Jack Riddle's Blog

Bonnie Scotland

2012-01-22T13:43:00.007-05:00

Our last major trip was this past September when we travelled to Scotland. We drove around the entire country starting with Edinbrough/Glasgow, then clockwise along the western coast, up to Inverness, thence east to Aberdeen, Perth, St. Andrews and back to Edinburgh. It's an incredibly beautiful country with one scenic view trumped by the next. I took a lot of photos to which I referred when I began to paint them. Here are but a couple.
Sunset over the Firth of Lorn

This is near Oban on the west coast. We were sitting in a waterside restaurant when this sunset developed almost like magic. I hadn't brought my camera, but I saw a photographer outside. I went out and accosted his wife, gave her my card and asked her if he would e-mail me some of the images. Sure enough, the images were on my computer when we got home. The Scots are like that. His name is Barry Fisher and I hope he likes this result of his work.

On the Road to Skye

This was one of the magnificent views on this road from Ft. William west to the Isle of Skye. What wild country. So happens that remnants of Hurricane Irene swept the west coast of Scotland that particular day (U.S. hurricanes often end up there , we were told). It made for an interesting ride, but by the time we got to Loch Ness, it was clearing up and we saw a spectacular rainbow over the Loch. But I really wanted to capture this wild and stormy, yet beautiful landscape.

Bonnie on the bonnie, bonnie banks...

Couldn't resist this! We stopped to visit Loch Lomond which is indeed lovely. My wife, Bonnie insisted on this photo. I present "Bonnie on the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond." Forgive me.

Rogues Gallery

2011-04-02T13:16:00.006-04:00

I've been studying portraits and figures over the winter. Not ready for models quite yet, I settled on on painting characters in opera. I found images on CD covers, opera calendars, magazine and the like. My approach was not to duplicate the images, rather to interpret them as I felt they should be represented. Here are a couple with more to come later.

Otello Oil on Canvas 11" X 14"
"Otello" (Italian) is from Verdi's opera of that name which he adapted from Shakespeare's "Othello." As you know, Otello was undone by his jealousy. In the opera he is often portrayed as a vulnerable man and somewhat clueless. But I see him as more volatile, quick, reckless and powerful.

Flastaff Oil on Canvas 11" X 14"
A true rogue, Sir John Falstaff is a character which Verdi adapted from another Shakespeare play "The Merry Wives of Windsor." The opera is simply called "Falstaff." It was Vedri's last opera and thought by many to be his greatest. Falstaff is often characterized as a bloated buffoon, but I see him as much more crafty and sly, always plotting. But of course he ends up in a bad place, much deserved.

Winter's Treasures

2011-02-19T13:02:00.006-05:00

I haven't been blogging lately, not because I've been in hibernation. Not at all. Winter in Maine has many gifts for painters and I've been honored to receive many of them. Here are a couple, inspired by my daily walks on our nearby beach. It's called Willard Beach and because it's southeast-facing, the stroller is protected from the northwest winds that blow incessantly at this time of year. Most mornings it's pleasant even in the winter, but if the wind changes direction, watch out!

Winter Morning Silhouettes Oil on Canvas 18"X24"
This was a cloudy morning with the sun peaking out from cracks in the cloud cover. There was a strong reflection on the water the intensity of which is very hard to capture. I try to do it by contrast, but if there is a better idea out there, please let me know!

Snow Fences Oil on Canvas 16"X20"
These are installed to not only prevent drifting but also to protect the dune grass. If you look at them just right, you can find interesting compositional patterns. I added footprints for balance and added tiny figures on the beach to show distance. The first picture faces into the morning sun. The posi tion for this one is further to the north with the afternoon sun to the rightrear.

Saying Goodbye to summer

2010-09-08T12:37:00.005-04:00

Strawberry Pickers
16 X 20 Oil on Canvas

After a glorious summer here in New England, the signs that it will end soon are showing. But I am reluctant to let go, so I will preserve a some memories with a couple of pieces I did. Above is that all too brief Maine tradition: strawberry picking. The season lasted just two weeks this year (it's usually three), but I did get out to catch the bent bodies of those who choose to "pick your own." This is a field in Cape Elizabeth which seems "forever." It's ironic that such verdant foliage virtually hides the berries which makes all that stooping and crawling around necessary.
Below is the product of a visit to nearby Pine Point where at low tide many boats are beached, providing the owners a chance for some maintenance. The boat reminds me of a beached whale.

Bottoms Up!
16 X 20 Oil on Canvas

Art Shows-Lighthouse

2010-08-15T13:54:00.007-04:00

Yesterday was the Mill Creek Art in the Park Show here in So. Portland, Maine. I only sold one painting and was a bit in the dumps about it until my son and his wife showed up with some friends and we decided to celebrate anyway and went out for lobsters and clams and much beer, wine and merriment. So I postponed cutting my ear off for another time.
Here are a couple of recent paintings involving the Portland Headlight, one of the most photographed and painted lighthouses in the world. I try to do things with it that make my representations of it different from most.

Artists at Portland Head
11 X 14 Oil on Canvas
I came upon these two on a sunny July afternoon almost in the shadow of the lighthouse, but I was struck by their gestures that seemed to indicate they were painting two different things, however looming the lighthouse was above them. I love contradictions like this so I took a quick photo and back at the studios practiced drawing the gestures until I got them right. This got a lot of notice at the show, but I still own the painting!

View of Portland Headlight from the South
14 X 18 Oil on Canvas panel
The same day, I traversed the great span of field to the south of the lighthouse to seek out this view which makes it as a subject as minimal as the above is maximal. I used aerial and hints of linear perspective to emphasize distance. I was going to make more of the clover in the field and even tried adding a couple on a blanket, but decided that they lessened the effect. Instead I added tiny figures off in the distance to the right. So in these two cases, I tried a different treatment of the lighthouse, large as a non-subject and small as a subject. I still own this painting, too. I guess not many visitors to this place like to get so far away. Why don't they understand?

AWOL--let's try again

2010-08-03T14:48:00.006-04:00

Another long absence. Life is complicated! But I will try to stay with it this time. If you're interested in my new work, I post it on my Facebook page. But I haven't learned what to do with it after that. I'll see if I can get my grandson to give me a tutorial. In the meantime, I have been painting a lot and will post various things more often than in the recent past. Here goes...

Field of Lupine
Oil on Canvas 16 X 20

This goes back to June when the lupine seems to cover the land here in Maine. Sometimes it comes in multiple colors, but this patch was a rich purple/blue/red. It's not here for long to I had to hustle to get image. Right now, there is no sign that it was ever there, such is the transient nature of life.

Country Churchyard: II
Oil on Canvas 20 X 20

I've done this before from a somewhat different angle. This was in the spring so not all the leaves were out and I could make more of this very dominant tree. I'll bet it (the tree) has been here longer than any grave. I thought the crooked headstones added to some of the irony here. The church is often photographed from the front. These mysteries are hidden except to those who look behind.

Red Maples in Sprague Woods
Oil on Canvas 16 x 20
I've done a number of paintings in the large tract of land which is now a nature preserve owned by the very wealthy Sprague family. It's in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. This is again in the spring before the leaves are completely out so the skeleton on trees is much more visible. I liked the way the sun was shining through the leaves creating a challenging variety of red/browns.

An American Goodbye: 2009

2009-11-30T10:04:00.005-05:00

An American Goodbye: 2009
Oil on Canvas 16" X20"

I've been thinking for a long time about "goodbyes" as subjects. This image is one that we all have seen over and over since the wars we are currently involved in started. I came across it while surfing through Google images and it seemed to me that it could be made to sum up my feelings, not only about goodbyes, but also about wars in general and the ones in the Middle East in particular. I choose a landscape format because the baby seemed to be looking at something to the right, so I created the doorway and descending stairs as part of the scene. I tried to avoid the sentimental by suggesting what are the real issues here. I've had mixed reaction to this picture and am curious about yours.

Baby Blue House on Beach Street

2009-10-24T12:44:00.006-04:00

Oil on Canvas 11 X 14
You know how you can walk by a place day after day and not give it a thought, then all of a sudden it jumps out at you and says "Paint me!" I must have walked by this house 200 times in the past couple of years. One day I looked up and knew that I should paint it. So I did! It's on a street one block from my house that goes down to Willard Beach, here in South Portland. The light just suited my style that day. I titled it so because I love alliterative names. It's my past as a copywriter haunting me.

Return to the blogosphere

2009-10-10T12:32:00.007-04:00

I've been gone for 5 months, the result of a nerve problem in my right arm excerbated by working at computers. Things have improved enough for me to get back to blogging (and some other things), so I hope to recover the good friends I made before. I was able to continue to paint and that's a very good thing even though it was at a slower pace which gave me time for more thought and study. Here are some recent pieces.

Fern Glade in Sprague Woods
Oil on Canvas 18" X 25"
I've painted this before--the location is on the Sprague Estate land in Cape Elizabeth Maine, a few miles from where I live. The very wealthy Sprague family has set aside a large parcel of land for preservation. Much of it is mature woodland, and a portion is also used for farming. There are many treasures here. This is one of my favorite spots especially in low light. My first painting was in landscape format, but a slightly different location inspired me to make a vertical piece in which I could show some sky.

Low Tide at Ferry Beach
Oil on Canvas 20" X 16"
This is a small beach in Scarborough, Maine a few miles from my house. It's on the road to Prout's Neck, a section of town in which winslow Homer lived for many years. The beach is quite flat and at low tide is very wide (not so at high tide however). So the little dinghy in the foreground just sits flat in the exposed sand. But right at the waterline a good-sized lobster boat lies on its side. I asked an old guy there how come the boat was left like this. He said, "Time to scrape the hull." I guess at the next low tide the boat will be lying on its other side for the same reason. The afternoon light produced a pink glow on the sand and in the shallow water. That's Pine Point across the way and the ocean beyond.

Street on Higgins Beach
Oil on Canvas 11" 14"

Higgins Beach is a small beach enclave in Scarborough. It's another shallow water beach that's more than a hundred yards wide at low tide and non-existent at high tide. But it has warmish water for Maine and the surfing is great all year. The community was a bit funky but now is becoming gentrified with real estate prices through the roof. Nonetheless, good light yields some nice inspiration which I hope has produced an attractive painting here.
More soon, I promise!

