The Three Sisters  O/C 20x24

It has been a long time since my last post.  My new year's resolution, as much as I had one, was to pay a bit more attention to my blogs.  I am still painting, and headed into some new territory as you will see in the last painting in this post.  Of course, I don't remember if that will be at the top or bottom of the scroll, so it may be the first.  I am still painting outside as much as possible and doing some studio work as well, especially during these crazy cold months.  I'll try to post a bit more often, but in case anyone is still looking, here are some newer works.    John B

Three Sisters, oil on linen panel 6x8

I have painted these three trees near the house three times so far and plan to revisit them often as Spring approaches.  The larger one was done outside, painted on two cold mornings standing beside the Mount Vernon trail.   The smaller one was done in the studio from a photograph.  I also did a small abstract which is currently in a show at the Art League in Alexandria.  I am looking forward to painting these in different light and different seasons.

Winter Walk  O/C  24x20

Studio painting from a photo of the kids and grandkids.  As much as I love these folks, it was the blue building in Roslyn that really caught my eye.  

Water's Edge   O/C  11x14

This had been sitting in the corner for a couple years, and one cold day I picked it up and threw in the blue in the foreground just to flex my painting muscles before starting something else.  The blue was what it needed.  Go figure.

Off the Trail,  oil on linen panel  9x12

Another painting from near home.  I am enjoying woods and color and design as much as "scenes," which led to the painting I mentioned earlier.  

Beginning      O/C  24x20

I'm seeing great studio possibilities to keep me going until it warms up a bit outside.  I hope to share more soon.  JB

Marsh Sky  O/C 12x16

So I finally got around to doing some painting yesterday here in Longport.  This was painted from under a bridge coming into town.  I forget how hot it gets here and how tricky it can be to paint in full sunlight.  The advantage if the bridge is that it provides a large area of open shade, which is perfect for painting.  The problem is that I don't want to paint the same marsh over and over.  That's where waiting for an interesting sky comes in.  I started this one as the tide was coming in and finished it standing in water.  

Tree Study o/c 14x11

I painted this in a favorite spot I thought I had pretty much mined. Instead of trying to paint all the marshes and the river and the sky as I usually do, I decided to focus on this clump of trees and call it a study. Somehow, calling a painting a "study" freed me from thinking I had to produce a masterpiece and I began to find interesting details to consider in a tiny piece of what can be an overwhelming landscape. That last line stirs the urge to preach, so I'll stop, but there's a sermon in there somewhere.

I have been gluing linen on gatorboard panels in anticipation of painting on vacation. For the last twelve years I have been doing services at a little beach church for a few weeks in July. I hope to do a painting a day this year, and I will have more to say about that here in a couple of weeks.

And my Darling daughter sent me a Father's Day package, which I thought about waiting until FD to open (fat chance) and it held, of all things, an anchor and a large plastic map case. In the card she challenged me to guess what the present had to do with some good activity at the

beach this summer. It took a minute, but when I figured out that my favorite small painting box would fit in the map case I began to see myself anchored in the marshes painting from the kayak. Thanks Margie! Can't wait.

Morning Glow o/c 6x8

Good morning for painting. I did this little painting before putting in an appearance at the church for the day school's last day celebration. The sun had not been up long.

Chance of Storm o/c 12x16

I went back an hour later with a bigger canvas. I had not done anything this large on site in a long time. It is four times larger than the earlier one. I really liked the room to paint and the dynamics of a larger canvas. I tend to throw paint around and paint quickly, and the extra space was really nice. I will be preparing a bunch of larger canvases for the coming weeks.

Marsh Path o/c 8x10

This one was done along the same marsh trail last Saturday. Dyke Marsh is pretty quiet even during rush hour. There are all kinds of birds and today there were two eagles. All this in sight of the Capitol.

Here and There o/c 6x8

My friend John and I took off a little early for clergy conference a week ago and spent a couple of hours painting before things got started. John and I have painted in the Virginia mountains and in England and Wales, and it is always good to get caught up in a painting and then turn around and realize, "all this and a friend to go smoke a cigar with later." Life is good. We chose a little parking lot in the middle of nowhere between two churches and a few other interesting buildings. I expected to paint a church, but I was drawn to the fields in the other direction. There's something about that bit of "there" glimpsed through trees that really speaks to me. I hope to do a big version of this one of these days.

Riverside Late Evening o/c 9x12

The weather here has been good the last few days. I did a little painting yesterday on the mall in D.C. I wasn't happy with that one. I had to work a while today and was sitting watching the news at 6 when I realized there were clouds moving through and I didn't have to be anyplace. I drove up to the local park and came back with a beginning on the plein air season. I met some great folks, including a volunteer ranger and a photographer who was enjoying the same sky. Good afternoon.

Still Life with Brushes O/C 16x20

Another still life, and if it keeps snowing through Spring around here there may be more. Actually, I have enjoyed these still lifes and I do plan to do more. I am also dreaming of long warm days painting outside. In the meantime onions, bottles and whatever is lying around the studio can be fun. This still life is set up on an old painting box that belonged to my grandmother. I still paint out of it sometimes, and here it has found another purpose. I hope to take it outdoors soon.