. I was initially attrated to the houses peaking through the trees and the snowmobile tracks in the snow, which served as a good lead in. This may be the best winter oil painting I've done, and it recently won a First Prize in the oil/landscape category (Suburban Rochester Art Group, October 2007).

When this painting was done I decided to attempt a quick pastel, as the evening colors were fabulous this day. Since I didn't expect to be able to paint well (being cold, tired, etc), I pulled out a home-made pastel board and set to it. The result is actually not too bad:

As I said, pastel on home-made board, 8x10. Not a great composition, but I think I captured the light on the trees pretty well, and that was what I was after. This was painted very quickly, maybe 45 minutes...perhaps I should paint quickly more often!

Museum Roof, Snow

Pastel, 12x9. Done on an incredibly bright, clear morning sometime in February 2007, right after an overnight snowfall of about 6 - 8 inches. It was cold (mid 20s) but when we started there was no wind, so I was able to use pastels without too much trouble. I found the stark contrasts between the deep maroon of the building and the glaring white of the freshly snow-covered roof, coupled with the clear blue sky, irresistable. The violet shadows were also really clear.

Near the end of this painting (about 2 hours) the wind suddenly picked up and snow started blowing around. It quickly became too cold to continue, but it was worth it.

Mid Winter

This little 8x10 oil was done sometime in January or February 2007. I remember it well...a group of us were supposed to meet at Northampton Park but it was snowing and the paintout was cancelled. I decided to go anyway because the park is only a couple of miles from home. So I painted by myself, which was OK, but I later found out that I forgot to notify one of the group that the meeting was cancelled. Turns out he drove 45 minutes and found no one there (I was painting elsewhere by that time). Felt terrible about that!

Anyway, it snowed on and off so I set up under some pine trees, which blocked some of the snow. But it still got all over my palette and made the paint difficult to work with. They say you can use oil paints in rain or snow, and it's true to a point...but when snow starts getting mixed into the paint it forms an almost unworkable blob.

I feel this painting captures the coldness of a day in mid winter...yet there's just a subtle warmth in the sky (particularly along the horizon) that hints of warmer days to come. Not a great painting in terms of composition or paint handling, but it does capture the feeling of that day.

Late Glow, Salmon Creek (#1)

This pastel (9x12) was done in the late afternoon sometime in Janary or February 2007. The amount of color in the bare trees was amazing, and the contrast with the simple white snow covered ground was striking. It turned out to be a very difficult painting to photograph, and this is not really representative of the depth of color...but it's as close as I can get.

Northampton Overlook, Snow

This little 6x8 oil was done on a brutally cold, windy day in January 2007. Actually it was an experiment in "car painting", since it was too cold to be outside I sat in the passenger seat and painted. It's a good way to deal with the cold, but I find it really too cramped (having a small car doesn't help). It's something that I'm sure I'll do again, as sometimes the view is just too spectacular but the conditions are too difficult. I'm actually surprised I was able to get as much into this painting as I did, usually the 6x8 sizes are a little too small for me. But I do like this one.

Bruger Park, Fall

I did this little 8x10 oil in October 2006, after returning from California. It's just a simple autumn view at Burger Park.

California Trip, October 2006

In October I went to California for about 2 weeks for work. At the end of that trip I spent 5 days painting in and around Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur. I should say "attempting" to paint, as most of my efforts turned out quite poorly. If you've never been to that area, it's main attraction is the spectacular coastline, which begins along the Monterey Peninsula and extends south into the region known as "Big Sur". In many places, sheer cliffs rise up hundreds of feet from the pounding ocean. There are also scattered beaches, many scenic bridges...almost too much to paint.

And therein lies the problem. Never having painted in the area before, I bit off more than I could chew. I tried to make almost every painting a masterpiece, but trying to capture the enormity of the region proved impossible. Next time I plan to paint simpler snippets - a group of rocks as opposed to the entire coastline, etc.

Anyway, here are the only 2 paintings that turned out decently.

This one is a 9x12 oil painting of the Carmelite Monastery, located along Route 1 just south of Carmel. I had seen this the previous day and thought it would make a good morning painting, with the sun catching the side of the building. I set up on the beach and worked on this for about 2 hours. Surprisingly, no one bothered me the entire time...it was wonderful! Though I don't feel I really captured the light on the building, and the trees are kind of clunky.


The second painting is called "Mountain Peak", it is a 6x8 oil. I had spent a couple of hours struggling with one of those majestic views when a fog bank suddenly blew in, obstructing my view completely. I was starting to pack my supplies when I just happened to glance inland, where I saw the top of one of the mountains glowing through breaks in the clouds. The contrast between the blue of the sky and the warm glow on the mountain was beautiful, and something I just had to try to capture. Considering how tired I was I think I did pretty well.

