Winter ????

"The Willard Hotel, Winter Night" 9x12 oil on panel

     I have been off the grid for about a month busy with the holidays, a large family and my menagerie. However, the painting continues if not my blogging and Facebook postings. We have been having an extraordinary December here in Washington and I am loving the springlike weather. I know there are those wishing for cold and snow more appropriate to the season.  I am not in that camp! BUT, when it comes to winter paintings a little snow can be an asset. Back on October 11th I posted a little painting called "Willard Hotel Nocturne" which was a memory from a balmy summer night. The painting above is also a memory as any snow this December could only exist in the mind :-) My husband and I have spent many a pleasant evening dining at the Willard Hotel the front of which sparkles all winter. This beautifully restored Washington landmark is full of history and for me, wonderful memories. So here is the Willard on a snowy, slushy night.
This painting as well as those from the October 11th post have all found new homes. Perhaps the buyers have good memories of their own.

       The little painting below, which I painted last week, is much more in keeping with the weather we have been experiencing.The night was warm, rainy and a little foggy. I experimented with a different, limited palette. I used Indigo, Cadmium Turquoise, Alizarin Crimson, Yellow Ochre and White. I used a palette knife, a credit card and a one inch bristle brush to paint this as I wanted to keep it loose.

"Rainy Night on the Potomac" 8x8 oil on linen panel

THE 87TH GRAND NATIONAL, AAPL

"Monday Morning on H Street" 24x20 oil on panel

      I have been extremely fortunate to have one of my paintings juried into the American Artists Professional League's Grand National for five years in a row!  This year is the 87th Grand National and once again it will be held in the beautiful Main Gallery of the Salmagundi Club in NYC. This Washington DC scene is the painting that was accepted. I am particularly pleased to have a cityscape in the exhibit as they have been my focus this year and this is the first to be in a national show. The exhibit opens next Sunday, November 8th and runs until Friday, November 20th. The Salmagundi Club is located at 47 5th Ave. NYC. You can see all the paintings at www.americanartistsprofessionalleague.org or read more at www.salmagundi.org

     I have been busy getting ready for upcoming small works shows and just finished a seventh small painting which will cover the two shows I am entering. This one is of the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson connecting NYC to New Jersey. It was a pleasure to paint it and I wonder why it is the first time I have done so. I have crossed that bridge easily over a thousand times in my life. First as a child visiting relatives or doing holiday shopping in NY, then as I grew older going to the city with friends and after graduation commuting to work from New Jersey to downtown Manhattan. I vividly remember the views which are beautiful and the bridge itself which is so graceful. I also remember thinking how exciting it was to have the lower level added in 1962. I have the feeling I will be doing more paintings of the GW Bridge!

"Sunset, The George Washington Bridge" 6x12 oil on panel

A Different Vibe

"Splash ! " 12x 9 oil on panel

     I have had the good fortune to live in three of the world's greatest cities, New York, Washington DC and Paris. Each has it's own distinctive look and personality. I love all three. My life in Paris was many years ago and I find I am too far removed to paint it from memory and don't feel right creating work from old photos. I would need to visit and renew my relationship with the city before painting it. However, New York and Washington are a different story. I have been living in Washington DC since 1974 and it is the city I paint most often because I am right here. This is now my hometown but it is not the first city I called home.  I grew up in Northern New Jersey just  a 20 minute drive from NYC. We were the only family members NOT living in New York and I was considered the "country cousin". I am sure I traveled over the George Washington Bridge over a thousand times between family visits, good times in the city with friends, shopping trips and later working there. I still feel like I am going home when I visit.. Therefore it is with familiarity that I can paint that city.
     The painting above which I have titled "Splash" is a painting of 8th Avenue in the upper 50's. For those not familiar with NYC that description means it is on the West Side and upper 50's refers to the cross streets between 55th and 59th streets. New York is drawn on a grid. I used to live on West 61st Street and this view is what I saw when I walked from my apartment down 8th Avenue to 57th Street where I used to visit some of my favorite galleries. Rain, particularly at night really makes the city sparkle and so I decided to make that the subject on this familiar stretch of the city.

AUCTION UPDATE; "When the Clouds Parted" sold at auction at the Salmagundi Club this afternoon!

More DC summer paintings

"Willard Hotel Nocturne" 8x10 oil on panel

   Knowing there would be at least two small works shows I would be entering this fall I did a number of small paintings this summer in preparation. This one is a particular favorite as it was a lovely summer night and the full moon and romantic lights from the Willard and Cafe du Parc in front of it lent a fairy tale feeling to the scene. The view is from the edge of Freedom Plaza on 14th street. The fountain was not on so I had a clear view over to the hotel.
   This is not a plein air painting. It was developed by making a sketch of the scene during the daylight hours and then adding the lights and sky I experienced at night. As you can tell by now, I like to paint cityscapes. I think that cities look their best when lots of lights are on. That is why so many of my paintings are rainy day or evening/night paintings. Early morning can be beautiful as well but I really like the twinkle factor of the other end of the day.