Stuck Indoors

2009-04-06T13:07:00.009-04:00

...so I have to go deep into my resource files to find material to paint. That's the thing about Maine--if you're an artist here, you have to develop files of material to have in the winter months so you can keep painting. Like a squirrel hoards nuts, I suppose. Herewith some of the fruits of that labor.

Downeast Sunset
11" X 14" Oil on Canvas Panel

I bought a dozen canvas panels from Raymar as I like working on the firm surface. I had in the past used their linen panels, which I like even more, but they are relatively expensive, so I thought I'd try this less expensive option. I was in the mood to press on a lot of paint and I find the harder surface without the give of stretched canvas allows me to do that.
I have a wonderful book called "The Rockbound Coast" which chronicles a sail from downeast Maine (extreme notheast coast) to Kittery on the state's southwestern border. I've "borrowed" from it in the past and here I go again. This is from a photo by Chris Little. I took some liberties with it, pushed the contrasts and the colors.

Back to the Boat
11 X 14 Oil on Canvas Panel

Also from a Little photo. It was untitled so I imagined that it was people in a dinghy, returning to their anchored boat, before nightfall, from a shore excursion. The photo was very dark, so I lightened it up a bit and as usual pushed the colors. How 'bout that sky!

Beachfront Shacks
11" X 14" Oil on Canvas Panel

Still another from the book. I like the setting sun highlighting the front of the shacks. (Yes you can see a setting sun from many locations on the Maine coast.) I prettied the shacks up a bit as I felt they "read" wrong in a more dilapidated state. I wondered too if now, 20 years later, they are still there, or does this beautiful frontage on the ocean now hold a "MacMansion." I'll have to go see...

Sammy's Nocturne

2009-03-01T14:23:00.005-05:00

Sammy's Nocturne
Oil on Canvas 16" X 20"

If you follow my work, you will soon discover that I delight in ironies and contradictions. This is an example, however subtle. Here is a mundane scene that's obviously urban, at night. To paint in daylight would be nothing spectacular, much less interesting. But on a lonely rainy night, the explosion of light and color invokes all kinds of imagination and wonder. (Whether or not I captured it well enough, I leave for you to decide). But there is light creeping out of doorways, looming dark shapes on the streets, blazes of color, shaded windows. What is going on here? Of course, Hopper was the master of this in work that is deeply psychlogical and compelling.
The story of this is simple enough. My son and his wife, whom I have mentioned before in these blogs, live on the upper west side of Manhattan on the fringe of Spanish Harlem. Look out the street side window of their apartment and this is what you see. I got to thinking about what this trite setting would look like at night in the rain--all those reflections--and asked him to photograph it on some rainy night. Some months later I received an email with the photo that inspired this painting. I started immediately, made the necessary "artistic license" kind of adjustments and here it is. Trite or profound?

Virtual Mexico

2009-01-24T12:30:00.007-05:00

One way to deal with the oppressive winter here in Maine is to "visit" Mexico via painting spots and ideas experienced there during my fall visit. You'd be surprised how refreshing this is. So I offer a couple more paintings I had "backlogged" which I recently finished.

Dio des Muertes
Oil on Canvas 16" X 20"

The Day of the Dead is the most vibrant holidays of the many Mexico, and some other countries,enjoy. Here the living celebrate the lives of the dead--friends, relatives and just about everyone else. The people troop to the cemeteries where they decorate graves and party with food and drink enjoyed by the departed. In the city are elaborate floral altars and people parade around dressed in skeleton costumes and dance to music supplied by bands whose outputs mix with one another in an aural chaos that has to be heard to be believed. The church, which normally has an outlook on death that is pretty grave, gets involved, too. I see this as a time when traditions of all kinds come together whether or not they contradict and to properly show it, the contradictions have to be expressed. Hence this painting with the church lit up like a Cristmas tree, pennants and flags flying overhead, and apparition-like folk wandering about.

Atotonilco Churchyard
Oil on Canvas 18" X 24"

If you follow these blogs you'll remember that when I go to Mexico, I get together with Frank Gardner to paint. This day in October Frank took me to Atotonilco, a small town outside San Miguel. It is noted for this church which is visited by pilgrims from all over the country. Of particular interest to us is the church interior which is completely decorated with paintings done by a priest who devoted his life to the work. Most views of the church and other buildings in the complex are seen from the front. However, I thought this scene of the rear of the buildings and the ancient stone wall with its arches told a different story. It was high noon then, but I pushed the colors which were all over the palette making for a complex picture, for me at least.

Adios, Mexico

2008-12-08T10:45:00.008-05:00

We are now home after spending two months in sunny Mexico. I'm still trying to get use to the cold. This morning it was zero (wind chill), and though the beach where I walk was as beautiful as ever, it was good to get back in the house.

Of course, I painted almost up until the time we left San Miguel, so I show here some of the sketches I brought home to either refine or repaint in my more comfortable larger sizes. I did get out with Frank Gardner a couple of more times--always great--and Bonnie visited his studio with me and fell in love with a print which we bought and which Frank is shipping home for us.

Atotonilco Gato
Oil on canvas panel 9X12

Frank took me over to this small town not far from San Miguel where there is a church that is visited by pilgrims from all over Mexico. The entire interior--walls, ceiling were painted by a preist who devoted his life to the effort. I took a number of photos including one of this church cat which emerged from the shadows to get some sun and pose for us. I haven't done many animals, but the contrasts here were so complelling, I couldn't resist.

Path to the River
Oil on masonite 8X10

On the way to Atotonilco, Frank took a back road which ran along a river. We stopped a couple of times to take photos. The wild flowers were still in bloom affording some interesting views. This is one that I found particularly attractive as there was a path apparently to the river just behind the treeline. I imagine this was used by farmers to lead cattle to a watering place.

Path to Santa Julia
Oil on masonite 9X112

I came across this while wandering around my colonia(neighborhood). Here was a field loaded with wildflowers which were so profuse that they almost hid the pathway to the adjacent colonia, Santa Julia, further up the hill. The roads are pretty steep over there, but the views back toward the city are spectacular. This means that the Americans will soon buy up the land and start moving in. Progress, I guess...

I have a lot of work ahead of me here, so I hope to be posting more regularly than I have been. The yen to get back to San Miguel will recur as the winter deepens. But that's OK--I have all those paintings started or in sketch form, so I shall revisit often, and bring you along, too.

More Mexico!

2008-11-12T16:50:00.007-05:00

Field of Flowers
Oil on Canvasboard 9 X 12

Las Fuentes
Oil on Masonite 8 X 10

Las Abuelitas
Oil on Masonite 12 X9

We’ve been here about five weeks and have had great weather, some adventures (and misadventures), and I already have reached my goal of having a dozen sketches to take home to Maine to work on during the winter. I’ve been out with Frank Gardner a couple of times, but not for a couple of weeks as we have had company, and I’ve limited my work to what I can accomplish in the casa. Not to mention the huge distraction of the election. I hope you are happy with the results of that!

I’ll probably get out with Frank a couple more times before we leave, but I also have a huge file of reference photos to use. The paintings posted here are taken from these photos, or combinations of photos that I’ve taken on this trip. Here’s a little background on what they are and how I might plan to use them.

“Field of Flowers” is adapted from a set of photos that I took while driving around the countryside with Frank Gardner. The flowers are pretty much gone by now, but for a period of a few weeks, they blanket the miles and miles of open fields that one sees in this high country. We thought we ought to at least have a record of them to reference for later work. I was attracted to this setting not only by the challenges of capturing the rich colors, but also by the dramatic sky. En mass, the pinkish flowers take on an unusual hue which I found was best reproduced by using the color magenta. I couldn’t get it by mixing my usual palette reds, so I caved in and bought a tube of it. This sketch will become a larger piece later, but I will need to add a subject, possibly a grazing horse or maybe a near up view of a few on the flowers (or both ).

“Entrance to Las Fuentes” is a scene I spied just walking around town.” Las Fuentes” appears to be some sort of apartment complex off the street. You never know what is behind some of these doors in San Miguel. I hit it just right with the bright light coming in from the high left. I didn’t have time to explore the place as I was headed to a lunch date, but the name “Las Fuentes” suggests that there are fountains within and I will check it all out to determine if this is worthy of a larger piece or another view.

“Las Abuelitas” comes from the Spanish word “abuela” which means “Grandmother” or “Granny.” I’m told that the word “abuelita” is an endearing term for the very old ladies one sees here in the markets and on the street. It means “little grandmother.” Those you see are often hunched over and just barely shuffle along, but they have a certain nobility and their wrinkled faces present a kind of ancient beauty. Here are two together, each with her own bag headed to market, helping the other find the way. This will definitely merit another larger piece. I left much of the background out, making just a few shapes for structure and spacing.

I’ll get out another blog before we leave Mexico (on Thanksgiving Day) and as always welcome your comments.

"Home" in Mexico

2008-10-30T16:04:00.007-04:00

The Road to Celaya
12 X 9 Oil on Masonite

El Rancho
12 X 9 Oil on Masonite

El Rancho Field
12 X 9 Oil on Masonite
First, I apologize from my long absence from this blog. Too much on my plate for too long...

But now we are back in San Miguel, Mexico, so things seem to have returned to “normal” and I have regained my freedom to paint and write. So let me share some of that with you.

This time of year here is the most beautiful, in my opinion. The rainy season has left us with green and lush foliage and vast arrays of flowers that can’t be described in words. And colorful festivals of all kinds. A painter’s dream... I’ve done a dozen or so sketches so far and I plan over the winter back in Maine to use them for larger pieces that I hope inspire us during the grim gray days of January, February and March. I’ve also gotten together with good friend Frank Gardner a couple of times for work in the field. This time of year the greatest challenge is to pick that one scene to concentrate on vs. the many that present themselves to you. So I show you some of the ones resulting from our work together.

“On The Road to Celaya” is a pasture that caught our eyes in the low morning light. One often comes upon these fields that are “down and up” off the road. They fascinate me because of the effect of less-than-normal atmospheric perspective (the result of the high altitude). So the effect of distance and scale is experienced with unusual clarity. In other words, distant objects appear to be closer than they are. Frank handles this really well as we all know. In this picture I used grays to make the far sections recede and to heighten the color contrasts of near and and far.

