Nature

Frosty Artifacts Make Great Painting Subject Matter

Art, History, Outdoor Adventure, watercolor
Classic Rusty Truck in Winter

As a family, we love adventuring to Blooming Hill Farm. It is an organic farm located in South Blooming Grove, NY. Salad greens and root veggies are always available there in the middle of winter. The folks that run the place are the best! There are also these old rusty trucks laying around on the property. I’m not sure what the story is, but I’m pretty sure they don’t run anymore. One thing is for sure – they make an excellent subject matter for a watercolor painting!

Here is another old rusty truck painting from Blooming Hill Farm. This painting found a home with our friends Jordan and Miranda.

Another frosty artifact

2022 Watercolor Calendar

Art, watercolor

This is the tenth year that I’ve been compiling my watercolor paintings from the previous year and incorporating them into the upcoming year’s calendar. The calendars are a big hit with family and friends and I really enjoy handing them out during the holidays. I do have a couple left over this year (available for sale on Etsy). Below are the images included in this year’s calendar.

Cover

Red Barn Winter Landscape in Watercolor

Art, Outdoor Adventure, watercolor

A local photographer, Cindy Plumb Bishop, captured a stunning image of a Red Barn in snowy New York State, which inspired me to paint the scene in watercolor. Places close to home are some of my favorites to paint, as it helps to enhance my awareness of where I live. This scene is simple, yet effective in creating visual interest because of the dramatic contrast between the snow and the red barn. If you’re looking to do a quick and simple painting, scenes like this make terrific subject matter. Not a lot of detail, no fuss, just great color combinations.

Red Barn Winter Landscape (watercolor on Arches Rough paper)

I’ve also recorded a time lapse video of the painting process.

For more examples of my work, please visit my Etsy shop!

Sky Water and Pine

Art, hiking, Outdoor Adventure, watercolor
Pine Island (watercolor 18”x24”)

My wife, Caitlin, fractured her ankle in three places (and dislocated it, too). I believe there is a medical term for that. As you might imagine, things got a little hectic; especially, with two little kids around. So, I took about a two month break from painting, but this painting was the one that got me back on track. The idea for this scene was inspired by a hike through the John Burroughs Nature Sanctuary in Ulster County, New York.

Burroughs once wrote about a man who reported that his vision improved after getting sprayed in the face by a skunk (or something along those lines). His observations in nature are as thorough as they are entertaining. I often wonder what it would be like to have that much time to observe nature and to spend an entire half a day sitting around outside, as he often did. Here’s to John Burroughs and a renewed zeal for painting in watercolor!

Local Roads

Art, Life Balance, Outdoor Adventure, watercolor
County Rt 1A

We were driving home one evening on a “school night” *gasp*…the sky really captured my attention. At this time of the day, the greenery, barn, and road are sort of muted in color and tone, as the sky is lit up in the few remaining moments before the sun has set. And so, in this painting the sky becomes “the story” or the point of focus. There’s this feeling of calm at the end of the day… less to do (hopefully), maybe a cup of tea and less TV.