The Humble Trapper (Under painting)

Naming paintings has never come natural to me, it always seems laborious but I feel satisfied about "The Humble Trapper". This image is based on a photo I took in Chatham harbor down the cape of a Cod fisherman returning from a bad day at sea. I was taking pictures of the harbor at sunrise and I heard the tired paddle of this defeated oarsman. It wasn't even 7am and this poor old salt already had a bad day.

I snapped a few photos of him hoping he wouldn't notice and without looking at me he said, "I would have said yes if you asked me". I immediately felt small like a cheap paparazzi. That's when my mouth opened and I replied, "I'm gonna make you a star"...I hated myself even more, what a tool, I think I was trying to be funny and diffuse the tension,...nice one Todd! I was nails on a chalkboard ruining the serenity of a placid Chatham sunrise. He did warm up and tell me how horrible his fishing was.

In my painting I made him a lobster man and added an old trap in the back of the boat. His reflection in the water will be key to the success of the finish I think. He's slowly rowing back to shore with an empty trap, looking back to the sea reflecting on the absence of his catch and maybe thinking about tommorow. This under paintng is raw umber on a gessoed wood panel that I glazed with a warm acrylic wash.

Green Apple

I just finished tickling this small Green Apple painting. I think I'm becoming more comfortable with this working method of using glazes on top of my wet-in-wet paintings. I finally found a surface I'm happy with too, which is gessoed wood panel. I like this texture I'm getting by putting the gesso on with a roller (three layers, lightly sanding between each). it gives it a little tooth and textural look and makes blending smoother. Nice.

"Green Apple" (6x4") Oil on gessoed wood panel.

Baseball #2 (finish) Click here to bid

I finished this painting last night while listening to the Red Sox game, very inspiring. They lost to Cleveland but are on a tear right now and are the hottest team in the majors.

On this painting I've altered my working process to fit with my current lifestyle, which is part-time-stay-at-home dad. As a result, it makes more sense for me to work a painting in stages, stealing moments when Max is napping. I did a wet-in-wet painting of the ball over the monochrome underpainting. When that dried, I used glazes of oil color mixed with Liquin to noodle this Baseball to a finish. Liquin is a gel medium that thins the paint and is perfect for making glazes with oils.

baseball #2 (underpainting)

I did this under painting of a "Baseball" in a small box using only raw umber and ultramarine blue oil paint. The light is the white of the gessoed wood panel. I simply thinned the paint with gamsol (odorless mineral spirits) and laid it on almost like I would a watercolor, preserving the lights.
This is another study of items I've been placing in a small box for the purpose of capturing dramatic light. The objects seem to emerge from the darkness within the box if I light them correctly. I hope I can keep this spirit when I add color.

Cerulean Blue

Whats shakin?! I finally found some time to sneak down the studio and slap some paint on this little canvas of a tube of "Cerulean Blue" paint. I'm hoping to get outdoors and do some plein air painting soon.

The Mooring Ball

Max is napping so I have a few minutes to post this oil painting I finished last night. I just started being a stay-at-home dad three and a half days a week so painting and drawing time will be a little more limited. Not complaining, I'm having the time of my life with my little man.

I'm calling this painting "The Mooring Ball". In this quiet boat sitting by the dock, the mooring ball seems like an after thought. (8x10) Oil on Linen canvas mounted on wood panel. This one is off to the the Art house gallery in Brewster.

I hope you are all well. best, Todd

Boat painting in progress...

I started this boat painting on a linen canvas mounted on panel. I also skipped the under painting step and I'm just jumping right in (it's more fun this way). I'm working from the focal point outward and finishing as I go along. Before I laid down any oil paint, I covered the canvas with a liberal wash of Burnt Sienna acrylic paint, let it dry and then did an ink line drawing of the boat and dock using a number 5 Pigma pen (with archival ink).

I hope to lay in the water and dock and finish this soon.

Green Pear #2

I painted this small study of a pear pretty quickly (quick for me anyway). I'm feeling more comfortable with my process but aware that I should always leave room for flexibility. This is "Green Pear #2" it's (6x4") oil on wood panel. It looks a lot different in style and technique from the green pear that I painted last year (See archives for April 09, 2006)

Bow (finish)

Finally finished this last night. It was simply a matter of finding the time and I'm glad I did, I think I learned a few things from this painting. For one, I like to apply the paint to the surface with a pallet knife and then go into it with a brush. By doing so, I discovered an appeal in the variety of brush work and pallet knife strokes. When it came time to paint the snow on the dock, I realized the snow worked better left as is, with the pallet knife strokes. Variety and contrast in shape, color and value are all important to add interest to a painting, it only makes sense that variety in brushwork can also contribute to the beauty of a finished work.

