Thursday, March 17, 2011

Allegheny River, 24 x 36, oil on linen

Rain and wet snow are usually enough to keep me in my studio. However a couple weeks ago I was invited to paint from a balcony on Mt. Washington, which has a grand view. (Hence, Grandview Avenue, which is where I was.)  Rather than wait for a sunny day I decided to paint the city enveloped by full dampness. There is a lot to learn when the atmosphere is full of moisture. For one thing, edges are soft, values become quite close and the colors are tints of pastel. In addition it can be a quiet painting experience with hours of consistent gray diffused light.

3 comments:

  1. Did you have work permanently at Indiana's Eat N Park restaurant?
    I'm an alumni of IUP and my Dad lived in Indiana. We would eat there and I said who did these gorgeous paintings? No one knew. I interrupted someone's dinner to see and write the name down and tried to google for info but had no luck.
    I love your work!
    Sue Stockdale

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  2. Sue, Thanks for the nice comments, but that must be another artist. I'll have to check it out. Have you seen the new book of Indiana County paintings? It is available from the IUP bookstore
    http://www.bkstr.com/ProductDisplay/10001-332757-99404-4000000000001224211-1?

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  3. You really captured the city in this - if you had painted it on a sunny day it wouldn't be as good!

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