Am thrilled to learn that my watercolor, "At a Rhode Island Vineyard," was selected by juror Lorraine Watry for inclusion in the 2025 National Watermedia Show at the Rhode Island Watercolor Society. The show runs from May 31 through July 3 at the Society's gallery in Pawtucket, RI. The opening reception is on Saturday, June 7.
From time to time I like to use family photos as sources for paintings. I don't come from a large family, but I do have an enormous collection of old photos –– quite a few which date back to Civil War era. A number of members of my extended family (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.) lived into their 90s, so many were alive when I was a child. Since I knew many people in these photographs, it has always been enjoyable to use them as subjects to pain. The following small watercolor sketches gave me a chance to try different styles and color palettes.
One of the sketches, completed in 2024 –– "Mom, with Betty and Skip, Winter 1942" –– received an Honorable Mention in the Rhode Island Watercolor Society's Juried Online Show, Inside, Outside. The image source was a small, out-of-focus snapshot taken by my grandfather after a big snowstorm. It shows my mother and my uncle, with my grandmother in the background. They're standing in the driveway of their home in Brimfield, Massachusetts. The original photo was shot in black-and-white, so I used artistic license to "colorize" the painting.
Finally, an old photograph shows my Great Uncle Dick again, this time standing next to his older (taller!) cousin Arthur. Dick was about six years old in this picture, and Arthur was fourteen. The watercolor, "Dick Riedel, with Arthur Benson and his cat, 1915" has a soft, almost dream-like quality to convey the vintage nature of my source.
I've signed up to participate in the Cape Cod Art Center's juried artists' show, "Points of View" (it will run from June 16 - July 11). My reference photo, a landscape with a distinctive cloudy sky, was chosen from a collection of images provided by juried photographers at CCAC. The goal is to present my own watercolor interpretation of the image (rather than an exact copy). It's a great challenge and a lot of fun to mess around with various techniques. Since I have several months to complete the painting, I'm giving myself free reign, and madly practicing how to paint clouds. Stormy skies, sunny skies, rainy skies, winter and summer skies -- all are fair game. I can't wait to see how this challenge turns out. In the meantime, here are three quick studies, two completed earlier this week, and another that's a work-in-progress.
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| Late Winter Sky, study |
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| Late Winter, study |
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| Winter Clouds, study (step 1) |
Vacation travels and other commitments have left me less time to spend in my studio. Fortunately, my schedule has opened up and I'm starting several new pieces.
My watercolor painting, "Bright Morning Mist," was one of twelve winners in the Rhode Island Watercolor Society's annual calendar contest. I am grateful to the many followers on Facebook who voted for me. Thanks very much!
A newer painting, "The Skipper" has been on exhibit in "Primary Colors," an Open Juried Show at the Rhode Island Watercolor Society, throughout August. It shows my son on his sailboat on a long-ago afternoon on the water off Cataumet, on Cape Cod.
A few weeks ago I spent an enjoyable afternoon with one of my granddaughters, setting ourselves up in my studio with the goal of completing a watercolor sketch in just fifteen minutes. We used a photo of some cows that I had taken several years ago as our reference. It was fun sharing creative space together, and I was thrilled to see my granddaughter's imaginatively colorful cows!
Finally, I was pleased that an oil painting I completed in 2023 -- "Sturbridge Farm" -- was displayed in the "Twelfth Annual One" show at ArtsWorcester, 44 Portland St., Worcester MA.
While recovering from cataract surgery, I worked on a larger version of a 10" x 7" watercolor sketch that I completed last month: a view of the pond at Field Farm (a Trustees of Reservations site in Williamstown, MA). This painting is twice the size –– 14" x 10" –– and shows a bit more of the reflected sky in the foreground.
