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“The Old Brickyard”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel.

The Brickyard still has bits and pieces of its past strewn about. The smokestack is in danger of collapse. Yet it is the most memorable and visible remainder of times past. I wander down the dirt path towards it with images of my past visits in my mind. But I was unprepared for winter sun’s late, warm reddish light glancing off the edge of the chimney as I turned the last corner on at woods end. I positioned myself upon a western slope to capture this view as the sun went down…

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“January Dune”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel.

Rain poured on and off all day. I caught this view while painting from my van between storms, from behind the dunes at South Beach. The rain intensified the colors of the dried grass and the leafless branches of the rosa rugosa. The dark storm clouds added to the drama of the day…

To purchase, please click Go to my eBay auction, Bidding starts at $100.00 US.

“Pond Path”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00 USD

I scouted this spot weeks ago, but hadn’t found a good and sunny day to come back until now. This is along the edge of a finger of Tisbury Great Pond at Sepiessa in West Tisbury…

“Cranberry Bog”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I painted here in late afternoon light over two years ago. Driving by the other day, I couldn’t resist creating it again in morning light with the tree shadows rippling across the drive…

“Reflecting Pool”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

In winter, the beach is always changing. Sand comes in and piles way up above dunes and rock. Sand goes out and bares rock and clay. This visit it was beginning to hauling sand back out. A shelf had built up at the low tide zone and had caught a reflecting pool as the tide finished its course from high to low…

“The Edge of Evening”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. USD $550.00

It was close to sunset and I was on the beach road with water on both sides and a full dome of sky overhead. Going from a mostly cloudy day to lots of light at sundown made me think I had more time in which to work. This was the beginning of a fabulous sundown. It was hard not to change my colors as sky became on fire with setting sunrays…

“Cloud Break”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

It felt like snow, but was just thick, tight clouds. I think they look denser in the winter air than in summer. When they leave, it really makes the sky brighten up in comparison…

“Shallow Berth”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I discovered this oyster boat when out on a Christmas walk. Tisbury Great Pond is so flooded with fresh water that it has been washing into the parking area. Normally this pond skiff would be anchored out past the grasses and I would be standing right where it is now to create this painting. Soon, I hope, a backhoe will amble down the barrier beach and cut a trench from the pond to the ocean. The great pond will drain out some and the tides will come in and bring more salinity to this brackish water. Then the oysters will have a better, saltier taste…

“Anticipation”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

This is the first glimpse of the ocean as one navigates down to the parking lot before unloading and heading out the path to the beach. Whether for a walk or a swim, this view is relished in the moment of anticipation of what lies ahead…

“December Tree”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I have enjoyed this view over many years while walking past and through into a more enticing angle. Today the wind was moving too fast and I settled in the lee of a pine tree grove. The sky gave me glimpses of greatness, but the clouds held only for seconds and were gone…

“Cattails”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

This is part of the view behind my winter studio in Edgartown, Ma this season. It is about a 4 minute walk from the house to the edge of Sheriff’s Meadow Pond behind me. Eel Pond is off to the left with the Sound beyond. This was one of my favorite haunts when I was a little boy. I first painted the little mud hole pond in the middle-ground in 1974 and have returned to paint here many times. There are few walkers on the paths around the pond this time of year, but I often think the winter colors are more spectacular than the summer foliage…

“One After The Other”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00 USD

I was able to find another rose to paint in a friend’s yard. This time a tea rose and not a lowly climber. Cool nights have not yet put them into dead flower shock…

“The Naked Season”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00 USD

A long walk near the beach found this tree to paint. The sky went pink and orange as the sun went down. A well deserved end to a beautiful, cool day…

“Late Season Rambler”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00 USD

The late rose season has been long this year. By now frost has usually had its way with any flowers still in bloom. Here and there in sheltered corners a bud or two attempt to unfurl their colors…

“Life Saver”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00 USD

Far away from all is this stretch of beautiful beach. It happens to have a bad rip tide along it. Stationed every so often there are orange boxes with rope inside and a life saving ring. These may be tossed out to the hapless swimmer struggling in the rip…

“Wind Swept”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

More cliff washed out in the past month’s winds and tides. A section slumped half way between the top of the cliff and the beach. I was able to stand on the slump, set my easel up and appreciate the new view…

“Slack Time”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I started this on a rainy evening a few days ago while sitting inside my van. I couldn’t finish it then and went back a few more times for better details. The light was not as dark and overcast the next few times. So I waited until it was almost dark for the colors to mute more like the original start day…

“Far Meadow”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00 USD

I almost missed the color changes in these marsh grasses, as they turn from green through orange and gold then brown and silver. Soon enough, beside sky and cloud, the cool blue water will remain the sole enchanting dancer in the land and sea of winterscape…

“Black Point Moon”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00 USD

A beautiful, warm and sunny afternoon found me out along the paths behind the dunes. The Atlantic Ocean gently rocked the air with sounds of surf and scent of sea. Ducks dropped down into the reeds for an overnight rest. Moon rose from the east gaining its luminous power as the sun slipped ever lower and was gone…

“Fall on the River”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00 USD

For decades I have passed this river on my way to Boston and have wished to paint it. When I finished this painting and did a quick global positioning to really see where I had worked. I was totally surprised to find this was the river I always wanted to paint. It is the North River and passes under Route 3 in Hanover and Pembroke, Ma. It looks beautiful from the highway, but even more stupendous from the river bank, especially in fall colors. I was just a half mile east of where I had first seen it so many years earlier…

“Evening Grazing”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00 USD

Finding sheep in this field is a hit or miss proposition. It is usually a miss. These are the rams of the flock and they are separated now from the ewes across the road. When they next greet the ewes, they will be very excited. In spring we shall find lambs timed to be born toward the end of March, otherwise they would be lambing all winter long. This year I also found a very cooperative sky for my backdrop instead of a bland blue one…

“A Grand Entrance”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I try not to paint at the same place too often, but the sounds of the waves brought me back to the beach. This path is the only way to walk down to this section of beach, but what a view awaits. Even with this year’s salt burt colors of the local vegetation, it is a beautiful place…

“Quitsa to Menemsha”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Sometimes it is nice to get up high for a long, distant view of the landscape. Color this fall is not as bright as other years. The vistas have a mellowness to them as they fade into the winter softness of lavenders and grays and tawny browns…

“Collin’s Beach”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I have worked on this for a few days. Each time I have gone there it has rained and I could only complete a small part of the whole. Luckily the light has pretty much been the same, and no one has wanted to go out in their boats. Today the sky opened just enough to show me its inner light…

