Another Work in Progress

"Sailing School off Daingerfield Island", 12x24 oil on gessoboard

     If you go back to my post on August 16th you will see the start of this painting on my easel at Daingerfield Island on the Potomac.  My desire was to go back to that site to complete the painting but it seems that the only times available to me were ones that weren't very good for working on this piece.  Today would have been wonderful because it was sunny, the skies brilliant and the temperature perfect.  A nicer day than the one when the painting was begun.  So, since there wasn't the time to get to Daingerfield I worked on the painting in the studio and only had to look out the windows to see the sky I wanted in the painting.  The clouds had already been added on the 16th but the colors in them were more intense late this afternoon as was the blue of the sky.I am keeping it loose as I do when painting plein air and you can see that I have chosen to let some of the underpainting show through as it represents the light hitting the water surface in those areas.  The underpainting I used was a wash of cadmium orange.  I often use that for sunny day paintings. 
      As you can see I have begun adding the boats and am pleased with this placement of them.  I won't need much time tomorrow afternoon to finish this.

      My studio is filled with summer paintings and I have them lined up around me for inspiration.  I wish there was a place I could exhibit them all together.  Because of my need to care for my horse Gypsy this summer I didn't paint out as often as I usually do this time of year but somehow managed to put together a good series of paintings.  They are happy paintings.  I wonder how they will look combined with my fall paintings from last year and I will lay some of those out with them tomorrow.  It is a good way to see where I am going stylistically.  I seem to have evolved into impressionism.  Interesting.  How I paint plein air has affected how I paint in the studio and I think it is a good thing!

      Regarding my website.... what began as procrastination has turned into thoughts about rearranging it.  I am glad I didn't go ahead and upload everything as I think I will create new pages to divide the work up more.  I have actually begun to plan it so I should have it completed soon.  If you have never visited it before you can click on this linkwww.jeanschwartzpaintings.com  Also, visit the Salmagundi online exhibit at www.salmagundi.org.  It is the "Summer Potpourri" exhibit of member works.  Go to the bottom of page 13 and the top of 14 for my paintings.