Bon Chance-16x20

Bon Chance-16x20

The Good Life-12x16

More for the show

In the Short Rows

Waterfront Dining in the Keys-24x30

Didnt Get Away-8x10

a couple pc.s just finished for the upcoming show of new key west/middle keys stuff ive been working on for Gallery on Greene in KW. the opening is a week from tomorrow (saturday) on march 3rd. come by if youre in the area and  check it out in person and say hi! ive got a few more days to tweak and frame, then deliver. then the pressure is off. then a different kind of stress takes over as everybody walks by looking at it rubbing their chins. i watch their faces for smiles. anything else signals disinterest (not good) or that theyre not feeling it. also the speed at which they leave is a good indicator. if they speed by and dont stand a minute to look at it that means it hasnt caught their interest. the composition and/or color could be too weak or its just a ho hum painting. as one painter i know says "we dont need any more mediocre paintings. there are plenty already" How true!

note: sorry for the glare on the nocturnal scene. most agree that its impossible to shoot a pic of dark paint without some glare on it.

$75-Angela St in the Meadows-7x9

$75 plus $10 s/h

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a knife painting of a key west lane

A few pics of a day painting in paradise

my three man show at gallery on greene is in about a week so i'm slammed getting everything painted and framed in time. i was on the docks late last night painting night scenes and up early painting this morning, and all day, so no daily painting on the blog tonite.
here's john c. and i doing our thing on the streets of KW. the pic of the schooner is from our second painting. we had to hurry and sketch in the boat as it went past and we'll use the above photo reference to paint the boat better by.  when you see my finished painting you'll see the photo has really darkened some shapes.especially the water. another good reason not to paint strictly from photos. i'm glad i got a chance to do the small color study so the colors and values will be accurate. 

you cant see it but my shirt says "buy art". i couldnt have said it better myself! LOL

Marathon Shores Cottage-SOLD

7x9

days and days of painting on the streets of key west can start to take a toll on a painters vibe. its people on people down there. scooters miss me on my bike by inches daily, everybodies in a hurry, and after awhile the traffic (and tourists asking directions) takes its toll. 

to keep my sanity i run away for a few days, and head up the keys an hour and some change up to marathon and Conch Key (thanks Jim for telling me about the place) Its like stepping back in time there.old cottages, lobster boats and fish houses, real island living kind vibe to the place. everything runs real slow up there. helps me get my easy going vibe working right again. 

this paintings from the north side of the marathon. are you feeling warmer yet?

Stock Island Boats-SOLD

7x9

me and my friend john clayton from provincetown were on stock island today slinging paint. he has a new blog so go over there and check out his post. his website is johnclaytonstudio.com. he paints in the true cape school technique having gone to the school back in the 90's. it was cool to see the difference between his and mine when we were inches apart painting the same thing.

$75-Late Night T-5x6

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t in the road? get it? first halfway clever title in months. i usually dont come up with stuff like that too often.

 what, i gotta paint em and think of cool names for em? :D

Boca Chica Canal 1-SOLD

7x9

Boca Chica Canal-7x9

SOLD

$40-Figure Study 2_6- 10x14

$40 plus $10 s/h

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i like these reclining poses when the legs are elevated. when the model is all stretched out flat, there arent any dynamic lines. and some gloves and stockings add a nice touch of contrast.

Corner Pub-SOLD

5x6

this is the wildly popular irish pub, i spoke of painting the other night.

my favorite part is that one streak of pinkish light coming down the inside of the left column. getting that the right color and value out in the darkness of night with just a little headlight to see by? my crowning achievement! you can tell the bar was very low indeed LOL

$75-Blazing Light on Stock Island-6x6

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headed out to stock island last night to do this dock scene and then drove to key west and set up in front of a popular irish pub. 

i love painting in hard working harbors like the one on stock island. the piles of lobster traps, boat parts laying around, piles of bouys, and boats make interesting paintings day or night. the light at night is different to paint than daylight because the shadows dont all run in the same direction as they do in the day. you could have a light here, causing shadows to run in this direction (say left to right) and over here is a light pole way up high causing shadows straight down, not left to right. the light shapes also get darker and cooler as they run away from the light source.

 night painting really trains you to observe. you feel like youre just learning to see for the first time. i can see where this nocturnal series could enhance my daylight stuff by helping me to group objects by value better. also to edit out the un-necessary like you end up doing on the nocturnals because you cant see half the stuff out there at night.

Dry Tortugas Ferry Bldg-SOLD

6x8

went out last night after dark and warmed up doing the first in a series of nocturnals i'm going to do. i'm planning on at least 7-10 nights worth doing large and small, and i'm hoping to complete two per outing. some docks, some neighborhoods, and whatever else catches my eye.

plein air painting is tuff in itself, but throw in almost complete darkness (i  use a headlamp thing to get a little light on the palette) and difficulty in mixing and gauging values, and nocturnals turn out to be very challenging, to say the least. just ask the half dozen ladies i did a nocturnal class with last year. one was so frustrated she almost sidearmed her canvas into the water. i still hear from others, most of them experienced outdoor painters,how difficult that night was. for instance, alot of paper towel rolls were ending up in the drink, with the 20 knot wind rolling them out across the dock first. gotta say, it was funny but i restrained myself from laughing.

like my buddy T says "if it was easy everybody would be doing it!" how true T, how true.

i'm looking forward to learning many new things about painting at night from this series. stay tuned

Workshop News

My plein air weekly class is starting at the Studios of Key West this monday morning and there are a few seats left. we'll meet from 8:30-11:30 every monday in february. i'll be showing the importance of values, color mixing, and simplifying forms as well as composition tips, and a bit about how to pare down your gear. if you are in the keys and want to join call me at 919-920-9718 and i'll get you signed up.

then there's the wildly popular knife painting class in march. let me know if youre interested and i'll give you the details.

Also, my first workshop back in the carolina's in spring, will be Bald Head Island around the third week of april. this is a magical island and i'm very familiar with it and can show you (and paint with you) in places on the island most people dont even know about. contact me if you think you'd like to sign up. cost is $300 for three days.

Figure Study with Hat-SOLD

10x16

the other day  i spent a whole day drawing quick gesture drawings from YouTube dancing videos. you just hit pause every few seconds and draw a one or two minute gesture drawing. get the feel of the gesture, no ears, toes, etc. since there's no time. after 7 or 8 hours i had done well over a hundred of them. sure felt that day kick in when it was time for life drawing this past tuesday. i felt like i knew the human form better and was then more accurate drawing it two dimensionally after all that practice.

whether its plein air, still life or figure painting there's no replacement for constant repetition.