“Derby Fever”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

This is the 66th year of the Martha’s Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby, www.mvderby.com . There have been fishermen and women all over this island for the last 3 weeks angling to be a winner and walk away with a new boat or truck. I happened upon this lone fisherman today trying his luck. There is nothing like a fish on your line on a warm beautiful evening with a gorgeous sunset to ice your cake…

“Evening Underway”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

It may be fall in New England, but the mosquitoes are still in evidence. One got through my screen of Buzz-Off to drive that point home. Yet, this was the only thing to mar my evening out. It was so beautiful watching the sky turn from day to night, then having a partial moon illuminating the walk back to my starting place…

“Lookout”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

It was sunny. Then it clouded up and rained. And then it was sunny again. But, it got cooler. What clouds were left shivered and shriveled up into tight, violet blue, cottony shapes and, defying gravity, floated on out to sea…

“Storm Brewing”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I saw this cloud bank come in and tried to figure out what foreground I could place in front of it. The storm was too far north of east to be able to think of any other place to drive to. Luckily it was very tall and very far away when first spotted. I was able to go home and get my paints and turn around and come back up to this end of the island to capture the full majesty of the clouds. I think I had about an hour to get everything in before it began to rain and I had to quit…

“Cedar Tree Neck”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00 USD

This sky reminded me of a Caribbean sunset… except with signs of glacial activity all about. It took fast painting to get it in as the colors faded into gray very quickly and my light was not long available. After it became too dim and I had packed up, I wandered over to the shore and cast a few lures in, but to no avail…

“Lighthouse Beach”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00 USD

This was a fishing and painting expedition. Robin and I walked about 3/4 mile down the beach to get to the fishing hole and the painting spot. The weather was calm, but the tide was near low. I mostly painted while she fished. We caught a lot of seaweed salad for dinner… Oh well, at least I have the painting to show for the effort…

“Back Dunes Trail”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00 USD

This topsy turvy landscape behind the dunes and above the cliffs remains so intriguing to me. It appears as if giant dump trucks once emptied their loads of sand willy nilly on top of the cliffs. Then beach grass, little blue stem, poison ivy, bay laurel, huckleberry, blackberry and wind beaten and shaped oaks and cedars took up residence. Hurricane/tropical depression Irene came and dowsed all with salt water from the wave smoke below causing leaf brown out and early fall coloring over parts of the whole scene…

“G. H. Sluiceway”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Back in my watercolor period I painted in this area once. It felt so much better creating this scene in oils today. The paint just seemed to flow right off my brushes. After Hurricane Irene yesterday, all the leave are beginning to show subtle browns and reds. The vibrant greens of summer have turned in the space of a day…

“Wetland Path”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00 USD

At most locations where I find myself painting I also do a bit of scouting for the setting of my next piece. While I was working last week in the blueberry grounds, I followed the through path down hill into the glades beside a stream. It may have been the Tiasquam River, but I am not certain. The path is well maintained and had this short passage over a wet area before a foot bridge. Taking a quick snapshot to refresh my memory later in the studio, I liked the image enough to go back and create this work. I tried some Skin So Soft to ward off the multitude of mosquitoes and came home smiling, happy but odiferous…

“Sailing Camp”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD

I never know what to expect when I visit the Sailing Camp. Sometimes the vessels are all stacked up on shore and other times they are out on their moorings. They maybe close to the beach or farther out. This time 4 of the rowing, (I would guess), boats were all berthed down in the corner of the cove on one mooring. They were kind of playing follow the leader and trying to line up all heading into the breeze. Then one would get out of formation and would jerk the line attached to its neighbor and suddenly they would all do an about face…

“Waiting”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00 USD

This is a plain white dinghy I have been scouting and photographing for a few months each time I travel up to the Gay Head Cliffs. It can be a very buggy place to paint if the wind is not right. The sun was not correct today for me as it slid behind a thunderstorm disturbance as soon as I got there. However, the bugs were almost non-existant which made my day…

“Dinghy Beached”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00 USD

A very windy afternoon, (30 mph, SSW), caught me off-guard without a plan. The head of Lake Tashmoo by the pumping station is always a safe bet but for a Northwind. This evening was no exception. Sailors had rowed in from their anchorage and unknowingly left me their dinghy to fashion my dreams upon. As I stood and painted, a mother mallard duck practically walked over my boots with 4 young in tow as she left the sanctuary of the spring pond behind me and waddled into the briny Lake…

“July Barn”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Behind me as I worked on this painting were 2 baby raccoons. They were foraging among the Stuartia blossoms which had fallen from the trees in the grove. They kept a 30 foot distance from me, until I walked around behind the stone wall to try to photograph them. Their ears must be sharp because they were gone when I peeked over the top to where they were. I finally found one frozen behind a Stuartia trunk. I walked up to the tree and poked my camera around the side and got one good shot. Just like baby skunks, they sure are cute when they are little…

“Summer Dawn”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

This was begun one June evening and completed July 5. I had only one visitor as I painted the first evening. It was the captain himself down to check the lines. This last time there were at least 15 or 20 people with ice cream cones and/or cameras wandering around the docks. Summer must be here…

“Long Point Moon”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00 USD

This was the last full moon I was able to capture about May 15th. It is hard to believe the landscape greened up in just one month, but it didn’t look like this on June 15th. This is on the glacier outwash plain, flat with a reluctant slope into the Atlantic Ocean…

“Boxwood Garden”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

It has become so green this Spring that I felt I had to do a green garden painting…

“Moon Tide”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00 USD

It must have been dead low tide when I finally began this painting less than an hour before dark. The sky had just hinted at the orange sunset way above my cloud cover. That was my only motivation to paint this scene. As I got into the rocks, their colors and shapes, I was completely oblivious to everything else. Until my boots splashed in the on coming tide and I found my easel was in the water. The full moon was pulling that tide up, fast. I moved my easel 3 times to keep ahead of the rising water before my work was too dim to see…

“Equilibrium”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00 USD

Out in the woods at dusk, there comes a moment when the light and dark are at equilibrium. It is still possible to make out the larger forms and shapes, but the dimmer light and colors of a winter wood lot leave the smaller details indistinguishable one from another……

“Lagoon Shore”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00

A nice spring day down at the Sailing Camp found me contemplating sky, water and boats. An otter frolicked in the lagoon beside me as I worked. Ducks were at their stations farther down the shore, guarding mates and nests as the dusk settled…

“Spring On The Nest”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

It stopped raining and fogging just long enough for me to find these swans and to paint them. I stayed far away because I know how territorial they can be. (One hit from their wing can break a man’s arm.) The one minding the eggs remained very still. The other mute swan was harder to paint as it was back and forth on full patrol…

