Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Venerable Spirit (30x40")


This is "The Venerable Spirit" (30x40") oil on wood panel. I did a smaller version (6x8") of this image a while back and have had a fondness for it..I wanted to do a larger version and finally got a chance to..viola! This boat was docked in Rockport harbor some years ago and has absolutely beautiful lines. As a design, the work was done for me, look at that swooping line on the left side of the boat..what a craft! The colorful reflection of the houses in the background keeps your eye from exiting the picture plane and keeps it moving around the composition.

Thank you all for checking in from time-to-time, I hope you'll be back..I'm very excited for 2010 as an artist. I have four shows scheduled so I will be very busy. Here is what is ahead in 2010:
Rockport Art Association, Rockport, Mass solo show March 28
The Gallery at Mill Falls, Meredith, NH, one man show June 25
The Kennedy Gallery, Portsmouth, NH solo show August 06
Button Factory Open studio, Portsmouth, NH December 05.

Happy Holidays to you all and happy New Year.
Todd Bonita

6 comments:

Alex Zonis said...

I loved the small version of this boat, but a full scale one is even better.

Happy Holidays to you!

Bruce Sherman said...

Merry Christmas Todd and family!...Love the lines in this new piece.

I used to watch an oldtime skiff builder, Eddie Andress at Rockport (Thousand Islands,Ontario... where we summered for fifty years)...at work standing ankle deep in shavings with a hand plane. The wood smell of his workshop is still vivid in my present memory.
.. and contributes greatly I think, to my great reverence for "things wooden"!


Plastic molded hulls????
Bah....Humbug!

Good painting and sales in 2010! This is a great start indeed!

Warmest regards,
Bruce

Todd Bonita said...

Thanks Alex, nice of you to say. I figured it was the best way to get more detail of the wood texture on that dock and boat. The larger scale allowed for more subtle color and value shifts overall. Frankly, there was too much to say in this piece on a (6x8") scale. It really had to be larger.
All the best,
Todd

Todd Bonita said...

Merry Christmas to you and yours Bruce. That sounds like a neat experience being in that workshop...the belly of the beast. Give me hand made wood and sweat..who could argue with that?

All the best to you in 2010 Bruce. Keep those brushes dirty.
Todd

Debra Keirce said...

Reading your blog makes me miss NH...

Great painting. Love the color in this one - the way it moves into the deep blues as you look up the piece.

Todd Bonita said...

Hi Deb,

Thanks. We are getting a foot of snow today...I'm not complaining though ( it was my New years resolution to not complain about the weather this year). It's actually really beautiful in NH rite now. Going snow shoeing later with my wife and son.
Happy new year Deb.
Regards,
Todd