20 First Dates: Lyric

 

Lyric, 12 x 24 inch oil on canvas

I love to explore the pops of color from man-made lights and reflections against the backdrop of a rainy day in the city. I caught this moment along 31st Street in Manhattan, and I was drawn to the patterns of color and texture as framed by the city buildings.

When it comes to my cityscape compositions, for many years I've been fascinated by the down-the-street perspective because it affords a great way to narrow down all of the sensory overload in a place like New York City and just allow me to focus in on one key moment. In Lyric, the pedestrian with the red umbrella, surrounded by other touches of red lights and reflections, captivated me. 

 

 Detail of Lyric

I like to use the texture of the canvas to add shimmering hints of other colors around the details. 

20 First Dates: Asheville Embers

 

Asheville Embers, 10 x 14 inch oil on panel

This addition to my ongoing series of "20 First Dates" features a cityscape from one of my favorite southeastern cities, Asheville, North Carolina. Here, a quiet side street packs a lot of punch in downtown following a beautiful winter afternoon. 

As someone who grew up with long Wisconsin winters that featured short days and dramatically crisp colors on many evenings, I have always loved the clarity of winter light. It has a personality all its own with fiery hues and I can recognize it instantly. 

I caught the inspiration for Asheville Embers during a December evening. Thanks to its mountain elevation, Asheville can get a fair bit of snowfall, but - unlike my home state - it doesn't usually stick for very long. This is the magic of the mountains in the southeast: You get four seasons, but you don't get any of them for too long. 

Framed view of Asheville Embers in a satin black frame with interior gold bevel.

What's New in the New Year?

Yikes! It's a new year already, and although I don't believe in making resolutions, I do like to use this time of a year as an opportunity to assess where I'm at with my painting and to set up new goals for the year ahead. It's easier for me to slow down and think at this time of year than it is during the summer or fall, when I'm usually up to my eyeballs in exhibiting at outdoor art shows or plein air painting while the weather is advantageous.

In a rather anticlimactic way to kick off the new year, I've been taking the time to clean up my studio space. Sometimes, you have to clear the cognitive clutter in order to focus more effectively on creative work. In addition, the re-organization of my studio space reflects a change in direction for me. This past year, I transitioned from working exclusively in the pastel medium to adding oil painting to my body of artwork. This year, my goal is to work exclusively in oils. New year, new me? Maybe.

Manhattan Mist 36" x 36" oil on canvas.

Why the change? A few reasons. First, pastels are exceptionally dusty to work with. I love the medium, but I hate the mess. And after more than a decade of dealing with it in our home (my studio is above our garage), I decided to pull the plug on it. Second, I participated in my first outdoor art shows with my oil paintings last year and it went well. Those "trial balloon" events gave me some positive feedback that I"m on the right track with my ideas and my approach. Finally, I've been ready for a change for a couple of years now. It's high time to do something different, and the new challenges of this medium have revitalized me. Thanks to some excellent workshops and instruction from other professional artists, I'm excited about the possibilities of this year and more years ahead.

My first new painting of 2017, "Manhattan Mist," is shown here. This is a 36" x 36" oil on canvas based on a smaller study that I completed late last year. This is a view across midtown Manhattan, along West 48th Street. Enjoy!