Goldenrod, Sunny Evening

This was painted the day after the previous painting, in completely different lighting. It was late afternoon, with the sun behind me. The goldenrod field was a blaze of yellow, and there was much more color in the distant tree line. This is basically the same scene as the previous painting, with a lower horizon line. Oil, 8x10...this one was entered in the same shows as the previous painting and it won 1 award. I'm not sure which one I prefer, they both have merits. However, I felt that I was unable to capture the intense color in the goldenrod field - but I'm still not sure how exactly to do that! Try again next year.

Goldenrod, Cloudy Morning

Burger Park, which I've mentioned before as being a favorite painting spot, has acres of fields covered in goldenrod. Driving past one day in September, I noticed the fields in full bloom, and decided I had to try. So the next morning I went out to paint it. It was a cloudy, dreary morning, but I liked this view of the goldenrod fields leading up to this old barn. Colors in the goldenrod were actually surprisingly subtle. This is an oil, 9x12, and has won awards in 2 shows.

Kirby's Market

This 9x12 pastel was done on a cool morning in September 2006...one of those first days where it feels like fall. The sky was a stunning combination of turquoise blue with puffy white clouds, and the sunlit white building with purple shadows echoed the clouds nicely.

This painting won first place in pastels at the October 2006 Suburban Rochester Art Group show. It was then shown in a group show in early 2007, and I have to say that I received more compliments on this painting than any other. Which I find interesting, because it's nowhere near one of my favorites. It is much more colorful than many of my other paintings, especially the oils, and I think people may have been responding to that. This is also the first painting that I have ever sold.

Kathy's Cottage

Painted at a friend's lakshore cottage one afternoon in late summer, 2006. This is a 9x12 pastel. I had done a morning painting looking the other direction, and this afternoon view with the sun on the red cottage was very attractive. There was so much green, and I didn't have very many greens in my pastel box. However, I feel I was able to get enough variation through careful layering.

Marsh Morning

This 12x18 pastel was done in July 2006 at Burger Park. The colors in the jpeg are stronger than in the actual painting (i.e. the blues appear too saturated). One of my large plein air paintings, it won a Merit Award at the January 2007 GVPAP show. I like the composition, the sky and the marsh grass, but am not happy with the trees - too clunky. This is a spot I'll be returning to again.

Conesus Lake Morning

This 6x12 oil was painted on a very humid July morning (2006), at the north end of Conesus Lake. This is one of the finger lakes located a short distance south of Rochester. Although this one has never won an award, it is one of my favorite paintings, as I feel that I captured that beautiful hazy morning light so typical of summer...when almost everything appears in shades of blue. Some have commented that they feel there's too much open space in the water, that I should have added one or more boats. I don't know, I don't think it's necessary as my goal was to capture that lazy calm feeling - thus the centrally located horizon line and lack of any man-made objects or bright colors. One area that bothers me is the bush to the left of the trees, it just doesn't look right and I keep meaning to go back and tweak it...maybe some day.

Summer Sky, Burger Park

This 10x12 oil was painted in June, 2006 at Burger Park - an open space type of park along Salmon Creek in Greece. It has become one of my favorite painting spots. On this morning I was particularly attracted to the clouds. In fact, after seeing some fabulous cloud paintings by Marc Hanson, I had been waiting for a day with this type of sky. I feel I made a breakthrough with clouds here, as they usually turned out too heavy feeling, with too much contrast (bases overly dark and tops overly light). Here I captured more of the true feeling of these type of clouds - on these somewhat hazy summer days, the clouds are often almost the same value as the sky. Seems so obvious now!

Of course, it took me so long that I sort of neglected the bottom half of the painting...it's not bad, but could be better. Nevertheless, this one also got an award at the June show, and people were raving about the sky.

Late Snow, Frisbee Hill

Painted as the last snow melted in March 2006, I hit the jackpot with this 12x9 pastel on Wallis paper. This painting won the "Best of Show" award at the Suburban Rochester Art Group Show in July, 2006. I was set up on Frisbee Hill in Greece, looking up at the patchy melting snow. I was really attracted to the shadows falling across the snow. Interestingly, this painting was just not working out, and after about an hour I was close to giving up. I was overworking and over-blending the surface and just not achieving the kind of broken light effect that I was seeing.

Fortunately, at that point I just decided "what the heck", that I would keep at it and just try to make a series of broken strokes and then not touch them. From then on the painting seemed to paint itself. I've heard others say that about paintings, but don't think I had ever experienced it before.

