Invaders

Grackle 5x7 oil

The Common Grackle is one of the first birds to arrive in the spring. They come in droves raining from the sky bullying the other birds at the feeders. In this painting I wanted to show their aggressive nature so I placed the bird right in your face wings flapping and that scowl on his face. This is the view the other birds get as they are chased away. I could have painted the feathers in detail and placed the bird further back in the picture plane but that would have taken away from the emotion of the scene, I want you to feel what it is like when they drop in for a visit.

The one thing I do like about them are their irredesent feathers when they are in sunlight. I'd like to try to capture that one redeeming quality about them. Well, I got to go now, I have to stock up on bird seed! Hope everyone enjoyed this weekend ,what nice weather.

Flyfishing trip to southcentral Pa.

This was one of the three streams we visited yesterday. I did a sketch of Big Spring Run, my brother Tom managed to catch this nice rainbow trout. We have been fishing together since he was 14 years old. Thirty years later we are still going strong.

Little Lehigh Creek

Little Lehigh Creek 9x12 acrylic $210.00 unframed
The Little Lehigh is in Allentown, Pa., its about a hours drive from us. Its loaded with trout and they are very finicky. Tiny flies tied to light leaders is whats needed to catch the educated fish that live here. It gets fished hard all year so they have seen everything. In this scene a trout rises on the far side and catches the flyfishermans attention.

Early Morning Commute Series

Misty Morning 6"x 8" oil (SOLD)

What interested me was the reflections on the road from the lights of the passing cars. The lack of sharp edges helps re-enforce the soft atmosphere of the morning.

Sunrise Falls Twp. Lake

Sunrise Falls Twp. Lake 9x12 oil Not for sale.
This lake is about 25 minutes away and right around the corner from where I work. So its a good spot when you only have a few hours to fish. Usually we hit it at dawn and sometimes after dinner we work it till dark. I like the quiet mood and the sense of anticipation in this painting.

Enjoy your day.

First bass of the year

My wife and I went up to a local lake yesterday to do a little bass fishing before the rain started. On her 3rd cast she caught this nice bass. Fishing and bowling are her favorite interests and she is good at both. Unfortunately last year I spent more time trying to develop my art and neglected the time we spend together in the outdoors. I also wanted to do a project last year of painting a number of trout streams on location and I failed to do that too. I guess I have to manage my time better. Anyway, at least the fishing season is off to a good start.

Flyfishing Trip, Pocono Mtns.

We spent the day at Devils Hole creek catching native brown trout. The hardest part was the long hike thru ,around,over and under the mountian laurel,boulders ,fallen trees and steep mountain sides. The scenery and fishing was well worth it.

Early morning commute Series

Hope on the Horizon 6"x8" oil (SOLD)

I'm going to start a series of paintings dealing with the images I see traveling to work in the morning.

Yes, thats how I get my reference material, I'm always careful, and its faster than sketching. In this painting I was thinking about dealing with cold winter mornings and how a piece of sunlit sky can put a smile on your face and add a sense of hope to your day.

Dwight Schrute

Dwight Schrute 5x7 oil

I am not a portrait painter,but I couldn't resist trying. The Office is the only show I look foward to seeing each week,they really make me laugh. I wonder who he is watching?

Last of the moon paintings (for a little while)

Winter Night 18x24 oil

The top picture shows a page from a sketckbook showing my observations on how the moon illuminates a snow covered landscape. I was interested in learning about how moonlight affects objects at night and the kind of shadows that are created. The bathroom window gives me a perfect observation post. The painting was invented out of my mind, but I used the information from what I observed that night as the value plan for the painting.

I hope you enjoyed the series of paintings on the moon. The next full moon will be April 9, I'll be looking.

Early Morning plein-air painting

Went out early this morning to do a little plein-air painting. Even though it was raining and kinda dark there is still a mood to try to capture.

I like to start off in this spot at dawn because each beginning of the day is different. This spot allows you to get a little atmosphere in between the layers of the landscape. The light rain helped keep the background trees lighter in value than the trees on this side of the lake. This helps add depth to your paintings.

Constantly doing these outdoor sketches in all types of weather helps you learn about color,value and mood. Alot of the sketches are not worthy of a frame, but they do provide you with the information you need when it comes time to paint in the studio.

