Last Plein-air Trip of the Year

I took my brother Chris and his two sons out today for the last plein-air trip of the year. We took a 15 minute drive to Neshaminy St. Park. We found a spot free of snow to stand in, but with a good view.

We wanted to try to capture the mood of a overcast winter day.  The spot we picked afforded us a range of values to work with. 
Father and son plein-air team. Both my paintboxes were being used so I was the  designated photographer for the day.

Here is Chris getting a start on his painting 

Eric with his completed painting and Chris putting the finishing touches on his.

Happy New Year

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy New Year.
I met some new friends this year and got to meet other artists thru the internet that I would'nt have met otherwise.
Thank You to all the people that purchased artwork from me, I appreciate the encouragement and support you give me.
I got a new painting partner this year, my brother Chris. This coming year will be filled with plenty of plein-air painting trips.

I want to thank my wife Maria for being so supportive and understanding,  because being an artist takes alot of  alone time, whether out plein-air painting or just learning to improve your craft and doing the business end (which she excels at thank God), she has been a tremendous help to me.

The painting above was the wine we had at Christmas. I thought it would make a suitable model for the New Year celebration.  Enjoy!
Pat

Cross Country Skier 8x10 oil on canvas

I had a little time at the end of the day so went out to look for a snow scene. I was about three quarters of the way done when this woman on skies crossed in front of me. I quickly captured the motion of her gliding across the snow.
I love the light you get at the end of the day.
My fingers were frozen by the time I finished but it was worth it.

Feeding Time,Cardinal 5x7 oil

This is one of the cardinals that come to our feeders. They are the first to arrive and the last to leave at sunset.

Cream Donut 5x7 oil

I have been thinking about painting a cream donut for a while now, the other day I finally did.

I have been thinking about eating a cream donut for a while now.........  
Enjoy!
Pat

Christmas Candy 3.5"x 7" oil

Wanted to take a break from other paintings I'm working on so I did this minature painting. I had this need to finish something so this size was perfect. It took about two hours to paint and I feel better now.
Thanks for looking.

Saturday Morning Plein-air

Went to Core Creek Park Saturday at sunrise hoping to see this big whitetail buck I saw there two weeks ago. Been trying to get a picture of him but have  not been successful. On my ride thru the area I spotted these trees lit up by the sun  and decided to take advantage of the situation. I like the way the bright colors stood out against the coolness of the frost on the grass. This is a 5x7, a perfect size for capturing the fast moving light at sunrise.

                                                                                                                                                                                      

 The next painting I did is a 8x10. What interested me in this scene was the frost still laying in the shadows not touched by the sun yet. I finished up about 9:30 and  headed out.
I am going to do a larger painting of the 5x7. I like the way it portrays the winding down of the autumn season.



LeTort Spring Run 8x10 oil

The LeTort is a famous limestone spring creek loaded with wary brown trout. Located in Carlisle Pa. it is a destination for flyfishermen worldwide.      

Sunday morning plein-air painting

 Went out this morning at dawn to see if I could find any color left on the trees. I figured the orange light at dawn would enhance any color still around. With the temperature at 35 degrees I planned on painting inside the truck so I only brought the cigar box setup.

The deer kept my attention until the sun rose to where it started lighting the landscape.

After searching a little I settled on this spot. It afforded me a good view of the trees in front of me.

This is the cigar box setup that fits on the seat right next to me. A piece of foamcore acts as a table top for the setup.

This is the finished painting done in about 50 minutes. Its a 6"x8" panel.

Annual Small Works Show

www.canalframe.com/events.htm

These are the two paintings I will have on exibit at the annual Small Works Show this year.
The opening reception is Sunday Nov.7th from 1:00-4:00.  The show runs till Dec.31st.
Clic on the link above for more information on the show.

Sunday Morning at Valley Forge Park

When we arrived at the park we were greeted by the full moon. 

     When it started to get light out I started a sketch of the moon and the maple tree to the right. I used the light from inside the truck to see by.

 This is the sketch, I finished the rest of it at home. I wanted to capture the lighting conditions at the time when it just starts to get light out. I ran out of time because the light changes faster than I can paint.

 The sun started to peek over the horizon.

 The tree I was painting with a little sun on it.

 We got in the truck and and started looking for scenes to photograph, and came upon this guy, he was curious.

 He did a nice job of posing for us.

 Here was a photographer walking away with a big buck walking behind him

 A spot of  color along one of the trails.

 My brother Phil photographing some scenery.

Spent three hours at the park and captured some good images, not a bad way to start the morning.

Paintings from the flyfishing trip

This leaf came from the maple tree outside the cabin. This year only a few leaves turned while we were there, the tree was still mostly green. Half the leaf was bright red the other half was starting to turn brown.

This is the maple tree this year.

I did this painting at night back at the cabin from the study I did at the stream.

This is the study done streamside, I wanted to capture the shaft of sunlight on the tree and its reflection in the stream. While I was doing this Tom caught three brook trout further upstream.

This shows me with my paintbox on a blowdown and the scene I painted.

I painted this at the cabin at night from the pencil sketch  I did that day. It helps doing these color studies as soon as possible while the scene is still fresh in your mind.

This is the pencil sketch I did standing in the stream watching Tom.

This is the view standing on the porch looking out thru the stand of pines to the mountains in the back. Every morning the fog is here at dawn, along with the 39 degree temps too.

This was painted at dawn another day with a heavier fog trying to hide the mountains in the back.

These sketches done on location will help me when its time to do studio paintings, I will have all the information needed concerning color, values,and mood. And you end up learning a little more every time you go out.

As a side note- eariler in the year my camera fell out of my vest and into the stream rendering it useless. The second camera I brought developed problems a week before the trip, it keeps shorting out the new batteries after taking 2 pictures, so I was cameraless this trip. When I got home there was a package there for me.
How suprised I was to find a camera just like my original one that took a swim in the stream. My wife had ordered one the day I left on our trip. She's the greatest.

Annual Flyfishing Trip to Northcentral Pa.

We had another successful trip this year. Caught alot of trout, saw alot of wildlife, and got some painting in too. We had good weather this week except for a little rain on Thursday. We visited the new Elk Visitors Center and went looking for and found a herd of elk. In the 2nd picture you see a bull elk laying down on the top of the hill, he has an impressive set of antlers. The skunk visited us most nights probably because we put out hardboiled eggs for him. He had a unique coloration to his fur, it was white on top and black on the bottom. I was within 8 feet of him  and he showed no fear whatsoever. You never smelled him once. A few times he tried coming up on the porch with us. The one picture shows me on a deadfall with my paintbox and the scene I painted in front of me. The small maple that is outside of the cabin is still mostly green. The picture above that is what it looked like 2 years ago in full color. My avatar is me painting that tree. You would think that after doing this for the last 23 years it would be easy leaving but its not, its always a little quieter on the ride home. What a great area to visit and a great vacation.