Wednesday, June 18, 2008

"Orleans Number Two"

This was painted on the beach in Orleans, Ma. on Little Pleasant Bay. I believe it was a wildlife sanctuary of some sort on this side of the inlet. There were just a few adjustments that I needed to make to it the next day.


"Orleans Number Two", 8" x 16" oil on linen, Frank Gardner © 2008
$930. Framed. Available at Galeria Gardner



Detail of "Orleans Number Two", Frank Gardner © 2008

33 comments:

Alicia Padrón said...

Beautiful Frank!!!

Is there someone standing far away there, in the left side of the tree?

Alicia Padrón said...

Meant to say tree trunk or stick.

Stacey Peterson said...

Ooh - this is my favorite of yours from the trip! Love how you massed your values so well.

Ambera said...

Your greens are always so fresh and real. I love this piece, it's uplifting and calm and all the elements within it have great relationships. It's a new favorite for me.

Barbara Pask said...

Wonderful Frank. Love the greens. Doesn't this make you want to move back to the states at least when the weather is warm?

Anonymous said...

Stunning! What eye food that is after a very, very long day! Thank you so much!
Ms. Padron is very witty! I enjoy her comments on many levels - tonight, I was grateful for the laugh and smile, as she referenced a past exchange you two had.
And, I very much enjoyed reading your mom's comment!!!
~Solveg

Frank Gardner said...

Gracias Alicia! Yes, as a matter of fact there are two people that I added to draw a bit of attention by the boats that are pulled up over there.
It was some sort of pole sticking up. I have no idea what it is for. Was going to leave it out but it really comes in useful. The path swings you in to the right and that pole helps stop that movement and bring you up to the center of interest. Then the people and that path move you back to the left so you can go around the corner into the light.
I hope :)

I have put up a detail shot so you can see it better.

At one point I had a moored sailboat over to the left, but it really fought with the smooth flow. I wanted this painting to be more about the light and those people and boats in the shadows, so I wiped it out.

Frank Gardner said...

Thanks Stacey. I am a bit surprised by the enthusiasm for this one. It is one of those that did not come easy.

Frank Gardner said...

Thanks Ambera. As I mentioned above to Stacey, it kind of caught me by surprise that this one is a fav.
I struggled more with this one than some of the others.

Frank Gardner said...

Hi Barb. No, not really.
I am happy where I am. This place really fills my spirit. I will be up again visiting in a few weeks.
It gets real green here too you know. The summer is our rainy season. I'll have to try and paint a few locations that I have done when it is real dry and show the comparison.
There it is again, blogging giving me ideas for paintings. Thanks guys!

Frank Gardner said...

Thanks Solveg!
Iguess the calm in this one would be a good release after a long day. As always, your comments mean a lot to me.
Yes, I agree, Alicia has a good sense of humor. I hope we meet some day. I know that I would get along with her well.
One more vote for Mom! I know, I know, my Mom is always right. It just takes me a while to listen :-)

Anonymous said...

great piece.. love the depth in it - looks real.

Frank Gardner said...

Thanks Simon.

Alicia Padrón said...

Yes I see them Frank! Thanks for posting a detail photo. Is funny but I had imagined the person on the left, not to be a person at all but an easel. He, he.. I guess the mind fools the eye right? But now I see the 2 people clearly.

And you are right on with how the eye moves. It does exactly what you say. What I love about this piece is the light area behind the greens. This painting makes me want to go into the light! Well not hitting the bucket or anything, more like getting on a little boat and sailing towards that area. ;o)

And thank you and Solveg (please call me Alicia, I feel old with the Ms) on your kind comments about me.. I'm blushing here. And yes Frank we would get along I'm sure.. I'd love to meet you one day too, maybe Mexico maybe Venezuela, who knows right?

Thanks again for posting the close up, you dummy you... ;o)

Frank Gardner said...

Ha, ha. I guess I left the head off of that one. I just laid in what I saw quickly and they were moving. Or they were bent over or something.
Just wanted to suggest without painting the stripes on their shirt or anything. I am near sited you know and don't wear glasses or anything, so I see things a little blurry anyway.
Loved that light too and tried to do everything I could to get the eye to move back there.

I got a kick out of your comment on the light. "Step into the light Alicia, don't be afraid".

Dummy, that is an inside joke everyone from another comment on Jennifer Thermes' blog.

mike rooney studios said...

youre another near sighted painter that kills it. mcpherson too. i kinda wish i was LOL. Squinting is a poor substitute for out of focus when it comes to massing in shapes. maybe as i get older. hehehe.

Elizabeth said...

You make the East coast look wonderful.
I particularly like the "Lobster Pot".
I think I said before it's amazing how colors and light vary so much.
New York is rather bland and spare....in some ways a relief from the brightness of Morocco.

