Wednesday Morning, Ventnor

SOLD
5x7

Grassy Sound/Closure

I'm not thrilled with the word "closure" but in this case it fits best. Every now and then a painting takes me hostage and Grassy Sound has certainly done so. I've repainted the entire thing at one point or another, I haven't let myself start any new large pieces until this one was done. Today I had the time to spend several uninterupted hours mending the areas I found irritating. It may never be one of my favorites, but I guess I liked it enough to keep going.

Fallen Squirrel

Some find it macabre that I paint dead animals. As long as they are in pristine condition I find small animals make wonderful subjects. I grew up in a family of hunters ( including my mother ). Personally I hate killing things, but I think my home enviroment may be part of the reason I'm drawn to paint these creatures. 8x10

Exit Stage Left

SOLD
A second version of the horseshoe crab. I had to go way back to find the first from two years ago. 8x10

Scull's Bay Sunrise #8

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It felt good to get back to one of my favorite painting spots. 9x12
You can view the first seven from last year here.

Budding Magnolia

5x7

Whelk

SOLD

5x7

Happy Father's Day

My Father's card this year is a copy from a painting I did last year ( and sold) of the decoys my Dad keeps in the rafters of his garage. 5x7 charcoal and blue conte'

By the Dawns' Early Light

SOLD
Just about finished. I wish the photo could capture more of the true luminosity of this piece. As it is I had to lighten the background in order to get truer colors of the bridge and cranes. It reminds me of Inness ( I should be so good!)

Half a Cigarette

My friend Diana from Art of Flowers Stands in the garage doorway and smokes only half a cigarette when she takes a break. 5x7

Update

Just a reminder that I'm participating in two group shows. The Signature Artist Exhibit at the Noyes Museum and "Pleasure Avenue" invitational at the Ocean City Art Center. Both opening receptions will be held Friday evening, June 12th. I will be in attendance at the Noyes. Also, the Noyes Museum will now be featuring a selection of my 5x7 landscapes in their gift shop!
The photo is of my Koi and goldfish from last summer, unfortunatly this year more then half of the goldfish are gone,...dinner for the Heron!

Absecon Victorian

5x7

The Last Peonie

SOLD

I brought it in last night, figuring it wouldn't survive the rain. It smells wonderful. 12x12

...Looking Over...

5x7

Kitchen Sill

SOLD

I've always liked having a flower on my kitchen window sill to look at while doing the dishes. That's why you may have noticed this set up before! 8x10

Spring at Birch Grove Park

I was going to title this Green on Green on Green. A beautiful afternoon. When I sat down to paint this scene there were three canadian geese sleeping on that ridge of ground...they promptly moved when I started. I figured the view was nice enough without them. One came over and sat very close to me ( then went to sleep ) while I painted...the perfect painting companion! 8x10

Marshcreek

I realized after I was finished with this 5x7 that a great number of my wetland pics have a clump of grass in the lower left. I'm going to try and avoid that with my next composition. Sorry for all the reflections, they were caused by sunlight,,what a glorious thing it is!

St. Pete's

I keep putting my painting gear in my car and then taking it out...another weekend of heavy fog, clouds and rain. This is from a photo. I wanted to get a pic of St Peter's Roman Catholic Church with the flowering trees blooming( had to settle for a cloudy day of course ) I heard it's closing and I'm afraid the building may dissapear....another Pleasantville landmark. 9x12

Finished Work

I wrapped these two up the week ( of rain ) before last.

Faunce Landing, Overcast

5x7

Tony's Baltimore Grill

An old Atlantic City Landmark. 9x12

Quick Sketch of a Slow Dog

or maybe a new sketch of an old dog. Archie is slow as old bassets tend to be, but of course he moved only moments after I started this little 5x7.

Pleasure Avenue

Started this 11x14 panel today. I've been working additional hours at the day job so that I can pay for the workshops I'll be taking this coming September. I will be studying with Kevin Macpherson, Quang Ho and Joseph Mcgurl among others during the Weekend with the Master's ...sponsored by American Artist Magazine. I can't wait. I decided last fall when I knew I was going to continue with plein air and landscape painting that I needed to get some hands on training. This event is about twice what I was planning to pay, but I think it will probably be worth it.<

Arena Buick

SOLD
this photo has some serious linear distortion that really isn't evident in the actual painting. I would get a better pic, but it sold yesterday at the Hammonton Plein Air Paint Out. The same family has owned the building since the 1920s. It was the first thing I knew I wanted to paint whebn I heard about the event. Oh and the Root Beer painting took the first place award as well...it was a good day!

