FAVORITE PLACES

 

I have found that some landscapes are easier to paint than others. Some scenes include compositional elements that help me to give a structure or rhythm to the space. Other places captivate me with their aura of peace and tranquility, or inspire me with a special luminous quality of light.

 

BARN WITH CATSKILL VIEW, Oil /linen, 20 x 24

GRAY DAY, EAST GREENVILLE, Oil/linen/board 9x12

Over the years, I have discovered such special places to paint near where I live in the mid-Hudson Valley of New York.  Most of these sites, such as the spectacular view of the Catskills depicted in Winter's Warmth and Greenville Leap Year, and the wonderful barn nestled into the landscape in East Greenville are located along nearby roads and I have grown to know them well by driving by them so frequently. Other vistas, such as the dynamic hillside view seen in Late Snow, East Durham and Warmth of the February Sun were introduced to me by one of the numerous landscape painters with whom I work regularly.

WARMTH OF THE FEBRUARY SUN, Oil/linen 24 x 36

LATE SNOW, EAST DURHAM 
Oil/linen 15 x 22½

EARLY MARCH—WINDHAM HIGH PEAK
Oil/linen/board 10 x 7

OCTOBER HAZE, EAST DURHAM Oil/linen/board 5½ x 8½

I find that I return again and again to paint at these favorite places, throughout the seasons of the year.  Often it is simply convenience that brings me back, but once I am there at work, I find that my familiarity with the location helps free me to paint more quickly and more instinctively, and I am less concerned with the literal details of the location than I am with the special qualities of light and atmosphere that makes that day different from all the other days I have been there.

GREENVILLE LEAP YEAR Oil/linen 16 X 27

WINTER'S WARMTH Oil/linen 16 x 27

When I paint my at these favorite locations, I am free to explore the spirit of the place, rather than the physical elements that describe it.