& then some..

Finally! I got my computer back!!!

I have been in the studio laying a foundation for this current body of work and have made some progress. Oil paintings larger than I have been able to work on recently, some long horizontals and a series of verticals. The landscape stays in my focus. I have been able to push color lately as you can tell from my previously posted color studies. ( stay tuned for some visual updates on those paintings in the near future. )

As for today.....

I am constantly blown away at how the viewer/painter is really part of the landscape. I hope to impart this to the viewer, and I am conscious of this when I work. Studying out in the field I strive to lose my self in observing. Peeling through the layers of atmosphere & weather. This aspect of my process is critical. Although I do paint in nature my large oil paintings are done in the studio and I am committed to putting in the research so as to be truthful about what I create. I am definitely drawn to these scenes at the shore because of how open and flat they are. It helps set the perspective of why I am there, what my part is in the landscape. I hope my paintings reflect that. They are not just a snap shot or replica of the scene, but an image you can get lost in and move through. Clearly not in a representational sense but though the emotive and suggestive properties of gesture and paint. Collateral sensibilities.

The studies below were painted this morning on West Island in a warm fog, super high tide with the spring green just starting to fight it's way through all the decay of winter.