Welcome, Summer

Hayfield Evening
30 x 40
Available at Hildt Galleries, Chicago

Our weeks of rain gave way to a few days of sunshine this week and the landscape responded by bursting forth in that sort of disheveled, frowzy way usually reserved for late July. The wrens that hatched in the shop have flown the nest. Crickets, and bees and mosquitoes have all come out in force. And, I ran into a huge box turtle on my way to the studio this morning. Hello, Summer.

A Busy Week

Sunset Stream
30 x 30 oil on linen
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Finally, after several months of puttering around with this painting, I finished it and shipped it off to Chicago. I'm happy with the final result and the presentation in the frame (although this image is blurry- low light and an unsteady hand). My dealer called to say he had put it in the big front window of the gallery.

In the midst of finishing up a commission and working with my online classes, I received an invitation to exhibit in a show at Blackheath Gallery in London! The catch is that the show opens at the end of April and they want six (thankfully, small) pieces. I am very happy about this opportunity to show my work in the UK. I had somehow managed to run completely out of my favorite linen, but a new roll arrived yesterday so I've prepared my panels and will start to work this weekend on the pieces for the show. The next few weeks will be very hectic!

Sunset Reflection

Sunset Reflection - 30 x 40 oil
Available at Hildt Galleries, Chicago
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I've had the opportunity to work on some larger paintings these last few weeks. Its been a treat. Unfortunately, this image doesn't do the painting justice- the subtlety of the glazes in the foreground and changes in color temperature just don't register. Anyway, working large has been a goal of mine for several years but this is the first real opportunity I have had to paint this large in quite a while. It presents a whole new set of challenges , but I'm hooked! Now I'm dreaming of 48 x 60 or 60 x 90!

Afterglow

Afterglow - oil on canvas 24 x 30
Available at Hildt Galleries, Chicago

Here is the second painting of the "pair". I had planned to post them side by side but Blogger doesn't seem to want to let me do that. But, hopefully, they do read as complements to one another, as intended.

Twilight Field

Twilight Field - Oil on canvas 24 x 30
Available at Hildt Galleries, Chicago

Here 's one of several larger pieces I have been working on over the last few weeks. The gallery asked me to do a "pair" of paintings- which I have never really tried to do before. The idea is that these two pieces would be somewhat similar, complement one another and be framed the same- they could be sold as a pair or individually. Sounds simple, right? Well, it turned out to be much more difficult than I anticipated. Unlike a diptych where the same composition flows from one canvas to the other, these images needed to be separate and distinct, yet enough alike to "hang together". I decided to use generally the same point of view and thus horizon line to help hold the two images together, as well as similar color harmonies. The second piece is not quite finished but I'll post it in a few days.

The Magic Panel & A New Gallery

Sunset Pool; Oil 20 x 24
Available at Hildt Galleries, Chicago
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Thanks to everyone who commented or emailed me about making painting panels. I really appreciate all the good information I received. I also tracked down the artist who made the one I found in my studio - which we now refer to as the magic panel -and got her "recipe" for silky smooth panels on birch plywood. So I am making panels this weekend and also plan to try a couple of the commercially prepared ones recommended by several of you who contacted me.

I'm happy to say I am now represented by Hildt Galleries in Chicago. They sell 19th and early 20th century art as well as represent a small group of contemporary artists.