The Lighthouse

Erin and I recently returned from a whirlwind trip to Southwest Florida. I spent eight years or so in the region and its unique landscape has stayed with me. From foliage to the colors in the sky Florida is just wonderful to my wife and I.
This 6"x8" is a result of that affection. My wife and I spent time here on her first visit to see me in SW. Florida... good memories :)

Chad

The Incident!

No painting with this update and let me tell you why. My usual process in the field is to scout out interesting compositions as I'm traveling. Well, I found this little spot with a nice road to lead through to fields on either side with mountains in the background; nice. If I can find somebody, I always ask permission to paint on someones property etc. but there was no one in sight so I just parked along the side of the road near an empty gravel lot and began to work. Just as I was getting into the drawing I hear sirens and see 4 county sheriff cars heading my way... hmmm. As the lead car pulled up beside me he asked " did you call the sheriff?", "no, and I haven't seen anything suspicious either" was my response.
All the while I noticed a lady standing in her front yard down the road. Yep, she had called FOUR sheriff's away from whatever they were doing roaring down the road lights & sirens because an artist painting in his car was apparently... a suspicious menace and a threat :)
Needless to say the sheriff was a little agitated and amused... and so was I.

Chad

Cirrus Vista

8"x10" Oil on canvas glued to board
$105 via paypal...CLICK HERE
$10 shipping in the U.S.
email: chad@chadsmithpaintings.com for international rates

This 8"x10" was my second attempt of the day and the combination of clouds, big sky and vista was compelling. There are so many beautiful sites throughout this area... I am blessed.
Hope you enjoy it.

Chad

Downtown Church

Painting "in town", unusual for me, drew lots of attention. Plenty of friendly folks passing by, some commenting on my work. This 8"x10" was tricky in the compression of values and close harmonies. The solidity of the church itself within the glorious chorus of autumn color... irresistible.

Chad

Autumn Reflection

There was an impressive haze this morning blanketing everything in site. This 8"x10" captures my experience of a view towards a local farm in these conditions. The sky had an erie color and transition infusing the landscape. Naked trees contributed to the effect and of course the distant barns feeling and looking so small in the maw of nature.

Chad

Old Forge Auction

The Old Forge Art Center held it's inaugural Plien Air Paint Out auction on Sunday. Several talented artists participated over two weekends culminating in a successful silent and live auction held on Mcauley Mountain. I was fortunate to participate and attend the event. Everyone enjoyed themselves including my wife and I. I donated an 8"x10" painted over the Moose River.

Chad

Autumn Morning

A cold wet morning today. The passing rain clouds combined with subdued cool light provided a wonderful moody setting for this 9"x12". I had to unpack the umbrella at least twice. Funniest of all, a farmer started mowing down the corn with his Combine right in front of me as I was painting! Such is the adventure of outdoor work :)

Chad

Fall Is Here

Where'd the summer go? It was a short season this year and fall is already heavy here in upstate NY. I'm hoping to get out painting as much as possible during this beautiful time of year.

This field painting is 8"x10". It was painted in Old Forge at the Toby Trail. COLD & WET! The cool overcast sky was a great foil for the autumn color but boy was it cold. Time to break out the winter garb.

It's been awhile since I've posted. I have a collection of work to update over time including a work and pics from a Marc Hanson workshop!

Chad

Warm Morning Sky

Backlit morning clouds were irresistable in this landscape of rolling hills and treelines.I'm including a couple process pics. The first is the "Carlsonesque" poster-like block in.

Notice bug next to tree on lower left(for added realism).

The second is after some lights, form, color and value variations have been explored.

Chad

Summer Stillness

Late morning light and atmosphere really enhanced this subject. With the faces of the barns in cool shadow the light bouncing of the rooftops gave a great contrast within the silhoutted center of interest. The background trees gave an interesting challenge in their green/gray warm coolness. All in all a enjoyable morning painting.

Chad

Backlit Intensity

Time was of the essence with this 6"x8". Atop a hill looking across a valley the light changed quickly. Of special interest was the way the trees glowed with intense color as the sun was setting. Backlit situations often produce this effect and it was a real treat to observe it in such brilliant intensity.

Chad

Wet July Evening

I had to break out the umbrella for this one. Time and fading light were also factors. Thankfully, everything went pretty smoothly and I was able to finish this picture before it was just too dark to see. Standing in that bean field the colors produced during a wet evening were just enchanting!

Chad

Gallery in Saratoga NY

Hey all,

We hung 13 paintings this weekend in Saratoga NY. They are at the Frankie Flores Gallery on Broadway. We've been very busy with travel and working on this gallery representation.

Saratoga is a wonderful city an hour and forty-five minutes from us. The traditions of art, jazz, and music in general are very strong there. It's my kinda place!

I've included a pic of some of the paintings that were hung and one 5x7, "Quiet Sunset" that I just finished and took up there on Sunday with two other paintings.

till next time,

Chad

Home Sweet Home

I'm glad to be home!

