Friday

It's been raining all day and night here and they are talking about flooding in some areas...time to build an Arch!  We did spend some time at a museum where they have collected together some old houses from around the countryside from the 1800's  The perfect thing to do on a rainy afternoon.

Richard Boyer

Thursday

This morning we drove up to the small quaint village of Wilson on  Lake Ontario, there they have a nice harbor where I did this painting under cloudy skies. When I finished the dark clouds moved in and we drove back through the rain. I was glad I didn't start the painting in the afternoon.  Saturday is suppose to be clear so I might just head back up there to photograph in the sunlight, boats always look nicer with some light glistening off the decks.

Richard Boyer

Wednesday

Today my step brother Rob moved his boat from a small dock or marina along the side of the Erie Canal out to a location next to the Niagara River. He has a friend there that owns a restaurant and wanted to spend some time at a new location. His friend also thought maybe a boat in front of the restaurant would help draw in the crowds.

So we set out at noon down the canal, passed rather large homes, or estates on the way to the river connecting Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.

Here is the captain of the USS Journey.

There were quite a few boats along the way as the canal lazily made its way down.

This one bridge they built and the story has it they used only once to open for a larger boat, since then it has remained in the down position.

 This bridged went over the mouth of Ellicot creek, that very creek where I painted the water falls the other day about fifteen miles upstream. He took the boat then out into the Niagara River for a view of the open water. Farther down stream is the famous Niagara Falls, not the place to have the motor fail on you!

Richard Boyer

Tuesday

It was good to paint with some artist friends at the OPA show in Patoskey, Michigan.  I didn't win anything and so far have not sold my painting. Some day I would like to walk away with the winning medal!!!

I stayed at Caesar Citraro's place in the country while I was there in Patoskey and on Friday he showed me around Harbor Springs across the bay, we worked on a couple of paintings there. Here is my piece and as usual I had too much information to capture in that small amount of time, but at least with this painting I should be able to finish it off nicely in the studio. I know Southam Gallery is screaming for more work.

The next day I went out with Ken Cadwallader to a place called Bill's Farm. The mist was still around so it gave a nice soft look to the landscape.  This spot was also very popular with the artists, Caesar turned me on to it and Marc Hanson was holding his painting class here also.  The foreground in my piece I am not too excited about and need to be fix it up or changed out completely.

Sunday was the drive back to Niagara Falls to visit my parents for a week.  Since I had the paints with I figures why not keep going, so I drove up to the old stomping grounds in Williamsville, New York and did this small 12x16 of the falls at Ellicot Creek, we use to play here a lot when I was small.  In fact there use to be an amusement park to the right that burned down in the 70's.

Richard Boyer

Monday

Dave Thomas,
I am flying back to Buffalo to visit, give me a call
cell 801 970-2636

Monday, June 17

So I worked some more on the two pieces here.

The first one originally had a second figure in the back ground, but looked a little odd…so she was eliminated!  Instead I threw more clothing back there on an old wooden sofa.

The next piece here is from Skagen in Stockholm.  I have her collecting berries in a basket. I'm sending both of these images off to the American Impressionist Society Show, the deadline is the 21st of June. So we will see if maybe, just maybe I can get into the show. They pick only one for the event.

Tomorrow I am flying back to Buffalo, New York to visit the folks and then the next day driving to Michigan for the OPA show. After the weekend there I head back to western New York to spend time with family.   

Richard Boyer 

Wednesday

I decided to try a quick figure study today, so this was all done in one shot. An image I took last summer.  The woman worked at Skansen in Stockholm, where they all dress up in period costume from the mid 1800's.  I found the place to be a gold mind for subject matter and thought she made a good painting, out collecting nestles for a soup they made. 

I'll work some more on it tomorrow trying to pop some of the colors. 

Richard Boyer 

Friday

We had the crit session last night and with the kids out of school for the summer, I was able to sleep in from being up until one in the morning.

I did do a few changes to the large 60x40 inch painting. The house down at the bottom I added more purples to the shadow side, which sets off better against the yellow of the vineyards. Some of the grape vines I also raised in height to break up the rows and also darkened down the cyprus trees a little more. 

Lets see what my client thinks of it now.

This little painting that I did on the last river trip was also finished off.  Paul Atchley, a professor at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, was on the trip with his wife Ruthann (also a professor at the same institution) and they fell in love with the painting.  I just had to get it back to the studio here to add the raft and let it dry a bit. 

Now on to some good news. Southam Gallery called me up yesterday and told me they sold this 24x30 painting I did of Charlotte carrying a basket in the dunes. 

And, I'm not finished yet, they also most likely sold this large 30x40 of the mountain top village "Gordes" in Provence. They have a client that has it on hold until he gets into town to look at it and there is another couple also wanting it.

Richard Boyer 

Saturday

I have been working on this large commission piece from Italy, so it's been a little hard to photograph with the size of 40x60 inches. The background could use a little more color still so I'll do that next week; adding some orange to the rooftops and more color in the back fields.

I started this smaller 18x24 piece today of the girls sewing at the farm house in Sweden. If I can get it done in time I'd like to enter it into the "American Impressionist Society's show. Their deadline in June 21st for the show in Charleston, South Carolina.  Seems so far away, maybe too far to go to the show if I get in.

Richard Boyer