​At the 37th annual International Marine Art Exhibition, held at the Mystic Seaport Museum, I had the honor to win the Rudolph J. Schaeffer III Emerging Artist Award.   The winning piece is pictured below: "Mid-Morning  Break"  24x48, Oils on Canvas.   This painting has recently been sold to a private collection.

I enjoyed the opportunity this past June to spend time painting Plein Air along the coastline of Mystic Connecticut to Watch Hill Rhode Island.   I completed 3 small pieces and started another 3.   In addition, the dawn surf at Watch Hill has provided a great wealth of inspiration, driving the progress on an additional 4 new paintings currently underway.   The images below show the plein air works in progress.

This painting won an award and then sold on its initial exhibit in Connecticut.  I find myself glued to the sparkling effects of sun on the surface of water and thoroughly enjoyed studying such dynamics in this piece.   I plan to study this more fully in the future, perhaps a number of close-up studies of the surf  to highlight the sparkle of sun.

As the weather begins to cool, I find myself torn between the dynamics of coastal surf, and the seasonal effects on eastern woodlands.  I’ve been working on a three larger surf paintings (36x72), as well as a number of smaller studies of the sea.  However, local streams amid changing forests are always a source of inspiration.  I’ve played with sketches and ideas over many years for a large painting of an autumn forest stream.  I’ve painted such subjects before, but always on smaller canvases. Small canvases seem restrictive compared to those I can step into.  Perhaps this season I will get such a work underway.  In the meantime, I continue to explore the dynamics of moving surf on larger canvases.  Pictured below, I am holding the painting “Rejuventation”, which can be viewed in greater detail on the “New Pieces” page.

My painting progress this past spring has been slow, but I have completed a few large seascapes.  Currently, two more are underway.  I am also continuing work on two stream landscapes as well as a study of an old birch trunk with summer leaves.   Shown in the pictures below is the new addition at Sheldon Fine Art in Newport Rhode Island.  One of my recent wave paintings can be seen centered on the wall.

     This year has provided many days of snowfall inspiring a wide range of winter scenes. I now have one snow-scene nearing completion and have just begun another. I have three additional snow paintings planned out and am hoping to begin one of them before the end of the month. I’m very excited by the opportunity to get out into snow-filled forests and spend time on the ski slopes! The paintings are an end result of such excursions.

     In addition, I have been working on two large surf paintings (36x72). One of which is nearly complete. Spending time in Newport a few weeks ago provided more ideas. Breaking skies along the south shore of Rhode Island displayed dramatic views of misty surf …… more inspiration!. Before the holidays, I completed a large dawn seascape (48x72) for a gallery in Newport. This work reminded me of how much I enjoy working on large canvases. I have many more large pieces planned out and hope to complete a few before summer. Pictured below is the dawn piece I completed before Christmas, shown against the car for scale.

With the onset of autumn, my painting has begun to explore the wonders of October forests. Although I am continuing to work on 3 seascapes, I have started a couple smaller studies of autumn trees. I hope to complete and exhibit one of these this coming weekend at an art show in Bethesda Maryland.

The weather and response was very good from my past two shows, Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, and an exhibition in Armonk, NY, so I look forward to this weekend.

This is a difficult season, since I am torn between my usual artistic studies of surf, and new drive from the changing seasons. There is certainly room for both in a never ending torrent of inspiration from the natural world.