"Bow" is oil on gessoed medium density fiberboard. (11x14")

(Click on image for a larger view)

Ball Player #3 (sketchbook)

He lives! Hi all, I haven't posted in a week, I've been busy being sleep deprived by Max. Actually, I've been putting a few hours in daily on my "Bow" painting and will likely post that progress tomorrow. Today I am posting a drawing I did today from my sketchbook, this is "Ball player #3". I love these nostalgic looking characters, there uniforms and there gestures that scream that turn-of-the-century genre. He looks like he should have one of those classic baseball names like "Spittin Bill" O'Sullivan or "Eddie "The Crab" Cochrane...

Feels good to put pencil to paper too.

Bow

I'm working on a bunch of paintings to drop off to the Art House gallery by the end of the month. This is the underpainting of an 11x14" piece I'm working on in oils. I'm calling it "Bow". I was thinking maybe "Morning Bow" too. Clearly it's the bow of a boat but the mood of this piece is quiet and reverend, it could be a respectful nod or bow to the warmth of the light coming from the rising, early morning sun. Surely, the new day will melt that snow on the dock.

Key

I spent the morning in the studio and did a small oil painting of a key hanging off of a nail. I didn't post the under painting because I went right to finish with this one.

I'm using a new surface, linen canvas mounted on wood panel. I'm not sure I'm in love with them yet. Perhaps it's the awkwardness of switching from wood panels to this surface, I don't know yet, I'm going to do a few more paintings with them and figure it out.

One of the most significant differences is the visible weave of the linen on the finished surface. Compare it to Mondays post of the Mandarin orange which was painted on wood panel. It's a personal preference I guess, I'm just not sure which I prefer.

"Key" (6x4") Oil on linen canvas mounted on wood panel

(Click on image for a larger view)

Mandarin Orange

I placed this Mandarin in a small wooden box and adjusted the light to create some dramatic lights and darks.
"Mandarin Orange" Oil on wood panel (6x4").

Icon Button illustrations

I just got this quick turn-over, spot illustration assignment to do these button icon pieces for a small publisher. Real fun for me, I can bat them out pretty quickly too, so they are easy to do and quick cash. Nice!

(Click on image to see them larger)

Bunny Sketches for 2008

I no longer work fulltime for the Foreside company but on occasion I do some freelance illustration/design for them. Todays post is a few sketches of Bunnies for the 2008 Easter line.
Tommorow I will be in the studio under the stairs doing a small oil still life painting I have already set up. I'm thrilled to lash some paint on canvas again.

The Art House Gallery, Brewster, Mass

I'm happy to announce my new representation relationship with the

The Art House Gallery

in Brewster, Massachusetts. I took a short trip to Cape Cod earlier this week and dropped off six paintings that will be hanging on the walls for the opening of the Spring 2007 season on the Cape.

I'm posting the six paintings that are in the gallery (I'll be sending four more by June). If you are interested in the purchase of any of these paintings, feel free to contact the gallery (info above).

Dairy Cow

Here is a small oil painting I did of a dairy cow from the Great Bay Farm, just down the road from my house here in Greenland. It's 4x6" oil on gessoed wood panel.

(Click on image for a larger view.)

Family Tree

Just finished this color illustration for Houghton Mifflin book publishers. This is for a book that will have a spread with a family tree, the designers will add photos to this painting to complete the image.

This was a scanned sketch, drawn very loosely and tightened in Photoshop and then completely painted in Photoshop using a wacom drawing tablet.
(Click on image for a larger view)

Soon (Finish)

I finished this small oil painting of a boat that I'm calling "Soon". I actually finished it on Friday but have been waiting for it to dry before I scanned and posted it. It's oil on gessoed wood panel(6x8").

(Click on image for a larger view)

"Soon" (underpainting)

I did a quick oil under painting on a gessoed wood panel of this little boat study. I'm calling it "Soon" because this boat looks like she's patiently waiting for something or someone. There is a boat to her left but an empty spot to the right, maybe she's next.