cliffs

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

Fifty feet above the ocean at sunset may be a glorious view. This night it was. The breeze held off until just after the sun went down. The clouds turned blue to purple to gray. I left when I could see no more to find a color…

“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…

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

I went back to yesterday’s location to paint a landscape view behind the dunes and cliffs. Not only was it not raining but the surf was so much more impressive than the day before. I abandoned my plans and concentrated on the seascape from the cliff tops…

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

I have never painted here before. Almost 2 miles of hiking on a very humid day, uphill and then downhill one way with all my gear, seemed less and less like a good idea. Upon arriving at the look out point to find a nice breeze and incredible view, I allowed that maybe I had made a good choice. Walking back through the woods in the dark was another matter entirely…

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

It poured rain most of today. I resigned myself to sitting in my van and painting a land or seascape. Not as much fun as standing outside and working, but another option. It rained all the way up on the drive to the beach. When I parked in a spot overlooking the surf, the drizzle stopped too. I was able to get out and work as the mist and fog ebbed and flowed along the farther reaches of the beach until it became too dark to distinguish colors, mine or the beachscape…

“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…

“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…

“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…

“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…

“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…

“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…

“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…

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

I went in swimming here, earlier in the day. I knew I would have to come back and paint later. It was just too nice a day to not want to be by the water’s edge for sunset. It wasn’t until the mosquitos came out as the sun went down that the bathers below began walking swiftly to their cars…

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

I had a beautiful hike to get to this view. It was a favorite fishing spot when I was younger and you could still walk straight down the cliffs and straight back up with 40 lbs of fish at night! Now the path parallels the cliff tops for it seems a mile before you may access the beach. Then walk the mile back again along the shore to get around to this corner of the cliffs. The wind was mild and right. Sun out all day and tide couldn’t get any lower, yet kept getting lower! A lone bird watcher passed me and I was alone with gentle surf sounds at my back and a gull or two gliding softly overhead…

“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…

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

A wonderful warm spring day found me up on a dune enjoying a favorite view. The waves lapped lazily down below while birds could be heard behind me claiming territory and calling mates. A jogger drifted past from on the beach exchanging pleasantries. And then I was alone with my paints and thoughts and the beauty of it all…

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

After being off on family business and way too long away from my easel, I am back on Martha’s Vineyard and back to my Daily Paintings. It was a gusty day, but not here, below the cliffs. The sun kept things warm. The tide continued receding as I immersed myself in the joy of it all…

“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…

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

This was painted before sunrise on an early, hazy day in October. I could never decide if it was finished or not. Last night I added a few flourishes and now it is complete… Sometimes it is good to let a painting sit for a contemplative period to better understand what was done and perhaps why…. Often times the question or problem I thought I was grappling with becomes resolved in working on the next few paintings. And the knowledge is now there to complete the earlier piece….

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

A September sunrise I finally put the finishing touches on…

“Autumn Shore”, this is a Small one, 6″x 8″, oil on canvas panel, SOLD