Watching the tide (monochromatic underpainting)

Here is another work in progress from my series of dinghy paintings.

Superstar (finish)

Finished! Although, the more I look at it the more I want to noodle it.

Superstar...(I may change the name of this one) 6x8" Oil on wood panel.

Otter Shack, Thompson Lake, Maine (Plein air)

This is Guerrilla painting at it's best: waste deep in Thompson Lake, slapping oils on a small plein air study with three Herrons perched twenty feet above me pooping every ten minutes. The Herron poop made quite a splash from it's twenty foot freefall and landed only a few feet away from me each time. (I couldn't help but wonder if they were critiquing) It stirred my concentration but warmly reminded me that I was waste deep in nature.

I have been coming to my brother-in-laws cottage on Thompson lake for seven years now and have always photographed this little shack when I'm here. About two years ago I watched a family of otters playing and fishing around it all afternoon, it's a great shack with pleanty of character. I knew I would come back and paint it someday.

Today was that day. I took the kayak and paint box to this remote area and set up in the water. I wasn't happy about painting into the sun but this was the best I could do if I wanted to paint the shack, the water was too deep on all other sides. Sometimes it's not about the perfect compositon and lighting, sometimes it's about just enjoying the process and experience. This was definitely one of those days.

Check out the red dragonfly that landed on my paintbrush in the color finish.

Thompson Lake, Maine (Plein air)

I reccomend turning 38 to everyone, so far it's been perfect. This weekends weather was a crowning achievment in mother natures long career, well done indeed and thank you for the bewitching and beautiful wailing of the Loons, very nice touch.

I parked my carcass on the shore of Thompson Lake, just steps from the cottage and did a study of what was before me. I ommitted one of the boats for a better composition and took several dips in the lake to improve my already ideal afternoon.

Artist gone to Maine for the weekend.

Heading up North to Thompson Lake, just outside of Portland, Maine for the weekend. Bringing the paintbox and will be back on Sunday night with some post.

I hope you all have a nice weekend, weather in the North east looks perfect.

All my best,

Todd

Self Portrait at 38

Today I turned 38 years old and I started my morning with a self portrait drawing. I have been doing self portraits on my birthday for about ten years now, I keep most of them in the same old sketchbook. It's always fun for me to look at past sketches and see how my drawing and face have progressed over the years. I've noticed that my drawing is getting better and my face is getting uglier.

p.s. Happy birthday to Tony Bennett and Tom Brady of the Patriots, I know you both read my blog.

Superstar! (...in progress)

I lowered the horizon line a bit, the negative space at the top was looking a little quirky. It's on it's way, I should finish this one next session.

Superstar (Monochromatic Underpainting)

Quiet Time

Finished this oil painting of a small boat in Chatham, Mass.

"Quiet time" (6x8) Oil on wood panel

Back to Dinghy duty....(Work in progress)

Hello all,

I'm back in my studio in the basement, slapping some oils on a small Dinghy painting. I swear there is more to me than Dinghy's but I'm really enjoying painting them right now...I swear!

I subscribe to Robert Genns twice weekly letter for artist and he has mentioned many times the benefits of exploring a single theme over the course of several paintings. I now understand the benefits of what he is talking about. I think each Dinghy has progressed in my sketches and paintings.

My freshman year in art school we had a drawing class where we drew crumpled up brown paper bags for the entire semester. My understanding is finally sinking in right now.

Onward to my dinghy....

Punxsutawney Phil (Sketch)

I just got an assignment from "Highlights for Children" Magazine, You know the one, the same one from the dentist office. Any-hoot, this is the sketch for a single page illustration of "Punxsutawney Phil" as he climbs the ladder to poke his nose out on Groundhogs day. This is for the February 2007 issue. The white spaces are left blank for titles and a pictoral rhyme sequence that will be dropped in later.

This is a pencil sketch that I scanned and added darks and lights to in Photoshop. This sketch was submitted today for aproval. I have a long deadline on it, so the finish will pop up sometime in late August.

Children's poem "Home" (second illustration)

Here is the other spread for the "Home" poem that will be part of a book collection of children's poems. This is also a digital illustration.

