Friday, November 30, 2012

Florida Studio Paintings

Naples Pier Nocturne 24"x18"

Evening Rain 18"x24"


 These two studio paintings are part of a series of paintings available at Gardner Colby Gallery in Naples, FL. They are both closely tied to field paintings, one of which has already sold through Gardner Colby. The "Naples Pier Nocturne" 12"x9" work was painted while chatting with a local policeman. We had an intriguing conversation about his present job and the local area. He was an interesting guy I hope to meet again during my painting trip in January.
The "Evening Rain" 9"x12" was painted just as it began to rain so I set up in the rental car and painted away. It was fast and furious but worth the extra effort. It has a twin painted right after when the rain cleared cleverly titled, "After The Rain". I will be doing a studio painting of that for Gardner Colby as well and be sure to post as soon as it is finished.

Regards,
Chad

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Easton Pics

Grey Goose Sunset 12"x9" (Honorable Mention)

Morning Light At Blackwater 12"x9"

Against The Light 12"x9"

 These images are from my time at the Plein Air Easton competition in Maryland this summer. I will be posting most of the images from the painting trip in subsequent posts. I want to thank Bryan Mark Taylor for the use of his camera to get these images. Unfortunately, I "didn't think I'd need mine" and he was kind enough to lend me his. It's a good thing because all three of these paintings found homes at the exhibition and I'll likely not see them again.

You'll notice all three of these painting are in the "portrait" format. It wasn't until later in the week that I noticed this trend in my work at Easton. I found it quite odd because Easton is as flat as Florida for the most part and one would expect horizontal formats. Not so for me this year, I found the vertical compositions far more engaging.


Chad

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Plein Air Easton!

I had a great time at the Plein Air Easton! event. Al and Jess from the Avalon Foundation were great and it was well run top to bottom.  I was thrilled to receive an honorable mention award(see mug shot above) from judge Tim Newton of the Salmagundi Club in NY for my painting "Grey Goose Sunset". This painting was also part of the "Vanishing Landscape" category. I painted this subject once in the morning and once at sunset to capture the obvious and subtle differences in light and composition. I also did a radio interview while painting the morning painting.

I also participated in the quick draw paint out which Erin and I dubbed the "rain out". It was an incredible deluge for about half the time we had to paint but it was loads of fun. As you can see from the pic above I am thoroughly enjoying myself!

One of the best parts of an event like this is meeting new artist friends and reaquainting with old ones. I had the opportunity to do both at Easton.

Chad

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

OutdoorPainter.com | Combining Academic & Impressionist Influences | Home of Plein Air Magazine

OutdoorPainter.com | Combining Academic & Impressionist Influences | Home of Plein Air Magazine
Maroon Street Poppies 10"x8"


I was interviewed by Steve Doherty editor of Plein Air Magazine and OutdoorPainter.com while painting in Crested Butte CO. We talked for an extended time about my artistic development and the exhibition that was held on Friday the 6th of July. Mr. Doherty did a good job of encapsulating our conversation and I encourage you to give the article a read and a "like".

Included are a handful of images from the exhibition of 21 pieces all done in a week plein air. Actually, I painted a total of 31 over the week with one rain out about half way through (hazard of the job). We framed and hung 21 works ranging in size from 6"x8" to 10"x12".

Shaun Horne and the family at Oh Be Joyful Gallery were very supportive and I look forward to a great summer with the work that is left and am hoping to return soon.
Chad

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Crested Butte, CO

This image is from last year's Plien Air Invitational hosted by Oh Be Joyful Gallery in Crested Butte, Colorado. Again, I am returning to "CB" for a painting trip culminating in an exhibition at Oh Be Joyful Gallery on Friday July 6th, 5-8pm.

Also, I'll be giving a talk about painting outdoors "plein air", the concern of painting light, and my approach to it on July 7th at 10am as part of the "Conversations en plein air" series from Oh Be Joyful Gallery. Furthermore, I am also looking forward to a radio interview with host Chad Reich on station KBUT. This should be a very productive time with abundant subject matter. I hope to see you there.

Chad

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Exhibition in Crested Butte, CO.

I am heading back to Colorado this summer for a one-person exhibition at the "Oh Be Joyful Gallery" in Crested Butte with Shaun Horne and company. Last year I participated in the Crested Butte Plein Air Invitational with great success and look forward to returning to the amazing scenery and friendly people.

The exhibition dates are: Friday, July 6th through Wednesday, July 25th.  The artist's reception will be on July 6th from 5-8pm. I also anticipate giving a talk the night of the reception about painting outdoors, its history, and my approach to it.

I will relay more information and post more images from last years event as the time approaches.



Chad

Friday, March 16, 2012

Marco Island Sparkle



  This studio piece "Marco Island Sparkle" is 12"x24". It was completed from studies done on Marco Island in December and February of this year. This beach is wonderful and on the day I painted the major study for it the weather was Southwest Florida winter season perfection. Having lived in this area for seven years I am grateful for the opportunity to return and paint anytime I get the chance. "Marco Island Sparkle" is available through Gardner Colby Galleries in Naples, Florida.


Chad

Monday, February 6, 2012

Autumn Light


This plein air piece was painted last autumn on an upstate New York farm. It was late morning with a strong rising sun... a nice piece for display in the middle of a long winter.   "Autumn Light" is oil on linen at 9"x12" and will be available at Windham Fine Arts in Windham, NY during the "Barns and Bridges" exhibition February 18th through March 31st.