A funny corollary to this - when I entered this painting in the show, I actually seriously thought it had a good chance of winning Best of Show. I rarely think my paintings are very good, but this one just seemed to have it. I also entered the painting in the previous post (Irondequoit Marina, Late Winter). At the awards reception, the Best of Show was announced...as being for the Irondequoit Marina painting! I accepted the award but couldn't believe that anyone would pick that painting over this one. The ribbon hung on that painting for over a week, before someone realized the mistake...a simple transcription error had been made during the judging.

Irondequoit Marina, Late Winter

One of my first pastel paintings. I include it not because it's particularly good, but just as a reference point. A friend of mine had been after me to try pastels for quite a while. So one day I took her up on her offer and gave it a shot, using her pastels. This is not the painting, but as soon as I tried pastels I knew I was in trouble. I just loved the way they felt, they way they went on the paper, the way one could work over previous layers without everything becoming muddy. And yet, they were an opaque medium like the oil paints I was used to, so I could still paint dark to light.

Anyhow, this 9x12 pastel on Wallis paper was done in February 2006. I see plenty of things I'd do differently now, but feel the overall composition and color scheme is OK.

High Falls, Summer Morning

Rochester is fortunate to have some spectacular scenery, including "High Falls", a nearly 100 foot waterfall a short distance from downtown. It's certainly a strange juxtaposition, seeing tall city skyscrapers so close to such a large waterfall. This 10x8 oil/board has a lot of nice structure in the lower half - I'm pretty happy with that area, since it was the first time in a long time that I had tried painting a waterfall. I'm not so happy with the buildings and greenery, though admittedly I spent much less time on those. It's a site I want to get back to.

Inspired By Cristy

This was also done in early September, 2005. I had seen a painting of a tractor by a Wetcanvas member (named Cristy). It was a beautiful painting and when I happened across this old machine during a painting expedition, I couldn't resist giving it a try. It didn't turn out too bad, but truthfully the jpeg makes it look better than it is. I was standing in full sun and the painting looked really good outside, but when I brought it in under artificial light it lost a lot of its punch.

I don't paint vehicles too often, but would like to try this one again. Unfortunately I think the property has since been sold.

"Chocolate Muffins"

This beach house is located on the Lake Ontario shoreline, near Braddocks Bay. On this particular morning (early September 2005) I was attracted by the way the trees and shrubbery framed the house. It was also an interesting lighting situation, with the sun behind and slightly to the right of the house, meaning the entire side facing me was in shadow. That was challenging. The right side of the painting was never finished. The only thing I don't really care for is the "surprised" look on the house (the two "eyes", or windows near the peak, and the mouth being the large window below).

As we were finishing, the owner came over with a plate of huge chocolate muffins that he was baking for some event. I think they were made with brownie mix and they had embedded reeses peanut butter cups. They were delicious!

Hudson Valley Trip, July 2005

A group of us who met on the WetCanvas plein air forum got together for a week-long painting trip in the lower Hudson Valley of New York. We stayed in Hyde Park, and used the Vanderbilt Mansion grounds as our main painting location. Later in the week we ventured out to Olana, the former home of Frederick Church, and Norrie Point.

The weather was very warm and humid all week, in fact one of the days was in the upper 90s. Very hazy, lots of atmosphere. I was surprised at how difficult it was to paint the unfamiliar scenery, and most of the paintings I attempted did not turn out well enough for public viewing. Looking back, with the benefit of a couple of other painting trips as hindsight, I think I was trying to paint too much. In a new area it seems best to keep the paintings simpler, at least for the first couple of days, until you get used to the colors, atmosphere, landforms, etc. Several other artists from different parts of the country also had trouble the first day or two.

Anyhow, here are a couple of the "better" paintings.

This one was done on Monday around midday, after a morning painting gone wrong. It's oil on canvas panel, 11x14. I was really attracted to the dramatic rocks protruding up from the ground, and the nice light falling across those rocks and the grass. It is unfinished but I've always meant to get back to it, or possibly use it as a study for a studio painting. Maybe someday...

This was one of those "should I or shouldn't I" paintings...sunset was fast approaching, I was tired. But this great tanker had just anchored in the river and the sun was hitting it just right. So I dashed off this 6x8 in about 25 minutes. It's not perfect, but it was a nice way to end the day. And I'm glad I did it, some of the other artists were planning on painting this tanker the next morning but just as they were starting, it pulled anchor and headed upriver.