“El Rancho” is about 5 miles from San Miguel, underneath the mountains that surround the area. Frank knew about it because his daughter takes riding lessons there. It’s a beautiful place, and the owner, Holly, rents a couple of the casitas to visitors. I picked a view of one of them looking to the east into the mountains. The setting lent itself to a nice composition and several interesting plane changes–even if it is still just a house.

“El Rancho Field” is from the same spot as the above with a 90 degree turn to the right, facing south. Such wonderful colors and even more striking planes of light

Frank and I plan to do more together while I’m here, with others joining us, and we will probably return to Holly’s rancho a time or two. I’ll endeavor to keep up with all this on the blog, though finding an internet connection isn’t always easy. So bear with me.

Oldies But Goodies--Part II

2008-09-16T12:32:00.011-04:00

Martha's Runnunculas
Oil on Canvas 18" X 14"
I stole this from Martha Stewart's book on entertaning (don't tell her). I loved the dreamy old-fashioned feel of the image and in fact, pushed it even more that way. Never got a nibble at a show, but I love it.

The Toast
Oil on Canvas 16"X20"
I adapted this from a photo in a cookbook on Tuscan cuisine. I gave me a chance to work on hands. They came off kinda "hammy"

Seaglass Mosiac I & II
Both Oil on Canvas
I was given a book about seaglass, got interested in the subject and made some paintings from photos in the book. Loved the reflections/refractions in the colors and how they varied so much within each piece

Ensemble
Oil on Canvas 20" X 16"
From another cookbook, this one published by the U. of Michigan Musical Society. It was filled with dramatic photos of musical instruments. I combined a couple of them in this

As we prepare to go to Mexico for two months, I have been in the mode of blocking out new paintings to work on in the studio when I get back and the outdoors is less artist-friendly. I also plan to paint in Mexico, occasionally with our mutual friend Frank Gardner and on expeditions of my own creating. These will be mostly sketches which I will bring back. So I should have a good slug of work to do over the winter. I have a library show in December and another one in April, so I have to be sure that the work is fresh and the "repertoire" doesn't overlap.
I also confess that I sense my style is evolving toward a looser, more painterly style, with more expanded interest in color and value range, less detail, more intimacy in subject--a whole lot of things. I think this is the way for me to go--to look at naturally-occuring options--and to refine what I'm trying to do and to make the most of it. I also have an interest in face and figure work--more interpretive than literal--so I have to find a way to study more of that as well.
So regard the above paintings as something of an hommage to my painting past and a bit of a review of some of the off-beat subjects I've tackled.
I'll try to blog from Mexico as well, as well as keep up with those of my correspondents. Adios!

Hug A Musician...They Never Get to Dance

2008-08-28T15:07:00.005-04:00

After the Curtain
Oil on Canvas 20" X 16"

...So reads a bumper sticker I have stuck to my studio wall. If you have been following these musings, you already know the fondness I have for music. Then I must have fondness for those who make it. In fact, I'm in awe of them.
Think about it. A musician practices, mostly in solitude, for an instant of perfection that disappears as soon as it sounds. Music is temporal in the extreme. As soon as the sound is produced, it evaporates into the air. It is the most abstract of all the arts. You can read a beautiful poem over and over. You can watch a great film whenever you want. You can look at a Monet for years, and think about it whenever it pleases you. But live music only lives in the memory. True--a recording preserves a piece of music played at one time, but when you go to a concert or a performance of an opera, symphony, musical, recital, jazz band, rock concert, the only thing you take home with you is an impression of what you heard only moment by moment. That's what the musician/performer lives for--to create those moments to perfection.
So it's a difficult task and a tough way to live--unless you are entirely devoted to it and work at it endlessly.
Here's a picture inspired by an image I came across in "New Yorker" magazine. I left some things out and changed others as I wanted to communicate the aura of the musician. The curtain has fallen for the last time. She has packed up her 'cello and goes out alone into the night. There's a spotlight for her if she goes to it, a home across the way, otherwise looming darkness. But she'll be back another time-the muse is relentless.

Oldies But Goodies--Part l

2008-08-17T14:00:00.005-04:00

From Top:
Pop
Oil on Panel 11X14
The Lion
Oil on Canvas 16X20
Appian Way
Oil on Canvas 16X20

Well, my digital camera is on the fritz, and I can't take photos of my new stuff. So I thought I'd go back to some of my earlier work--pre-blog--and post a variety of things I've done in the recent past. I've only been painting since 2001, so a lot of paintings from those early years are gone--given away, painted over or in a few cases, sold. So "recent past" means maybe since 2006. I ask that you indulge me, at least until my newly ordered camera arrives in early September.
"Pop" is a portrait of my step father, John Schott. He was my mother's third husband, and she his third wife. They met long after I left home and had married. Mom died very suddenly in 1982, less than a year after we had convinced them to move to Maine, so Pop was nearby and under our care until he died in 1994. He was an old time New Yorker, rode the subway all his life, never learned to drive and worked as a steamfitter on many NYC skyscrapers, the last being the World Trade Center. He had an unusual gift--playing the piano by ear. We figured that he knew at least 600 songs-oldies but goodies--he just needed to know the key and the first note. He had very poor eyesight, hence the coke bottle glasses, and was rejected by his piano teacher as a child because he couldn't see the music. But he learned to play anyway and fortunately, I had the good sense to record a lot of his "repertoire" which my son used as accompaniment at his wedding reception, and we still listen to at family gatherings. A really neat guy was Pop. I painted this from a photo I found of him in an old album.
I painted "The Lion" from a photo I found in a book called "The Art of Being a Lion." As a Leo I felt obliged! I tried a very loose style. Somehow it works.
"Appian Way" is after a photo in a book I have called "A Portrait of Rome." My son spent a college semester there and gave it to me as a gift. He has gone back to Rome many times, proposed to his wife there, and now every couple of years acts as a tour guide for high schoolers who visit Rome. All of my children have travelled extensively. My oldest, Cristin, spent a couple of months in Denmark as a student. My other daughter Catie went around the world in a program called "Semester at Sea" as a college junior. My stepson, Ben, spent some time in Spain. Amazing what resources young people have these days. When I was a kid, it was a big trip to go to Jersey from NYC!
I'll do a couple more of these before we get to some new work, and new possibilities.

Art in the Park-August 9th

2008-08-05T12:10:00.002-04:00

Mill Creek at Noon
20" X 16" Oil on Canvas

I have been out of commission for almost a month because of complications involving my opera project here in Maine. It is subsiding now, but at its height I had a phone call every 20 minutes or so and it was impossible to get anything related to painting done. So I'm happy to be back and will catch up with blogging over the next few days.
I've also been trying to get ready for my first outdoor show of the year. It's called "Art in the Park" and it this Saturday, August 9th. The park in question is Mill Creek Park, a lovely park in the center of this part of South Portland. I did the painting above in June and it shows the centerpiece of the park--a Japanese style bridge that passes over a pond. The gazebo on the right back is the site of summer evening band concerts. The pond has a nice fountain, lily pads and ducks that the kids love to feed. There are also beautiful gardens there, including a fantastic rose garden that I envy, never having been successful at growing roses on my own in this climate.
On Saturday, there will be nearly 200 artists located around the park in what is typically a fun, and often successful show. My location will be ideal, just at the right of this bridge, under the trees, next to the water. I have priced my work based on my own opinion of its value and with the economy in consideration. For the first time I am offering most of what I show in nice frames, not the usual "studio" frames I make from lattice. I hope it makes a difference. I plan to show about 40 pieces, most of them completed in the last year. My next big show is September 1st in Fort Williams park, the location of the famous Portland headlight. That is also a great show.
Bonnie and I will head to San Miguel de Allende Mexico, by way of Ann Arbor, Michigan in late September. The Michigan stop is to spend a football weekend at my alma mater, the University of Michigan, where they will be playing Wisconsin in a potentially big game. Ann Arbor is a fabulous place with all kinds of things to do--concerts, lectures, museums--and great restaurants of all kinds. It is always a fun time for us.
We'll spend two months in Mexico where I plan to paint my brains out and to get together to paint with Frank Gardner who lives there and has off and I been my valuable mentor and always my friend. I'll also venture out on my own and with others whom I have met over the 6 years we have been going there. I love the place and we'd live there if it weren't for my wonderful family all located in the northeast.
In April, we will go to China for two weeks. We decided to take advantage of the chance to go then because as we get older, no telling if we would ever have another chance. We want to travel as long as we can. I can't tell you how much we get out of it! And...plenty of good painting ideas come from it.
I'll be more consistent with blogging now and I hope you'll stay with me.

Come, Take a Walk With Me-Part II

2008-06-30T13:53:00.006-04:00

Rock Climbers
Oil on Canvas 20" X 16"

It was March 21 when I did Part I of this series. It was still winter then, so things have changed to say the least.
That blog ended at the northerly end of the beach we have a couple of blocks from here called Willard Beach. So now I start at that end of the beach on a trail that runs above it. The structure you see is a remnant of Fort Preble which was built during the Civil War to protect Portland harbor from the British, who you'll recall, sided with the Confederates. The openings for cannons are still there as are portions of gun mounts which were added later during WW II. This end of the old wall has long since crumbled, the result of the many storms that rage through here now and then. What's left is a jumble of rocks which blend with this rocky portion of the beach and provide a temptation for the intrepid and/or foolish who think they can climb their way into the old fort without going up on the trail and around as I am doing here. I must confess that I climb the rocks occasionally, too, but they can only be accessed at low tide and then you have to wait a couple of hours for them to dry off. Otherwise, they are impossibly slippery.
But even following on the trail you have to climb up a set of stairs over a long abandoned bunker where this view awaits you:

Spring Point Light from Ft. Preble Overlook
Oil on Canvas 20" X 16"

This is the first of two lighthouses that guide the mariner into Portland Harbor. It is a big metal "drum" and is the only one of the two that still functions (though ceremoniously, I suspect). It originally stood in the water, but later a long jetty was built for fishermen and visitors to the light. It is a l-o-o-ong way out and I tried to show that with the figures. I go out there often as there are nice breezes in the summer and it brings you very close to the big tankers and cruise ships that come into the harbor. In the foreground is a continuation of the old fort as seen in the first picture. I like the way it seems to zig-zag to the lighthouse. In the distance on the left is another old civil war fort called Fort Gorges, pronounced "gorgeous" for some reason. I also show some islands in Casco Bay including Little Diamond to the right rear. It helped to put in some foreground grass, I think, again for scale.
Moving on, I walk through a massive marina, an area with condos and then a tanker docking area which is used by 1000' tankers to unload oil to a pipeline that serves much of northern New England and parts of southern Canada. The marina has interested me when it is empty (see my painting "Sticking It Out"--Feb. 21, 2009)which it isn't now with literally 100s of sailboats and pleasure crafts at dockage there. I haven't gotten much inspiration out of the tanker area yet as they aren't very pretty! Some time I'll look at it all as an artist and see what I can do with these as subjects.
Now we come upon the second lighthouse which guides the final turn into the harbor.

