January 2023: Working in a Winter Wonderland!
Spirit of Pigeon Cove
The new year starts with winter; and the upside to winter is that I have a lot of time to paint. Snowy days are perfect for painting in my studio! Working from my own photos, I have completed 7 watercolors in 3 weeks. For whatever reason I’ve been on a streak of local subject matter that includes a lot of fences & flags: specifically, American flags, picket fences, and picket fence gates. I love the red, white and blue of the flag which adds a beautiful focal point to any streetscape. The folds of the fabric and the light shining through the flag intrigue me and present a fun technical challenge. I’ve also finished a foggy landscape of a fishing boat in Pigeon Cove. Normally I love bright sun which creates shadow and contrast. But fog is interesting… working very lightly with a lot of purples and grays for an atmospheric coastal look is a new and gratifying challenge for me. You can see this in my new piece titled “Spirit of Pigeon Cove”.
Goals for this year’s winter painting: finish 3 oil paintings started last year. Getting better at oil painting is an ongoing goal of mine. I am not nearly as comfortable painting in oils as I am at watercolor. I may be too “Type A” for oils; they take a long time to dry and are messy. By contrast, watercolor dries immediately, and creates no mess at all. But I feel it’s important to keep challenging myself in new ways.
The other part of this goal is to create more “statement” pieces: larger-scale paintings that will be purchased as the focal point for a room. Over-the-mantle pieces. I have a few ideas for larger watercolors and have purchased the paper to work on. I will have a good selection of new work for the Cape Ann Artisans Spring Tour in June.
Rockport Red, White, and Blue
Lastly I am pleased to announce that in 2022 I opened a gallery in downtown Rockport with a partner. It’s called Gallery Number One, at 1A Main Street. This is a huge milestone for me. Our first season was a success and I look forward to being there in 2023. The gallery has really connected me to the town and to the community. In addition to my work and that of my partner, we have a number of local consigners who do jewelry, pottery, glasswork, and more. We are currently open only on good-weather weekend days for the winter months, with expanded hours in the spring and every day in summer. Or by appointment.
