Painting a Series

Knowing what you love is an important part of choosing subject matter to paint. Among other things, I love to paint fountains, statues, boats and bridges.  Identifying what you love about each subject is also important.  If you say "I'm going to paint a bridge", you'll probably get a rendering that is more illustration than a work that says something about that subject.  But if you can name what drew you to the subject in the first place, you'll be more likely to be able to communicate it to your viewers.

A while back I was fascinated with bridges.  Covered bridges in Indiana's Parke County, stone bridges in Acadia National Park, footbridges over rushing streams.  In this depiction of the bridge in Bath, Maine, I was taken with the lacy quality of the beams against the sky.  Such an industrial subject might not be as saleable as, say, a lighthouse.  But I was drawn to the weblike quality of the structure. 

A personal note.  I'm recuperating from my three month, post surgery complications.  Glad to be back on my blog.  Now if I can get back to the studio and sling some paint around, I'll be a happy camper!