Friday, July 15, 2011

A Summer Stroll in Orwell, Vermont


We are upon the beautiful days of summer in Vermont, the days that seem to make the cold and bleakness of winter all worthwhile! I was out a few weeks ago exploring some areas around Orwell, Vermont and came upon this lovely scene. The light was coming through the heavy clouds in wonderful patterns just hitting the tops and edges of the trees. In the painting, I hoped to create a sense of mystery in the painting a sort of, "I wonder what is beyond the bend in the road" type mystery. The answer will have to come in another painting; there were a few jewels to be found indeed! Back to painting....and picking raspberries!
Andrew Orr
A Summer Stroll in Orwell, Vermont
8 1/2 x 12, oil on mounted canvas
please contact me directly for purchase details
artsteph1@aol.com
www.andreworr.com

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Late Afternoon, Lake St. Catherine, VT, 7 x 16, oil on canvas


So here I am thinking, what am I going to work on next and blammo, it hits like a ton of bricks. We have a lake just south of town, a wonderful lake with a great history for the community. I often drive by and think, someday I should find some material from the lake from which to try and create some paintings. I guess that day has come. This is the first of some smaller studies I have done from various locations around the lake. This happens to be the section referred to as the little lake. A bit different for me, regarding moving water and the inclusion of boats and structures. It was fun. So, we'll see what else I can come up with.

Late Afternoon, Lake St. Catherine, VT
oil on canvas, 7 x 16
please contact me directly for purchase inquiries
artsteph1@aol.com
www.andreworr.com

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

The Start of Summer


View from Marginal Way, Ogunquit, Maine
oil on canvas 6 x 8

On view now, as part of the show:
Scenes of Summer
Brandt Roberts Galleries
642 N. High Street
Columbus, OH
Opening reception June 4, during gallery hop
www.brandtrobertsgalleries.com



In Fullness of Summer
oil on canvas 24 x 30

This, along with 25 other paintings of mine will be on view through June 30:

Design Domaine Gallery,
67 Mine Brook Rd. (Rt. 202)
Berndardsville, NJ
Opening reception June 3, from 6 until 9 pm.
www.designdominegallery.com

www.andreworr.com

Friday, May 27, 2011

Summer in Vermont, oil on canvas, 20 x 24


A very influential teacher once said to me, "blue, green and yellow an interesting painting does not make." Well, living in Vermont, the "Green Mountain State" it is often hard to find a way out of all of the greens of summer. I try to vary the greens pushing a lot of red and umber into the mixes to warm them. Also, I try to have much variation with regard to warm and cool tones. With this particular painting, I realized what caught my attention was the interesting composition. So in addition to variation of green tones, warm and cool tones, compositional interest can also add some variety in an otherwise overly green painting. Regardless, this was a lot of fun to work on and I hope that I conveyed the scene as a warm, humid, late summer day in Vermont.
Summer in Vermont
oil on canvas
20 x 24
artsteph1@aol.com
www.andreworr.com

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Lazy Days of Summer, oil on canvas 16 x 20


Rain, rain and more rain....makes for some great days in the studio! This is a piece I recently completed and I am pretty happy with the result. With each painting, I try to find some lesson which I might try to learn. This piece was a culmination of many of the lessons or ideas I have been working on as of late. Specifically, I wanted the distant hill to read as a hill with distance, but not far distance...so I did not push it completely to blue hues. Also, I have been working on some pieces where I tried to show the stones and rocks at the bottom of a creek bed. I am still playing around with this and will do some more pieces in a similar vein. Above all, while this is a fairy green scene, I tried to play up the difference between warm and cool greens and used some stronger colors in the shadows other than darker greens. It was good fun and I am looking forward to getting outside to put some of the lessons I have been working on in the studio, into practice. Guess its time to say, "rain, rain...go away!
Lazy Days of Summer
Oil on canvas
16 x 20
Brandt-Roberts Gallery, Columbus, OH
www.andreworr.com

Friday, April 22, 2011

Single Peony, oil on canvas, 8 x 10


While we are still waiting for spring to come its nice to be able to think about what might be ahead in the garden this summer. I spent an afternoon, a very cold and blustery afternoon, working on this simple peony in a glass jar. I really enjoyed the simple and graceful composition with strong lighting. I was so pleased with the result, I arranged a few more in a simple, but larger set up. Maybe I'll get to that this week.
www.andreworr.com
Single Peony
oil on canvas
8 x 10

Friday, April 15, 2011

A Quiet Place, 20 x 24, oil on canvas


Finally after what seems like months and months of winter, we are seeing some signs of spring. What a truly welcome sight! This painting was created from some sketches and oil studies I did late last summer in North Bennington, Vermont. I was at this location on the Mill River for several hours so I had a great chance to see the changing light. While the final version of this painting is very different from where I had initially started, I like the front lighting aspect to this painting and was quite happy with the overall feeling of the painting. I continue to enjoy working from my plein air studies...even if they were completed months prior.

This painting along with several others will be on display with the Bryan Memorial Gallery in Jeffersonville, Vermont, as part of their Legacy Collection, until late June. For more information about the Bryan Gallery go to www.bryangallery.org.

Happy Spring!

A Quiet Place
20 x 24, oil on canvas
www.andreworr.com