Marty's....and Melrose!

Could it be that spring is here at last?!
After a seemingly endless winter (snow in mid-April anyone?), it seems like we are finally getting a taste of spring. And spring brings with it the start of show season....

I will be doing a lot fewer shows this spring due to commitments with my kids, but will have plenty of exhibitions and other opportunities to see my work. And if you are local to the North Shore of Massachusetts, I always welcome appointments for studio visits to my studio in downtown Haverhill. (Just shoot me an email if you would like to set something up!)

Coming up this weekend is one of my favorite shows of the season - Melrose Arts "Arts in April", April 28 and 29 from 11 to 5 at Memorial Hall, 590 Main Street, Melrose. This is a juried show and is always filled with amazing art.

One of the new pieces I will have at the show is this 20 x 10" acrylic painting of Marty's Donut Land.
Marty's was located in Ipswich, Mass, but sadly closed a few years ago. Here is a quick step-by-step progression:

Quick sketch of the layout - in pencil and then in paint. The angle of this was a bit tough.

Laying out flat areas of color so I can make adjustments before getting into details

Lots of layers - almost a kind of glazing, but I think I actually do more scumbling. 

Just finishing up the details here:

"Marty's Donut Land" will be available this weekend at the Melrose Arts Festival. After that, you will be able to find it on the "Retro Roadside" page of my website HERE.

Hope to see you in Melrose this weekend!

The Red Bel Air - Step by Step of a Classic Car Painting

I have been thinking about a number of ideas for a few new car paintings. They are always fun and challenging to do with all of the highlights and reflections. Instead of thinking about what I am actually painting, I have to concentrate just on shapes. It is always intriguing to me how these shapes eventually come together. It seems so abstract while I am working on it - then at some point you step back and realize, wow - that actually looks like something!

Anyways, here is "Red Bel Air" step by step:

Sketching the basic outline:

Laying in blocks of color - I like to do this to check out the composition and accuracy of my drawing. It is still easy to change things at this point:

Starting to play with the shapes - just looking at all the little shapes of different colors, not thinking about what the shapes actually are:

Moving through different parts of the painting - starting to see some of the shapes coming together:

 Getting close to done! This is when I look at it as a whole and make any changes/additions to make sure it all works together and is cohesive:

The finished painting:

"Red Bel Air"
10 x 10", acrylic on canvas

I believe it is a '55 Chevy Bel Air by the way - the 1950's seem to be my favorite decade for car designs! If you are interested in seeing more of my classic car paintings, you check them out in the category view on my DailyPaintworks site here: Classic Cars

"Red Bel Air" is currently hanging at the Newburyport Art Association's Spring Members Exhibition in Newburyport, Massachusetts through April 29th.