Bug Light
Oil on Canvas 20" X 16"

It is called Bug Light, again, I don't know why, and is the focal pont of a nice park area that was developed by the town of South Portland and some wealthy benefactors out of a former industrial area. This is a great kite flying area, again with the breezes,and the light marks the beginning of the Eastern Trail which will eventually reach to Key West. This time of year I bike all of this and more and in the winter I walk about four miles of the beach and these areas every day that I can. Bug Light can be fearsome in the winter when it is zero or below with howling winds that drive you insane.
I should also tell you that most of the area I cover here was a huge ship building complex in WWII which produced something like 300 so-called Liberty Ships of which I believe there remains but one survivor. The ship business died out after the war, of course and it took a long time for this land to become "civilized." And now I feel fortunate to live in an area that provides so much interest to both the man and the artist.

Opera Rules!

2008-06-20T13:54:00.005-04:00

Final Scene of Manon Lescaut
Oil on Canvas 16" X 20"

I've really been busy of late. I love opera and have since childhood. In fact my first blog--Jan. 25,08 was entitled "How to Enjoy Opera." In it I spoke of how I and a couple of other opera lovers founded an opera company here in Portland Maine. It's called PORTopera and we are now into our 14th season. Check out its website at www.portopera.org to get the whole story. It'll give you an idea about why we can be so damn busy at this time of year.
As subjects for painting, you'd think with all the emotion, plot machinations, beautiful music, stunning sets, costumes, etc. that there would be much inspiration and treasure in opera for the artist to mine. Opera does show up here and there in the art museums, Degas comes to mind, but no one painter really has focused on it. I think that's because any operatic subject offers profound complications. For one thing, the painter must be expert at face, figure and gesture. And if you want to show a setting from the stage, you have severe distortions in lighting, value, color, abstract scenery and a lot of other things to distract you.
But, listen, why are we here? So, I blithely stride forth and once in a while give it a shot. And here I tackle the final scene of Puccini's "Manon Lescaut."
This opera tells the story of a simple country girl who is courted and falls in love with a well-to-do young man. She becomes infatuated with her new found comforts, but soon becomes bored with her lover, and she moves on to an even wealthier older nobleman and more of the trappings of luxury he offers. But the old flame still burns and she is caught in fragrante delicto with her lover. The nobleman has her imprisoned to be exiled to America. Just before the ship embarks, the first lover arrives and pleads with the captain to be let aboard to join her.
They land in New Orleans where they become impoverished. The final scene shows the couple in a desert "west of New Orleans"--Puccini didn't study U.S. geography very well-and they are dying of starvation and thirst. The lover leaves to find help. But Manon has visions of demons and death and dies alone in fear and madness--still in her finery. I tried to capture this all, but trust me it's better with the music.

Maguerite's Spinning Aria from Faust
Oil on linen panel 10" X 8"

Everyone knows the Faust legend in which Faust, an old philosopher, sells his soul to the devil to regain his youth. The devil approaches him and tempts him by showing him this vision of the beautiful and virtuous young girl, Marguerite. The purpose of this scene is to build the character of Marguerite--purity and virue--and contrast it with the cynicism of Faust and the evil of the devil. PORTopera's Stage Director staged it this way, showing Marguerite in the innocent act of sewing surrounded by young girls. With the arrangement of the straw hats, it made a very effective scene and one of the few in the opera that could be captured on canvas.
Oh, yes, back to the story... Of course, Faust, aided and abetted by the devil, seduces Marguerite, corrupts her, gets her pregnant and abandons her. In the end, he regrets all this bad stuff, but it is too late and the devil drags him off to hell. At the end of the opera there is redemption in a swelling of some of opera's most powerful music as Marguerite is seen ascending to heaven. In opera this is called an "apotheosis." (You could look it up.)
I'll come back to this subject now and then and if you have stayed with me this long, maybe you ought to give opera a listen--at least read my January blog!

Central Park Revisited

2008-06-09T12:23:00.004-04:00

Top: Stone Bridge in Winter
Oil on Canvas 20" X 16"

Bottom: Sunday in the Park
Oil on Canvas 20" X 16"

I hinted in my last blog that the painting "The Road to Salzburg" was to be my farewell to winter. Well, it wasn't. It's probably because those of us in Northern New England are simply obsessed with winter and can't let it go. I'm not going to speculate though because winter does give me some decent painting opportunities.
"Stone Bridge in Winter" came to me by way of my son. In my blog of 5/28 I told of our trip to New York and spending some time in Central Park. My son Tom and his wife live on 104th St., a couple of short blocks from the park and spend a lot of time there. He's also a pretty good photographer and when he saw the paintings that resulted from our visit to the park, he sent me some of his photos. I picked the one of the stone bridge as it is a subject I really liked the first time and this was a chance to do it in a new way. In his photo, the bridge was centered, but I moved it a bit to the left to get more out of the colors and light in the snow on the right. Of course I had to change the perspective a bit. His camera saw a lot of blue (which I find most digital cameras do without adjustment) so I toned it down a bit, but left the blue in the shadow areas, particular around the base of the bridge. I minimized the background detail to keep the focus on the subject. I like the way it turned out and learned more about how a painter can use a photo creatively. Somebody who knows more about using photos in a painting than I do (are you listening Frank Gardner?), ought to deal with this as a blog subject.
"Sunday in the Park" uses this often photographed bridge in the park-the name escapes me--in an impressionist mode, irresitably. I put an extra bit of arch in the bridge, which has really a much smoother arc, because there is a Japanese bridge here in a local park that I really admire that has such an arch, almost like a hovering bird. I also put just one boat in the picture. There were several in the photo. That's my interest in solitary things popping up again. I resisted the temptation to show more backgound detail and hyped the reflections in the water--particularly the low lying willow, and the colors. I also messed with the sky, as I imagine Monet or one of my other impressionist pals would have done. Again--using a photograph creatively, I hope.
All in need is a thumbs up from Tom and I'll be OK. Maybe even a couple of more ideas...

Spring Has Sprung!

2008-05-28T12:32:00.008-04:00

Signs of Spring
Oil on Canvas 16" X12"

After a really lousy winter, spring has suddenly exploded here on the coast of Maine. It seems like it happened all at once. So, naturally I'm out looking for spring subjects as I'm pretty sure it won't last long.
This scene is at Willard Beach, just down the street from our house. I was amazed at the array of forsythia that appeared on the point at the south end of the beach. It was a clear day, so the yellow wasn't particularly muted even though the bushes were quite distant. Then suddenly a young girl decides to wade in the frigid water, so I had the pink of her shirt complementing the light green of the distant grass and foliage and a purplish beach in the afternoon light complementing the yellow. Some nice reflections helped out, too. Sort of impressionistic and a little eye-candyish, but I liked it.

Balancing Act
Oil on Canvas 14" X 11"
Near the north end of the beach I came upon this--a small rock delicately balanced on a large one. No act of nature this. I mentioned in a previous blog that there is a guy who wanders the beach in search of the makings of such creations, sculptured "Kilroy Was Here" markers. I caught up with him early one morning in the act and asked him why he did it. "For the hell of it," says he. His sculptures usually don't last long--wind and water do them in quickly-- but this one lasted about a week and finally disappeared in one of the astronomic tides. It's just a painting of rocks, I guess--a lot of horizontals and one major vertical. The distance lighthouse you see is really not as prominent, nor is the red marker buoy to the right, but I pumped them up to get some supporting verticals to help my not- long-for rock. I also liked the colors in the foreground seaweed which when seen from further away looks just brown. Then, back at the studio...

Road to Salzburg
Oil on Canvas 16" X 12"
...I was going through some photos of our fall trip to Europe and thought one of the Austrian Alps had potential. During the trip, a cruise down the Danube, we stopped in Linz, Austria and then took a bus to Salzburg. What a neat city it is, but that's another story. Along the way, we stopped at a lake called Moon See. It was early morning, the sun was just showing over the distant peaks and the mists and fog had not yet burned off. A bit of snow-this was late November after all--was in the foreground nicely balancing what was on the mountains. I liked the multiple planes in the mountains but it was the fog roiling on the lake that stole the show. I stuck a building in the near left foreground just so I could show smoke coming from its chimney to tie in the misty elements. In a way, this was to be my farewell to winter, but it wasn't. Stay tuned.

Jewels in the Junkyard

2008-05-05T14:51:00.008-04:00

Seen Better Days II
12" X 9" Oil on Masonite Panel
I wrote earlier (April 3) about an area on the South Portland waterfront that was possessed of several derelict buildings but also, ironically, served as a marina for very expensive sailboats. I mused that if I could get into the area, there might be some interesting compositions showing contrasts between the buildings and the sleek sailing vessels. Well, I did, and there were.
One sunny afternoon I gave it a try. Armed with camera and notepad, I drove over. The place is fenced all around, but on the street side of one of the buildings there was a stairway up to a door marked "office." No one was there. I went down to one of the gates and made some noise which only aroused a very large and apparently pugnacious German Shepard. I quickly moved away to another spot and I saw a friend working on his boat inside the fence (a modest 43' ketch)and called to him to let me in. He found the guy in charge who went by the name "Cap'n," a crusty Mainer who didn't look like he belonged on land. The dog was with him, but with Cap'n's apparent endorsement, he (the dog)was suddenly my new best friend. All the while I was in there, the dog stayed with me as if to make sure that I didn't run afoul of the many hazards everywhere.
My first inspiration came not from a contrasting scene, but from one of the buildings (painting above). It looked like it was teetering on its pins and ready to collapse any moment. I did the sketch in about ten minutes and it looked pretty good so I finished it. I left some stuff out as the building had so much to it, I didn't want too much detail. There was a rickety bridge over a ditch and I left that in for focus and scale. It also suggests a risky access. I like this!
Next came a really nice contrasting scene:

Aspasian Contrasts
20" X 16" Oil on Canvas
These three boats are all lined up in a row across from a clearly uninhabitable structure, plastered with forbidding signs. The problem with this when I was painting it was that I got over involved with the building and it over powered the boats. I tried to reshift the focus with strong highlights behind the boats and exaggerated shadows. I think it succeeds, at least in capturing the kind of contrast I was looking for.
Then I came upon an irresitible "portrait," this sailboat sitting in solitary splender in the sun--a real jewel. I'm learning to paint boats with their compound curves and exaggerated perspective, so I had to give this a try. I did a small piece--it was hard enough-and I'm OK with it, thinking about some things I will do better next time.