Childrens book poem illustration (finish)

I finally finished this first illustration called "Home" that will be in a book collection of children's poems. I'm almost done with the page 2 spread and will post the finish when I do. This is a scanned sketch, painted in a traditional manner using Photoshop and a pressure sensative digital drawing tablet.

Pittsfield, Vermont cottage

The stories this shack could tell and the things she has seen. My friend Patrick has been renting this small cottage in the town of Pittfield, Vermont for the past twenty years. Twenty-or-so of our closest friends make the annual pilgrimage, coming from places as far as Minnesota, Seattle and California.

I'm looking forward to adding color to this small monochromatic oil painting of the cottage. I may even do a larger studio painting of it, we'll see.

Artist gone to Vermont...

Hi all,

When I was in art college and really bussy, I used to trot past my college friends in the hall and like a crazy person I would say, "Can't talk bussy". They thought I was nuts and I must say they were on-the-money. This week is kind of like that. I'm going to my twentieth High School class reunion on Saturday then I'm off to Vermont for the twentieth anniversary of my friends renting a place in Vermont every summer. I'll be back on Tuesday. I'm bringing my paintbox to Vermont so I should have something to post when I get back.

Today, I am posting my children's poem illustration at about 90% finished. The publisher had some sizing changes on there end and have extended the deadline a week to accomodate the problem

Have a great weekend, all my best to you.

Todd Bonita

Penny Farthing drawing

This is a doodle that I got carried away with and spent way too much time on last night. When I worked as a staff illustrator for Foreside I did a bunch of drawings of Holiday figures on these turn-of-the-century Penny Farthing cycles. For some reason, I seem to doodle a lot of Penny Farthings ever since. I think the nostalgia and the sleek lines of the design appeal to me.

Childrens Book poem illustration (..in progress)

I have a Friday deadline for this illustration but have not heard from the art director regarding any changes on the sketch yet. I'm laying in some local color and minor detail..just enough so I can get a jump on the finish without wasting too much time in the event of a major change request by the Art Director.

Check back to see the finish...

Newington, NH (Plein air)

Back to the great outdoors..it was a beautiful day today on the New Hampshire seacoast and I was very happy to take my paint box for a neigborhood cruise. I found a great spot a few miles down the road in the town of Newington. This little house was built in 1699..I love New England.

I set up in a cool spot in the shade of a giant Pine tree. (Tip to Plein air artist: Set up in the shade on bright sunny days, otherwise your colors appear bleached out and lighter when mixing and when you take your painting indoors later the colors will be much darker than you thought). I was able to pull my car next to the tree, unrolled the window and blared the Sox game. It was a perfect painting session.

After a little more than two hours of painting, my wife called and asked me to come home and help put away groceries...I'll have to finish this one in the studio later.

ps. I started painting around 2pm when the Sox game started. At the time of this post it's 8:20pm and the Sox are still playing. It's tied 5-5 in the nineteenth inning.

Quiet Time (Monochromatic underpainting)

I'm back on Dinghy duty. I have to complete four more Dinghy paintings by the end of the month for the gallery in Wellfleet. Here is the monochrome underpainting of my quiet time sketch from a boat I drew in Chatham.

I have an illustration deadline next Friday so I'll paint this whenever I can steal some moments.

Angel of Coffee

If there is such an angel, I'm pretty sure this is what she would look like. Creamy (half&half) colored flowing-hair, Tall...as in a Starbucks tall, a long dress with coffee bean print, offering an enormous cup of steamy hot java. With a heavy (Dunkin Donuts)Boston accent she would ask if I wanted "Cream an sugar doll?"

Todays post is another bedside drawing.

I got some good news from an art gallery in Cape Cod. One of the Galleries I checked out in Wellfleet a few weeks ago wants to show seven of my dinghy paintings. I need to whip out a few more to meet her request but I'm very excited about it. Got a lot on the "life" plate, as you may have noticed fewer posts this past month.

Hopefully the Angel of Coffee will bless me with her nectar and enable me to carry on as usual.

All my best,
Todd