Retreat to Otter Creek

This painting is of a popular watering hole in New York State's Bear Mountain; while upon first blush the subject and location may appear rather unambiguous and the painting appears to adopt a more representational approach than one is accustomed to with my landscapes, this particular painting offered many challenges: the light, the water, and above all, those ancient, powerful and formidable rocks had to feel just right! This was another work painted from reference photographs. In order to keep my work fresh, consistent and recognizable to my viewers, even when painting in the confines of the studio, I always begin my painting sessions by setting a good old-fashioned egg timer at 1 hour intervals, so that I am forced to work quickly, as if I were outdoors, racing to capture that ever-changing light. I have found by setting this challenge when painting landscapes indoors, it has helped to keep my work fresh, alive and vital. The egg timer approach is also useful to an artist (strictly my opinion) because it implores you to stop and take a 5 or 10 minute break, allowing the artist both physical and emotional separation from the work, in order to do a quick assessment and to regroup, if necessary. My number one goal with paint is that, with every brushstroke applied, the viewer is left feeling that the paint on the canvas is electric, and imbued with it's own energy and lifeforce.