“Aladoah”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00 USD

Gray days are hard to color. Boats always seem to help brighten the view…

“The Rose Roof”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

This painting was started last year. I could never find the light I wanted to be able to finish it. This day I went up there as fog started lazily drifting in and I was able to combine my earlier vision with today’s reality (obviously the roses were from the earlier attempt). It always feels good to finish a painting even after time has past…

“Sun’s Last Ray”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $550.00 USD

Scenes like this will soon be gone as the foliage unfolds it’s summer cloak and the grasses turn a greener shade. The excitement of a nude landscape will give way to fully realized, softer form. Working fast to ward off the cold will become longer, languid sessions at the easel…

“F P Farm Road”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

My muse drew me out to the end of the farm this evening, but I just couldn’t see what was there. I turned about, walking back to the van in defeat. No cow or horse, sheep or sail, just a totally flat, open landscape. Until I turned the corner as the sun came out for the last half hour of the day…

“Wishing & A Hoping”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

It is strange how a gray day can change the feeling of a location from one of hope, in the sunshine, to one of sometimes overbearing sadness. And yet a place which just yesterday in sun had no feeling what so ever, may now have a sense of comfort and coziness…

“From The Top”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I began today thinking of a painting in the woods. Maybe a tree or stonewall would do. I wandered down paths and byways scouting. Each time I came to a high spot, there was a great view of this beach, but from afar. I finally had to give in and drive down to the beach and walk up this path. And, well, this is what I saw: hazy sunset and dropping temperature as an inclement weather front floated in…

“Tidely-Idely”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

Here is a friend’s boat I stumbled across the other evening. It is the work horse for the oyster farm out in Katama Bay. I did dream about oysters all night long…

“Meanwhile”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

The day was sunny to start, but not to end. I chose a Vineyard cliff experience from which to begin. I was looking for the contrast I had felt in my head the whole time I had been away, between an Australian seascape and my familiar New England scene. I suppose, being cloudy (and finger numbing cold) helped me to really feel the difference, too. The waves below sounded similar, but, oh, were the water colors and cliff tones two seasons and a world apart… (And yes, it is always nice to be back home.)

“Cape Schanck Light”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

My brother, John, and I went for a drive-about my last weekend in Australia to the southern tip of the Mornington Peninsula, due south of Melbourne. It is a rugged coast with sand and an overlay of ancient lava from past volcanic activity. We stopped long enough for me to paint this lighthouse. Moseying onward we got out and followed a rolling hill path to a seaside overlook. Discovering 200 well heeled revelers way out ahead of us on an ocean bluff, we turned to go and nearly walked into the bride and bridesmaids. They were in full attire gently gliding down the footpath to make her grand entrance. Farther along our journey, we found a helmeted man hanging onto a pair of wings about to jump from a cliff into a stiff headwind. He survived and soared off into the wild, blue yonder…

“Eucalyptus”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

I had some extra helpers while working on this painting out on the farm. Two yearlings kept prancing up behind me and giving me nudges while trying to rummage in my canvas bag. It took me a few times before I realized the apple smell in there was too much for them. Ah well, sometimes it’s good to share my snack…

“Hedgeley Dene Gardens”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Back in Melbourne today and I found this wonderful public garden close to my brother’s in which to paint. Many dog walkers and curious children came by as I worked. But it wasn’t until my favorite Bull Terrier, Axle, came by with his master, Billy, my brother’s housemate, that I knew it was time for dinner…

“Beach Boxes”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Some would call these boat houses, others beach shacks. Here on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia, the locals call these beach boxes. They are generally used to house beach towels and chairs, windsurfers, kayaks, fishing rods, grills etc. All are painted bright colors to help distinguish them from each other. I had hoped to paint a closer image of them, but the ocean had hauled away sand and cliff last year. The powers that be were moving in new sand and boulders to try to rebuild the beach and surrounding bluffs. My present view was somewhat blocked at this end of the shore…

“Menemsha, Short Beach”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Cold it was with a west wind. In the van I stayed to paint. The colors were quite wonderful as they all came into bloom with the setting sun. The fishing village off in the distance gave the landscape the finishing touch, barely there, but there all the same…

“Carried Away”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

It was a gloomy, rainy 40ºF day, should have been snow except for the high temperature. Late afternoon found me itchy to get outside with my easel. The rain and mist and fog seemed halted. I got to the beach and set up amidst the roaring surf and falling cliffs. I wanted to hug the cliff face as the tide seemed unpredictable, but it was literally dropping wheel barrow loads of clay and peat onto the sand by my feet. Not too safe, but clear of the breezes which were about…

“Red and Ready”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

It was a cool, freezing actually, and windless day this the last day in January. The red boat on a friend’s dock had been a painting in my mind for at least 5 years. I could never find the correct angle to work at until this year. Just having inherited the house, she had cut down all the tall spruce which had protected it from southwest winds, but also had hidden this view. While I painted, a Belted Kingfisher was working the low tide pools around the dock. He seemed to accept my stillness as not a threat. Many times he came within 10 feet of my easel, hovering and then splashing into the water for food…

“In Doc’s Hutch”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Having not regularly done a still life, this was a challenge. In someone else’s kitchen where I never painted before it was even more so especially with them all watching me create. Luckily, I was offered a glass or two of wine as I worked and the painting flowed smoothly out from under my brush…

“Break Out”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

This was the painting I began over a week before, and then the trouble started. It was a very cold day to work outside and my paint started to act sluggish. I finished as quickly as I could on site. Then I put all away in my car and went off for a dusk stroll, hoping to hear an owl or two. Did I mention I also wanted to exercise my feet and hands so they would heat up before climbing into a cold car? I walked for a half hour. No owl calls, but I did warm my extremities. When I arrived home and made a quick dinner, my core was still cold. I felt a short nap under the covers before finishing this piece would set me to rights. But I went out like a light. No painting finished and when I awoke, next morning, I felt a cold coming on. I’ve been out of commission for most of the last week, but now that I am really ready to go out and paint again, it’s going to be in single digits for another day or two. Maybe some indoor still lifes are in order?…

“Tide Melts Snow”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

Snow came in during the night. By morning everything was covered by 4″ of white. Afternoon and the high tide melted all snow off of the marsh grasses. The island and lands all around were still laden with snow, but the bare naked marsh added an eerie dimension…

“Lightening Up”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

This was the tail end of the storm, a true Nor’easter. The wind was gusting to at least 50. Even inside the car painting, it was rocking. I made a sketch and some mental notes, but had to finish in the studio. I wanted to capture the low light before darkness. That always creates a problem because it does get dark fast then…

“Approaching Snow”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

I was going to do a painting of the western sunset sky, as it had a nice passage of evening light below the clouds. Yet, the drama was really the eastern view. The night’s snow storm was approaching. One of the darkest setting skies I had seen in a long time…

“Corn Snow”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

I had been scouting this field from afar since before Xmas. Since hunting season slowed down I decided it was safe to traipse through the cornfield to paint this one un-mowed part. The farmer must have left it standing to feed any local wild life. I only spotted a snow goose flying inquisitively overhead while I was painting. A passing lone dog walker and his sidekick stumbled upon me from behind the cedars. After a friendly greeting and informing me that I was in a no trespassing/hunting field, I finished up and found my way back via a longer, snowier route to my van…

“Waiting For Snow”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

It took me awhile to pick this view to paint as the light was so flat today. A few minutes into the work and small, slow snowflakes began falling. I moved quickly to finish, but had to call it a day when my palette started to have a snow drift in the corner….

