Merry Christmas!

I don't have a recent seasonal painting to share, so I'm posting the last plein air painting I've completed this year. This was actually done back in September...since then my back problem and work commitments have conspired to prevent me from painting. But I've only got a month left on the job, and my back has recovered enough to get on with things. So this blog should get more active soon (and by that I mean February or thereabouts).

This is the back side of our house...I call it "Additions" because it's an older house (1900 - 1920 time frame), and has been added onto several times over the years. From this view there are 3 separate additions to the house that are visible. These additions add interesting shapes and shadow patterns, and that's what caught my eye. The painting is an 11x14 oil on canvas...this required 2 or 3 sessions to complete. I'm still not happy with the door area in the lower right part of the house, and may adjust that at some point. Note that the whites have been over-exposed in the jpeg.

Anyway, Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to anyone reading, and best wishes for a great new year ahead.

Chris

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Thanskgiving. The two paintings here were done a couple of months ago, in Wyoming County...I think on Durfee Road. The first one, "Goldenrod Vista", was done in the early afternoon. It's a 6x12 oil on canvas. I don't know how it looks on your screen, but I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out, and am thinking of using it as the basis for a larger studio painting.

The second painting was actually done earlier the same morning, at the same location. It was more of a warm-up painting and while there are some things I like about it, I don't consider it overly successful. It is OK as a study. It's also oil on cavas, 8x10 in size. This is a beautiful location that I plan to return to...it's actually very close to where my painting "Wyoming County Vista" was done (posted in January 2008)

This has been a difficult year painting. I've had to work a lot which has severely cut into painting time. Then about 2 months ago I had a flare-up of a disk problem in my neck...which made it impossible to do much of anything for a while! I think I'm healthy enough now to get back to painting, but of course everything else - including work - has piled up in the meantime. So the viscious cycle continues.

However, on the bright side - part of the reason for the heavier work load is that I will be leaving my desk job early in 2009 (end of January most likely) so that I can devote my time to painting. I've been looking forward to this for quite some time. At that point I plan to be updating the blog on a more regular basis - with paintings but also information about what I'm learning along the way. Hopefully it will be useful/interesting to someone.

Now, I have a request - I know there are people looking at the blog...I use a hit counter that reports the number of hits and their general location (but no specific information). A few of you have left comments, but not too many. So - I'm asking for you to write a quick comment, let me know where you're located, if you have a website or blog. Don't feel obligated to say anything about my paintings unless you want to - I'm just interested in who is looking (and I really want to know who keeps checking in from Trinidad and Tobago!)

Chris

Pines Over Rocks

This larger (12x18) pastel required several sessions to complete. The inspiration was, of all places, a highway interchange...where the Lake Ontario Pkwy intersects Manitou Road. There was a very nice field of grass and wildflowers with a clump of pine trees...and a few lonely small pines off to the right. I have a very difficult time with foregrounds and this one was a major challenge. I'm not entirely satisfied with that part, but I do like the painting overall. I may adjust the distant horizon...as I think it would look better if it was level. This painting received a second place (in pastels) award at the most recent SRAG Fall show.

The ever present problem of photographing paintings...this one looks pretty good on my laptop but the colors look a bit too saturated on my CRT (especially the greens). Who knows how it looks to you!

Greece Ridge Mall Show

I will have work on display (and for sale) this Friday (Nov 7) and Saturday (Nov 8) at the SRAG Fall Show at the Greece Ridge Mall (Rt 104, Ridge Road, west of 390 interchange). The show will be open during Mall hours (9:30 am to 9:30 pm both days), and will be located in front of Macys. Stop by and check it out! Over 20 artists from SRAG will be represented. I'll have about 15 pieces at the show, including some that have not yet been posted on this blog.

Unfortunately, for the past month I've been dealing with a back problem that has prevented me from painting (or doing much of anything, for that matter). It's a flare-up of a disk problem in my neck that causes severe pain in my back and left arm, along with numbness and weakness in my left arm. Fortunately I am right-handed! The symptoms have improved considerably but I'm nowhere near 100% yet. I hope to start doing some artwork in the very near future...so check back for new paintings soon (I hope!).

