(31) First Leaves

11 x 14” watercolor on 300 pound cold press paper
Not for sale - click HERE for reprints and cards

Late April, 2008. I am fascinated in how the mind interprets images. From the outer world (visual environment or what we see) our images cross each retina (if we have two eyes) then stream through nerves to the geniculate region of the brain and finally reach the primary visual cortex towards the back of the brain). What happens when the images reach the cortex? Why is it that what we see is not what we comprehend? All last year I saw branches, twigs, and leaves flanking many of the images I painted, which caused me a great deal of anxiety. How do I paint such a mesh of objects? I balked at painting images that seemed like so much work and impossible to represent. My eyes took in the images from the outer world and my mind saw only chaos.

Then I came upon a painting, actually a reprint of a painting, by Monet “The Reader” which hung above a bathroom sink in a building where I was teaching a one day class. While washing my hands at the sink, I began to examine the painting. I saw the main subject of the painting (a young girl with a furled dress) sitting against a thicket of brush and branches. Suddenly I realized that what I saw was actually a wash of color (gray, green and brown) with well painted lines to represent the branches. It suddenly made sense to me. What I saw and what I interpreted was not the same. My retinas saw a wash of color with angled lines while back in the cortex my experiences said "thickets of trees". At a cognitive level I knew this, however, my fears kept me from relaxing and see the “washes of color” from the trees.

With this new interpretation of my outer world I sat down later that day (April 25, 2008) in the orchard, facing west just south and west of the runway, and painted an apple tree with just a week’s worth of leaf growth showing. In the background are the trees and young growth of spring with only a flush of foliage. I applied the washes of burnt sienna and gray with a few strokes to represent the trunks and branches. The sky was streaked with dark blue and gray clouds. Mid way through the painting a small triangular rainbow appeared just above the tree, which I desperately attempted to capture. I found enjoyment swirling the paint as I represented the twisting bark of the apple tree. And yet it was the new found freedom in representing the wooded background with broad swaths of color that made the painting for me ... I imagined my cortex smiling.

(30) Hay and Foliage 2

11 x 14” watercolor on 300 pound cold press paper
Not for sale - click HERE for reprints and cards

18 x 24 oil on Bristol paper - Sold

Late October sitting in the north east corner looking north. The foliage was turning including the red of the sumac. Paths were cut through the tall grass allowing for ease of access by pickers. While painting I heard a variety of voices from the trees, all pickers from the public searching for apples towards the end of the harvest. The voices were indistinguishable (male, female, adult and child) and melded together much like the colors of the trees. Despite the dark clouds in the northern skies, a pale yellow light was cast across the grass (short and tall).
The oil allowed me to play with a variety of textures. The trees of the background and sky being flat, the tall grass (hay) thick curving vertical lines and the grass of the foreground small patches and dots of paint.

The tall hay appears to my imagination as the top of a huge brush stuck in the ground handle first with only the very tip of the bristles exposed. Even though the water color is lighter in tones, my memory of the day was much darker, the oil represents this cool cloudy autumn afternoon more as I remember it.

(29) Hay and Foliage 1

11 x 14” watercolor on 300 pound cold press paper - $125

Middle of October sitting in the corner of the orchard just north of Nick and Cindy’s house facing north. More foliage color, still less than expected for the time of year. Clouds and field of tall grass create a swirl (an “S” movement). Max and Georgia with me, not very patient as in the past causing spills of water jars and much flailing of my arms to protect the paint area, which caused quick work that I finished later at home. In the end the outcome was good including the complimentary colors of purple and yellow, red and green.

(28) October Light

11 x 14” watercolor on 300 pound cold press paper - $125

Early October on a Saturday morning in the corner of the orchard just north of Cindy and Nick’s house looking west. In the lower right corner can be seen an opening in the trees looking onto the field that borders the neighbors property. Bright yellow light with shades of orange in the tall trees. Slight hints of red in the sumac.

(27) Hayfield and Hanger

11 x 14” watercolor on 300 pound cold press paper - $125

October 3rd mid morning. Looking northwest from the tree line just west of the runway. First hints of foliage color, which seemed late in the year compared to past seasons. Fields of tall grass were turning quickly from yellow to brown. The hanger was good. Tried to capture the little “window” between the hanger and the trees of the lake. Lots of visitors came by while painting including apple pickers, orchard workers, and a horse back rider from a nearby stable. Unusually warm for the time of year.

(26) Apple Crates

11 x 14” watercolor on 300 pound cold press paper - $125

Mid September, late morning. A quick work of apple collection crates just north of the Packing House. Harvest was well under way with pickers using these crates to collect apples. I was in a hurry to keep an appointment with Nick with first lesson on making cider donuts at noon. The limited time forced me to quickly lay down paint with broad areas of wash and the use of purple lines to show forms.

(25) Organic Trees and Adirondacks

11 x 14” watercolor on 300 pound cold press paper - $75

Mid September sitting in organic section looking west towards the Adirondacks. Not my best effort, apple tree on the right too stiff (labored far too long here). The sky came out well, just laid down paint here. The tall brown/orange grass is too stiff and not flowing as I had hoped.