“Wash And Wear”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Nothing like a sunny day with no breeze in the midst of winter. It was just warm enough to work without any gloves. Although, fast I did work with the waves rolling in next to me…

“Marsh Waters”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

There are certain areas of the marsh which are tidal pools. From high to low tide, they never fully drain off, but are replenished by the next high tide. Other areas have direct drainage through the marsh waterways to the rivers and thus to the ocean tides. These places will move from empty to overflowing and back again during each tide cycle. I enjoy the sky reflections on the tidal pools. It is as if a mirror was laid down in the dark grasses giving a strong contrast of light to dark as the daylight fails during the sunset hour…

“New Year’s Marsh”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

I continue to be fascinated by the marshlands here. Because of the private causeway which goes through the marsh, and is flooded at periods of high tide, at low tide I have direct access to the inner workings of this ecosystem. Otherwise I would be outfitted with hip boots or waders to get to the views available here. I am transfixed by the warm, golden sunset light on top of the grasses in contrast to the dark brooding edges of the waterways and the blues of sky and water reflections. Add to that the smokey blue/purple atmospheric haze of the distant shores and hills and the scenes dazzle the eye as the sun goes down…

“Tidal Pool”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

I found this pool as the tide went out. Started painting and within 20 minutes the pool was gone. Luckily I had sketched it in as I began. Thinking that it would disappear quickly, I was able to capture most of it before it was but a memory…

“Marsh Field Low Tide”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I pass these rents in the fabric of the marsh on innumerable occasions. This was the first time I explored on foot and at the very beginning of dead low tide. It is always enlightening leaving the car behind and exploring at human level and speed. I jumped down into this channel and was engulfed by the marsh itself. Sounds were muffled here. Just above the field grasses, marsh hawks hunted. Gliding low, up and down the tidal stream beds, they appeared startled upon finding me quietly absorbed in my craft…

“North of the Light”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I found this view last time I was painting the light house. I didn’t factor in the wind and wind chill when I went two evenings ago. My friend Donald loaned me a bright yellow/green rain slicker to announce myself properly to any hunters about. He was especially concerned as he spotted a buck with a good rack creeping away from me as I entered the underbrush. I found my spot, set up and started right in only to have my easel fall into me as I bent over to clean a brush. Fixing that, I went on working until the gusts came in again. I lasted about an hour before light and breeze had me wanting to go home. Wind chill was in the low 20º’s and I had a bit of a time following my path back thru the underbrush in the low light of the afterglow. But, like always, it was a fun outing just to experience the air and evening light…

“Snow Clouds”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I look forward to visiting this meadow marsh in the fall while the salt hay has its way with orange and gray. The hills roll on into the background, while this field is perfectly flat. Only a moon tide changes it when it becomes submerged a few times each month…

“Mill Pond”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I drive past the Mill Pond almost everyday. With a great sky, clouds or thunderheads, off in the distance, the view is just waiting for a painter to capture it. I missed my few opportunities this past year until now. My friend, Joannie, is the local Animal Control Officer. She has been saving ducks and geese and swans with wing or feather damage and placing them here in the Mill Pond. She comes by late every afternoon to feed them and see how they are getting along. When she brought in the first swan, I started to dream about this painting. Then news came that “Bob” was actually “Bobette” when she brought in another hurt swan. Bobette is currently enjoying her second companion as word got out that the 1st companion to arrive was so damaged as to flow over the waterfall and drowned…

“Bluebird Nest”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

The streaming sunbeams of late afternoon, belied the coolness of the day. A hot coffee and gloves soon led me to know I had nothing to dread. Oh sorry, that’s for another time…!

“A Road Less Traveled”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

It has been deer hunting season. I desperately wanted to paint this scene in the woods, halfway down my friends’ driveway in an active hunting area at dusk. Not a sane choice to make especially with no hunter orange clothing to wear, but… I drove down to the spot. Set up against the front of my van in the middle of the drive. Whistled a happy tune and began to paint until the colors disappeared on my palette and in the woods…

“Shuckin’ Pile”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

It was a blustery day. Not much outside activity due to rain squalls off and on. No sun, no shadows. I found this scallop shucking pile just before dark set in. I figured it was a fisherman’s day’s work, collecting and then shucking the bay scallops. Now it would be my day’s work…

“Holding Back The Sea”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

A perfect, sunny afternoon to stand at the edge and paint the sea and cliff. It was cool, but with the slightest breeze would have been too cold. The colors were muted some in the strong, oncoming sunlight. No summer greens to play against the orange and rust of the cliff face. The blue of sky and water do double duty in winter months covering for the lack of the friendly green…

“Sumac Grove”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I found this small grove of sumac poking me in the back while I was working on this painting. It seemed like the right thing to include them, too. They are one of the few dark reds still left in the bleak, winter landscape until the birds finish them off…

“Evening Wood”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I love taking care of my friends’ cat while they are away. There are so many wonder views around the old family homestead. I had to stop while driving out and capture this one in the evening light. With my hood up to keep me warm and not making too many fast movements, I fit right with the turkey flock as they slunk in to their roosting pines. They paid me no heed 20 feet away from their launching lawn as they each revved up for take off into the tops of the pine trees. I felt, truly, like a fly on the wall as they trotted past me from all directions to get settled in…

“Flow River Flow”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

Almost missed this one. On any other day, with steady wind in the 25/30 mph range, I would have been sand blasted out of my dune cover. But with a heavy rain last night and early morning, the sand was still packed hard and moist with no chance of a dust up. My parka on and hood up it was a great place to paint and watch the light turn down…

“Bee Quiet”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

I was wandering around by my friends’ house on Tea Lane in some iffy humid weather. Back in the field near where the wild turkeys nest I discovered the abandoned bee hive. Looking like a bear had helped himself, the top enclosure was balanced on the brink of falling. It was a quiet evening’s work until the turkeys started chiming/clucking in before roosting. Taking off from 25 feet below their favorite pine trees, as a friend said, they sounded like bowling balls attempting liftoff…

