Last winter painted as much as possible while spending over half my time on the road and on mountains skiing and ski racing.  But there was no better way to unwind than to paint and I turned out a couple of paintings every month.....many more were attempted, but few survived.  Here are some of my favorites. This one is from a Fall 2013 visit to Monet's house in Giverney, France.  This is on his waterway which he had diverted from the river Seine which flows nearby.  His actual boat, used for many of his works is still on the stream and I took many photos of it and this is my representation of Monet's boat. 

This is a painting emphasizing the morning light hitting on a neighborhood in Gloucester called the "Fort".  This is an area in transition as fishing is being phased out....but the old wharfs, commercial buildings and high landscape give a uniqueness that is very charming.  This painting is a representation of sunset at the ferry dock at Islesboro Island Maine.  The sunsets are spectacular and right across the bay lies Camden harbor.

A scene in Maine with a typical large sailing ship (windjammer) passing by on a warm summer day.  Fascinating Islesboro Maine island house with multiple roofs (or is it rooves?).

Last summer I had the pleasure of meeting a wonderful artist, Anina Porter Fuller, niece of well known painter Fairfield Porter at an art show on Islesboro island Maine.  Anina was kind enough to invite me to visit the family island where Fairfield had painted many years ago and where she still lives ( in the summer months ) and still paints today.  I took probably over a hundred photos of the beautiful island and its surrounding water and cove features.  These photos have led to several paintings which I completed over the winter and there are several more still being worked on.  One of my favorites is the lobster boat with wonderful blue green highlights, bobbing in the water off of the two boat houses that will be its home in the winter months.    Also behind these two boathouses was a huge pile of lobster traps waiting to be dropped into special spots around the island.  Fairfield Porter had painted these boathouses several times and I loved the image they presented. Finally, I hiked out to the southerly end of the island where there is a huge field and a large sandbar with an attractive point at the end.  I tried to capture the light of the day and used artistic license to add a dory for greater interest in the composition.  I hope to do more with the images from this beautiful island in the future