The Classic
10" X 8" Oil on Linen Panel
The name of the marina is "Aspasia." I looked it up and all I could find was that it was the name of a woman of Greek mythology, a consort of Perseus, and owner of a brothel! I'll have to pursue that one with Cap'n. He told me that the area is an historic preservation protected property, but no one can afford to preserve the buildings. As such he can't improve the property himself. In my opinion it's beyond repair, so maybe time will give Cap'n his chance (if he lives long enough). Anyway, I feel as if I got there in the nick of time.

Central Park

2008-04-25T14:48:00.003-04:00

Stone Bridge: Central Park
12" X 9" Oil on Masonite

Central Park Pastorale
14" X 11" Oil on Masonite

I mentioned earlier that I had visited my son and his wife in NYC, now about three weeks ago. They live on the upper west side in an area that borders on Spanish Harlem. Central park--the northwest quadrant--is two short blocks to the east. They have spent many a weekend morning or afternoon enjoying the many benefits that the park offers.
As a kid growing up in the NYC area, the big attraction for me in the Park was the zoo which is still there but in no way equal to the famous Bronx Zoo and other zoos such as San Diego in the rest of the U.S. The rest of the park was a bit forbiding and it had a bad rep for hoodlums and derelicts. That is all different now. It is a thing of beauty from top to bottom and within its square mile or so are some wonderful natural sites as well as recreational attractions. On the great lawn in the park one time, 500,000 of Luciano Pavoratti's best friends heard him sing in one of the many free concerts offered during summertime evenings. Other performers have experienced likewise. But it's the natural beauty of Central park that overwhelms.
On a beautiful sunlit Saturday morning I took a stroll with son Tom and my wife Bonnie. Of course I had my artist's eye working, and my camera and right brain. I spied at least a dozen potential paintings and I show here a couple of sketches that I think are keepers. I have some more, too, but I'll save those for the larger paintings I plan to extend them to.
The stone bridge had the light coming from the front right. I liked the backlit effect and the illuminated scene revealed through the bridge arch. Shooting into the light, my camera saw the setting as really dark (I must get a better camera!), but I retained a good memory of the image. I loved the illumination of the branches in the foreground and the colors in the brook. Back home I tried to paint this as if it were plein air, doing about a 30 minute sketch. I was thinking I'd save the sketch for reference in a larger piece, but it looked pretty good to me, so I added the finishing touches and made it THE image of the scene I wanted.
Likewise "Central Park Pastorale." Many textures and layers of objects all backed up by the buildings behind on Central Park West, the bordering street. Bonnie exclaimed delight upon seeing the sketch (not always the case with my work), so that was good enough for me. It became a keeper too.
I'll tell you one other thing about painting Central Park scenes--you get a lot of experience in painting different things--trees, water, buildings, ground textures, flowers and so on. Also this was still early spring so the sky was "open," not closed by the rich foliage canopy of summer. Thus, you get a lot of bright light to work with.
I should also report that if you walk across the park from where Tom and Meg live, you can end up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. All you have to do is veer south a bit.
If you go to NYC, get all the city offers, much of which is in the small patch of wonder.

Hopper Was Here

2008-04-11T12:46:00.011-04:00

I have always been moved by the paintings of Edward Hopper, the great American artist of the first half of the 20th century. People have told me that my work is sometimes "Hopperesque," a reference I think to my own attraction to alone, solitary things. Hopper's work could be summarily characterized this way. But beware. His work goes deeper than merely memorializing a single subject. There are strong pyschological elements to his work that inspire a certain brooding emptiness that can have great effect on the viewer. I found a photo of the house that Hopper and his wife lived in on Cape Cod and make a painting of it:

Hopper's House, Truro, Cape Cod
Oil on Masonite 14 X 11

It wasn't hard to capture that lonely feeling. It was all there intrinsic in the scene. I used a somewhat muted palette for emphasis, but the bleakness of the place argues that Hopper was attracted to isolation, too, though in person he was recalled as a likeable, gregarious guy.
There was an exhibit at the Boston Museum of Fine Art early last summer (shared with the National Gallery and Art Institute of Chicago). I didn't get to go, but some friends did and they, knowing my affection for Hopper, gave me a book published by the Boston Museum called simply "Edward Hopper." It is a wonderful compendium of his work and life. I found the photo of his home (painting above)in this book.
Hopper's life as an artist can be focused pretty much on four areas: Gloucester, Mass., the city--primarily N.Y., Cape Cod and the coast of Maine. His Maine work included settings in Cape Elizabeth, the next town down the coast from where I live in South Portland. His paintings of the Two Lights area in Cape E. are especially haunting. It got personal at a show last summer, when a woman stopped by my booth and bought three of my pieces. She asked that they be framed in a certain way, so I had to deliver them a few days later. It turns out that her house is next to one of the lighthouses that Hopper had painted! She also invited me to paint there. I was at once delighted and fearful--like I was trespassing on sacred ground. But I took her up on it and painted this:

Hopper's Lighthouse
Oil on Canvas 20" X 16

This was painted on site. I had to go back several times to finish it. I was shown the location that Hopper used, but I didn't think I'd go that far! Besides, this area in the 20s when he did these pieces was practically bare and I'm guessing that that was what made this an attractive subject to him. Today, the hill is covered with foliage and there are large houses here which have a fabulous view of the bay and beyond. In fact, my patron let me paint this view from her deck:

Casco Bay From Two Lights
Oil on Canvas 20 X 16

The place where Hopper painted the lighthouse is in the middle left of this scene on this side of the big house. Again, this was painted plein air, but because of changing atmospheric conditions, light, etc. I locked in on a point in time and finished the piece in the studio.

So, that is a short recap on my experience with Hopper during that brief period. I got back to thinking about him now that the weather is moderating. Perhaps I'll go back to Two Lights with my gear to paint in a few weeks. Maybe I'll try a city scene. Such is the allure of this great artist. It lasts a lifetime. I hope it visits you.

Searching for Subjects

2008-04-03T10:18:00.009-04:00

Just back from a cultured-filled few days in New York visiting my son and his wife, and for some opera at the Met, MOMA, Broadway, Metroplitan Museum of Art to take in the Poussin exhibit and wander through the Impressionist galleries, a wonderful Gustav Klimt exhibit at the Neue Gallery, plus much food and drink. Whew!
Before leaving I was really in a creative funk, but now my head is filled with all kinds of stuff, so there will be no end of posts. And--hours before leaving for NY, I got another commission--a sunrise over the ocean. All I have to work with is a tiny photo, so I have to create the setting from other work I have done at the site and put it all together. Will post that, too.
In my dry period, I was reduced to wandering aimlessly around looking for subjects and I show here what I came up with.

Seen Better Days
Oil on Masonite 12X9

There is an area on the South Portland Maine waterfront near where I live, that is not developed. It still could be called a working waterfront but there are a lot of old buildings such as these in total disrepair about ready to collapse. This is one group. I painted loosely, tried to concentrate on the structure closest to me, and tried to suggest a certain starkness with very dark shadow areas. That tree in the distance is really there. It makes you wonder what was here before. There's an irony here, too. On the other side of these buildings, nearer to the water, there is boat storage and a couple of marinas. These are BIG boats worth hundreds of thousands--quite a contrast. When I can get into the boat yards, I'm going to try capturing them.

Windy Day Off Kettle Cove
Oil on Masonite, 11X14

This is an area a few miles down the coast from where I live. There's a small beach here and a grassy area on a point where people sit and read or have picnics. This day, there was a blustery wind so there was a lot of chop in the water. Also, I was facing into the sun. The water had a greenish cast and there were some interesting cloud formations over the island. I painted this almost exactly as I saw it, trying to capture the wind effects and the unusual colors. Really laid the paint on!

Calla Lilies, Pewter Cup and the Mystery Golden Bottle
Oil on Masonite 9X12

I must have had too much wine for dinner when I dreamed this one up. In our family we've had this bottle of Cemballos Sherry from Spain for several generations--I'm sure back to the 40s at least. It has been passed around, but I ended up with it. It is full, never opened and is covered by a kind of gold foil, so you can't see the contents. I Googled "Cemballos" and all I could find was someone on what appeared to be Spain's eBay trying to sell an antique Cemballos display. So the bottle is probably antique. I decided to use it as a subject in a still life and added the lilies and a pewter cup from Bonnie's collection. I have a piece of burgundy velvet so I put that in as it related well to the lilies and worked well with the pewter. I added the greenish background as it seemed to help the gold and worked with the foliage. A strange array of colors, but it seemed to work for me. It was tough to get the gold right--many reflections and there is more green in it than you might think.
So I post these to show there are really subjects everywhere, even when you're in a funk. Don't despair!

Come, take a walk with me--Part I

2008-03-21T15:04:00.014-04:00

House on Preble St.
Oil on Canvas 20X16

Fishermens' Shacks III
Oil on Canvas 20 X 16

View of Spring Point From Willard Beach
Oil on Canvas 24 X 18

Willard Beach Solitude
Oil on Canvas 20 X 16

During the winter, I take a 3 or 4 mile walk every morning. (In warm weather I bike 15 miles more or less--that's another blog, if spring ever comes). Most people have an idea of what they think Maine is like, but actually it is very diverse. Where I live, my walk takes in several different worlds--all of them interesting and stimulating. I traverse a neighborhood, a beach, a working waterfront, a college, a marina, a seaside park and a couple of lighthouses. So I invite you to join me and let's see what we see.