“Some Enchanted Island”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I have been lugging my paints along with me on some recent trips to the mainland, just incase I am inspired. This is a view near a friend’s house in a town, oddly called, Marshfield, MA. In early US history, pioneers would venture forth in flat bottomed skiffs and harvest the salt hay, marsh grasses, rinse it and use for livestock feed. What look today like mosquito control ditches throughout the marsh are actually town or farm property demarkation lines. Your hay is there. Mine is here. Stay away! The Indians were aghast at this European sense of personally “owning” the lands. Now, sadly, Indian place names are the only signs left of their former “stewardship”…

“Poison Ivy”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

This piece was created about 3 weeks before yesterday’s painting. I am standing at the same location, too, but looking more northwest, rather than west. It is the only spot on Martha’s Vineyard where there are so many small marsh islands and terrific sunsets as well…

“Islets”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I have been here to paint three times in the past month. This is the first to be finished to my satisfaction. Each time is so different from the previous one. The sky was singing in today’s view and I was bundled up in my winter parka with hood to keep the coolness out…

“Beach And Boat”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Late afternoon up in the dunes on a beautiful, cool, sunny fall day. It was so cool that by sundown I had to put my gloves on to get me back to the car. The water colors were gorgeous, especially in contrast to the burt orange of the leafscape…

“Old Country Road”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

A quiet evening interlude, out of wind and sun, yet full of fall coloring. I drove past/through it twice before recognizing its potential. With autumn colors at their peak, it was difficult to make a single choice…

“Polly Hill Fall”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

I had other ideas for today’s daily painting, but then again, so did the sun with its late season angle. I had scouted this earlier in the day for a future painting but came back again for today’s. I had been alerted that the 35 year old Magnolia Grandiflora, which Polly, Polly Hill Arboretum , had planted in the corner between the barn and shed in my painting, was taken down to be better able to repair the barn. It had surely outlived it’s place of honor there as it was hard to open the shed door much less the barn door without walking into a branch or two. Polly would have been happy to see the space opened up once more. It had been exceedingly difficult for anyone to do a painting of the barn the way the tree had covered over half of the front…

“October Sail”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Another wind driven day, but crystal clear all the way to the horizon. I had to set up in my van to paint this view as the breeze was almost directly at my face. There were few boats about and those in view were moving extra fast. Their sails readily contrasted against the deep, unpolluted shadows of a distant shore…

“Low Tide”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

This was a place of safety from the wind gusts of 40 mph. The one bad part of painting in the lee of the breeze are the pockets of mosquitoes hiding there. The only other company I had was a lone clam-digger in waders who was up to his waist in the water. He was using the latest technology for digging clams. It was a toilet plunger with a long broom pole handle attached to it. Must have really sucked, as he came back to his car with a full half bushel of cherrystones and littlenecks…

“Early Fall”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

This was a tough call about rain or not. Drizzle happened, but only on my drive to the parking area. The sun poked and prodded, but could not get through. My light stayed constant for the few hours I was there, both painting and exploring for other vantage points of view. The only small mishap was an unleashed dog passing by with his master. After a short, cool swim, they had scaled the dune to investigate my work. The dog took the stop as the perfect time to shake water and sand off his coat into my easel case… Drat…

“West Wind”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

I was hoping for a good sky when I set up to paint. I just didn’t realize how good it would be. I think I made up for it with the colorful fisherman’s gear on the dock!…

“Quitsa Fog”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

It was exceptionally drippy fog the other evening. So I sat in the van to paint this view. I could tell when the sun set as the fog became noticeably more yellow on the horizon. This gave the scene a happy warm feeling. Much nicer than the drab gray I had started out to paint…

“…And Not Alone”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

It was raining. For some reason it stopped as I got my easel out to paint this scene. Fall colors are beginning to announce themselves here in the marsh. I love to capture them as they proceed from vibrant greens to orange and rust. Happy and sad all at once, as the season changes from warm to cool to cold…

“Quansoo Goldenrod”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

The Quansoo gate is locked from May until September, when it is finally opened again for the fishing derby and the rest of the winter. It is a long drive down a bumpy dirt road, but well worth the occasional tree branch scratches along the length of the car to get there. Under a big domed sky at sunrise and sunset there can be an infinite numbers of colors and reflected colors to tickle one’s fancy…

“Wash A Shore”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I stopped along the way to check this location. There had been a nice, white pond skiff anchored out just off shore last time I drove by. It was too late to paint it then, but maybe it was still here. I couldn’t see it from where I parked and decided to clamber down the hill to check the beach. This little rowboat didn’t register with my mind at first as I was still looking off shore for the skiff. I am now glad I took the time to get down to the beach…

“Clam Point Cove”, this is a small painting, 6″ x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

The sun had left the Cove as I started to paint. It was hidden by the hill which partially surrounds what must have been a glacier sink hole back in the ice age. The subtle glow from the lightly clouded sky over head gave a shadowless scene for me to interact with. Other than a Great Blue Heron and a lone Cormorant I had the Cove all to myself. I put my headphones on and rocked out into the dusk…

“Riding Out the Storm”, this is a small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Mid afternoon I found a painter friend painting along the docks. It seemed risky as Hurricane Earl was spitting water down. Able to get my iPhone to work at a signal sweet spot, I looked at the current radar map. We were between spiral arms of rain emanating out from the core of the storm. We painted intensely for about 45 minutes before ducking into our cars when the next arm swung over head. One more clear spot for about an hour and we finally packed up just as the rain began in earnest…

“Boardwalk”, this is a small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Everytime I walk down here I want to paint this boat launch boardwalk. It is both a point of departure and a point of return. If the pond waters are low, you could wade across to the dunes and onto the beach. Now that it is owned by The Land Bank, no wading or swimming across. Only paddling is allowed and they don’t mean doing the doggy paddle. I made friends with some of the returning kayakers and even had a Presidential experience. One paddler, returning with his car to pick up his gear, donned a Barak Obama halloween mask and jumped out of his car to greet me!

“Oh Chilmark”, this is a small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

My favorite house in Chilmark has been rented all summer. I have had limited to no access to it until now. I was very pleased that today was sunny. The failing light gave me just the right drama I was hoping for. A truly happy day…

“Culling Board”, this is a small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

This is a slightly different angle from my other pond skiff boat paintings. Makes me think I am about to get in and go for a ride, but, with the taught anchor line, it could mean a bucking bronco type of ride…!

“A Goodbye”, this is a small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

An artist friend treated me to a new, private location from which to paint. It was fun to see old favorite views from a different angle/perspective. However, it was the vanishing sailboat which drew me to paint this view. It is not often I may find a dune with a path through it and a sail off in the distance. Nor is it often, in the summer season, when there is a beach without a multitude of people upon it. I was grateful for the quiet…

“In This Corner”, this is a small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Sheep are funny animals. I found this flock in a painter friend’s field, happily munching away. I set up my easel and started to work. One sheep looked over at me and immediately started to trot down the path into the next field. Bam! Suddenly a line formed out of nowhere as they all started to head out and away from me…!