"The C&O Canal at Wisconsin Avenue" 6x12 oil on panel

     This little one was sketched plein air from one of the pedestrian bridges over the canal looking back toward Wisconsin Avenue. Since the star of this scene is the canal I decided to eliminate the traffic that is always pretty heavy on Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown. I had just had dinner at Filomena which is a well known Italian restaurant in Georgetown and is in that white building on the left.

     SALMAGUNDI AUCTION UPDATE:  "Mainland Lights" from my last post SOLD at auction on Friday night. "When the Clouds Parted" will be auctioned this coming Sunday, October 18th at 2:00 P.M.
You can go to www.liveauctioneers.com to see all the artwork available. My painting is lot #63. I can tell you that if you have any interest in owning one of my paintings this is the most economical way to acquire one. Just create a free account at the above link and place a bid online or by phone or live during the auction. You can also go to www.salmagundi.org and get instructions for bidding there.  I do this twice a year as it is a fundraiser for the Salmagundi Club. I accept the fact that the paintings sell well below market value but I believe in supporting this institution and I also consider it great publicity. Where else is a guy in a tux going to stand there holding one of my paintings and talk about me, my affiliations, my gallery representation and the virtues of my work :-)  I consider it a win all way around, for the Club, the collector and for me!

The 2015 Salmagundi Fall Auctions

"When the Clouds Parted" 12x16 oil on linen panel

"Mainland Lights" 10x20 oil on panel

         The much anticipated 2015 Fall Auction Exhibit is now on view in the Main Gallery at the Salmagundi Club, 47 5th Avenue, NYC.  This is a twice annual tradition of the Club and is our major fundraiser. I really enjoy having my paintings accepted for these auctions. The exhibit is on view now through October 24th and there will be three live auctions. I am just participating in the first two this year. Please go to www.salmagundi.org to view all the works in this show and see what the minimum bids are. When you are on the main page click on the 2015 Auctions. You will then receive instructions on bidding and when you click "Here" you will go to the paintings. Mine are on pages 14 and 15.
          What is really fun is to create a free account at www.liveauctioneers.com which requires only a user name and password and then you can see all the work, place bids right there online and even watch the auctions live at the Club. Both of my paintings have an opening bid of only $400!  I do hope you tune in!

Sunday on the C&O Canal

The Last Sunday in May, (C&O Canal Georgetown) 12x16 oil on panel.

     Another summer memory is that of painting along the C&O Canal in Georgetown on May 31st. This was a joint paintout of the Washington Society of Landscape Painters and the Mid Atlantic Plein Air Painters. Artists were scattered throughout Georgetown and it was fun to meet some new artists and gather with some of them for a critique of the morning's work.
      I selected this spot along the canal between 31st and 30th streets and it turned out to be a good choice because as I was setting up my French easel one of the screws attaching a leg could not be tightened. Fortunately for me just to the right of this view is a waist high stone wall. I was able to fold the legs and set up as a table easel. I spent some of the time standing and some sitting next to it on the wall. It worked fine.
     Just beyond the stone wall was the balcony for the Sea Catch restaurant filled with patrons enjoying the fine morning. I had an appreciative audience :)  However, I must say I was starving by the time I finished and was tempted to skip the critique and join the diners on the balcony for a hearty lunch!

A happy but hungry artist

Some of Summer's Bounty

"The Corner of 7th St. and Indiana Avenue" 12x9 oil on panel

"Sunday on 31st Street, Georgetown" 12x9 oil on panel

       It has been a long and wonderful summer and I hate to see the end of it. I guess I haven't blogged since June and I can tell you it is because I would very much prefer spending my time outdoors enjoying the balmy weather rather than behind the computer blogging. That is not to say there haven't been a number of paintings produced this summer and  I would now like to start sharing some of them with you.
        Since fall always brings small works exhibits I like to produce some tiny paintings during the summer months in preparation. Also, it is convenient to work small when painting en plein air. The two paintings above will be exhibited later this fall at American Paintings Fine Art here in DC and I will say more about that in a future post. The painting at the top of the page was produced from a ballpoint sketch produced on site and the second painting was roughed in on site because I had just completed another painting in Georgetown along the canal and one of the legs on my easel broke. However, I couldn't resist this sunny scene. I did a rough sketch with burnt sienna and ultramarine blue on the small panel, took a couple of photos and completed it in the studio.

      ON EXHIBIT: At the Marlboro Gallery at Prince Georges Community College in Maryland. A Washington Society of Landscape Painters exhibit "Light and Shadow, the Energy of a Landscape" until September 21st. I have two large landscapes and one small one in this show.
        ON THE HORIZON:  The fall auctions at the Salmagundi Club in NYC and "Small Treasures" at American Painting Fine Art.  More about both later

Summer in the City

Monday Morning on H Street, 24x20 oil on panel

     Today is the summer solstice and the heat and humidity have been hitting DC hard all week with another to follow. This time of year the sky becomes milky and the atmosphere hazy. The painting above was just completed and should give you an idea of what I mean. For those of you who are local, the view is from the middle of H St. just beyond the corner of Lafayette Square. I am looking towards 15th Street which would be two traffic lights up.