Tuesday and Wednesday none of the paintings worked out. This one, of the Olana Mansion, was done Thursday afternoon. It's oil on canvas, 12x16. I liked the way the building sat in the landscape, and am reasonably happy with the painting (despite the clunky trees). One big problem, though, is that I painted the top of the building too close to the edge...and it gets partially cropped when framed. Live and learn!



Friday morning at Norrie Point, hard to believe the week went by so fast! I just liked this simple scene looking down river, with the distant marina as a focal point. It's oil on canvas, 11x14. This one is also quite unfinished, as I stopped early to watch one of the other artists at work. I keep meaning to come back to this one as I think it has some potential...again, one of these days!

Old Wall, Linwood

This one was painted in July 2005, at Linwood Gardens in Pavilion, NY. The expansive grounds are a painters dream, featuring hay fields, distant views of the Genesee Valley, an old mansion, and an enclosed garden with these wonderful old walls. This painting is a view from outside the garden, looking at the old walls. I've always been attracted to "see throughs" such as this, and really liked the way the morning shadows fell across the structure. The color of the wall is really much greyer than I painted it, but it seemed too dull and had to be warmed up. I considered this painting unfinished at the time, but upon reflection I kind of like the almost vignette-like quality.

Oil on board, 8x10.

The Cefare

Another important painting for me, this one has won awards at 2 shows. Oil on canvas board, 14x11, also from July 2005. This one was done in the afternoon at the Pultneyville Marina and Yacht Club, after a morning painting that didn't turn out too well. I was wandering around being indecisive, considering just leaving, when I saw this scene being painted by one of my artist friends. She hadn't gotten much past the block-in stage, but I could see the potential in the composition, so I set up nearby and painted the same view...thus I often refer to it as a "stolen composition".

As a side note, I've been referring to this painting for the past 2 years as "The Cefare" because I thought that was the name of the boat. However, on a recent trip back to the marina, I saw the same boat and had a better look at the name...which is actually "The Cebare". Oh well, close enough!

Ford Street Bridge

Ah yes, the Ford Street Bridge...a very recognizable Rochester landmark. This was a breakthrough painting for me, winning a second place award and garnering quite a bit of attention wherever it has been shown.

This was painted in early July 2005. I had been painting a lot but producing very few decent paintings, so I was getting frustrated. On this day I went out with one other artist who was intent on painting a view of the Rochester skyline. Well, I was just not enthralled with that view, and was starting to wonder what I was going to paint. I just happened to turn around, and saw this view of the bridge...the light reflecting off those pillars and those wonderful shadows underneath. It felt like this painting painted itself - I'd heard others talk about that but never experienced it myself.

Oil on canvas panel, 11x14...three color palette.

Dandelions

After a failed plein air session in which I got overwhelmed by spring greens, I decided to focus on something smaller. The dandelions seemed like a nice change of pace from full-blown landscapes, plus I didn't have to drive anywhere.

Obviously I still have a way to go regarding green, but I kind of like the simplicity of this little (6x8) oil on board.

Snyders Sheep Farm

Painted at Snyders Sheep Farm on Mill Rd, Pittsford, mid-April 2005. This is oil on board, 9x12. I expanded the palette to include cerulean blue, terra rosa, yellow ochre, burnt sienna. In the image, the whites are washed out compared to the actual painting.

I think I got a little over-ambitious on this one, but it was fun...nice way to spend part of a mild spring day. The part I'm actually happiest with is the distant tree line and field, both of which I think I handled just abstractly enough.

Salmon Creek Foot Bridge

Done in late February, 2005. A long, cloudy winter was winding down. We still had a deep snow cover but this was the first sunny day in a long time, so I trudged across the fields to the golf course adjacent to our property. Fortunately the stream was not ice covered, and the scene attracted my eye immediately.

This is a 9x12 oil painting, done on gessoed hardboard, using the same 3-color palette mentioned in the previous post.

Snow Trunks

This one was a cold weather experiment. Done outside in January 2005, when it was about 15 degrees, windy and occasionally snowing...so I cheated a little and set up inside our unheated barn. The view is out across the back of our property. We had a wind-driven snow that coated the north side of all the tree trunks, and I found that very attractive. Just as I was finishing a break in the clouds appeared and I added that to the sky.

I have since learned a little more about painting snow, but I'm still pretty happy with this one overall. Oil on board, 10x12. It was done with a 3-color palette that I spent quite a bit of time experimenting with - the colors being ultramarine blue, permanent red medium, and cadmium yellow light (plus white, of course).