You can see the paintbox in action, it is small enough to sit on my lap inside the truck. Not a bad way to spend the morning if you like the outdoors.

Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Cake 5x7 oil

Today is my brother Phil's birthday, I just got done talking to him and told him I'd send him over a piece of cake.

I enjoy doing these small paintings, even though they are smaller the same amount of decision making has to be done as far as composition, value, color etc.. They can take anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days to paint, depending on the complexity of the subject. Its a matter of constantly refining things until you get it the way you want it.

Not all paintings make it either, some, no matter how hard I try just dont make it. These are called wipers. I wipe the paint off and now I have a toned panel ready for use again.

I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read this blog and shows interest in my work, I appreciate it.

Pat

Full Moon

Full Moon 10x8 oil $315 painting is framed

This is from the trip my brother and I take to Northcentral Pa. every year in October.

We try to schedule it during the week of the full moon, this provides enough light for spotting wildlife, photography and painting all night as the moon travels across the sky. We do get a few hours of sleep in before we head out to the trout streams the next morning.

Rising Moon

Rising Moon 5x7 oil (SOLD)

My wife and I just finished our evening walk and were getting ready to head home when we came upon this scene.

I love painting the moon and the effect it has on the landscape, and on me. I have a 14x18 canvas panel that I sectioned off into 12 small squares so I can keep the moon sketches together. Its interesting to see how the moon shows up under different atmospheric conditions.
The next few posts will be paintings involving the moon.

Thanks for reading.

Slippery When Wet

Slippery When Wet 6"x8" oil 
What a familar scene to any flyfisherman, a trout doing its best not to be caught. One of my favorite environments is a stream running thru a forested area. I like the filtered light you get in this kind of setting, how the sunlight sneaks thru openings in the trees spotlighting the fisherman.
It took alot of years of practice and many failed paintings before I could paint water convincingly. I did everything I could to learn the secrets of water, I took photos, used my camcorder, but the water in my paintings still looked static. Many times I put the rod down and just sat on the bank watching and wondering what makes water look the way it does. How do you paint water thats clear and you can see right to the bottom? Then I started noticing the rocks on the bottom didnt have clearly defined edges they had edges that were soft and slightly out of focus. The color of the water changed as it got deeper and I started noticing what the stream bottom looked like when it was in sunlight and when it was in shade. The soft edges gave me the illusion of the waters motion. Little by little I started understanding WHAT to look for. I started SEEING like an artist.
Wow, its 12:15 am. I got to get some sleep, 4:45 comes quick. I wonder if the moon is out tonite?

Clearing Out

Clearing Out 5x7 oil
A painting from last night 11:00 pm. The last three nights have been overcast so this was the first chance at the full moon this month.

Slate Run

Solitude on Slate Run 18x24 oil (SOLD)

Slate Run is one of the trout streams we visit on our yearly trip in October. Its crystal clear water runs through the valley of these steeply sloping mountains in northcentral Pa.

Sticky Bun

Sticky Bun 5x7 acrylic
The last sticky bun in the box became a still life subject. I had to repaint the nuts on top a few times until they started looking like nuts. It was good practice, I think I will continue exploring food as still life subjects. It sat overnight till I could finish it in the morning. Yes, it was to hard to eat by the time I was done with it.

Homemade Portable Paintbox (cigar box)

I went out today to test a paintbox I fashioned out of a cigar box. The weather was overcast and raining, not ideal painting conditions. But this was one of the reasons I wanted a small portable box. I wanted something small enough to use in the truck or when I take longer hikes thru rough terrain.

My paints, brushes, pallette knive fit inside. I taped a 5x7 panel to the lid (tape on the back of the panel to the lid). I glued two strips of wood inside the box, top and bottom. I cut a piece of masonite for my pallette that sits on top of the strips of wood when painting and also acts as a lid to keep everything inside. To keep the lid in a upright position when painting I put a screw in the lid and side of the box and used hanging wire to hold the lid tight.

The box worked great, I painted this with the box on my lap in the truck. This will work equally as well in the woods sitting on a rock or log.

Evening Glow

Evening Glow 8x10 oil $380 comes framed

Available at Canal Frame-Craft Gallery

E-mail Canal Frame @comcast.net