“Mermaid Farm Calf”, this is a small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

This was started early last week. I finally finished it today, partly because the farmer’s boys, ages 5 and 8, wanted to watch. So both days I was able to hold their attention for at least a half hour before they turned into wild mustangs and galloped up and down the path behind me practicing their whinnies. We talked about lights and darks, mixing black instead of tube black, white in sun and white in shadow and, of course, lots of gobbledy gook!!!

“Shadows Shorten”, this is a small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I was out the door very early trying to capture the late setting, almost-full moon. Finally at this west end of the island, I still couldn’t line it up with anything worth while without lying about it. (That means more than just using my artistic license!) So I stumbled up the stairs to the observation area to look out on the dawn fishing fleet down below and the moon as it fled towards N. Y. City. There, the lighthouse looked kind of cool all in shadow…

“Opening, Mudflats”, this is a small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Not only had the pond just been opened to the sea, but a call from a painter friend had encouraged me to come enjoy some new views. The Land Bank, which owns this property, mowed the field along the edge of the Great Pond to keep invasive species at bay. Usually this is done at the beginning of spring, not mid summer. Now some of my favorite fall grasses will be stunted and not really ripe to paint. But right now I may walk all over this mowed poison ivy area where I never would have done this time of season. This has opened up vistas never contemplated. It has also riled up all the ticks which had been happily going about their business at the ends of long grass stems, a few of which have made it back to my studio…

“Polly’s Palace”, this is a small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

There is a Cup Race, sailboat race, going on all weekend. I was able to photograph many boats out in the 30 mph breeze heeling way over in the blow. But when it came time to paint them… they were moving way too quickly and all the best viewing spots were already coveted by onlookers or people swimming to escape the heat/humidity. Most spots were also too breezy for me to have full control of my brushes. I escaped the water’s grip on me to the island’s interior. It was still windy enough to suppress the hungry mosquito…!

“Front Yard Hay”, this is a small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I thought I was finished painting hay for the season, but this was too much to resist. In a small, intimate field surrounded by stone walls/hedgerows with driveway on the side, house and barn in the back, it really felt like I was in the front yard. Yet here were all these fresh bales calling my name. Rare it is that I find hay near a house and I relished this “old” Vineyard feeling of house and hay…

“Summer’s Shadow”, this is a small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

The hay was so thin and weak in this field that I didn’t think they would do more than cut it. I was surprised when I drove by this afternoon. I waited out the heat and went for a swim before setting up in the shadows of this oak tree. By then a subtle air current had started to make it bearable in the high humidity and 90 plus degree heat. My iced coffee didn’t hurt either…

“In To The Light”, this is a small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I scouted this area earlier in the day. When I came back with an iced coffee to start work, the long shadows from the trees disrupted my plans. Aimlessly I wandered, wanting some architecture and landscape views until I found this scene, light and dark, near and far, into the light…

“The Pony”, this is a small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

It was a chance encounter at a dinner party which somehow put me loose it this pasture. After completing most of this painting, including the well mannered and cooperative pony placement, I ventured off to scout the remainder of the property for future plans. Upon my return a half hour later, as the sun was setting, I started to think something was wrong. There were balled up pieces of paper towel all over the ground around my easel! At first I assumed the pony had licked, chewed and spit out my roll of towels one by one. What he had done was tear open my plastic grocery bag which I use for painting garbage. He had sniffed out a rather old apple core as a snack and no paint had gotten on his face…

“Storm Passing”, this is a small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

A warm evening on the harbor watching the sun out the thunderheads over the horizon. There was a bad downpour earlier in the day and the sky never recovered from the humid fogginess. It was a real surprise to find this illumination at day’s end. A pleasant surprise…

“Not Working”, this is a small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

It was a rainy evening in the fishing port of Menemsha. I sat in my car and worked on this with no interruptions. All the fleet seemed to be in and the crew were all at home, waiting for a better day. This pile driver has been in the vicinity for a few weeks. It has been tempting me for a while…

“Hunt and Peck”, this is a small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

Three of the twelve chickens I have been taking care of for the past two weeks. They are very people friendly and allow me to pick them up, if I wish to. One night I arrived after sundown to put them in their henhouse. Usually they go in without any help as soon as the sun sets. I found the coop door partially closed with three inside. Three huddled in a pile against the wire of the coop near the door. And that was it. The wind must have slammed the door closed with three in place. I got all 6 in but spent 45 minutes with a flashlight before finding 5 in the branches of the blueberry bushes next to the henhouse. Now I was afraid maybe a raccoon had strolled in… I kept circling the henhouse and finally found the last one above my head hidden in the branches of a holly tree. I carefully grabbed hold of her and placed her with the others. Safe and sound. The door now has a rock holding it open during daylight hours. It has been fun observing them and their habits in preparation for this painting…

“Dusk Light”, this is a small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

This is one of the rare views of the Gay Head Lighthouse with a sunset backdrop. Most public viewing is from the south or west of the light. With close to 30 pounds of gear, it is a 1/3rd of a mile hike downhill from parking at 190 feet above sea level to near sea level and then back uphill again. Always great to get there and great to get back to the van before dark sets in. No coyotes passed me on my return that I could see. A few bats flew across my path, but I relish their presence as they are mosquito vacuums with wings! If I have judged everything correctly, the light should be good when I get there and the wind will not be funneled up the path directly at me. This evening was a sweet night down there…

“Mist and Fiddleheads”, this is a small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

The day was rain. Then mist. A small break before six… I took it. 45 minutes of dry. The mist came back with a vengeance. Spit… Packed up quickly. Made it….

