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| The view from a bridge near New England Biolabs |
A magnificent oak tree changes its character throughout the day
I have been busy working on landscape paintings this summer in addition to portrait work. As a resident of Boston's North Shore, I am fortunate to have a wide variety of fantastic landscape spaces nearby. I have recently been working on the property of New England Biolabs in Ipswich. NEB is a world leader in the biotech industry and the property includes a state of the art facility located on several acres of preserved open space in Ipswich, Mass.
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| The painting in progress. |
Ipswich is home to a rich diversity of ecosystems. There are rivers, beaches, open fields and tidal marshes as well as orchards and organic farms. One of the paintings in progress is the view from a bridge on the Biolabs property. I was drawn to the place by the horizontal bands of light and shadow that happen in the early evening. The shadowed river in the foreground creates a foil for the brilliant light in the middle distance. This light creates a "stage" for a magnificent oak tree in the field beyond. The challenge of this painting is the balance between the "portrait" aspect of the tree and the space it inhabits. This tree changes its character as the light shifts throughout the day. At early evening, its mass is simplified and it displays a fan-like pattern against the sky. This painting is in a very early phase with the dynamic gesture of the masses blocked in. Stay tuned for the next progress report!