Artist Row 2008

I participated in the 4th annual Artist Row festival at the Rochester Public Market last Sunday (September 21). Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate...it was cloudy and cool with mist most of the day. No steady rain, but the conditions definitely kept the crowds down compared to last year. Still, it was a nice way to spend the day. I didn't sell any paintings this year, but did get lots of nice comments and a possible commission for a barn painting.

Here are a couple of pictures of my set up. I had six racks and a total of 32 paintings displayed. Some of the paintings are new and haven't been posted here yet, so check back for updates.

High Falls #2

This 12x8 pastel was painted May 5. It is the second time I've painted the 100 foot tall High Falls in downtown Rochester (the first one is here). This time I zeroed in on the falls themselves, from the western side of the Pont de Rennes foot bridge. The backlighting was wonderful. I almost gave up on this painting half way through, as I was having a real hard time finding the right colors for the shaded part of the waterfall (just to the left of the rocks) but I'm glad I kept at it, I like the way this one turned out. The whites in the photo are a little too bright, which masks some of the subtlety in the spray/most to the left of center.

Pittsford Roses

This 8x10 pastel was painted Friday, June 13 in Pittsford.

I'm not usually interested in painting buildings, but was drawn to the contrast between the large blooming rose bush and the edges of the porch. It was a tough morning...started out cloudy and threatening rain (thunder in the distance), so the contrasts were muted. Later on the sun broke through and cast highlights onto parts of the rose bush and the porch, especially the roof. The painting was looking a little dull, so I added some of those highlights but may have lost the overall coherency. Had a real tough time with the color and tone of the white parts of the porch, especially those in shade.

Chimney Bluffs

Chimney Bluffs State Park is a wonderful spot about an hour east of Rochester. It consists of bluffs that rise up to 250 feet above Lake Ontario. The forces of nature have eroded these bluffs into a variety of shapes, including some spectacular razor-sharp pinnacles. This is a place where I intend to paint, but haven't had the opportunity yet. A few weeks ago I did some hiking, scouting out possible painting locations. I didn't take as many photos as I should have, but hopefully the few below will give you some idea of the possibilities. Clicking on the images will bring up full-sized versions.

I drove to the eastern parking area and hiked west along the narrow, rocky coast. It was already early afternoon, and the sun had shifted far enough that I couldn't really take good pictures looking to the west. These views would be best in the morning.

As I returned eastward along the coast I took this picture, which shows some of the dramatic formations. There are hiking trails atop the bluffs (see pictures below), if you look carefully at the large version of this picture you can see a couple of people standing on the right-most bluff.

This view is a little further along the coast, still looking east - back toward the parking area. I think this spot would make a good afternoon painting.



I then hiked up to the top of the bluffs. There are some spectacular views. However, it is a difficult hike from the eastern parking lot, very steep and not really a trail. I'm not sure whether it could be done with all my painting supplies! You can also hike in from the western parking area, it's a longer trail (over 1/2 mile), but it may be a less strenuous climb...I've never done it, so cannot say.

This is one of those razor-sharp pinnacles, viewed from the bluff trail.









This is my favorite picture. That's a mature, full-sized tree clinging to the top of the left-most pinnacle! I don't think it's alive at this point, but it's still quite a sight!

A view from the bluff trail, looking west across some of the bluffs.

Show at the Wehle Gallery

The Genesee Valley Plein Air Painters are having a themed show this summer at the Wehle Gallery at the Genesee Country Village. The show is titled "Under Open Skies: Nature Past and Present" and is based on paintings about life in the Genesee Valley in the 1800s. Approximately 300 paintings were entered by members, with this total reduced to 152 during the judging process. The paintings will be on display all summer, with an opening reception kicking things off on May 10. I was very fortunate to get 8 paintings accepted into the show.

The painting here, titled "Hamilton House", is an 11x14 oil on canvas. It was painted late last summer/fall on the ground of the Genesee Country Village, specifically for the show. I think it required 3 visits to the site to complete to my satisfaction. I will post more information about the show in the near future, so check back for updates. You can also visit the GVPAP website or the Genesee Country Village website for more details.

Winter Paintings

It's been a tough winter painting-wise. Because of other commitments, I had very little time to get out. These 3 represent pretty much everything I did, except for the gouache studies in the previous post.

