Tug Hill Donation

I have had the pleasure of participating in the Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust plein air benefit for the last two years. Tug Hill is an enormous stretch of land in upstate New York. Last year the event was held at Constable Hall. This years we were at Salmon River Falls. When reaching the falls I couldn't resist taking what looked like a "closed" trail down to the bottom of the falls to see what kind of composition was there. I have to say I wasn't disappointed but... the climb back up the 100 ft. falls about killed me! All's well that ends well and I'm glad I was able to participate with this 8"x10" and get reacquainted with a few artist friends. Needless to say, I'm trying to lighten my gear; if you've got any suggestions I'm listening. :)

Chad

Mall Cop

Some of you may remember the "Incident" where four county sheriff's were called to investigate your truly. Well... I had another run in with THE LAW. One early morning I innocently set up one foot from the "Public" sidewalk overlooking a local mall. The morning sun was blazing on the side of the building throwing shadows around and contrasting nicely with the cool atmosphere. As you can see from the painting there was nobody around and I had parked here at the very end of the parking lot. In comes the namesake of this posting the MALL COP. His shining vehicle yellow lights whirling approached and he exited to investigate the I'm sure strange vehicle parked way out in no man's land. Mind you, I had been painting for an hour and a half by this time and was finishing up. The guy didn't even see me and my giant tripod and easel set up not twenty feet away so I spoke up and he replied with "what are you doing?" Trying not to overstate the obvious or add any sarcasm I said "I'm painting." To try to make this long and I assure you entertaining story shorter, mall cop proceeded to interrogate me and ended up calling his boss to make sure I could "keep the painting." He had apparently been studying copyright and intellectual property law and was concerned I was in violation by PAINTING HIS MALL.
Well all's well that ends well and I was allowed to keep my painting after giving my driver's license as proof of identity and if they needed to track me down in case the painting was used for some nefarious purpose. He even wanted my address and phone number. The one bright note from the zealous fellow while calling his superior to see if I should be water boarded... " you do good work." ;)

Chad

Rained Out

This 6"x8" was painted in the back lot of a local store here in Utica. Raining all day, the football field was soaked and empty. Catching my attention was the highly reflective lot against the grayed and muted mid-ground trees and mountains in the background. I've been fascinated by city scenes for some time and am happy to post the beginning of probably many more cityscapes. Having spent many years living in a city it is a part of me... It was a fine day to paint!

Chad

Great Time At Gallery 3040

Erin and I had a great time at Gallery 3040 as perhaps you can tell from this video. There was live music and the bassist was kind enough to let me "noodle" after. :)
Thank you to everyone who came, it was such a pleasure to meet so many art lovers! I've included a few pics from the event. Again, thank you to everyone who came and said hello and to Deb and crew at Gallery 3040 for a great night.

Chad

Reception at Gallery 3040

Gallery 3040 in Old Forge, New York will be hosting a reception for yours truly Friday, August 6th, 5-8 pm. Erin and I would love to see you there. Gallery 3040 is a special place in Old Forge. Owner Deb Burrington has focused on only handcrafted work from a select group of fine artists; you'll find original works in oil, pastel, and watercolor. Deb has also collected gorgeous pottery, glass work and jewelry from the Northwest of the country as well.
As for me, I have 25 plein air pieces as well as studio paintings in oil at Gallery 3040... thus the reason for the reception :) I'm told there will be wine and a good time had by all so we'd love to see you there.
Attached is the latest studio painting just delivered to Gallery 3040, "Blaze of Glory" at 12"x24". The picture doesn't do it justice (I promise) so you have to come to the reception to fully appreciate... :)

Hope to see you there,

Chad

Windham Fine Art's 6th Annual Plein Air Show

I have the honor of participating in Windham Fine Art's 6th annual plein air event. The opening reception is Saturday July 3rd 3-6pm. The above paintings are included in the event: "Spring Reflection", " Wet Spring" and " Mother's Day Morning." They are 6"x12", 8"x10", and 6"x12" respectively. All are welcome to the reception and a special thanks to artist Jim Coe for the introductions :)

Wet Spring

I had to break out serious rain gear for this one. About half way through this 8"x10" it started to rain and grew as the painting progressed. By the time I was done... soaked!
All's well that ends well and the gorgeous subtle harmonies in that light and atmosphere are captured here I believe.
As for the rain; nothing a towel, warm cup of coffee, and my wonderful wife couldn't cure :)

Chad

Blaze of Glory

This 6"x12" was a real challenge and not just because the sun was setting fast. I had HIGH winds to say the least. It was so bad I had to use one hand and part of my body to "lean" into the easel to keep it from flying off as I painted with the other hand :) It's a miracle I got anything!
The sunsets here in upstate New York can be just fabulous and It's such a privilege to try an capture one.

