Plein Air Paintings
My plein air oil paintings are done on my travels in many locations including Greece, Italy, Costa Rica, Indonesia, France and Spain. These paintings are done quickly offering the exhilarating, and often humbling, challenge of trying to capture a given moment in time and place. This lends itself to energetic brushwork that gives the paintings their vitality. Here is a very small sample of the numerous paintings I have done en plein air. Scroll to the bottom to read more about how I paint outside.
Window to the Sea - Crete, Greece, 5"x8", Oil on Wood. SOLD
On an isolated beach on the southern shore of Crete, I found this cluster of trees in the dunes overlooking the sea. As I painted the piece, wondrous scenes played out in my window to the sea and will forever be among my treasured memories. Years later, I would bring my bride-to-be to this very spot.
Alpine Meadow, High Sierras, California, 6"x4", Oil on Wood. SOLD
After a multi-day hike up a mountain in the High Sierras, I came across this lovely long meadow with the peaks of the mountain ridge in the distance. I strolled through the myriad small streams that laced the meadow until this spot beckoned.
San Gimignano Morning - Tuscany, Italy, 4"x8" Oil on Wood. SOLD
From the lovely hilltown of San Gimignano, this scene is spread like a blanket for you.
Agia Nicola Reflection, Crete, Greece, 6"x4", Oil on Wood. SOLD
This tiny cove was unveiled in the early morning on the north shore of Crete, just after the mist lifted off the sea.
Vallebuia, San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy, 6"x4". Oil on Wood. SOLD
In the heart of Tuscany, I had the great pleasure of spending the night in this lovely villa. In the morning, I strolled out my door and down the steps, turned around and this is the scene that lay before me. I later traded this painting for my delightful stay there.
Brilliance, Santorini Chapel, Greece, 6"x4", Oil on Wood. SOLD
In one of the tiny cluster of houses on Santorini, a narrow street led me to this scene.
Carmel Dawn - Carmel, California, 4"x10", Oil on Wood. Available
On a quite chilly morning just after sunrise, these trees seemed to come alive along the coast.
Bodega Bay, California, 4"x8", Oil on Wood. Available
Traveling south along the California coastline, the hills and estuary were irresistible.
Cloud Reflections, Santorini, Greece, 4"x6", Oil on Wood. SOLD
The curious traveler will invariably run across this chapel overlooking the sea in the town of Ios.
Coastal Path, California, 6"x4", Oil on Wood. SOLD
This is one of the myriad tiny paths that comb through the dunes of California. The ocean to the left lay a small quilt of mist in the distance.
Grecian Tree, Paros, Greece, 6.5"x10", Oil on Canvas mounted on Wood. Available
On the southern coast of the island of Paros, this tree stands sentinel over a small bay.
Liquid Sky, Washington State, 4"x8", Oil on Wood
Along a back road in Washington state, this flooded field created the ideal reflection of the sky above.
Rio Claro, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica, 4"x6", Oil on Board. Available
After a two-seater prop plane deposited me in the heart of Corcovado national park, I hiked through the jungle. Just before I reached the coast, I ran across this lovely scene that reminded me of childhood vacations spent in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.
Waiting out the storm, Greece, 4"x8", Oil on Wood. SOLD
I was painting this seascape on Santorini in the wake of a rising windstorm. Although I had weighted down my easel with a pile of rocks, the buffeting wind was so intense that I had to retreat to the car and continue from behind my sea-splattered windshield.
Winter Sunset, Chama, New Mexico, 4"x6", Oil on Wood. SOLD
This is one of my favorite places to explore in the part of the Southwest I have called my home for more than twenty years. This winter’s day was a visual feast on the banks of the Chama River.
Yosemite Morning, California, 4"x6", Oil on Wood. Available
Yosemite is truly magnificent and it seems a painting waiting to happen everywhere you look.
Alpine Stream, High Sierras, California, 6"x4", Oil on Wood. SOLD
This was painted during a multi-day hike up a mountain in the High Sierras. The wonderful stream with the mountain peak backdrop was irresistible.
