Tickets

Tickets - 20x20"

Started a new painting today, a scene from the little carnival that visits Newport every spring.  I've gone almost every year to wander around and take photos.  I like to people watch, see the teenagers checking each other out, listen to them scream as they get spun upside down and around and around on the hair-raising rides that I would never dare get on.  (The ferris wheel is enough of a thrill for me, especially when they stop the ride while you're sitting at the top, and leave you swinging in the breeze!)

I painted a few scenes from the carnival back in 2010, mostly a few close-ups of the food stalls.  This time around I spotted the ticket booth with the flags flapping in the breeze, and immediately saw a painting in the making.  I loved the sharp shadows, the feeling of bright sunshine and heat.  I still have a lot of work to do, especially on Zipper ride, which is rather complex.  I'm itching to finish it.  Until I do, I won't be happy.

Late Night Movie

Inspiration can come from anywhere. Yesterday it came from glancing at a postcard from Spring Bull Gallery in Newport, RI. They sent me a Call for Entries, listing the shows they're holding over the next few months, and one in particular called Ticket Please caught my eye.

Sometimes I'll create a painting specifically for a show, which is a fun way of getting the creative juices flowing and perhaps painting something you wouldn't normally paint. The theme for Ticket Please is the "creative expression of an event in which you purchase a ticket" so I decided on "going to the movies" as my subject matter. As it happens I'd actually taken photos of the inside of a cinema a few months ago, as strange as that may seem, so I had reference photos on hand. I'm a big fan of Edward Hopper and his painting "New York Movie", which inspired me to take the photos in the first place.

I did a sketch yesterday, and began painting today. Hopefully in the next week or two I'll have the finished result.

"New York Movie" 1939 - Edward Hopper

Labor Day Weekend

Well, the long weekend is over, but my work has only just begun. I took photos most days looking for painting ideas that I hope to work on over the next few weeks. Yesterday I went to a free outdoor concert in Newport - Beatles cover band Abbey Rhode. A great place to people watch and look for material for people-scapes.

I went to Tiverton today, a favorite place of mine to photograph landscapes - "Through the Fields" and "Around the Bend" were painted from photos I took on Seapowet Ave. No matter how many times I visit the area I always discover something new. I find the best time of day is in the afternoon when the light is golden and the shadows are deep.


"Through the Fields", 8x8"