The Greats

"Iced In" 30x40 by Charles Movalli

I don't have a painting to post tonight but I've been thinking of sharing the work of some of my favorite painters instead. The list is long but I have to start somewhere and today I was browsing the work of Charles Movalli and  marveling at his mastery of his medium-he works in oils and acrylics-and his total understanding of composition and understated, but powerful color harmony. I love the way he includes a fearless foreground in many of his paintings. I mean that the foreground leads the eye into and around the work. It may be just shapes and colors that indicate a dock or harbor but each brushstroke is perfectly placed. There are many links on the web but mostly to Galleries who represent him so I'll include the link to Bayview Gallery in Camden, Maine where you'll also enjoy the roster of other high caliber artists. Enjoy.

The Perils of WIP

I'm going out on a limb here by posting the finish to this painting. I got wonderful comments on it but didn't feel that it was complete. I also had my hubby check it out because he is really the typical viewer, not an artist. What I ask him is, "does anything bother your eye?" If I disagree, I don't change it, but often he is able to point out something that doesn't read clearly. So, love it or hate it, this is it. I will add that this is one of the few times I've taken a painting further and did not feel that I wrecked it.

Crane Beach, Ipswich

Crane Beach

9x12 oil on board

SOLD

Saturday my friend Sally Dean and I drove up to the North Shore to visit Crane Beach in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Again, you don't usually have to travel too far to enjoy an adventure in your own 'backyard' as it were. We walked on the beach, visited some antique shops and a yard sale where we picked up some cool stuff. Then we set up overlooking a dune with beach roses and a knarled old tree and painted. On the way home we stopped for ice cream in Essex, another hidden gem. It was glorious!!! I need to work just a teeny bit more on the beach roses, here. But for now I'm setting this aside until I can get a fresh perspective.