Chad

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Crayton Cove-Three Paintings Compared

Crayton Cove Morning
Afternoon Sparkle Crayton Cove
Crayton Cove Sunset


The above paintings were completed "plein air" on the spot in the course of one day. The light effect changes throughout the day and this is what I wanted to capture in my work. Hopefully the sequence is obvious nevertheless, the first picture is morning, second afternoon, and finally sunset all from the same vantage point.

I would like to discuss each painting and its unique characteristics. After all you may be asking why paint the same image three times in one day or that they may seem the same to you. Well, the first image was done my first morning on Crayton Cove in Naples. I arrived early, which is fairly painful for me as I am not much of an early bird, and knew I wanted to paint the arrangement of this dock from this view. I was intrigued by the rhythm of the posts contrasting the horizontal movement in the water and background elements. It seemed "musical" to me. As an aside, I am always looking for these kind of rhythms in whatever I paint. I suppose it comes from my musical background. The elements of the composition themselves spoke to me as a former resident of SW Florida. The dock, water, boats and even the sky and trees "feel" like Florida to me and that is what I am after in each location and resultant painting. It must "feel" like the place or I have failed.

The best way to compare all three paintings is to examine them simultaneously. Lets start with the sky in each piece and its relationship with the other elements. Please notice that the morning sky is quite yellow/orange compared to the other two. Moving on, the treeline is a rather nondescript greenish hue at a mid-dark value. The line of boats stands out mostly due to hue and temperature changes rather than value. The water reflects the orangish tint of the sky and is a very light value without much in the way of disturbance and slight reflections. The dock itself is lit from the front and steeply left as the sun is rising. The posts display the orange light source of the sun and sky with resulting transitions into cooler notes in the shadows. The flat plane of the deck manifests strongly this light source and the cool bluish cast shadows from the upright planes of the posts. All this adds up to the "feeling" of morning light, a sunrise in SW Florida on the water.

In contrast, second painting from the afternoon displays a "washed out" sky with little color to it. I've observed that painting in the high afternoon sun becomes more about value contrasts as much as any color observations. Cast and form shadows develop in the treeline and boat line. The relationship of light side to shadow side is still warm versus cool but the hue becomes more neutralized into unnameable temperatures of hue rather than the mornings blue and orange. The water reflects the neutralized effect of strong sun and sky but at this hour shows the disturbance of a very enjoyable afternoon breeze. The resultant slight contrasts on the surface are dominated by the highest value "highlights" of the reflecting overhead light source on the water. The dock has become "contre jour" or back lit and as a result is the darkest almost silhouetted shape in the picture. In the shadows of the posts I noticed a lot of greens in the local color that blued off in the distance with atmospheric perspective. The upright plane of the dock is brilliantly lit and warm with slight cool transitions of modulating form. Everything about this piece says mid afternoon sun in contrast to the "effect" of the mornings work. These elements combine to strongly suggest a warm sunlit afternoon at the dock with a refreshing breeze.

If you've hung in there this long we shall look at the final piece. "Crayton Cove Sunset" was painting just as the title says... at sunset. This calls for a bit of preparatory drawing in anticipation of the 30 minutes or so of actual painting time I'll have. The key here is to go for the big idea. The essential elements are all I had time for. The sky starts to take on red, green and purplish hues. Also of note, the value of the sky in comparison to the morning and especially the afternoon's work is a mark or two darker. The treeline manifests deep shadows with coolish warm greens if such things exist. The line of yachts and boats have taken center stage as the brilliant light of the reddish orange sun dramatically strikes the far right planes creating bluish purple shadows of considerable chroma. Please notice that I have only said just enough to characterize the yachts and boats and little else... time is of the essence. As a result of these lighting conditions the water had taken on an amazing yellowish blue hue again a mark or two darker in value than the morning and afternoon work. In addition, it has calmed since the afternoon's work. Our dock has fallen completely into an ambient light. It displays a dark value but not enough contrast to detract from the sunlit boats; it has become secondary. As a result it is treated simply. The flat plane of the dock surface is a near darker reflection of the sky and takes its place as a supporting element. Finally, all these relationships speak of a sunset at the dock on the water; the sun is just about to go down.

I hope this somewhat "technical" perusal of these three paintings reveals some of my inspiration and motivation for camping out in one place all day painting the same scene. If this method of working inspires you as it does me I highly recommend the artist Ken Howard as someone to look up. His work has helped me realize what I am interested in as a painter. As I said earlier, if it doesn't "feel" like the place...

Cheers and God bless,

Chad

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Gardner Colby Gallery-Naples, Florida


I trust everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. Erin and I were very blessed as we spent the time together and with family. Recently, we made a trip to our old home in Southwest Florida. I was there to paint and that I did. It was a very productive trip.

One of my main goals for the visit, other than producing work, was to establish a relationship with a quality gallery in Naples Florida. I am very pleased to report that I will be sending seven of the plein air pieces I did on location to the Gardner Colby Gallery in Naples. In my humble opinion Gardner Colby is at the top of the list for galleries in all of Southwest Florida and I am looking forward to working with Nancy and Pamela there at Gardner Colby Galleries.

If you are in the Southwest Florida area don't miss the chance to see the great work and meet the good people at Gardner Colby. They are located at 386 Broad Avenue South in Old Naples, Florida. If you do stop by please tell them Chad says hello.

Please enjoy the above video as it is a preview of some of the work I did while in Southwest Florida that will be hanging at Gardner Colby Gallery.

Chad