My neighborhood is in the Spring Point section of South Portland, on the other side of the river from Maine's largest city, Portland. It has a wide range of residents ranging from artists, to aging hippies, to fisherman, working folk, soon-to-be tycoons, retired people, college people and others undefined. It also has very diverse architecture--winterized beach houses, triple deckers built in the 40s for shipyard workers, MacMansions, large homes converted to apartments, and some oldies but goodies such as the mansard roof Victorian above. So I start my walk with a good ration of architectural eye candy, and a few "Mornin's" to passersby who must wonder where this guy is going every morning, all bundled up with sunglasses. My wife says I look like the Unibomber.
Then I head down to the beach, called Willard Beach. It's a crescent beach, probably 3/4 mile in length, but somewhat shorter when the hign tide covers a portion of it at each end. The first view is of these shacks out on a point that are painted by artists all the time. It is said they were (and are) fishermens' shacks, but they have a wonderful weathered and run down look. But it looks as if someone makes an effort to keep them standing, even as they often are battered by the northeast storms that roar through here. I've painted them several times. The one shown is from last summer. The beach is also loved by dogs whose owners congregate here in the morning while the dogs frolic in the sand. Naturally, there are people who don't like the dogs on the beach--it's a big controversy actually--but I enjoy the dogs and I'm glad their people are getting outdoors.
I usually walk on the hard sand, except when the tide is high. As you look to the north you see the Spring Point Lighthouse which marks the entrance to Portland Harbor peeking over the remnants of Ft. Preble, a Civil War military post now the home of Southern Maine Community College. This painting is from a couple of years ago when I was in a "blue period." I since have learned a lot about ocean water and skies, but a friend said she loves the colors, so I gave the painting to her.
When you get there, the view from the north end of the beach to the south normally reveals another lighthouse, Portland Headlight, but I left it out of the solitary figure picture, because I was fascinated by the particular situation of the lone man with the setting sun on his back.
I've gone halfway by now and I'll take you the rest of the way another time. Please stay with me.

St. Patrick's Day

2008-03-15T10:08:00.005-04:00

November Morning: Ireland
Oil on Canvas 20" X 16"

This is dedicated to all of you who value this "holiday." I have visited Ireland several times, sometimes on business and once for a vacation. Enough has been written about Ireland that I need not get into a lengthy description of my impressions of the place, but obviously they are strong enough to cause me to come back to the subject time and again in my painting.
On the last trip we took a bus tour around the country in November--not the greatest time of year, but not the worst, either. In the west of the country we were making our way to the Ring of Kerry area on a gloomy, cold, wet day. We stopped at a store on a country road that sold woolen goods and had a coffee shop within. Sounded just right. In the rear of the store was a big picture window looking out on this view. All of a sudden the sun came out in a blaze of light illuminating the scene. I quick ran back to the bus, got my camera and raced around to the back of the building and took a picture. In a moment the sun was gone and so was this vision. What a gift! I've painted the scene several times and sold a couple of them, but I came back to it a couple of months ago to do it again. Each time, the contrasts are greater, the colors more brilliant...and the story? Well, it is Ireland after all.
One of the other great pleasures of Ireland are its pubs--great atmosphere, really comfortable food and the drink? Ahh... Guiness is the most popular I think, but my favorite is Smithwicks (pronounced Smiddicks). It's a brown ale, not as heavy as Guiness and it just slides down your throat. My wife accused me on the last trip that I went just because I wanted some Smiddicks (since I couldn't get it in the U.S.). That changed a couple of years ago and now Smiddicks is widely available in pubs and similar establishments here. It is also bottled now, but I strongly recommend draft--huge difference. You'll thank me forever.
Happy Day!

More About Doors of the World

2008-03-08T14:20:00.011-05:00

Tuscan Passageway
Oil on Canvas 16" X 20"

This is my post for the co-op blog a group of artists are doing on the subject of doors. For links to the other participants, visit Frank Gardner's blog--a link to him is on my list of favorite bloggers on the below right.

This is the only painting I ever did where a door is the focus. I spotted this scene in a photo in a book about Tuscany, but since I had been there, I felt I was entitled to paint it. Actually, I've done it twice. I sold the smaller one, but when I have this at shows it invariably attracts admirers, but I haven't sold it. Maybe it's too dark, and threatening. But that's the thing about doors. You never know. What's behind them? Who uses them? It's that mystery that Frank mentioned. And the mystery deepens because in this scene you have to enter that dark passageway to get there.
Italy is great for doors. Arguably the most famous is the "Gates of Paradise"--the doors to the Cathedral in Florence created by Ghiberti in the 1400s. They are spectacular. But for me the Kingdom of doors is Ireland, specifically in Dublin. Doors are an artform there. When we were there a few years ago, my wife took dozens of photos of doors and buildings. You can find all about Ireland doors on the website www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/landmarks/doorsofdublin. Or just Google "Dublin Doors" and you'll have more info about doors than you can handle. There was a poster a few years ago that showed a montage of doors in Dublin. It was widely shown here. If Irish doors lack anything, it's that brooding mystery that attracts us. They are in bright colors, many highly decorated, very welcoming. Maybe that's why artists don't paint them much, no?

Lobster Shack

2008-03-03T12:54:00.005-05:00

Closed for the Season
Lobster Shack, Cape Elizabeth, Maine
Oil on Canvas, 20 X 16

One clear sunny day a few weeks ago, I was wandering around the area looking for subjects to paint. I ended up in one of the more remote places around, a point in the so-called Two Lights area of Cape Elizabeth. In the summer, thousands of people find their way out here because of this place--The Lobster Shack. It serves fresh Maine seafood "al fresco" and it's especially known for lobster. You stand in line to give your order inside and find a place to eat at one of the many picnic tables that are arranged outdoors. To the back of this view, the waves crash on the rocks. So as you wait for your number to be called, you can enjoy an often spectacular view of the open sea. Those of us who live here have these views anytime we want them, but for folks "from away" they are a real draw. The crowds that come here during the summer season are hardly hinted at during winter.
As you can see, no one had been here in some time as the snow was unbroken. I was tempted to paint a gloomier scene with clouds and faint light, but the sun was so brilliant, I felt an irony here in an otherwise desolate scene. Besides, Edward Hopper, who painted in this area would have seen it this way. Would that I could capture what he would have! Anyway, I like the desolation plus the light, the picnic tables all piled up in front and the colors in the snow.
If this scene chills you to the bone, here is a lobster recipe that will warm you, I hope.

Easy Lobster Quiche (Serves 6)

Ingredients: 1 9" unbaked pie crust (store bought OK), 4 large eggs, 2/3 cup milk (can be 2%), 1 clove garlic-minced, pinch fresh grated nutmeg, sea salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste, 1 cup fresh baby spinach-chopped, 1 medium onion-diced, 1/2 cup mixed red and yellow bell pepper-thin sliced, 8 ounces fresh Maine lobster tail and claw meat-sliced, 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese--can be smoked.

Preheat oven to 425.
In medium bowl whisk milk, eggs, nutmeg, garlic, salt and pepper until lightly beaten and well-blended. Add spinanch, onion, peppers and lobster and stir well.
Pour filling into pie crust and sprinkle cheese over.
Bake at 425 for 30-45 minutes until solidified and lightly browned.
Let cool a bit before cutting into 6 slices. Serve warm.

Riverboats in Europe

2008-02-27T14:14:00.004-05:00

Ruins of Kuernringer Castle, Durnstein, Austria
Oil on Canvas, 20" X 16"

In Late November-early December we took a two week trip to Europe. We had set up a riverboat cruise on the Danube from Nuremburg to Budapest. We had done riverboats years before--a trip on the Moselle from Koblenz to Trier, Germany. It was short but we enjoyed it. But our mode of travel changed over the years, so we did things other than riverboats. But friends told us that this way of travelling in Europe had evolved and had become very popular--not to mention relatively inexpensive (and I mean relatively).
My wife found some good off season rates on the internet through a company known as Vantage, out of Boston. The boat we were on was about 400' long with about 150 passengers. I had never been to some of these cities before, especially Vienna, nor had she, so we went for it despite the season.
We flew from Boston to Frankfurt to Munich from which we were bussed to Nuremburg. It was a wonderful trip and the weather held up pretty well and the land tours were well organized. There was a lot of free time to wander these great places, too. The on-board food was fine, but trying out the local restaurants was the real gustatory treat.
En route to Budapest from Nuremburg, we visted among other places, Passau, Linz, Vienna, Bratislava. Each has its own character and story. I absolutely fell in love with Vienna and will go back for a longer stay. Budapest is very beautiful--quite a surprise. I'll spare you the details here as the above is the only painting that has emerged from this trip so far.
The little town of Durnstein is west of Vienna in the Wachau Valley, a famous wine growing area. The vineyards are owned by individual families and the wine is made via a co-op of these growers and it is exquisite. Above the town with its ancient buildings and narrow streets is this area of rock promontories, among them and hardly distinguishable from them is the ruin of this 1000 year old castle, alledged to be the place where Richard the Lionheart was held hostage for a year while he was returning to the crusades. I almost missed it as I was looking for the next wine bar, but my wife spotted it in the setting sun. It was such a natural scene and I was struck by the 1000-year old castle ruins, almost gone to dust, while the millions of year old promontories were still standing tall. There is a bit of darkness that crept into this painting, too. A couple of days before we visited the crumbling monuments of the Nazis in Nuremburg. I was greatly affected by them, and frightened too. I'm sure some of those feelings were still with me when I painted this several weeks later.

