Painting and Birding 'round the Long Island Sound

I've recently had four paintings accepted into the 20th Annual Associates Artist Exhibition at the Lyme Art Association, and it was only after-the-fact that I realized that each of the four plein-air landscapes represents one of the seasons of the last calendar year.  Since I have not been painting very much recently (being swamped with other work), I thought it would be fun to post them here as a series, and ruminate a bit on my fondness for the climate and seasonal cycle here in the northeast.

I'm always struck by how many people complain about the weather- especially the cold of Winter.  I always remind them that there are plenty of states to the south of us.  This probably accounts for why I have so few friends!  This  year, however, even I am complaining, because we have the cold but what is missing is the snow!  I know one should be careful what one wishes for, but to me, snow makes cold more bearable.  I have no problem tramping out with painting gear and layers of clothes as long as the landscape is blanketed in snow; if I want to paint brown landscapes, I'd rather save them for "jacket weather" in November and March.  The lack of snow so far this season may be why I am not carving more time out of my schedule to paint. 

WINTER

"Deep Snow"  8x10 2011 Sean Murtha

So this painting dates from last winter.  Last winter was a great one for snow-lovers such as myself.  Here in coastal Connecticut, we never get as much snow as the rest of New England, and so I have never required snowshoes to hike in the woods.  The day I painted this one, however, I really should have had them!  The snow was up to my knees and the walk was exhausting, especially with painting gear on my back.  Fortunately I came upon this spot only a hundred yards or so from where I had parked.  This meadow, on the grounds of "Earthplace", a wonderful nature center in Westport, CT, has attracted me in all seasons.  Native grasses and shrubs are mantained here, though on this day the snow had crushed and covered all but the tallest and strongest stems.  For the painter, snow can carve a nondescript scene into a bold, graphic pattern of dark and light shapes.  It also creates wonderful lighting effects; in this one I was mesmerized by the warm glow reflected back on the tree trunks and into the shadows of the snow.

SPRING

"Spring Awakening" 6x9, 2011 Sean Murtha

Spring always seems to come on too quickly and pass faster than I can paint it.  Most people equate spring with light, lacy greens.  But I am just as struck by how the color of new buds often foreshadows the color that the leaves will turn in fall.  Such is the case here, with this group of maples in Waveny Park in New Canaan, CT.  It was early morning and the rising sun was glancing across the edge of the distant woods and casting long shadows across the field.  Besides the wine-colored buds of these trees, I was also drawn to the rhythm of their trunks, some in light and some in shadow.

SUMMER

"The House Behind the Hedge" 9x12, 2011 Sean Murtha

Some equate summer with sun, but I see it as being  just as often about shade.  Deep shadows always imply summer to me, with the trees heavy with leaves.  Shadows have their own surprising subtleties of color, depending on the quality of their surroundings.  All that greenery casting its shadows on the ground is also reflecting sunlight warmly onto the stucco walls of the house; the sky reflects its cool blues into the shadows across the slate roof, whose angles made a delightful study.  Although most of this painting is in shadow, it is all about light.

AUTUMN

"Fallen" 8x10, 2010 Sean Murtha

This was a quick study done in a neglected corner of Bruce Park, Greenwich CT, quite close to the site of the summer painting.  Autumn paintings can easily get carried away with color , and my most successful paintings from this season are usually before or after the "peak",  when there are still some greens around, or browns and greys beginning to take over.  Then a single note of some dazzling color becomes that much more vivid.  This location is one I often pass on birding outings, but this patch of golden leaves and the glow it cast into the shadows made an immediate impression and I returned the next day to paint it.

These four paintings are on view at the Lyme Art Association in Old Lyme, CT, through February 25th.  Founded by the artists who made Old Lyme a famed summer art colony, it has maintained a high standard for realistic painting.  I am proud to be a member and to be a part of this show.  Stop by if you are in the area; you will be glad you did!