Chad

Golden Pathways

This 11"x14" will be shown at The Gallery of CNY in Cazenovia New York as part of their "Just Flowers" juried exhibition. The original 8"x10" field work was painted last spring on a farm property just up the road from me. It's always interesting to take a plein air piece and change the format for a studio painting.
Gallery owner Jennifer Schutzendorf says this is one of the gallery's most successful shows so if you live in the area, opening night is April 30th, 5-7pm. The show will be up May 1st to the 22nd.

Chad

Early March

Ok... so most of the snow is gone by now. Nevertheless, it is still March and I liked this 6"x8." This was early enough in the morning that the farm and house in the distance were obscured by thick atmosphere and light. As I was looking for a painting subject the overall hazed effect fascinated me. Almost monochromatic yet there were definate warm touches throughout. Although I painted this in upstate New York it reminds me of growing up in the midwest; farms, fields, and lots of flat land. I'll admit, I hope this is the last "snow" painting I do until next December :)

Chad

Snow Patch

I came across this interesting 12"x9" composition at one of my favorite painting spots this morning. The brilliantly lit patches of snow contrasting the cool of the water and face-lit warmth of the earth tones really caught my attention. There aren't many darks to speak of other than a few accents and shadows but alas that's the charm and challenge of a face-lit scene. It was such a wonderful day to be out painting; a warm sun, cool breeze, and the rare visual treat of a landscape in the transition of seasons...what a privilege.


Chad

Evening Thaw

Painted this 6"x12" tonight as the light was fading over quickly thawing snow. I've always enjoyed this format and it's perfect for compositions here in upstate New York. The long rolling hills, open fields and stretching skies beg to be painted in this format. My wife and I drive by this area regularly and we both were taken by the beauty of this evening noticing patterns of the melting snow and rich chromatic mountains in the far distance. With her encouragement I ventured out as evening approached and I'm glad I did. I plan to employ this 6"x12" size on a far more frequent basis... It's perfect for this area :)

Chad

Half Frozen

Half Frozen is the title of this 9"x12" and also how I felt when it was finished. This is one of my favorite painting spots in Old Forge overlooking the Toby Trail. Old Forge is an amazing little town in the Adirondack Mountains. It's about an hour drive for me but worth it. They have a great Art Center there of which I am a member and as much charm as you could ask for.
This particular day was overcast but warming enough to melt some of the ice on the lake... hence the title :) Lots of subtle grays in this one I'm not sure the picture does it justice. I really enjoyed painting this despite the cold. There was a small lock/dam there with overflowing water (sounded like a decent waterfall) right behind me as I painted and the light remained fairly constant. It was a great day to be outside painting!

Chad

Vegas Baby!!!

Erin and I celebrated our first anniversary in Vegas; we had a great time. We love the Cirque De Soleil shows and got to see something most every night. On Wednesday we drove the 3-4 hours to the Grand Canyon. There were amazing sights all along the way and I recognized so many trees, brush, etc. and the general feel of the desert that I've admired in many western painter's work.
I was able to "break in" my new Thumb Box at Eagle Point (see attached pic.) The shuttle driver mentioned that the light and colors change minute to minute. I assumed he was exaggerating but that light and those hues were almost constantly on the move! I left with a little 3"x8" painting of Eagle Point itself. It was a thrill to paint there and I'm happy to report that the Thumb Box did a great job :)
Chad

Winter Light

This 16"x20" was created in the studio from an 8"x10" plein air reference I painted at my father-in-laws ranch. Warm sunlit conditions with a strong cerulean sky created a nice temperature contrast. What especially caught my eye were the warm hues of the evergreens contrasting the dynamic cool cast shadows. The composition was almost "ready-made" as I found it. I've submitted this painting to the Oil Painters of America's 19th Annual National Juried Exhibition. We'll see if they accept it into the show... I sure hope so!

Chad

First Snow

There's been snow on the ground for a bit here in upstate New York; still I wanted to post this 6"x8" study. It captures that transition time from lovely fall to sleepy winter. I know I feel like hibernating at times :) I love the rich warms that come to life in this type of lighting. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Chad