“Another Day”, this is not quite so small a painting, 9″x 12″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Note: I ran out of my usual small panels. This is a 9″ x 12″ painting (larger than my normal 6″ x 8″)… A beautiful evening to be painting above a cliff as the sun settles over the horizon. Waves lap against the sand below. A Northern Harrier swoops low overhead on a flight across to Nomans Island in front of me. I stayed even after I could see no more to paint. The water colors at this time of evening against a fading sky have been spectacular for the past few nights. I am preparing myself to do a piece this late in the day, but the light gives me no chance to mix the colors I want. It is just too dark to see color, only values on a gray scale…

“Sunset Squall”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I had no ideas of painting the ferry when I pulled up to the dock to check the harbor, weather and wind direction. But, there it was, begging for a portrait. Knowing it was halfway unloaded and I would only have it for 10 more minutes before departure I worked at fever pitch. Looking up I saw this slight glow on the belly of the squall line coming in. The next minute it was a full blown glow made more so by the dark of the impending squall. The boat set off as rain began sprinkling down. I moved to a nearby porch to finish up in the quickly fading light…

“Edges of Evening”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

Sometimes I get to a great painting destination, but… The wind is wrong, the sun’s in a bad place, the clouds are there, something just is not right. I end up walking slowly about in large circular patterns. I make frequent, unexpected stops and take iPhone photos of unforeseen, unexpected views. Eventually, I become so spaced out that the perfect scene hits me over the head. I say to myself, “Why didn’t I think of that?” And I feverishly unpack my paints and try to make up for lost time. Life is good, again…

“Old Chilmark Quince”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I have been chicken sitting for some friends. This house actually is part of the chicken sitting job. Inside lives a very sweet Maine Coon Cat, who, coincidently, needed some sitting, too. My marching orders were: feed everybody and leave them in their respective domiciles. Yesterday was my first day “on the job”. Today, when I returned (and it was a beautiful day in case no one noticed) I just couldn’t find it in me to again leave the chickens crowded up in their small chicken coop. Neither could I leave the cat locked up in an empty house all day and night. So I liberated everybody. And then I realized I would have to hang around until dark because you just can’t tell a chicken what to do and when to do it. And a cat? Are you kidding! So I got out my gear and set up shop and did this painting of the quince in bloom with the house behind. And, yes, the kitty stayed right near me the whole time and no red tail hawks swooped in for the kill. I packed up my paints at dusk and cat and I couldn’t find the chicks. But there they were, all ready for bed on their roosts in the coop. I think I was lucky…

“Walking the Dogs”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

It is hard to tell this was started half an hour before sunset. The light was so unusual. The south shore was already socked in with pea soup fog as it came north on its way to envelope the entire Island. This north shore beach was not engulfed until after I had finished painting and hiked back to my car. At that point everything suddenly had a thick, damp blanket laid over it. Not unlike how a glassful of icewater on a warm summer’s day has minute water droplets all over the outside. Everything became immediately moist and muffled. Driving home, next to a south beach, was wipers on, lights on low and driving very slowly. Any deer could have walked out in front of me and only as it was hit would I have known it was there. I was grateful my gear and I made it back home safe and dry…

“Mates for Life”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

These swans found me as I was wandering along this shore line contemplating what to paint . They floated from around the corner and seemed unconcerned with my activities of setting up. Of course it did help that I, well, we were in the lee of an ESE 6 mph breeze. The sun was cutting through the light cloud-cover and I felt toasty warm in just hat and vest for overclothes. As soon as I had the swans painted in position on my canvas the breeze swung to the NE, heading right at us. The birds swam on to another cove. I was grateful for my hooded parka in amongst my gear to get me through to the finish…

“Eggs for Easter”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

With everyone talking about eggs this time of year I thought it appropriate to explore this subject in paint. Friends invited me over to their hen house for an up close visit. The flock was not so accommodating. Even though I set up far enough away from food, water and entrance/exit the ladies and their cox were having none of it. It wasn’t until Katherine came back in with bread and corn to feed them that I became just another fly on the wall…

“A Little Bit Of Heaven”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

It felt like completion to paint a spring scene in the same place I had painted an autumn one just months ago.The garden was waking up on it’s own. Daffodils were arising in and out of beds. A pair of Canada geese appeared to be housekeeping on the far side of the home. They kept giving dirty looks and wouldn’t budge an inch. Crows were not so secretly preparing hidden nests in the tops of pines. The squirrels were constantly scolding for the interruption of their safe foraging routes across the lawn. Amidst honks and quacks ducks kept landing and taking off on the pond below. A little bit of heaven right here in our midst…

“Fair Winds Ahead”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Architecture is more demanding to master than landscapes and I had two beautiful sunny mornings to work on this piece. For some reason, these compass points revolve about in the winds. It has always irked me that they are never correct each time I have painted this cupola. I got my ladder out and gingerly climbed up and over lattice and rose thorns to get to the set screws. A lot of good that did me as the rod the whale and all are supported on revolves mysteriously about with no set screws in sight. I had to quickly step back down and draw the points correctly before a gust moved them…

To purchase, please click Go to my eBay auction, Bidding starts at $100.00 US.

“Boathouse Talk”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

A truly gray day, a few days ago. This is always a nice place to duck into out of the wind, but the mist made it more complicated. Buds slowly starting to swell are incrementally changing their color shade. The wetness only intensifies the color values darker. My kind of drama in the landscape…

“Before Lambs”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I had planned to paint the barn here, but… It was impossible to ignore these Moms, just days away from birthing. They were patiently awaiting dinner in the shade of the hay barn. Luckily the chore person was 2 hours late. They didn’t feel like moving much unless food was involved. This was fine with me…

“Beach Walk and Ferry”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

Another good place in bad weather or inclement health to stay in the van and paint from. Anything could sail, motor or, in this case, walk by to make it so much more interesting. That’s the beauty of being out on location. I may make my plans for what I am going to paint, but the universe may step in at any moment and one up me!…

“North Shore Magic”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

This is the closest sun sighting we’ve had in about 5 days. It never really came out, but it did paint the water for me. I was glad I stayed outside as long as I did to capture this moment. Monet wasn’t so happy. He had already headed back to the car with thoughts of warm dog food on his mind. He had his priorities straight!…

“Spring Magnolias”, is a Watercolor on Paper, size is 22 3/4″ x 15″, watercolors on Papier D’Arches, unframed. $1900.00 USD

Please note this is a Watercolor on Paper, size is 22 3/4″ x 15″, watercolors on Papier D’Arches, unframed. I have not offered any of my watercolors here before. I was exclusively a watercolor painter for about 2 decades before I switched to oils. I have a few left in my personal collection which I could bear to part with. This was done in the mid 1980′s at my friend Polly Hill’s before it became the Polly Hill Arboretum. I use to come in with my little Maltese, Chardy, and choose a spot to paint and set up camp for the day. Polly would roll by at some point in her golf cart and find us. She would laugh as the little Chardy would jump up and bark at her. Then she’d whisk us off for a tour in the golf cart of all her latest creations. Chardy was the only dog she would ever let in and allow to roam free on her property!

