After a long wait, I finally have some new pieces to put up here!  Part of the blame must rest upon getting things going with the Loft Gallery in Clarksburg,as well as a busy September with many guests to show off the local scenic beauty to, but mostly, just because the new paintings were very challenging and ate up a bunch of time.  
All in all, well worth the effort, as one of the two paintings was sold literally the minute it was delivered to the Loft Gallery, while the other is receiving fabulous initial response.  Hard to beat that!

That was great of course, and now I am very happy to be diving into a number of new pieces that I have great expectations for.  Watch here in the next while for updates and hopefully a few new paintings to greet the upcoming season.

This painting is the biggest I have undertaken to date, (50" x 40") and likely the most detailed and involved also.  It is actually the third and final image drawn from observing some local Mennonite boys working a field with this team of impressive draught horses.  Each horse had a distinctive, individual personality and I worked hard to accurately portray that.  Compared to modern farming methods, with a big tractor pulling around an implement to do the same work, this scene was relatively quiet.  However, each time the horses passed, the sound of their mighty hoofs thumping into the ground, as well as their heavy breathing and snorting, along with the clatter from the harness and tethers; well it was far from silent.  I hope the painting is able to convey a bit of that. 

This new painting represents a bit of a refocus for me.  My goal was to find an intriguing subject from the natural world, that would include the sharp, transfixing detail that is found in natural objects, in against a simplified background, using colour and contrast to push the focal point forward. Although unique and captivating, there are countless scenes and objects out there as worthy of a painting as this one, and I have made it my job to be always on the look out for the next one.  If you like this, stay tuned!  

The big news this month is that I have joined up with the Loft Gallery in Clarksburg and currently have many pieces on display there.  Located on Bruce Street, right in the heart of  downtown Clarksburg, the gallery is a big, bright space with an assortment of talented artists showing there.  Most of the art on display there is based on the local scenery of the Beaver Valley and Niagara Escapment terrain, which is a perfect fit with the new pieces I am currently underway with. 
 All along, my move  up to this region this past year, was in part to allow me the opportunity of capturing the spectacular scenery found here with my paints.  Becoming part of a thriving established gallery with a focus on promoting local talent, is a great honour for me.  I look forward to seeing my upcoming new artwork hanging on the walls of the Loft Gallery, and I hope you will be able to drop by and see it yourself! 
The Loft can also be visited online at LoftGallery.com