The Sky Above, the Sea Below

2008-02-21T11:03:00.005-05:00

Top: "Sticking It Out"
Bottom: "Bare Bones"

We actually did have a spell of good weather a couple of weeks ago, so on my daily walk, I decided to try to find some subjects to paint. On one particularly clear cold morning, I happened to start thinking about trees in my neighborhood. In the summer they are loaded with foliage and in the winter they are stripped bare. Nothing new, right? There is one aprticularly huge old oak a couple of blocks down the street that I've had my eye on before. This time I looked straight up and saw this very dramatic pattern of limbs illuminated by a hazy sun. Bingo! There was "Bare Bones." I wanted to be sure that my viewer saw the setting as if looking straight up, so I emphasized the highlights to show that the light came from different sides depending where the branch was located--to the left, right, above or below the light source. In a fit of Michaelangelo channeling, I even gave some thought to tacking the piece on the ceiling! Anyway it's a 20 X 16, oil on canvas.
Another morning saw one of those golden rosy mornings we have here in winter. Part of my walk include a walkway above this huge marina which sees 100s of vessels of all types in the summer. Just about all of them are hauled in the winter--put up on land--and covered in heavy white plastic "skin wrap." All except this guy, sitting all alone, all opened up, as if it were ready to go at a moment's notice. Note in the background the white shapes. Those are some of the boats hauled for the winter. People tell me I am attracted to lonely and isolated things. Could be. But there is a certain kind of poetry in that that I hope you feel in this scene. This is also a 20 X 16, oil on canvas.
So when you're out there, look up, look down!

When the Going Gets Tough...

2008-02-15T15:18:00.010-05:00

Top: "Tea for One"
Middle: "Them Apples"
Bottom: "Tutti Fruity"

...the tough go to the supermarket. I'm sorry if I seem to obsess about winter here in Maine, but really folks, since the Patriots lost in the superbowl, we've had nothing but cold and snow--and ice. But once I get the gloom cobwebs out of my head, I feel like painting again. But paint what? I've given up looking out of the window, so I have to think of something...
I read a book by Dan MaCaw called "A Proven Strategy for Creating Great Art." The title is a little off-putting, but he sets forth some interesting approaches for painting. His take on painting still lifes got to me, so that's where the supermarket comes in. My wife doesn't like to drive in the mess outdoors so she asked me to take her shopping. I had a ball! All that colorful fruit. So I bought up some samples that appealed to me and got to work using MaCaw's ideas.
He suggests toning the canvas--these are 8 X 10 linen panels--using an appropriate color (I used raw sienna for these), make a rough drawing, thinly paint in the background and then paint the subject material using colors directly from the tube, thinned somewhat by solvent and Liquin. So for a warm red I used cad red, for a cool red-alizarin, for yellow cad yellow pale and so on. Use the color closest to the subject--even if not exact. Then--and this is the scary part-- wipe it all down except the background. What you are left with are blots of color that have soaked into the surface and sealed it. Then start over, painting the true local color and Liquin in the normal layers, but finish the background in paint thinned by solvent. I found that the dull background helps set off the layered work in the subject material and you begin to develop that wonderful transparency. It takes some time as you'll want to let the work dry when the paint starts to get mushy.I probably have six layers on these little pieces. All of this may be old news to those of you who have painted for years, but I'm happy to say that I am learning new stuff every day, and this was all a revelation to me.
I did these three pieces that way and was really pleased with the results (sorry that the photos aren't very crisp--another problem with winter light). "Tea for One" uses a silver teapot from a service we own. Painting a silver piece is like painting a curved mirror--it reflects everything very literally except the reflections are distorted like a fun house mirror. I placed some white canvases around the setup to try to tone the relections down but found that I needed color in the scene and put in a lemon. Now I had yellow reflected all over the place! The teacup is from a bone china set we have and I was hoping I could show some of the translucency of bone china, but the more I played with the lighting, the more I messed up everything else. "Tutti Fruity" uses a pewter pitcher which is duller than silver but still reflects a lot and the reflective surfaces of each piece of the fruit reflect the others. "Them Apples" uses a really crusty old pewter candlestick with three different kinds of apples. I tried to place them so that they "move" in different directions, each showing its best side and strutting its best stuff.
If you have any ideas about these, please let me know.

A Life in Mexico

2008-02-08T12:55:00.000-05:00

This is the fourth straight day of snow here. More tomorrow...more the next day. So you shouldn’t be surprised that my thoughts turn more and more to warmer climes. I’ve been to many temperate places, but the one I love most is Mexico. We have been there a half dozen times in the past few years, but we blew this year’s travel budget on a trip to central Europe in the late fall. While that was an amazing time (more later), I feel somewhat unfulfilled, especially now in the grim gray cold of winter.

The place we go to is San Miguel de Allende, a small city in the western Sierra Madres. If you were to have a map of Mexico and put your finger smack in the middle of the country, you’d be pretty close to where it is. San Miguel was settled long ago and became developed during the Spanish colonial period. There are many historic buildings there, some dating back to the 1500s. Narrow cobbled streets, hills, gardens, flowers–all the things you can imagine such a place would have. It is heaven for painters–brilliant clear light, rich colors, appealing landscapes, colorful people, wonderful architecture–a lifetime worth of subjects. Not to mention the food!

The people are friendly, mildly tolerant of foreigners, very industrious and wary of politics. Much of the economy is based on bartering–I’ll trade my party tent for a month’s worth of your tortillas. They seem to have many business talents. I know a guy who has an exterminating business, a party and candy store and a pizza place. Everyone is some kind of retailer. There are markets dotted all over town, concessionaires, rolling carts, people selling things from a bag they carry around and fully developed markets each with dozens of merchant booths. Some of the people squat in spots they’ve had for years to sell flowers, toys, balloons, ice cream, newspapers. Painters' subjects everywhere...

I, of course, spend a lot of time there painting or taking photos or making sketches and notes for subjects I can paint when I get home. I’ve become friends with an American who now lives in San Miguel named Frank Gardner. Frank is a wonderful painter—he has a blog here and a website www.frankgardner.com. Take a visit to his site if you want to get a real flavor of this part of Mexico. He also has a gallery in town under his own name. I’ve studied with Frank quite a bit and learned a lot from him.

The painting here is of San Miguel. It is called “Straw Man on Relox.” Relox is a street near the center of town that is usually much busier than shown. One of the “retailers” I mentioned is this hombre who sells straw items. He loads himself with baskets, hats, totes on every arm, hand, fingers–so much so you can hardly tell he’s there–just a mound of straw with feet. The street is typical of the side streets in the downtown area, but I used only a few figures so as not to lose the focus on the Straw Man. During the day the streets are usually crowded with vendors, shoppers and tourists. At the height of the day, the light is very bold and bright and even the shade side of the street gets light reflected from the street and the buildings opposite. I have dozens of paintings of Mexico, but I just want you to get a taste here of the town. Frank has many wonderful landscapes and settings that show the countryside as well as the town.

If San Miguel is beginning to appeal to you, visit www.portalsanmiguel.com. For more info. From the northeast we go through Houston to the city of Leon which is an hour and a half drive from SMA. Most people take the shuttle from the airport to the town. It is a fascinating ride through high desert and grasslands. And San Miguel will not disappoint, I promise you.

2008-01-31T11:51:00.001-05:00

Maine in Winter

2008-01-31T11:30:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of small sketches of subjects I found wandering around my area the other day. Not all winter paintings have to deal with snow. The first one is an 8 X 10 on a linen panel. It's a scene that a lot of painters here try to capture. This one is with the tide out, so these shacks are left high and dry, so that's what I named the piece, "High and Dry." It took maybe an hour. I really love the texture and tooth of the linen. The overall tone is the yellow-rose light of the early winter morning.
The other picture is something a bit new for me. It also is an 8 X 10 on linen panel. This area, Portland, Maine, has a lot of oil tanker traffic and serves as an oil terminal for parts of northern New England and parts of Canada. The tankers are huge--maybe 1000' long and seem to fill the ship channel as they come in. The are so heavily loaded you wonder how they stay afloat being so low in the water. They usually stay for 24 hours which is what it takes to unload the oil. As they unload, the added buoyancy allows the vessel to arise out of the water like some leviathan, maybe 50-60'higher, and close up they literally fill your view. So I come upon this view and saw the little lobster boat on the lower right cowering behind its pier, like a mouse hiding from a cat. The composition is weird, but it struck me that it might make an interesting painting. Does it?

2008-01-29T17:04:00.001-05:00

SUPER SIMPLE SEAFOOD

RECIPES FROM MAINE

As long as we’re talking Maine, I will now share with you Maine’s greatest treasure: its seafood. My wife has been cooking for over 50 years; she learned as a child from her dietician aunt, who had one of the first (live broadcast) televised cooking programs. Her cooking is widely admired, as are her techniques, first and foremost of which is what she refers to as her “life’s most creative journey” -- how to get to the best-tasting result with less fuss, time and complicated steps than the original recipe dictates. She particularly enjoys preparing seafoods; fortunate, since that’s what we have in abundance here on the coast of Maine! We serve them at opera parties and art openings, as well as in our home. Herewith, some of my favorite Super Simple Seafood Recipes from Maine.

Freezy Breezy Crab Puffs (makes 48)

Mix well: 1 jar Old English cheese, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder,
½ teaspoon seasoned salt, 3 scallions, minced,
1 stick butter, softened, 1 1/2 tablespoons light mayonnaise

Fold in: 1 can good quality crabmeat, drained.
Separate: 6 Thomas’s English Muffins, and spread mixture on all 12 halves.
Freeze: on a cookie sheet covered with plastic wrap. Then place in freezer bags.
To serve: Cut into quarters while frozen, and broil till bubbly and just brown.

Italian Mussels One Way (2 pounds serves 2 for dinner or 8 as canapés)

Combine in large pot 2-pound bag mussels (those from our good neighbors in Prince Edward Island are pretty darned clean and the steaming will finish the job) and ½ cup of any Italian white wine. Cover and cook over medium-high, shaking from time to time for about 8-10 minutes, until they’re all open.

Drain and discard the tops of shells, arranging the mussels in shells on a cookie sheet.
If you insist, you can make your own pesto sauce from scratch in a food processor. I’ve found the one I think is best in a jar – Classico brand is super. Spread about a teaspoon of pesto sauce over each mussel. Grate about a cup of fresh parmesan (more if you like) and sprinkle over the mussels, then bake at 350 for about 8 minutes, until bubbly.

Italian Mussels the Other Way (same yields as in above recipe)

Combine in large pot another 2-pound bag of mussels and one 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes (the oregano/basil flavored variety) plus ½ cup of chianti (mediocre quality will do fine.) Cover and cook over medium-high, shaking from time to time for about 8-10 minutes, until they’re all open. When serving, spoon sauce from pot over them.

