In Progress

I haven't shared much in the way of in-progress work here lately, so I thought I'd show what's currently on my easel. This is a larger piece (15x24 inches) that I set aside a few months ago to work on other paintings. I pulled it off the shelf several days ago, and it's a real pleasure to be working on it again.

Suspended Creamer

"Suspended Creamer"
Oil on panel, 5 x 3.5 inches (13 x 9 cm)
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With today's painting and the one that will immediately follow, I'm returning to a theme I'd explored a little last year. I'm fascinated with Eastern architecture, and was looking for ways to incorporate some of those forms into my paintings. I love the idea of seating paintings beneath Moorish arches, and so have prepared a small series.

Red Apple No. 3

(click image for larger views)

"Red Apple No. 3"
Oil on panel, 4 x 4 inches (10 x 10 cm), framed
$185 + shipping

Landscape Sketches

"Fallen Tree Study, Amesbury, MA"
Pencil on paper
Approx. 7 x 5 inches


Lately I've been doing a lot of landscape studies and sketches in pencil, and will be doing more on a regular basis. It isn't really my intention to be showing them on the this blog, as this is mostly a forum for my finished still life paintings. I will, however, be actively posting them to my Facebook page and Twitter feed. I'd like to encourage anybody who's interested in seeing these sketches as soon as they're finished to friend me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

I also post frequent (usually several times daily) updates and images of works in progress to both of these sites. Thanks!

Pomegranate No. 4

"Pomegranate No. 4"
Oil on panel, 4 x 4 inches (10 x 10 cm), unframed

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Orange No. 4

"Orange No. 4"
Oil on panel, 4 x 4 inches (10 x 10 cm), unframed

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Addison Gallery

I was out running errands late this afternoon, and stopped in to the Addison Gallery of American Art at the Phillips Andover Academy for a quick look. It's right down the road from my house, so of course I've been to this museum before, but there has been a substantial reworking of the exhibition space, and the display does rotate.

The highlights for me were the three absolutely phenomenal Winslow Homer paintings, though I also enjoyed the large George Inness, and also smaller landscapes by Bierstadt, Church, Jasper Cropsey, and Asher B. Durand. The Durand in particular was a revelation to me. I've seen some of his work before, but his tree study in the gallery is one of the finest, most fluid and natural depictions of complex tree forms I've ever seen. I'm definitely going to be looking at more of his work.

It's a small museum - one literally can see the whole thing in an hour or so - but I consider it one of the gems of Boston area culture. It has a terrific collection, admission is free, and the staff is friendly and welcoming. If you live in the area, and haven't yet been, treat yourself to a visit.

Mosaics Blog

After my posting earlier this week about the Roman mosaics at the Worcester Art Museum, Nancie Mills Pipgras left a comment with a link to Mosaic Art Now. It's a very cool blog covering all aspects of this fascinating medium, and many of the artists who work with it. I really enjoyed looking through it, so I thought I'd pass it along: http://mosaicartnow.blogspot.com.

Well worth a look.

Lemon No. 5

"Lemon No. 5"
Oil on panel, 4 x 4 inches (10 x 10 cm)
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Worcester Art Museum

This past weekend I had the pleasure of spending a few days in Worcester, MA. Although I've lived within an hour's drive of the city for many years, and have occasionally visited briefly for specific events, I can't say I've ever gotten to know the place. I was pleased to be able to set that right. Among the things I did, a real highlight was visiting the Worcester Art Museum.

It's known for being a very fine museum, with some truly world-class works in the collection, and I felt that reputation is very well deserved. I won't give a play-by-play description of my walk-through (actually, I did that. I Twittered while I walked through; anybody who's interested can take a look through my feed, and search for January 8. There are pictures too.)

For me, one of the major highlights was the set of late Roman mosaics housed in the central atrium. These were excavated in the 1930s from the ruins of a villa in Antioch, in modern Turkey. I've always admired the craft and intricacy of the mosaic artists of antiquity, but these pieces absolutely blew me away, both by their technical virtuosity and sheer beauty. I suspect, given the late date (500s AD), that these pieces don't represent the pinnacle of classical Roman mosaic achievement, and there is a certain stiffness in some aspects of the composition. That actually causes me a fair amount of wonder at what that pinnacle must have been like. These images I took don't do them a whole lot of justice, but they do convey some of the sense of the works.

Great stuff.

Red Onion No. 3

"Red Onion No. 3"
Oil on panel, 4 x 4 inches (10 x 10 cm), framed
$185 + shipping
Available: Purchase Information

Bowl, Glass, and Orange

"Bowl, Glass, and Orange"
Oil on linen, 7 x 12 inches (18 x 30 cm)

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I thought it would be great to start off the new year with a larger piece. Technically, I completed it several months ago, but have not listed it until now. So, this posting is overdue. The companion piece to this painting is here.

All the best wishes to everbody for a safe, happy, and prosperous 2011!