     As my recent work has concentrated on cityscapes I am often asked why and who inspired me. The answer is I have always enjoyed viewing urban paintings but didn't feel I wanted to paint them until I saw the George Bellows exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in DC.  I have long been a fan of his "Lone Tenement", which is in the permanent collection, but for the most part I was just aware of his boxing paintings and social commentary drawings. The exhibit was full of large, wonderful paintings of New York that brought to life many of the stories my parents, aunts and uncles had told me.  I left the exhibit itching to try my hand at painting the city and lucky for me I live just across the river from a beautiful one!  I have always loved city life as three of the greatest have been part of my experience. I have lived in New York City, Paris and now Washington DC.
      There are plenty of talented living artists to be inspired by as well and I follow the work of Ben Aronson, Greg Gandy, Jeremy Mann and Shelby Keefe. I am glad to include a woman in that list! Cityscapes seem to be dominated by male artists and I am not sure why that is so. Anyway, this artist is hooked for now and I can't wait to dig into the next one. I am thinking a nocturne or evening painting.  I want to play with lights again!
      
      ON EXHIBIT: "Wonderful Washington" at American Paintings Fine Art, 5118 MacArthur Boulevard, Washington DC  through September.  I have 5 cityscapes on view in this exhibit as well as some small landscapes from the DC metro area.

Painting on the Outer Banks

"Currituck Lights" 10x20 oil on panel

    Two weeks ago we spent a very pleasant time at our house on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Being there offers lots of time for me to paint and plenty of wonderful subject matter so different from what I see at home.  One of the things I enjoy doing while there is setting my easel up on our west side deck overlooking Currituck Sound and waiting for the sun to set.  Then I paint as quickly as possible enjoying the freedom of just working with color much as I used to do when I painted abstracts. This one was created loosely, defining the cloud formations and brushing in broad areas of color as I was seeing them before me. Then I photographed the painting and the sunset and completed the job the following evening. Even though the clouds weren't the same I was lucky and the colors were. I had enough light from the well lit room behind me to continue at this stage when the sun was below the horizon. I loved being able to add the twinkling lights on the mainland across the sound.

"May Sunset, Currituck Sound" 6x12 oil on panel

     This much smaller, 6x12 inch painting was painted very rapidly all in one session. I stood under the gazebo on the deck placing my easel behind one of the corners so I wouldn't be blinded looking into the sun.  I would step back and forth between the light and my panel and I can tell you I was seeing spots quite often! It is exciting and challenging to paint like that particularly trying to capture the extreme light.

    Concentrating on painting the sky like this not only creates new paintings but I can use them as references for skies I want to paint in future paintings back home.

Remnants of Winter

"Winter Afternoon, E Street at 11th" 24x20 oil on panel

     As cold and miserable as this winter was I have to say the skies we experienced will be missed by me. There is just something about the late afternoon and early evening light in the winter that really attracts me and makes me want to paint it. The painting above is a December painting.  I was at the E Street Cinema with a friend to see "Mr. Turner" (which was wonderful) and when we exited the theater around 4:00 that afternoon we were treated to this view up E Street looking towards Pershing Park. I stood in the middle of the street and snapped as many photos of the light as I could because it only lasted a few moments.  The flags on the left are outside Harry's Pub at the Hotel Harrington and I thought they were perfect for the foreground.
     I am very happy to say that this painting will be heading to the Salmagundi Club next week for the 2015 Member's Exhibit.  Here is the exhibition information: Monday, April 27th through Thursday, May 21st,
Reception Tuesday, May 5th 6-8 PM. The Salmagundi Club, 47 5th Ave., NY, NY. www.salmagundi.org
                                                                               
    Below is the last winter scene I painted this year and it was just as all the snow was beginning to melt after one snow storm after another had dumped heaps of snow to be piled on the side of the roads. Although this painting is of a road here in northern Virginia the scene could be almost anywhere on the east coast and I am sure it will be familiar to many. The title is "Late Winter Commute".

"Late Winter Commute" 11x14 oil on panel

The Salmagundi Club Award!

"Market Street Lights" 12x16 oil on panel

    It is not everyday that I receive an honor such as this so please understand how very happy I am to announce that "Market Street Lights" received the Salmagundi Club Award in the current exhibit "Urban Life".  Happy is an understatement, ecstatic is more like it!  Sadly I could not be there to accept the award but spoke with a fellow Salmagundian before the reception so she could accept for me and express my sentiments.  I was short on both time and money and the snowy deep freeze we have been in further complicated a trip to NYC. At the end of this post I will add my second painting in this show, "Leaving Philly".

   Speaking of the deep freeze.....Usually at this time of year we enjoy some unseasonable warmups to remind us that spring is around the corner.  Last year during this week I was painting along the Potomac in Georgetown peeling off layers as the hours went by.  It was a wonderful day to be out painting.  No such luck this year and the forecast is for more of the frigid weather. I am eager to get back out and paint and might steel myself for an attempt with fellow members of the Washington Society of Landscape Painters next week. I can promise you whatever I manage to create will be small and executed very quickly!
      So here is the second painting in the "Urban Life Exhibit" at the Salmagundi Club www.salmagundi.org.

"Leaving Philly" 11x14 oil on panel