The side gate (day 3)

It was sunny and downright hot today, with temperatures in the 70s, so I was back outside, painting my gate. This time I focused on the right side of the picture, including the ivy and the tall rose bush, and I made some first efforts at a background.

I'm not happy with the background yet. I tried adding more trees, but they interfered with the U-shaped junction between the gate and the ivy, which I really like. I also need to work on the foreground, especially the foreground bush. Still, I like the direction this is going.

Geoff Watson, “The side gate (in progress, day3),” oil on linen panel, 12” x 16.”

The side gate (cont'd)

Two beautiful days in a row! So I was in my side-yard again this afternoon, soaking up the sun and having a wonderful time painting this gate. I’m excited about it! Today I focused on the steps, railings and walkway. I didn’t touch the background or the right half of the picture. I’ll get to those later this week. Unfortunately, it looks like clouds and rain for the next couple days, but no worries; the gate isn’t going anywhere.

Geoff Watson, “The side gate (in progress, day 2),” oil on linen panel, 12” x 16.”

Hiding behind the trees

The pandemic is upon us, and plein air painting has to bend to the needs of the day. In my case, this means painting a lot of things while standing on my driveway or front lawn, where no onlookers come peek over my shoulder. Fortunately, our cherry blossoms are about to bloom, so I should have some good subject matter. In fact, my little cherry tree is already blooming. I may paint it tomorrow.

For the last couple days, though I focused on our neighbor’s house, which is shrouded in trees. Our neighbors are wonderful social people, but the building itself seems to be hiding behind the foliage, as if distancing itself from the virus.

Geoff Watson, “Hiding behind the trees,” oil on linen panel, 12” x 16.”

Neighbor's house

I stood on my back porch and painted my neighbor’s house, painting for a couple hours on both Saturday and Sunday. I was going after the glowing afternoon light that sporadically lit the house in warm colors.

Geoff Watson, “Neighbor’s house,” oil on panel, 11” x 14,” 2019.

Daily painting #82: Nocturne

We arrived safely at Rehoboth Beach, which is suffering through a blistering heat wave. I can’t really paint inside our rented house, so much as I’d have preferred to do a still life in the air conditioning, I had no choice but to look outside. I waited until it was a mere 88 degrees, at 10:30 pm, and then painted this little nocturne. It’s not as dark as this photo suggests, but I hope you get the idea.

Geoff Watson, “Nocturnal window,” oil on linen, 5” x 7,” 2019.

Daily painting #22: Dad and daughter paint-out

My daughter is home from college, and she and I painted together today — a rare treat! It was a glorious 70-degree day, with bright sunshine and clear skies. I thought I’d share both our paintings. First, here’s mine:

Geoff Watson, “Front walkway,” May daily painting #22, oil on panel, 9” x 12,” 2019.

And here’s my daughter’s impression, with a more zoomed-in point of view:

Maddie Watson, “The front door,” oil on panel, 8” x 10,” 2019.

Daily painting #16: Welcome

For the second straight day, I felt an unusual compulsion to paint a doorway. And why not? There’s something mysterious about a closed door. But the flowers stole the show.

Geoff Watson, “Welcome,” May daily painting #16, oil on panel, 6” x 6,” 2019.

Daily painting #2: The color purple

Here’s my second daily painting. I did this in less than two hours, with one break. I like this one a lot!

Geoff Watson, “The Color Purple” (May daily painting #2), oil on panel, 8” x 10,” 2019.

Darien bookstore

We visited southern New England last fall, and I drew a few sketches and took a few photos. I did a watercolor of one such scene last night; it took a bit more than an hour. I like how it turned out, though I confess I have a lot of trouble taking good photos of my watercolor paintings. It’s not so much the curled edge of the sketchbook paper as accurate depiction of colors and temperature. This picture is warmer than the original, and it looks better in the original sketchbook. Still, I hope you get the idea.

Geoff Watson, “Darien shops,” watercolor on sketchbook paper, about 4” x 7”, 2019.

Here’s another imperfect photo. I’m not sure cropping it shows it off better. If the photo above is too warm, this photo is too cool!

Geoff Watson, “Darien shops,” watercolor on sketchbook paper, about 4” x 7,” 2019.

Orange Roof

I’ve been itching to paint this house for months, and today I finally got to it. It took about two hours. I got cold and declared victory!

Geoff Watson, “Orange Roof,” oil on panel, 9” x 12,” 2018.

Before I did the painting, I did this little sketch. The idea of the sketch was “light house against dark background.”

Geoff Watson, “House on Brookside,” ink and wash on paper, about 4” x 6,” 2018.

River Road House

It was the first nice day in months, or so it seemed, so I got out to do some drawing and painting. I started with an ink sketch of a nearby house, and then I sketched it in oils. This was my first session with my tiny new “Thumbbox,” a pochade box that holds only 6” x 8” panels. I hadn’t painted this small in a while, so it was an adjustment, but I still had fun. Here’s the ink study:

Geoff Watson, “River Road House,” ink on paper, about 3” x 5,” 2018.

Geoff Watson, “River Road House,” oil on panel, 6” x 8,” 2018.

House in Wesley Heights

I had a great time painting this house today!  The weather was perfect, and the passersby were friendly and supportive.  I'm happy with this painting, but I'd like to try this subject again from a different angle, and I'd like to experiment with softer edges everywhere except at, say, the chimney and circular turret.  Anyway, what a great day to be outdoors!

Geoff Watson, "House in Wesley Heights," oil on canvas panel, 11" x 14," 2018.

House behind trees

It was chilly today, but it was so sunny that I just had to sneak outside for an hour to paint.  I'm glad I did!  I did this painting on a canvas pad, so it was intended as a practice painting, but I like how it turned out.   

Geoff Watson, "House behind trees," oil on canvas, 9" x 12," 2018.

Thanksgiving at the farm

I had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends today. Before the feast, I had an hour or so to do a quick oil sketch of this quaint farmhouse. It was only 45 degrees outside, but the bright sunshine -- and the lack of wind -- made it feel much warmer.

I was most interested in the intense light falling on the left side of the house and the roof. I didn't have time to finish the picture -- I didn't even paint the whole surface of the panel, and my vertical lines are wobbly. But I do think I managed to catch some of that afternoon light.

Geoff Watson, "Thanksgiving at the farm," oil on panel, 11" x 14," 2017.