Through the Trees

Painted sometime in the fall of 2004, at Mendon Ponds Park south of Rochester...it was a windy and cool day. I was struck by the vivid yellow foliage glowing behind a stand of trees, and tried to capture that. This 9x12 oil painting won and "Honorable Mention" award at the Suburban Rochester Art Club show in April, 2005. I felt somewhat daring putting that large tree right in the middle of the painting, but feel that it worked out OK.

Late Warmth

Painted on November 11, 2004. I remember this day...we had set up in a somewhat suburban location, on a cloudy afternoon. The light was pretty flat and I had a terrible time trying to paint a stream. I had given up and was ready to start packing my supplies, when the clouds broke and the late afternoon sun suddenly came out, flooding the house across the street with light. I had to try to paint that light, and had to do so quickly.

I scrubbed in the background trees very quickly, along with the foreground, then spent some time drawing the house and applying thick paint...the photo does not really do justice, this one looks better in real life.

Mendon Ponds #1

This was painted on September 10, 2004. It is oil on board, 9x12. Not one of my best paintings, but it has some "historical" significance, as it was the first day that I painted with a local group of plein air artists...kindred spirits. I've painted with these artists many times since, and my painting has improved considerably because of it. The group has since become "official", and is known as the Genesee Valley Plein Air Painters, Inc (GVPAP). Currently there are over 70 members.

Linwood Hay Bales

This painting, titled "Linwood Hay Bales", was done on August 24, 2004. It is oil on canvas, 12x16. Painted on a hazy, humid summer morning. The photograph is not too good, there is aliasing and the values are compressed a bit. This was the first plein air painting I did in Rochester that I was reasonably satisfied with. It won a "2nd Place, Oil/Landscape" award in the April 2005 Suburban Rochester Art Club show.

One thing I've noticed over the past few years is that I can remember almost everything about the day/time when a painting was done...the process seems to heighten the senses. During this painting I set up under a walnut tree without realizing it...until the wind blew and walnuts started falling all around me! I didn't get hit by any but certainly learned to look up before setting up to paint, as there are other hazards in trees (limbs that could fall, birds that could do what birds do, etc).

Joining the blog world...

I've decided to enter the "blog world". This site will be devoted primarily to my artwork, though other subjects may creep in from time to time. My long dormant interest in art was rekindled in the late 1990's when, during a move, I discovered an oil painting set given to me by my parents when I was a teenager. I remember following the painting instructions in the book that came with the set (something by Connie Gordon, I think). The paintings came out OK for what they were, and I still have some of them. However, when I tried to venture away from the book and paint on my own, the results were not suprisingly quite poor. I quickly lost interest and put the set aside, though it obviously traveled with me, stowed away in a box somewhere, for many years.

I did remain interested in art, though. My wife and I lived in the Albany NY area for about 8 years, and made numerous visits to the Sterling Clark museum in Williamstown MA. Fantastic art collection, if you're ever in the area. Then we had the good fortune to live in the Washington DC area for another 5 years, which meant many trips to the National Gallery of Art and other museums in the area. We then wound up near Richmond Virginia. The museums were not as plentiful, but the local art scene was fairly active.

It was in Virginia that I rediscovered that painting set...I played around with the paints a bit and finally decided to take a couple of classes. Along the way I met several artists who enjoyed painting outdoors...plein air painting. As soon as I started painting outdoors, I was hooked. My skills were not well developed, but I worked at it and produced a few decent paintings. A couple made it into juried shows at the now defunct Shockoe Bottom Art Center, and one was published in the 2003 calendar of the Union Theological Seminary in Richmond...though they spelled my name wrong.

Unfortunately, things came up that interfered with painting during my last year or so in Virginia. However, when my wife and I moved to Rochester in July, 2003, I was determined to start painting again. In early 2004 I heard about the WetCanvas online art community and became a regular participant in the plein air forum. I learned a lot there, and became more confident and interested in painting. Then in the fall I met a group of plein air painters in Rochester, a group of about 8 who painted outdoors at least once a week throughout the year. Going out with this group allowed me to get over my inhibitions about painting in public, and also exposed me to many new painting techniques...just seeing how different people painted the same scenery was an eye-opening experience. That, combined with the excellent advice of some wonderful artists on WetCanvas, helped me make some major strides in my painting ability.

Most recently, I've been involved in the development of the Genesee Valley Plein Air Painters. Based in Rochester, this is a group of 70 members who gather for paintouts at various locations around the Genesee Valley. We've had a judged/juried show each January. It's an exciting, active group with some extremely successful and talented artists. Hard to believe there's so many outdoor landscape painters in such a harsh climate. I feel very fortunate to have found such a group.