Sugar Maple Birches and Boston, MA

"Sugar Maple Birches" 36"w x 12"h

I'm back from a trip to Boston where I had the rare opportunity to view artwork in person from some masters whose work I've viewed many times over the years in print. I was amazed at the color and texture of the work, and also of the style in which they painted which still seemed so fresh even after hundreds of years. Van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Picasso, O'Keefe, Warhol, Gauguin, just to name a few. I took some reference photos with my iphone for my own personal memories, yet the photos don't do the work justice. The trip itself was like stepping back in time in many ways, to revisit work which as so inspired me, and to walk the streets and sidewalks of those who lived during the revolutionary war time. Standing at Paul Revere's house, looking up at the steeple of the Old North Church where he hung the two lanterns, taking a Freedom Trail tour with a guide dressed in colonial attire ... all of it made a lasting impression on me and I appreciate the rich history of our nation all the more.

Here's a painting I dropped off at Siiviis Gallery in Duluth last week titled 'Sugar Maple Birches' which features distant maples dressed in their green summer leaves and crisp white birches in the foreground. The sky is a medium cobalt blue. I've been painting but not posting and I've missed the time to pause and reflect on my work, something that perhaps the trip to Boston reminded me of .. slow down and take time to reflect. I've been on quite a fast pace as of late, perhaps I'll post some recent work this week to get caught up on my reflecting time now that I'm back in town. :)