Summer memories

Here’s another new studio painting based on a plein air piece from a couple of years ago. The original was an 8" x 10", this is 14" x 24". I’d like to start doing more of the larger size on location. I think the largest I’ve done plein air, was 16" x 20". Recently I’ve been reading books on Joaquin Sorolla and Edgar Payne. Both great artists who didn’t just think of plein air as being meant for small studies. It’s inspirational to see them pictured outside somewhere with these large canvases. I have not yet reached the limits of what my French easel can hold, but I hope to some day.

Silver canoes, oil, 14" x 24"

Joaquin Sorolla painting on the beach in Spain.

Big Pine

Last summer I did a 16" x 11" plein air painting at this spot in Glen Haven, Michigan. Here’s a new studio version. I like selecting a canvas that fits the subject instead of making the subject fit the canvas. I’ll custom cut a panel or stretch my own canvas to get the size and proportions I want. Of course the drawback is that the frame then has to be custom made as well. But I’m happier if the composition is right.

Big pine, Glen Haven,
oil, 24" x 12"

The Manitou Passage

One of several new studio paintings, this is a view of the the Manitou Passage, the name given the shipping route between the Manitou islands and the Leelanau peninsula in northwest Michigan.The morning shadows in the dunes always catch my attention.

I'm missing those warm, summer days of plein air painting in the sand. But, I vow to do some snow painting this winter. I’m just hoping for some sunny days to do it.

Morning passage, oil, 14" x 20"