December 17, 2010 "Foggy Top"

"Foggy Top" oil on linen - 30x36 © Marc R. Hanson '10
A recent painting finally finished... I think... of a woodland interior. I'm planning a number of these type of large woodland scenes at different times of the year. I really enjoy getting involved in the spots of color that the foliage provides me to paint. And I love to put myself into the scene, wandering around the tree trunks, up into the canopy, along the ground in all of the clutter. Can't do that on an 11x14, you need to open the window up wide and wider is sounding even better to me lately. Thanks for looking.

December 6, 2010 'Scarlet Sunset'

'Scarlet Sunset' - oil on stretched canvas - 14x18 © Marc R. Hanson 2010
I painted this one yesterday, the first of what will probably be several paintings using my September Nocturnes as inspiration and the starting points for larger pieces. Nice thing is that since they were only 5"x7"... anything is a lot bigger!

Not to be misunderstood... this was painted yesterday in the studio from a study done last September, not from life yesterday.

December 4, 2010 'Waiting For The Glow'

I'm working on a larger scale woodland scene in the studio right now. But it needed to be set aside for a little bit for a couple of reasons. One is that it needed to 'dry up' a little bit for the next stage of work on it.

More pressing is something that's going on with me right now... I have images pouring into the well, even getting me up at 2a.m. this morning and not letting me get back to sleep! The images are vague, full of mood, and are resulting from the many field sketches that I am surrounded by in the studio. I'm seeing these images based on the studies but they are 'not' the studies. This is a lot of fun. I'm seeing new ways to interpret the work from my past into something new, maybe even completely different than what I attempted to do in the original sketches. I'm not sure why this is happening, but it's driving my engine right now so I'm going to run with it.


'Waiting For The Glow' - oil on panel - 20x24 © Marc R. Hanson 2010
This is the first one, painted yesterday but tidied up about 3a.m. this morning. It's loosely based on a couple of studies I did in Sarasota, FL last May and June. What I wanted to play with was the gorgeous color that I witnessed while there. I've chosen to just include a few figures for compositional reasons, but the beaches were full of people sitting and looking out towards the water. I couldn't figure out why so many people showed up just before sunset... the beach was almost empty until then. I've been in the midwest for a long time now and had no idea about the "Glow" at the exact moment of sunset. That's what the people on the beach were doing... not going skinny dipping at night as I sort of suspected they might be getting ready to do!

A slightly blurry detail of the figures...

Nov. 16, 2010 - Winter Harmony

'Winter Harmony' oil - 14x18 © Marc R. Hanson '10

I tried to stay inside today but just couldn't do it. By about 2:30 I'd had it and threw on the winter garb and headed out of town a couple of miles to paint for the last two hours of useable light.

Although a very overcast day, I'm searching for the beauty in the grays as my challenge. When I first climb out of truck the thought runs through my mind that I must be nuts... there's not a thing interesting to paint. I know better than to let that get to me so I usually stand or walk around to let my color sense adjust. As that happens, I'm amazed at all of the color and am then wondering why I don't have more color in my color box. One that I am definitely taking out next time is Cobalt Violet Light, it's everywhere!

Temps in the mid 30's, not too bad for a winter day. Now if I only had a gallery that liked winter paintings???

First Blanket - Nov. 15, 2010

'First Blanket' - oil - 9x12 © Marc R. Hanson '10

We've had our first major snow storm with about 8" on the ground. Yesterday I decided that I wanted to paint it before it's gone and we're onto our second storm. The sun was just out enough to add a warm light and cools shadows to the landscape. It was that kind of a day when about all you could conjure up was Mr. Monet. The color was like that. I mentioned to a friend earlier in the day that the St Croix looked like it was being played in the key of 'Monet'.

It's hard to find a safe place on the edges of the highway to paint now because of the loss of shoulder due to the snow build up. In light of that, I went into William O'Brien (we are so lucky to have this gorgeous park near by) to paint the mix of distant hills, evergreens, willows, dogwood and grass with it's newly laid blanket of fresh snow.

The area that I wanted to paint was in a restricted part of the park so I ended up just painting to work out the wrinkles. Winter painting is a new thing all over again with it's own needs to adjust the way that I painted all summer. Good to shake it out early.

I like the color in this one, but wish I could have positioned myself so that there was a little less horizontal to it. I could have used my official license and made something up. But I decided to take what was there and get the paint on the panel.

Provincetown, MA 2010

I'm finally getting some of the paintings photographed that are going to go to Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, MA for the "Creative Convergence-Cape Cod" show that opens on January 15, 2011. The linked text will take you to the gallery and to the information on the show... times, dates, events.

Some of these were painted in P-Town, the larger one is studio piece....


'In The Mist' - 8x10 oil © Marc R. Hanson '10


'Last Day, Last Light' - 18x24 oil © Marc R. Hanson '10


'Night In P-Town' - 8x10 oil © Marc R. Hanson '10


'Provincetown Golden Light' - 5x7 oil © Marc R. Hanson '10


'Sunny Street' - 7x5 oil © Marc R. Hanson '10


2011
January 15 through
February 28
Creative Convergence: Cape Cod
at the Cape Cod Museum of Art
60 Hope Lane, off Route 6A, Dennis

This renowned group of artists from across the United States and Mexico decided to meet in Provincetown, our country’s oldest art colony, and to explore Cape Cod, the region that inspired Charles Hawthorne, Edward Hopper and Henry David Thoreau. Like other artists who have been drawn here for over 100 years, they came to be inspired by the landscape, the light, the sea, our communities and each other.


Saturday, January 29
2:00 pm Artists’ Talk: Creative Convergence: Cape Cod
at the Cape Cod Museum of Art
60 Hope Lane, off Route 6A, Dennis

Friday,February 18
3:00 pm Artists’ Talk: Creative Convergence: Cape Cod
at the Cape Cod Museum of Art
60 Hope Lane, off Route 6A, Dennis

Friday,February 18
5:30 - 7:30 pm Museum reception for Creative Convergence: Cape Cod
at the Cape Cod Museum of Art
60 Hope Lane, off Route 6A, Dennis

Saturday,February 19
5:30 - 7:30 pm Reception for Creative Convergence: Cape Cod
This renowned group of artists from across the United States and Mexico decided to meet in Provincetown, our country’s oldest art colony, and to explore Cape Cod, the region that inspired Charles Hawthorne, Edward Hopper and Henry David Thoreau. Like other artists who have been drawn here for over 100 years, they came to be inspired by the landscape, the light, the sea, our communities and each other. We invite you to discover their own interpretations of this place and its people.

'October' 24x30 oil

A new painting for 'The Value of Black & White' exhibit in Fish Creek, WI in November, at the Peninsula School of Art.


'October' oil, 24x30 © Marc R. Hanson '10

I neglected to mention that this was painted from a field study that I did earlier in the week...

'What A Difference A Day Makes" 8x10


Here's the little 6x8 that is on the exhibit ad for the show. This was a demo for my August workshop a couple of seasons ago.