Flower Vendor - Dublin

Flower Vendor - Dublin

In the heart of Dublin, Ireland, an expansive grid of narrow streets was crowded with people. Sightseers often stopped in their tracks to take it all in.  People with a purpose and a destination weaved in and around them.  We were part of the former group, browsing through block after block of vendors, cafes and pubs.   On this street, traffic was limited to business related deliveries so it was fun to wander around and take in the colorful sights and sounds. 



In this scene a young woman selling flower bouquets remained watchful as a couple of women scope out the floral sprays.   I thought from the minute I saw it that this would make an interesting painting scene.  By design, each element of the painting is prioritized by how realistic it is painted.  The center of interest is the proprietor, and is the most realistically painted.   Next were the black buckets on the brick roadway, then the flower bouquets, and lastly the two figures on the left.

Hearts

All Heart

It was St. Valentine's Day, a day for wearing pink and red, and/or novelty accessories to mark the occasion.   After all, they wait in the dresser drawer all year for their turn.  Maybe some years, they don't get selected, but this year, these happy socks got the nod and their annual showing.  

Although this painting is realistically rendered, the abstract placement of the subject and neon blue shadows on the square surface is what I liked best about it.  Plus there are lots of hearts here, and not just on the socks.

Sea Street Bridge

Sea Street Bridge - In Progress

It was a mild February day and a perfect for mid-winter painting outside.   I bundled up as if it was zero degrees though - you never know how cold and damp the ocean air will be.    As usual I wandered east as I'm naturally drawn to water.  There is a bridge that connects the coastal barrier island, Humarock, to the mainland, the Sea Street Bridge.

Color Matching the Sky

It's nice when the sunlight is from behind because color comparisons are easier.   I mixed the color, scraped it up onto the palette knife, and held it up right next to the element being matched.   In this example, I show the sky color. To me, there is no better way to be accurate for both the color and the degree of lightness than putting the paint and subject side-by-side. 

Sea Street Bridge

With the bridge in the background I devoted most of the surface to the pretty winter flora.   The beach grasses were dried and bleached out from harsh winter conditions.   They were a stark contrast to the thick scrubby cedars - maroon-green - if I had to name the color.  Despite being in full sun, they were very dark, and as such became the dominant feature in the painting.

Trailhead - White Mountains

Old Version

This is a painting that I did a couple of years ago on site in New Hampshire.   I came across it since I needed a snowscape for an upcoming show.   With fresh eyes, I instantly saw what wasn't quite right with the painting - probably why it was relegated to "the stack."  It is now reworked and I think that the overall result is better.

Can you identify what I saw in the old painting that I didn't like?

Trailhead - White Mountains

If you said, blockers, you agree with me.  The beautiful distant mountains are the starring feature in this region of New Hampshire.   Although I included them in the painting, there was not just one, but two barriers between the viewer and those lovely mountains. Specifically, the row of shrubs and the sharp beginning of the foreground woods were dark parallel lines across the entire width.   The viewer's eye couldn't flow to the distance, and it was both a psychological block and a physical block.  I had painted the scene literally, so literally that the painting composition suffered.

To fix it, I added a path to a trail into the woods, chopped down the little evergreen to the left of center and added a trailhead marker   These features were borrowed from the trailhead entrance just a short distance away.  We can walk into the scene now - the artistic license everyone talks about!

Cape Cod Canal Sunset

Cape Cod Canal Sunset

It's seven miles long and was man-made just about one hundred years ago.  The Cape Cod Canal cut 62 miles off the water route between Boston and New York.   The previous route took mariners through treacherous waters around the tip of Provincetown to reach Buzzards Bay and Long Island Sound.

It was a modern day maritime marvel then, and it still is, but land lovers get to enjoy it as well.   Access to the shores of the
waterway has never been easier and people can walk, cycle, fish and of course, watch the scenic vistas.    This painting depicts an exceptional sunset with the Sagamore Bridge in the foreground and the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge in the distance.