Oak and Maple Leaves

 

Blessed is the One who transforms one season into another.

View from Mount Willard

I finally finished and varnished this painting. You can see it on my easel in one of the photos of my studio below. This is the view from the top of Mount Willard in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, looking down at the roads below. Mount Willard is in the Crawford Notch area and is a moderate hike. You are inside the treeline all the way up to the top ledge.  The views are of the presidential range of mountains in New Hampshire.

This painting is 16" X 20" on stretched canvas, acrylic paint.  I put it up for sale on my website and will show it at the next craft fairs that we are doing in November and December. I am getting more comfortable working on these larger canvases and have started a winter scene with a snowmobile now. I did a small watercolor study first to help me with the composition.

I did darken the background on the amaryllis painting (post before this one) and I think it looks more dramatic.

It's very beautiful in New Hampshire now. I love the cooler temperatures and the fall colors. We had a small earthquake (4.0) last night, but no damage.  These are trees in my yard:

Amaryllis

This painting was a bit more experimental for me.  I had a panel that I had painted with a burnt sienna undercolor. I wasn't happy with the canvas texture on the panel and did not feel that it was suitable for a landscape. I had some nice photos of my amaryllis flowers (grown in a pot) from last year.  I like red and had recently sold another painting of red bougainvilleas. I thought it was time to paint more red flowers.

I poured various colors on the surface and spread them around with a palette knife. I scraped in a rough idea of the flower petals in some places where I had some yellow ochre (and some places show up the burnt sienna undercolor).  I was trying to get a sense of movement since these were live flowers, not dead ones (even though they were inside out of the wind).  I let that dry.

Then I painted and played with the flowers.  When they dried, I felt that the background was too pale.  I glazed the background with viridian mixed with the glaze (to darken it) and let everything dry again.  I added more details and highlights. I'm happy with the results and I'll look at it for the next week or so before I varnish it to see if I want to change anything else.

Acrylic on artist panel, 11" X 14". This painting can be framed (or not). There is a hanger on the reverse.  Contact me if you are interested in purchasing.  I will be making some cards from the image as well to sell at the next craft fair (November 3, 2012, Brookside Congregational Church, Manchester, NH).

Artist of the Month - October 2012

Photo by Tom Wright

 

 

I am a member of the Manchester Artists Association and won one of the Artist of the Month certificates this month. My painting of Tower Hill Pond is on exhibit for the month of October at Bentley Commons in Bedford, New Hampshire. I received lots of nice comments when I went there to put it on the easel in the library.

 



Tzfat (Safed), Israel

Just a little pencil drawing this past week. I was too busy to paint. I was involved with Jewish holidays and family.  I hope to have time this week to finish the mountain painting I am working on. I also started a drawing for a painting of amarylis flowers. That will be on a smaller panel.

This drawing was from a photo I took while out walking with my friend during the winter months on our trip to Israel. Tzfat is on the top of the hill which makes for interesting walking up and down many steps.  It was and still is the town with many mystics. Tzfat is in northern Israel, not too far from the border with Lebanon (and Syria). It is spelled many different ways in English.