Mount Arinal, Costa Rica, 6"x4", Oil on Wood. Available
This painting was done in the foothills of Mount Arinal. You can see the volcano disappearing into the cloud cover above and although the volcano is considered active, it was sleeping at the time.
Painting En Plein Air
Doesn't everything sound better in French?
*My plein air paintings are rendered on location in numerous settings throughout the world. I adore traveling and am endlessly inspired by the diverse beauty I find, be it on a Greek island, Tuscan hillside, Costa Rican rainforest, California coast, or mountain river near my home in the Southwest. I am thrilled with the adventure and challenge of painting on location. Outside, the colors around me come alive and it gives me the opportunity to render their subtlety as I perceive them in that moment.
My plein air paintings are created “alla prima” (“at first”), meaning they are painted all at one time in one sitting. In these paintings, I seek to capture a given moment in time. Since I am often drawn to morning and evening light, the scene can change dramatically within a few minutes. Proper timing is essential. I set up my easel and begin the painting well in advance, anticipating the most dramatic lighting. When it arrives, I am prepared for that magical and fleeting moment.
Weather and nature can often prove challenging. I am frequently caught in the rain, wind, snow, or under clouds that cover the sky and obscure my light. In Costa Rica, the mud flat I stood on one day while painting quickly submerged with the rising tide, bringing bull sharks and alligators up the river. In Santorini, while painting a seascape in the wake of a rising windstorm, I had to retreat to the car and continue from behind my sea-splattered windshield (you can see "Waiting out the Storm" above).
These paintings are rendered in oils on hardboard panel. I prepare all my panels in advance, with a variety of undertone colors. In these works, I often use a background of terra rosa, a traditional color used since Byzantine times under gold leaf and occasionally under oil paintings. Although I sometimes use other earth tones, I find terra rosa provides a distinct luminosity. Each painting will show unique characteristics under varying intensities of light. Increased light sources will pull the rich hues of the base color to the surface, enhancing the overall warmth.
Because I am traveling with a number of panels, they need to be fairly small, usually 4”x 6” to 6”x 8”. I have a custom-made panel carrier which holds the fresh boards as well as newly painted pieces. I use a pochade box, which holds all my paints, panels, palette and brushes, in a compact case that I then carry in a small backpack. This set up makes it possible for me to venture to distant and remote locations and enjoy the ultimate pleasure of painting wherever I go.
My plein air paintings are created “alla prima” (“at first”), meaning they are painted all at one time in one sitting. In these paintings, I seek to capture a given moment in time. Since I am often drawn to morning and evening light, the scene can change dramatically within a few minutes. Proper timing is essential. I set up my easel and begin the painting well in advance, anticipating the most dramatic lighting. When it arrives, I am prepared for that magical and fleeting moment.
Weather and nature can often prove challenging. I am frequently caught in the rain, wind, snow, or under clouds that cover the sky and obscure my light. In Costa Rica, the mud flat I stood on one day while painting quickly submerged with the rising tide, bringing bull sharks and alligators up the river. In Santorini, while painting a seascape in the wake of a rising windstorm, I had to retreat to the car and continue from behind my sea-splattered windshield (you can see "Waiting out the Storm" above).
These paintings are rendered in oils on hardboard panel. I prepare all my panels in advance, with a variety of undertone colors. In these works, I often use a background of terra rosa, a traditional color used since Byzantine times under gold leaf and occasionally under oil paintings. Although I sometimes use other earth tones, I find terra rosa provides a distinct luminosity. Each painting will show unique characteristics under varying intensities of light. Increased light sources will pull the rich hues of the base color to the surface, enhancing the overall warmth.
Because I am traveling with a number of panels, they need to be fairly small, usually 4”x 6” to 6”x 8”. I have a custom-made panel carrier which holds the fresh boards as well as newly painted pieces. I use a pochade box, which holds all my paints, panels, palette and brushes, in a compact case that I then carry in a small backpack. This set up makes it possible for me to venture to distant and remote locations and enjoy the ultimate pleasure of painting wherever I go.