Nevertheless, we had a great trip. We visited old friends and family and lots of great midwest scenery. There were many miles between upstate NY and where we went but it was fantastic. Lake Erie was beautiful as we stopped for just a quick look on the way south. Wish I'd time to do a quick sketch or two there.

As for a quick sketch I found time for two scenes. Both of which I grew up in! Growing up I was moved around a lot so certain places hold special memories for me. If you've had that experience I'm sure you know what I mean.

The house on the left is in Indiana and was built by my dad. Lots of great memories of family and wandering the woods ponds and creeks with my dog etc.

The mobile home on the right is where my mom and I lived after moving to Cincinnati. It's a bit surprising it's still there after all these years.

Both special to me in their own way and I'm grateful for the opportunity to paint them

Chad

When Time Is Short

Only had a short time yesterday morning. We're getting ready for a big trip through the midwest. I'm very excited to see family and introduce my new bride to where I grew up.

There will be opportunities to paint and I'll try to post from the road if I can find a hook up.

As for this tiny study, I love doing these guys. It's maybe 3"x4" if that. Just a study of the late morning overcast flat lighting that really emphasized the wet feeling cools in this picture. I had to make sure the ground plane and pieces of sky had lots of light and higher value as that what the conditions really suggested. That scenario pushes your overall values down but really illuminates the sky a silvery coolish nameless color.

See you next time on the road!

Chad

"Dixie" Second Installment

I was able to put some time into Dixie's portrait today finishing up the ears. I decided to go with my instincts and make the farthest ear a bit smaller to emphasize depth and made sure the darkest value was a "hair" lighter than in the other ear. This keeps me from contradicting myself and sustaining the illusion.

Also, it's a good idea to get some warmth ie. reds and oranges into the ears. This will represent the translucency of the ear with light passing through illuminating it with the higher chroma red showing up visually. Furthermore, in the photo provided by the client, this area was very dark. This is common in photos. I needed to rely on what I know about this particular situation and ignore the value structure presented to me in the photo to add life and the sense of light I'm after.

Chad

"Mohawk Overlook"--- click here to buy

This 6"x8" is of the Mohawk River. After spending the morning with an artist friend in Little Falls I found this vista and new I had to give it a shot. It reminded me of the Hudson River Painters and their often grand and scenic pictures.

I've included a few pics of the process and one of the view that I had. It was a wonderful slightly overcast day for painting when I started but the sun did finally make a strong appearance and my light changed quite a bit before I was finished. It's all part of the adventure!

Chad

"Dixie" Changing It Up

Dixie's owner contacted me about doing an 8"x10" portrait and I was happy to do it. This is a different kind of adventure... a studio adventure. Instead of 1-3 hours, these works can take a week or more depending on the size and complication of the subject and background.

As you can see from the progress pics, Dixie seems to be coming along nicely. There are always unique challenges regarding portraits but I welcome the change. Turning the form carefully on a head is big fun.

I plan to post the progress on Dixie as this is taking all my painting time at the moment. Please let me know what you think about how I've "changed it up."

Chad

Tug Hill Paint Out Adventure---"Golden Pathway" SOLD

I attended the Tug Hill Paint Out this weekend to benefit the Tug Hill Land Trust. What a great adventure! Constable Hall in Constableville was gorgeous. The hall itself is rich with history and the flower garden (the subject of my painting) was uplifting and inspiring. Truth be told, the best part was meeting all the friendly attendees and other artists. 20+ talented artists participated and the work was auctioned off that evening. I'm told the event was a success and congrats to the Tug Hill Land Trust for a wonderful event and great experience for me.

A special thanks to Martha Deming who purchased the previously painted "Golden Pathway" during the event. Martha is a warm and talented artist who's passion for art and life is evident to me even though I've only just met her.

Again, thank you to the Tug Hill Land Trust for having me and to all the great people and new friends I met.

Chad

Special Studio Work: "A View South"--- click here to bid

This 9"x12" studio painting is based on a 6"x8" field work by the same name. Nothing says Florida like palm trees and cumulous clouds. I loved the backroads and trails during my 7+ years in the sunshine state. I plan to revisit the area in the future with pochade in tow.

Treasured as a field study, I hope if you've spent any time in Florida you can smell that salty air in "A View South."

Chad

"Oriskany Heat"--- click here to purchase

This was a very warm muggy afternoon. I was with a student and we enjoyed setting up around Oriskany Creek. He chose the falls nearby but I found this view to be an interesting challenge. GREEN,GREEN,GREEN! The winding creek helped with perspective and the much needed warmer complement in this painting. Warms in the trees could've been pushed even further perhaps. What do you think?

Chad

Introduction

I am blessed with the opportunity to paint. I am blessed to experience the outdoors and then share it with you.

Here's to a long fulfilling adventure together.

Chad