Frank Gardner said...

Yeah Mike, I don't want to get glasses 'cause I'm afraid no one will like my paintings any more. LOL

Frank Gardner said...

Hi Elizabeth, thanks.
The light does vary a lot from place to place.
I bet NYC feels kind of gray after Morocco.

Frank Gardner said...

Thanks a lot Stephen.
I agree on the "we are who we are". That is just how it comes out naturally huh?

Alicia Padrón said...

I totally get it Frank. I understand that you just want to suggest them there and that is what's lovely about it.

As far as seeing blurry, I squint on purpose all the time while I paint and work. Can't help myself..
I even posted about it. Here is the link is you want to check it out :o)

http://pbjunkies.blogspot.com/2008/05/now-i-see-clearly_02.html


This painting might have come as a surprise to you, since you reworked on it.. but you ended up with an amazing beautiful piece :o)

Frank Gardner said...

Orale, squinter.
Yo tambien soy uno.

I remember when I was a kid and got glasses for the first time. I remember how disappointed I was that all of the stars and street lights did not really have all of those lines coming out of them. ha ha.

I have not used a pair of glasses in a very long time.

If I squint there is a point where I see better, but usually it is just simplifying out all the the details like you said in that post. I see values well though.

Frank Gardner said...

Orale, squinter.
Yo tambien soy uno.

I remember when I was a kid and got glasses for the first time. I remember how disappointed I was that all of the stars and street lights did not really have all of those lines coming out of them. ha ha.

I have not used a pair of glasses in a very long time.

If I squint there is a point where I see better, but usually it is just simplifying out all the the details like you said in that post. I see values well though.

Anonymous said...

Frank,

I think this one's a knockout also. It's got a beautiful sense of light, and I find getting good variety in greens to be really difficult. I'm terribly jealous of this painting.

Another near-sighted fan,

Colin

Anonymous said...

It was another very long day, and the verdant, cool, lush abundance of your blues and greens calmed me via memory all day. I couldn't wait to come home and see if I had been idealizing your painting in my mind or if it was really as invitingly jump-in-able and lie-down-able as I remembered it. It is. More thanks. Great big green thanks!
~Solveg

Frank Gardner said...

Hi Colin, thanks. Wow! I said it above, I really didn't expect to get such a good reaction to this one.
I like it, but I guess because I struggled with it for a while I felt that it would show in the final piece.

I am often jealous of your work too my friend. Although enthusiastically admire would be a better description.

How did the show at DowlingWalsh go Wed.?

Frank Gardner said...

Hi Solveg! It feels great to know that my paintings stay with you during the day, even when you are away from the computer.
Big green your welcome. and thank YOU!

Christine Mercer-Vernon said...

beautiful painting frank! such a great composition, i'm a huge fan of long narrow canvases. love how you really handled all those green values and subtle color changes, really superb..

Frank Gardner said...

Hi Christine. Thanks. I like the longer canvas too.

Anonymous said...

...this painting has been a "shield". It has been a quick and perpetual reminder of the peace which passes all understanding.

But, I also take with me your horses - their faces, mostly. (in some post's comment stream, you said you can't paint portraits - maybe it was even in the "stick figure" stream. I don't believe it...not when you can paint a horse's face like you can...)

And THE tree in the church paintings. And the sock monkey. And the bundle of thorns. And the man carrying them. And the old lady and the cat. Workers in fields. So many.

But, these past few days, I've worn this painting like green and blue eye-drink shield. (do you know that the phrase, "hard heart," is the same connotation as hardened eyes, cataracts - blinded by hardness... this painting was a shield against that.)

~Solveg

Frank Gardner said...

Solveg, It means a lot to hear your comments.
This was a pretty peaceful afternoon. I guess it shows in the painting somehow.

Thanks for your support on my horses. I am working on a few designs for a commission. Maybe I will be able to post some horse paintings tonight.

Ahhh, the Sock Monkey, my niece LOVES that painting.

I am so glad that this painting has helped you.
For me, the enjoyment comes in painting them and the attack of catching the light in a design on canvas. Mixing color.
It means a lot when I hear how that enjoyment reaches others from the viewing standpoint. Things that I would never had thought of if I did not get feedback like this or in my gallery. Thanks for being so willing to share your thoughts and feelings on my work. It extends my joy of painting into new places.

Jason Waskey said...

I'm with a few of the others-- This one sings!

(but "East Dennis Marsh" is my favorite from the trip...)

Frank Gardner said...

Thanks Jason. I am glad that so many fellow painters like this one.
East Dennis Marsh is one of my favorites from this trip too.