Lobster & Crab Gazpacho (serves 6)

Combine in a large glass bowl, then cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours:

2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes,(2 garlic & onion flavor and 1 zesty jalapeno flavor)
1 quart of V-8, 1 cup of bottled clam juice,
1 tablespoon each lemon and lime juice, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar,
2 tablespoon thin-sliced scallions, 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley,
5-6 ounces of lump crabmeat, 5-6 ounces of lobster meat,
3 dashes Tabasco, sea salt & fresh-ground pepper

Serve with a hearty multi-grain peasant boule or baguette.

Grilled Salmon with Scallion Butter (serves 4)

Mix well and refrigerate: 1 stick butter, softened,1 teaspoon minced curly parsley,
1 1/2 tablespoons minced scallions, dash of lemon juice,
Salt & pepper to taste

Brush: 4 salmon steaks with olive oil and grill 5-6 minutes per side.
Spread: a generous pat of scallion butter over each hot steak to serve.

In Maine, salmon in any form is the traditional Fourth of July entrée, accompanied by conveniently in-season fresh peas.

Pepper Parmesan Salmon Salad (serves 4)

Grill an extra 8 ounces of salmon when preparing another meal. Remove skin and any bones and break the salmon into small pieces.

Whisk together: juice of 4 lemons, 6 cloves garlic, chopped,
1 teaspoon white Worcestershire sauce,
1 teaspoon fresh cracked peppercorns (medley is preferred),
½ cup chopped Italian flat parsley,
Slowly whisk in 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil until dressing is emulsified

Toss: in a large salad bowl 2 heads romaine, trimmed and chopped, 1 cup grated
fresh parmesan, and the dressing.

Serve salad on 4 plates and top with salmon.

Bon appetit!

2008-01-28T10:21:00.001-05:00

Winter in Maine–an Artist’s View
It was a long time before I realized what potential the bleak, gray winters of Maine had for an artist who lives here. It’s way to cold to go out and paint sketches on site and though I do get out for at least a walk daily in winter, I didn’t often see much that inspired me artistically.
Well, I was wrong. The more I studied painting and the more I exchanged thoughts and ideas with other artists, the more I woke up to the treasure trove of goodies laying on the snow, in the low, slanting light, in the expressive bare limbs of the trees. Now the problem was to develop a method of capturing all of this on canvas.
I have an artist friend who paints out of doors all year long in Maine. He has a 60s vintage VW bus that he has set up with a heater inside. He’ll go to a site, set up his easel and paint until he gets cold. He then repairs to the bus, turns on the heat and warms up. Sometimes it’s every few minutes. Now that’s devotion! I don’t have a VW bus or anything like it, but as I said, I do get out and have since learned to spot paintable things and scenes. When I do, I take several photos and try to totally absorb what I see–even making a few notes. I find that I have a pretty good memory for images which helps. When I get back to the studio, I put the images in my computer, do a bit of PhotoShop and then do some quick sketches on a canvas, including color notes of what I remember.
I should point out that I use the photos only for reference and positioning of items in the piece. How to use photos in painting is another piece altogether, but I quickly put the photos away. I pretend that I am doing an on-site sketch and start painting as if I had the same time pressure as I would plein air. This helps me deal with color masses and values quickly, saving details until later. I also find that imagination quickly kicks in and I’m able to take my image memories into a more "artistic" realm. When I finish the painting a few days later, I compare it with the photo. The human eye coupled with the brain is infinitely more powerful than the camera! (Not to demean the art of photography, which in its way is just as challenging as painting).
Here are a couple of paintings I did in recent weeks. The lighthouse is Portland Headlight which stands on a point in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. It’s a couple of miles from where I live. It has been painted and photographed thousands of times by thousands of people. I’ve painted it a few times myself, but I try to find an uncommon view, so it’s not just another "lighthouse painting." This day had new fallen snow followed by brilliant sunshine. I saw a spot on a little bluff that had birches in front of it. In one of those "aha" moments, I trudged up and saw this scene. A couple of photos and a few moments of study later, I had it. The sun was blinding on the snow, so the camera didn’t "see" much, but I did, adding colors in the snow providing an atmospheric perspective. I also intensified some colors to pump up the image of the lighthouse which should be the focus of the piece. I also pumped up the white in the birches, inspiring the name, "White on White."
The second picture is a mile down the road from the first, a marsh that most people don’t even see because on the other side of the road is the ocean, often spectacular with roiling waves and distant ships. It was late in the afternoon with long shadows and that brilliant gold white light we have in winter when the sun is receding. I used the same technique as before, but I changed the composition substantially, isolating that crooked tree and simplifying the background. I call it "Pond Cove Marsh in Winter" to distinguish it from another painting I did of the marsh in fall. You can see it and some other pieces on the site fineartamerica.com/jack-riddle.

2008-01-25T14:15:00.000-05:00

How to Enjoy Opera
A friend of mine once described opera as "fat people screeching at the top of their voices in a language I don’t understand for reasons I can’t grasp." At one time this characterization may have been valid. For most of its history, opera was available to very few and thus had few advocates.
That has all changed. Today, opera radio and TV broadcasts, DVDs, supertitle translations, media exposure and the like have brought opera to millions of people. It has been widely reported that opera is the only one of the performing arts that has grown over the past decade.
The reasons for this include the fact that opera involves several art forms: music, theater, dance and the human voice. In today’s visual world, it is the most appealing art form to the eye. Another important factor is that opera has entered the world of celebrity personalities. The death of Luciano Pavarotti a few months ago was covered world-wide. The "Three Tenors" albums are among the best selling of all time. Many opera singing leading men and women have heart-throb good looks. The technical development of staging can produce grand spectacles on stage and on film. The Metropolitan Opera HD live broadcasts into theaters is bringing all of this to thousands of new fans.
If you are curious about opera but still feel a bit distant from it, I think I can help you come to enjoy it. Believe me, the enrichment that results will add enormous depth to your life. I suggest a painless step approach that involves limited effort and increasing enjoyment as you move along into this wonderful world.
Listen to "Opera’s Greatest Hits"
I suggest you do this by opera. There are numerous recordings out there that offer highlights from specific operas. I suggest you seek them out from friends or buy them on line. Some operas are more accessible to the beginner than others. Start with these: "La Boheme," "La Traviata," "Carmen," "Madama Butterfly," "Aida," "Tosca." There are many others you could try, but I think with these you’ll get a good taste of what’s out there, enough to encourage you to move on. You’ll be surprised at how familiar some of the music is and, trust me, how much you like it.
Dig Into One of these Operas
Once you decide you want to move on, you should get (or borrow) a CD or DVD of one of these operas. I suggest "La Boheme" as it is a classic tragic love story with some of the most emotional music you’ll ever hear. Recordings usually come with a synopsis and libretto (words to the music). Become familiar with the plot of the story and if you feel ambitious, follow the libretto. You don’t have to do it all at once–an act or two on Day 1, and the rest later. (I don’t think many of you will be able to stop). Listen to the opera several times. You’ll find that you will be anticipating the beautiful arias and climaxes and that your enjoyment of it will become accumulative. Also begin to notice the different voices, the louds and softs, the phrasing to match the libretto, the different colors that the voice is capable of. Becoming familiar with a particular singers and following them is all part of the deal.
Expand Your Opera "Repertoire"
After "Boheme," try "Carmen." This is the classic love triangle with the unforgettable Carmen as the centerpiece. It has one "hit" after another and high drama. If you have the chance to listen to several versions, try to figure out the differences in how the Carmen character is interpreted. She can be a slut, a misfit, a manipulator, a woman of great passion, a tragic figure, or several of these all at the same time. This will help open another door for you–how many ways an opera can be interpreted and performed. After "Carmen" try "La Traviata." Verdi was one of the great composers of opera–wonderful melodies, beautifully paced drama, never a dull moment! Then "Tosca" and then "Madama Butterfly." Save "Aida" for a DVD–talk about spectacles!
Now Dig In!
Now you should work your way through the composers we’ve talked about (except Bizet, composer of "Carmen." His other operas are somewhat obscure). Puccini’s "Turandot" is another spectacle that includes the famous tenor aria "Nessun Dorma." Verdi’s "Rigoletto" features one of opera’s most fascinating characters and has a particularly sinister conclusion. "Otello" and "Falstaff" are probably Verdi’s greatest operas and most challenging to the listener. Try "Otello" first.
Open the Door to More
Mozart was a true genius who composed hundreds of works in the short 35 years of his life. His operas are sophisticated, occasionally cynical, often amusing, with magical melodies and fascinating plots. Start with "The Marriage of Figaro." It’s important that you understand the historical context of Mozart operas–actually of all operas–as Mozart always had a message applicable to his time, but also to ours. There are many other composers, too-Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, Massenet. You’ll come across more as you go on. You might also begin to listen to the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts on Saturday afternoon, usually on public radio. And if the HD live broadcasts are offered in your area, attend by all means. Check the Met’s website for details on these broadcasts.
The Special Case of Wagner
I have not talked about probably the greatest opera genius, Richard Wagner. His operas are long and very complicated, mostly dealing with characters of legend. He plumbed the depths of the human character, nearly developing a new art form, the music drama, in the process. But his music is so overpowering, and dominant, it did not succeed in sharing the stage with the theatrical and the literary. So Wagner is a another blog. Meanwhile, just get a taste by listening to the recording "The Ring Without Words," conducted by Loren Mazel. You’ll see what I mean by "overpowering." So now, go ahead and enjoy opera and let me know how you are doing.

2008-01-25T14:04:00.000-05:00

Jack's Profile

2008-01-22T13:55:00.000-05:00

I am a retired businessman living in southern Maine. I spend most of my time painting and have a website www.jackthepainter.com. I also post newer work on the site www.fineartamerica.com-jackriddle. I have other interests,too: performing arts, particularly classical music and opera, sports, reading, travelling, biking and writing. From time to time, I will post thoughts and ideas about all of these subjects, plus new ones that intrigue me at the moment, but the majority of them will involve my artwork. In these cases, I will show a recent painting and comment on its origin and the techniques used to achieve the result. I believe discussing the creative processes is a way to reveal the inner self to not only onesself, but that of others to themselves. I also hope to be provocative in the sense that I will cause you, my reader, to react and post comments. Thanks for visiting!