Category Archives: Paintings

Another Painting Completed

Posted on June 19, 2010 by | Leave a comment

I completed this painting today.  See the Paintings, 2010 page for the details.

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Mann’s Apple Orchard Show Update

Posted on June 15, 2010 by | Leave a comment

The recent show at Mann’s Apple Orchard on June 12th and 13th went well.  This was the first time the Art Institute Group of the Merrimack Valley (AIG) has held a show in this venue.  Saturday was warm and muggy, but that didn’t stop the scores of attendees.

I set up on the front porch, adjacent to the tent that held just over 100 art works from the AIG artists.  I continued working on a new painting of a Red-winged Blackbird I photographed along the Pow-Wow River in Kingston, NH.  This painting is now 75% complete.

There was a steady flow of patrons stopping by to chat, ask questions and admire all of the terrific art work shown by these talented artists. I had four paintings in various stages of progress, and was able to show folks all of the steps, from canvas preparation to finished painting, using the “story boards” with progressive photos of the work.

I won a third place ribbon for September Beets and received many wonderful comments about the painting Apples in Sunshine from the visitors.   Jim Collins painted a pair of swans and won Best in Show and the Popular Vote for his beautiful work.  Congratulations, Jim.

Sunday was cool and damp with a slightly smaller attendance.  The folks at Mann’s Apple Orchard provided a great venue, and were extremely helpful with the arrangements and support for the first Art in the Orchard show.  Thanks to all for coming to the show.

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Study of Cilantro Peppers

Posted on June 8, 2010 by | Leave a comment

I just completed an 8 x 10 study of Cilantro Peppers.  This will be among the paintings being raffled off at the Mann’s Apple Orchard Show this coming weekend.  See Events page for details.

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Chicken Update #3

Posted on June 4, 2010 by | 1 comment

The second chicken is almost complete.  I used three different photos and arranged them in this composition.  I am attempting to show how lively these birds are, and have painted them on a warm, bright, sandy background.  The working title is Murphy’s Chickens.  This painting should be complete in a couple of weeks.  You can click on these photos for a larger version.

I was able to get close to this Red-wing Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) on the Pow Wow River last weekend.  He was sitting on a jumble of old roots in a mud bank.  This shows the general layout and the under-painting of the major elements.  I usually tone the background before starting the work, but this time I am using the bright white of the gesso on the canvas.  I want the colors to reflect the bright, sunny morning.

I always try to have two or three paintings in the works.  This gives me a chance to switch to another piece if I’m experiencing difficulty with a particular painting.  The next time I go back to the work I put aside, I can have a fresh look at it and can usually get past the difficult spot.  I call this “letting it cook” and it always works.

I will be working on both of these paintings (and a couple of others) at the Mann’s Apple Orchard show next weekend.  I will be demonstrating my painting techniques and showing three new paintings both days of the show.  See the post below for additional information about the show.  Hope to see you there.

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Chicken Update #2

Posted on May 27, 2010 by | 1 comment

I finished the layout and under-painting on the chickens, and started with the foreground dirt and the chicken on the left.  That one is a Rhode Island Red.  I put a grasshopper in his beak as a neat detail.  I am trying to get the soft, fluffy look of the feathers, and some action in the placement of the birds.

Look at the tail of this bird, and you can see how I added successive strokes of color on top of the blue/green under-painting, gradually building up the mass of the feathers.  This area still needs some color and shadow adjustments to finish it off.

These were very lively birds and I needed to use the “action” setting on the digital camera when taking a long shot.  I also got some great close-up photos, and want to do a portrait of one of the birds next.  I’ll add another photo when the second chicken is complete.  Stay tuned.

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Blue and Green Chickens. Really.

Posted on May 24, 2010 by | Leave a comment

I began another painting Sunday evening.  A family in the neighborhood sells fresh eggs, and they were kind enough to let me take photographs of the chickens.  I had been thinking about this painting for a while, and all I needed were photos of the birds.  This is the first step in the process.  As always, I begin the under-painting with a complementary color.

I’ll post updates as this painting progresses. Oh, the eggs were wonderful!  Stay tuned.

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Greater Salem Artists Association Spring Art Show

Posted on May 22, 2010 by | 1 comment

This is a photo of me working at the Greater Salem Artists Association 24th Annual show at the Woodbury School.  I won a 3rd place ribbon for Apples in Sunshine, and the painting also won a ribbon for “People’s Choice”.  A good day overall!


I had a constant stream of folks at my display, and I ended up painting on my demonstration piece for about 30 minutes.  I spent the rest of the day interacting with fellow artists and visitors to the show.  I want to thank all of you for coming to the show, and for your generous support.

My next show will be held by the Art Institute Group of the Merrimack Valley and will be held on Saturday, June 12 and Sunday, June 13th at Mann Orchards in Methuen, MA.  I hope you all can make this show.  More information to follow.

Don

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Cilantro Peppers, a Work in Progress

Posted on May 4, 2010 by | Leave a comment

My painting of the Cilantro peppers is coming along well.  These three photos show the progress and changes I made as I worked out the final design.  I’m combining three photographs I took of peppers, string beans and eggplant.  I’m adding a dose of imagination with the surrounding items.  The basket is challenging and I like how the various textures are working out.

I decided to place all of this on an old blue door for a bit of visual interest.  This is painted on a very smooth canvas with a succession of washes and glazes, sanding it down between paint applications.  I hope to finish this painting as part of the demonstration I will be doing at the Spring Fling Art Show and Sale on May 15th. See the Events page for more details.

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Two New Paintings Started

Posted on April 19, 2010 by | 2 comments

Here is the apple photo and the under painting for Apples in Sunlight.  Stay tuned for weekly updates on this and a second painting of cilantro hot peppers, also in the works.

We visited Mann’s Apple Orchard, Methuen, MA last week, and I took a bunch of photos of the produce for sale.  There were a couple of good shots in the two dozen photos I took that I thought would make good paintings.  There was a dormer in the roof of the barn, and a single shaft of sunlight was hitting a group of baskets of apples on a table.  The photo had strong sunlight on the apples, and deep shadows around the edge.  This framed the baskets of apples perfectly.  I started this painting on the 15th, and will continue the work and update the page in the Painting Process soon.

The second good shot was a great big bunch of cilantro hot peppers.  They were a riot of orange, yellow and reds, accented with some nice green peppers.  I am working on a study of this photo to work out some process details, and I will add this work to the Painting Process page once the canvas has been prepared.  Here is a photo as a teaser:

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Gala Art Show and Wine-tasting Reception

Posted on March 12, 2010 by | Leave a comment

Upcoming Event:

Wednesday, March 24, 2010
2:00 – 4:30 PM
The Edgewood Retirement Community

575 Osgood Street
North Andover, MA

I will be showing several paintings as well as working on a current painting at this event. I will also have a selection of blank note cards available for purchase.  Click on the Events page to see additional details.

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