LYME ART COLONY

Florene Griswold Museum sits by the bucolic Connecticut River. It's the famed home of the Lyme Art Colony. House & garden inspired a generation of artist. 

I'm so familiar with the area, that finding a pretty spot by the water to paint was pretty easy.

ELECTRIC SUNSET

Another Electric sunset over my garden, nature's abundant glories! Lucky me.

NEW ENGLAND PASTEL

With the heat wave & endless rain, Connecticut is looking quite lush. With the change of season, I have to rearrange my pastel color sticks. I wont be needing my soft pastel colors for awhile. With the lush, deep colors of summer, I will be switching over to using my oil paints.

PINK AND GREEN

Yes, more studies of Cherry blossoms. I used oil turpentine for the base, & soft pastel to bring out that lovely shade of pink.

ANOTHER EGG TEMPERA

Unlike a quick sketch, each painting is a journey. I cant say this painting is finish. But one must get on with our life & other projects. After many weeks working on this new painting, I'm exhausted! Egg tempera is a very flexible medium. On the other hand, it is a strong medium. It can show its weakness quicker than almost any other. One cant really fudge it. It would be interesting to see if this image will be a popular GIFT ITEM ON ZAZZLE?

PAINTING SKY

Normally, I paint in a soft skyline in order to add the illusion of depth & distance. This property sits on top  of a mountain, with panaromic view of the valley. I want to bring the sky forward. 'Cause every time I visit, I have the experience of almost being able to touch the clouds. This might or might not come across with the finish painting, we shall see? If this is not a house commission, the sky would take up most of the composition.

BACK & FORTH

After many more hours, it does not seem I did anything new? This is the point I need to stand back alot, to not loss sight of the whole effect of the painting. "Painting leaves vs painting tree..." I want the distant valley in cool hues,  to enhance the illusion of space. This is in contrast to the flat lines of the house. Generally speaking, warm colors come forward, cool colors recede. I think I need to do more glazing on the house, to make it warmer. To warm up a sage green is not so easy!

ANDREW WYETH

From years of illustration, I got into the habit of spending time with research. Depending on the assignment, I like to study specific artist, which I can apply to the job. You just never know how influences come in. For this painting, ANDREW WYETH is a major influence in how I want to reveal an American bucolic scene. Aside from his flawless egg tempera technique, he's a master at conveying a sense of place. Other contemporary egg tempera masters I love are: GAIL BUNTING & KOO SCHADLER. To see more of how contemporary artist utilize this very ancient medium, click on this LINK.