Stewart's Root Beer

12x16

Plum

This little plum tree in my side yard has pretty foliage, but it's in an akward spot that offers no proper vantage point for a painting...so I settled on one small segment. 5x7

Cape May Victorian

Dreary weather for days...did this one Monday, today was the first clear day to get a photo in natural light. I'll be doing the Hammonton Paint-Out this Saturday, reception and awards will be that evening at the Hammonton branch of the Noyes Museum.

Congress Hall, Cape May

9x12

Ruth's House

SOLD
Right behind this house is Adam's Perfect Funeral Home. My friend Ruth occasionaly takes home some of the left over flowers Mr. Perfect leaves out by his trash. For many years I was the main florist for Adam's Perfect, so when I later met Ruth I found it funny that many of her scavanged fresh cuts were probably mine to begin with...funny world. 8x10

Tree at Belhaven School

5x7

Crocus

Following three wipe outs in the last three days, this little one will be spared the rag! 5x7

Old Drawing

A study for a painting from the around same time period as the Yellow Sub. Notice the word "warm" in the hole on the left. I used to do detailed drawings like this with notes of color and value for reference. I was vehemently opposed to the idea of using photographs for reference. That changed over time, but I still strongly feel that nothing beats working from life when possible. I'm holding back on current productions right now to give my shoulder a chance to heal. Sigh.

One last detail

I thought this piece was finished until I passed the location on my evening walk and saw the bicycle. It was the perfect completion to the narrative of "High School Parking". Starts with a bike, ends with a car....or in a car perhaps.

From the Vault " Yellow Submarine"

Here's an early acrylic from 1979. This was where I worked in Nags Head, North Carolina after graduating high school. One skill I've kept to this day: Throwing Pizza!

Start of the Season

8x10

Lenten Rose

Days of rain and drizzle have kept me from getting images of new work. This is still much cooler in tone then the original. 5x7

Stll parking at the high school...

I've been working on this piece and the Grassy Sound painting for the past week now, hoping to wrap them up by then end of the month. This one has really gone through some changes since it's inception. Today I prepped a bunch of 5x7 panels so expect some plein air's very soon

Last Winter

Not the Cold ...Not the bad shoulder, could keep me from doing this one. A friend showed me this shack in the middle of a development last month. On seeing it the first thing I said was that it would have been great to paint it in the snow. Glad I got another chance. 9x12

Snow Storm Clearing

same view from last year's March Storm Clearing painting...this march storm was a little different. 9x12

Nikki

A commission I picked up while I was in Florida. I always get attached to pets as I paint them. 8x10

Three Years and Counting

Yesterday marked Three Years since I began this blog. Sometimes when I look back I feel that I've grown much as a painter... other times not so much. I do know that I can handle the medium ( oils ) far better then I could in 2006. I also know that my taste for pop art subjects has all but vanished. I've also learned ( largely through journaling ) that I can not predict what I may paint in the future. And more then anything I've learned that I have much further to go and grow than I ever imagined back when I returned to painting in 2005. Temper that last bit with a much clearer understanding now of what my goals as an artist are ..and a realistic attitude about where I stand in the wide world of realistic oil painters.
Several months ago I ran into some problems ( and problems still ) with Google Analytics. I am no longer able to keep track of who and how many visit this blog. That was terribly important to me and I suppose I may have to start a new blog altogether if I want to regain that window of information. Letting go of the obsession of who's watching has been a good thing. I'm still selling a few paintings from here ( far more then my website and far less then shows and commissions ) Selling was not my goal when I started Chuck Law's Art Pages and though it became so for a while it seems that for now I've gone back to happily using this venue primarily as an open record of my painting process...a wonderful digital sketchbook for all to see. My goal is to keep things here mostly visual as I tend to lose myself with words. Thanks to those of you who take the time to comment because yes, even though I can know longer tell who's looking in I still care quite a bit...after all I'm not just painting for myself. That has been most significant and perhaps the most spiritual lesson of all.

* photo of Great Blue Heron perched on my Koi pond!

Fixing what needs to be Seen

"High School Parking" is the darkest piece I've ever worked on. I'm carefully coaxing the subject out of the shadows of twilight

Seeing what needs Fixing

...I often have a very hard time being able to tell what's wrong with a painting...mine as well as others. A few days away from this made clear that the sky was incorrect, the value and the edges of the clouds were way too strong. I kept thinking there was something a bit cartoonish about this painting, I hope this was it.

Nearing completion...Grassy Sound

It's been interesting working on 4+ paintings at the same time. I'll be taking a brief break from painting for the next few days as I devote myself to working in the Flower Shop for Valentine's Day.

Winter Morning, Patcong Farms

11x14

High School Parking

a work in progress... I quickly blocked this in while the image was still fresh, the rest will be done from the photo reference. 26x30

Snowy Day at Birch Grove

I chose to leave the flakes out when I painted this, there were plenty in the paint though. 5x7

Second Stage Grassy Sound #2