New Paintings at Somerville Manning Gallery
At Somerville Manning Gallery yesterday- Left: Evergreen, Middle: Winter, Right: Narrow Cove Ogunquit
I took four new paintings up to Somerville Manning Gallery in Greenville, DE yesterday. Two had just returned from Ogunquit Museum of American Art's exhibition Philip Koch: Isle of Dreams in Maine, and the other two were large canvases fresh off my easel.
Evergreen, oil on canvas, 36 x 54 inches, 2022 (above). When I was out on location painting the study for this large oil I had the feeling this was a home happily contented people lived in. Perhaps that's silly as I didn't see anyone around over the three mornings I worked on the painting. But there was something wonderful about their yard- bright sun splashing on exuberantly colored shutters and roof. Setting this off were the solemn dark evergreens, impressive in their size and obvious maturity.
This is Warm September, oil on canvas, 36 x 54 inches, 2022. Like its cousin Evergreen, it describes the dance between a beautifully restored 19th century barn and closely surrounding foliage. My initial interest was grabbed by a small cupola atop the barn at the left, but this gave way to letting the trees take center stage.