One's destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things.

I’ve had a love affair with Bermuda for over 40 years and just returned from a week long art festival on island. A big part of Bermuda’s charm is its natural beauty and as an artist it represents a dramatic change of scenery from what I’m familiar with in Boston. Plein Air painting celebrates the making of art in the great outdoors. Visiting new places allows us to experience the world with a fresh eye and revitalizes our spirits. I’ve found that a radical change of scenery shakes up old ways of working and forces a reconsideration of seeing and interpreting the landscape.

"The purpose of the painter is simply to reproduce in other minds the impression which a scene has made upon him. A work of art does not appeal to the intellect. It does not appeal to the moral sense. Its aim is not to instruct, not to edify, but to awaken an emotion.” George Inness

Local and visiting festival artists

Painting in Somerset Bermuda

The ultimate moveable studio!

National Gallery with Bill Hanbury (CEO of Tourism) and wife Valerie

The gala reception was held at the Bermuda National Gallery. Each artist had the opportunity to enter up to 6 paintings for the final exhibition. I have no idea how the committee managed to hang so many paintings in such a short time but they did a fantastic job! I'm very pleased that several of my paintings sold and I'm looking forward to exhibiting some of my work later this year on island. To read more about the festival visit:

http://www.bermudapleinair.com/plein-air-festival/meet-our-2015-winners/

Castle Point 11x14 Oil on linen

Ely's Harbour, 9x12 Oil on linen

I can. I will. End of story.

Society of the Four Arts

I drove up to the home of Manon Sander, (www.manonsander.com) a fellow painter who was my host last week in Florida. I was there for the Festival of the Arts at the Lighthouse Art Center in Tequesta. I was thinking I’d taken a wrong turn - the house is palatial to say the least. Manon has a parakeet named Fritz and the home is jokingly referred to as The Fritz Carleton so you get the idea. Anyway the other guest at the "Fritz" was Morgan Samuel Price, who just happened to be one of the judges. Morgan is one of the finest landscape painters in the country and is the most energetic person I've ever met.

I’d been preparing for this trip for several weeks, trying to get outside to paint in spite of the staggering amount of snow and bone chilling temps we’ve experienced in Boston this winter. I often painted the views from my window in the comfort of my studio. I’m primarily a figurative artist so it's great to get out of the studio to paint nature from life. It was great to be juried in but I was a bit apprehensive given the talented pool of painters. 

Some of the most accomplished artists I know are riddled with insecurities when it comes to their work. Self doubt is a sign of creative progress and if anyone doesn’t believe they’re doomed to fail, I figure they are. In any case, as I said earlier this is my year to say YES to new adventures. It doesn’t always work out but I’m an optimist at heart. For now it's back to Boston (yes it's snowing) and the struggle continues at the easel but I have faith in what comes next.

More than 50 artists traveled from all over the US and as far away as Alaska for the Festival. The paintings are on exhibit and available for purchase through March 28. I’ll be teaching a 3 day workshop at the Lighthouse Art Center, February 2016. For more info visit: www.lighthousearts.org/ 

"Riverbend Reflections" 11x14
Available at the Lighthouse Center for the Arts

Jason Sacran won Best of Show

John Caggiano and Michele Byrne

Quick Draw at DuBois Park

Ken DeWald's painting of me painting.