Covid Challenges 

My last post preceded the covid pandemic, a time that pointed to a continuing, active and optimistic future. Basically, just being able to continue my normal painting activities. Then, Covid changed everything. Gone were the hours of painting with others in an indoor environment, and painting in Florida’s hot and humid summers made doing so outside, unbearable.  Now, 7 months later, and living in a different and challenging environment, I look back at important changes in my work.

Much of the stimulation for my painting was absent, ie., painting with others. Yes I do draw from inspiration from others. Social distancing and masks, left me in a solitary and isolated studio. Missed were the interactions of my fellow painters, their encouragements and insightful conversation. Now with meetings, even between two neighbors, mostly limited to a computer screen and the impersonal Zoom, a lot is lost. Such are the cautions of a lung transplant with suppressed immunity.

Studio Work  

There's not much inspiration in studio work when one is a landscape painter. As an alternative, I focused on a series painting challenges that could be studio based. I looked at tough problems painters have faced to try various approaches to a subject. My painting studies were designed to pursue optional techniques and are not always intended to become finished paintings. For the next few posts I will review a few of these . I believe studies have given insights on new directions that will appear in the future. 

Studies in Focus

My studio work was facilitated though the images from a catalog of photos taken over the last 40 years. These photos served, not so much to paint as a replica, but to provide as guides. The landscape to follow scenes are basically composites of several images and a little imagination. I started with water reflections among lily pads, then moved on to falling water that moves away from the viewer, next, night scenes of meadows, and finally to light falling on solid objects. Each of these was chosen to explore a structural issue that had not been previously addressed in my work. 

Moving Water

Inspired by a David Dunlop workshop on water scenes, this first set of studies focused on capturing water moving away from view and down a series of pools. Most waterfall scenes capture a falls moving down and toward the viewer, an optically simple structure. As a challenge I worked on creating a believable scene that was the opposite. That is, capture the view you would see if you stood at the headwaters of series of falls and looked over the precipice at the pools below. Getting a viewer to accept a scene that is the opposite of what they expect can be a challenge

Here are a few samples of finished paintings.

12x12" Oil on Aluminum Panel.

24x20" Oil on Aluminum Panel

My next project was to consider shadows on water. Here are two paintings on reflection and a feeling of transparency in a lily pond.   

24x25" Oil on Aluminum Panel

20X20" Oil on Canvas

My work can be seen at Woodfield Fine Arts, 2253 Central Ave St Petersburg, 727-254-6981