Painting a plein air painting in oils:
When I go out to a place to paint, I scan the whole view, smell the air, watch the comings and goings of the area. Something will call to me and I begin the painting.
The hours pass and a new understanding of the whole environment emerges. Birds, insects, trees, fish introduce themselves to me, and I am offered an insight into the wonders of the world we live in.
As the light changes, the clouds appear and move away, the shadows grow, the painting carries with it the message of the moment.
I like to apply the paint with a brush and a palette knife. The feel of the color being spread on the canvas is a kind of dance.
Southern New England is rich in open space and small towns and villages by the sea like Stonington have a storybook charm.
