A BREATH OF SALT AIR
Breath of Salt Air “Clouded” December 6, 2016
No matter what drama is going on in your life, nature can help soothe. A painting can also serve that function, especially one that is abstract and has no specific reference to place or time. As a viewer, you can step in with fresh eyes and experience how...
Breath of Salt Air “Learning the Ocean” November 8, 2016
Looking out on the bustling ocean I wonder, how did man ever figure out that he could safely swim, surf or play in the waves? We must have learned by trial and error. I love to watch children at the beach. We bring our babies to the shore, holding them tightly and dip...
Breath of Salt Air “October Ocean, A Gift” October 25, 2016
Sitting on the sand and observing the traveling curve of the breaker, I see elegance and raw power. The percussive sound, the scent of clean salt, and a soft breeze all impact my body and my psyche. I realize my breathing has synchronized with the crashing of the...
Breath of Salt Air “Craving the Emerald Green of the Ocean” September 27, 2016
It takes at least 15 minutes to unwind once you get settled at the beach. Sometimes it takes even longer. You run through your mental lists of what you still have to do, groceries, calls/emails to make, people to touch base with, doctors appointments, on and...
Breath of Salt Air “Moon Glow in Gray” September 6, 2016
The combinations of gray that can be made with oil paints are infinite. They are never just black mixed with white out of the tube. Some of the most intriguing color combinations are grays that are achieved by mixing complements like blue and orange, purple and...
Breath of Salt Air “Drawing is Thinking” July 23, 2016
I had a little unaccounted for time this morning and decided that what I should do is drive down to the beach and sketch. I had my favorite pen but my sketchbook wasn't in the car. I reached into the glove compartment for any paper, receipt or back of an envelope. I...
Breath of Salt Air “How I Make An Abstract Painting” July 9, 2016
As you can see, colors in my abstract works are closely aligned with my representational paintings. But there is an important distinction. In the abstractions, I don't envision how the finished painting will look. It's all about trial and error. Here, the proportions...
Breath of Salt Air “Pool Side” July 26, 2016
There is an engaging emotional lift on viewing a turquoise swimming pool. It’s the color of amusement. It makes us happy to just look at! Dive in and we immediately feel younger, almost weightless. Buoyed by water all our senses come alive. Our skin registers the...
Breath of Salt Air “Taking the Summer Plunge” July 12, 2016
When you were a child and arrived at the beach, did you jump right in? I wouldn’t think of going to the beach and not getting wet. If my bathing suit was on, no gray sky, seaweed thick water or cool air could stop me from taking the plunge. I can’t believe that I...
Breath of Salt Air “Hydrangea, Sag Harbor” June 27, 2016
All over the Hamptons this summer you see the hydrangea in full bloom. I'm lucky enough to have 3 bushes planted right in the front of my home where the shades of lavender and cobalt are infinite. Each blossom is an expression of exquisite color. The colors dazzle...
Breath of Salt Air “Ocean and Sky Space” June 13, 2016
In these very challenging times of anger and confusion, taking some time and space can help to bring clarity. Expanses of water and sky at the ocean are a gift to your psyche, a place to rest for just a moment. Looking at a painting that parallels that experience...
Breath of Salt Air “Hampton’s Ocean Colors” June 7, 2016
The sapphire, lime and cerulean of my palette creates a positive emotional charge whether it's in the curve of a realistic wave, or in the arc of a rounded form. You can see that the abstract paintings draw from my many years as a landscape painter. They rely my love...
Breath of Salt Air “What Draws Us to the Ocean?” May 23, 2016
The ocean is forever mysterious. Our peripheral vision can sense the size but cannot grasp the whole. You can stretch your eyes out to the horizon and imagine what is under it but never know. The ocean baffles as it entices us. And yet the ocean sound is...
Breath of Salt Air “Studio by the Sea” May 9, 2016
Most of you who know me know I love to paint outdoors but of course that isn't always practical. I'm so lucky to have my studio by the sea. I can actually see a postage stamp view of the water through the glass doors. That's really important to me, as I can gauge...
Breath of Salt Air “Sketching at the Beach” April 26, 2016
Seeing the bay in various shades of teal sparkling in the sunshine made me appreciate the sea all over again. I didn't realize just how much I missed it when I spent last Spring in the city. As I move the pen across the paper I attempt to capture the thrill of being...