“Honor Guards”, this is a Medium size painting, 18″x 24″, oil on canvas, unframed. $3750.00 USD

Although reworked recently, this medium size painting was created in July, out on location. It was a foggy afternoon/evening. The light source was muted and unchanging. I
was able to work for much more than my 2 hour limit without fear
of losing my initial vision due to shadows moving. I have always
loved to paint tall daylilies and these were as tall as me. I could look
straight at them instead of down upon them, giving me opportunity to put in their landscaped background, the Polly Hill Arboretum…

“November Garden”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

It was such a nice, warm, sunny day after about a week of gray and wind and rain. I went out on the south facing front porch and could not find a reason in the world why I would want to be anywhere else. The Hydrangeas had been beckoning me for weeks to paint them. This was their lucky day…

“Cranberry Boghouse”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Having driven past this dilapidated boghouse innumerable times, I had never stopped to really look at it. For a few years a non-profit group, the Vineyard Open Land Foundation , has been clearing out and rejuvenating the cranberry bog behind the house. Thus the view has been getting more enticing to stop and paint. I photographed it one day last week to study the possibilities. It was the rain today which made me stop. The wetness had caused the whole foreground to intensify in color values. The contrast with the misty background tree row became much more intense than it is on a dry day. It being near today’s almost non existent sunset light pushed the colors that much more…

“Fog, Summer House”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

It was not quite drizzling. I wandered down the road until this house caught my eye. I have it on my list to paint in sunshine. But the fog gives it an abandoned melancholy feeling of summers’ passing…

“High Tide”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

To capture this view in my painting, I had to climb an outdoor spiral stairs to get to the roof deck on some celebrity’s house. Luckily, they weren’t home at the time as I was followed up the stairs by a Boykin Spaniel, an Australian Cattle Dog and an accomplished student painter. The availability of this view will not exist in a few more weeks. One of my contractor friends who is moving this house back from the face of the cliff below allowed me to do some works here before the move starts. I had scouted this view a month ago and realized it would only work as a morning painting with shadows still on the cliff face in the distance…

“Storm Light”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

This painting required a windless day for me to be able to stand out on the observation area on top of the Gay Head Cliffs. I was also able to view the approaching rain storm behind me as it blew in from the west. But my vantage point did me no good. The rain came in faster than I had anticipated. I got wet while packing up my equipment for the hasty retreat back to the parking lot. However, it was such a great day and place to paint that I returned and did a second painting around sunset…

“Boundary”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

A fall colored salt marsh on the south side of the pond. At a very high tide, this whole area of grass is covered with water. I love the absolute flatness of the marshes compared to the rills and rolls of the adjacent hilsides. But it takes the autumn colorations to really make them striking…

“Half and Half”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

On rainy days I enjoy setting up still lifes to paint. Figs can be a challenge because of their dark color, but cut open they offer a different story. I really wanted to eat this, but had to wait until I had finished. It was good!…

“Awaiting Your Pleasure”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

At the far edge of the pond my friend had left her little dingy out after leaving for the winter. Lucky for me! It is irresistible to my painter’s eye with it’s vibrant blue seats and clean white colors against the fading fall scenery…

“7pm boat”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

In a South West breeze, this point is a safe place to paint from. A strong wind from any other direction is too much to deal with here. There is always shipping traffic cruising by. This is the Northern most tip of the island and closest point to the shipping lanes…

“Red Beach”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

All the other row boats and kiyaks here were safely up in the dune grass while this little dingy was staked at the high tide line. If I stepped back two feet I would have started to trip over them. I chose to focus on this loner and also not focus on the vessels moored out off Red Beach, just to the right. The scene and the hour and the beach called for simplicity out of the complex choices offered and I obliged…

“You Know You Want It”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Temptation comes in many forms. These from Chilmark are the best…

“Morning Glory John Deere” , this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

Today I went for a late afternoon walk on a newly built and mowed trail. I found Simon from Morning Glory Farm just getting out of his tractor at the end of a long day of farm work. I walked with him to the other end of the trail where he had a ride waiting. On my return walk this is what I saw. An unplanned, unexpected painting, just the way I like them!…

“Chocolate Strawberries” , this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

My friend, Tiberia from Barking Rocks Winery, had a 5 foot by 5 foot by 2 foot crate of strawberries he had hand picked in his wine room! As I was leaving after helping syphon out some muscat wine, I thought maybe I should paint some strawberries before he crushes them all. By the time I finished this piece the chocolate had melted under the heat from my lights. It tasted great with the strawberries though!…

“Wild Verbena” , this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 USD

I finally got the lawn tractor going and was mowing down the remnants of last year’s weed crop. At the edge of the lawn up against some cactus I found this wild verbena all in flower. It was too pretty not to pick and bring in the house and it eventually found its way to my still life table…

“Apples Wine & Swiss”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 US

I bought a bunch of different cheese the other day. This swiss was fun to paint, and to think about eating after! The apples were a bit of a challenge with some spots of yellow going into the shadow areas. Of course I didn’t drink any wine yet, or you wouldn’t be looking at this painting!!!…

“N. S. E. West”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Found a nice vase of my Mom’s to place the Daffies in. Couldn’t resist painting them all in the container…

“A Thorny Question”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

The cattle rancher pulled out about 5 hay rolls for the live stock today. I couldn’t resist doing this painting after my afternoon walk through the pasture and seeing the lighting and positioning of this roll and cow…

“Cowtown”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. $500.00 US

It is stock show time in Fort Worth at the moment. I have never seen so many shampooed, brushed, combed and cleaned cattle and pigs before in my life. Wilber would be proud. It took a while to find a quiet corner with some live stock already in place for me to paint. These critters did a good job of it for me…

“No Chocolates”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

I over ate the chocolates last time I painted them. This time it was a pleasure not to have any chocolates to eat as I finished this piece…

“Last One”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Sometimes the day just is not long enough to stand outside to paint…

To purchase, please click Go to my eBay auction, Bidding starts at $100.00 US.

“Chilmark’s Chocolate”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Around this time each year, Chilmark Chocolates shares their odd lots with the community. They do this by giving the post office chocolates to put out on the counter for all who come in to leave or pick up mail. Needless to say, it is my only favorite season to go and get my mail! After nibbling some there, I realized the full pieces would be a great still life and I could write it off as a business expense. Giddyup, I went straight over to the store and got 2 boxes to contemplate. Today’s painting, hopefully, is one of a series I will do while this miserable weather keeps me in chocolate, er, indoors… Thank you, Chilmark Chocolates!

“A Fig for All”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

Today’s work is a still life. It was just too cold and windy to go outside today to do a land or seascape…

“South Wind”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

A stormy day and evening with a south wind on the whale weathervane…

“Four Figs”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel. This painting has SOLD.

It’s fig season and I have wanted to do a fig still life for a while. I was able to create a nice natural lighting situation and had fun with the soft, western window light coming in on my subjects…

“Taste Good, Too”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″ oil on canvas panel, $500.00 US

“Lets Get Serious”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″ oil on canvas panel, SOLD

“One Short”, this is a Small painting, 6″x 8″ oil on canvas panel, This painting has SOLD.