This is a 5x7 oil on panel. It was painted at one of my favorite spots, Burger Park, on a day sometime in December between snows. There was a little puddle, partially frozen over, that I turned into a creek...made for a much nicer composition. A storm was approaching, giving everything a very hazy appearance. I feel this is one of my more successful attempts at painting dried grass.

This 9x12 pastel was done in November, just after I returned from my trip to California. I did not get the chance to paint out there and was itching to do something. It was a race against the weather as light snow/sleet began to fall...this created wonderful atmosphere but is not the best for pastel. When it turned to freezing rain I had to quickly pack up and leave. I wanted to capture the lonely feeling of rural winter, and also liked the way the homestead sort of disappeared into the brush. I'll have to try something like this again.

A sunny day painting! Done at Salmon Creek Country Club, we had a deep fresh snow cover, sun, no wind, and mild temperatures (upper 20s). A great combination, but this one fell short of my intentions...couldn't get the color relationships in the sunlit tree masses right.

Path to the Woodshed

Pastel painting done on Aug 31, 2007. This is the back side of an old (early 1800s) Greek Revival style farmhouse on the property of Hurd Orchard, in Orleans county. I was attracted by the large symmetrical shapes and the wonderful late summer light. The goldenrod framed path provided a natural lead in to the open door of the woodshed.

Gouache studies

These little gouache studies were done during January and February. I've been searching for a medium that I feel comfortable using in my car, for those days that one just cannot be outside. We get a lot of those during the winter here. Oils are potentially too messy, I don't want to breathing pastel dust in a closed car, casein smells to strongly, and I'm not good with acrylics or watercolor.

The gouache seems to have potential. It dries very quickly but can be re-wetted/re-worked, which allows modification of edges. I haven't quite learned how to handle the color/value shifts that occur during the drying process, and haven't found brushes I really like yet. But I can see doing a lot more of these.

All of the above are 4x6 inches (except the next to last one which is 3x6), and are done on a medium gray matboard. I've cut the board into 8x10 inch pieces, and during painting I mark the edges with tape, put the matboard on a standard office-type clipboard which is then clamped to the steering wheel. It is cramped, but working small makes it do-able.

Hubbel Road Farm, Evening

A friend and I went out one late afternoon/evening this past August (2007) and found this lovely little farm scene. The red buildings were enhanced by the warm evening light, which also cast its glow on everything else. Very peaceful, tranquil spot. This is a 6x12 oil (check out Colette's version which was done in pastel with a slightly different composition). The jpeg doesn't show the colors very accurately, for example the barns are not as bright red as they appear. This painting won the "Best of Show" award at the Suburban Rochester Art Group fall show (October, 2007).

Trailside Cottonwoods

Painted at Burger Park in Greece on a beautiful late afternoon...sometime in July 2007. Oil, 10x12. It was a long hike through some deep grass to get to this spot, but definitely worth it. Structurally, these are some of the best trees I've done. I like the composition, but need to work on the color relationships next time. I'll be returning to this location. Sold this one at Rochester's "Artist Row" at the Public Market, September 2007.

Genesee Valley Plein Air Painters Show

The Genesee Valley Plein Air Painters are currently holding their 3rd annual show at the Barnes and Noble in Pittsford, NY. The show runs through February 1. Over 70 paintings are displayed - check it out if you're in the area! The show was juried and judged by Steve Carpenter.

All 5 of my submitted paintings were accepted and are hanging in the main "gallery" (the community room). I received a "Judges Award" for Wyoming County Vista:











The other paintings accepted into the show included "Ice Fishing, Braddock Bay" and "Salmon Creek Under Snow", which have been previously posted, and the following two which have not been posted until now:

"Burger Park, Early Spring". As the title indicates, this 10x12 oil on canvas was painted this past spring, about the time the trees were just leafing out. Lots of nice subtle shades of green. Things were just starting to grow in the plowed field, making a nice contrast with the rich warm soil on this beautiful spring day.

"Peak Color", painted this fall at Burger Park. This is an 8x10 pastel. I just liked the way the trees framed the partial view of the house. The furrows in the recently plowed field provided a nice lead-in.