Acadia Painting 5/5

Posted on 09/06/2013 by adamleveille

On the last day of vacation Lance and I once again went to the loop road and climbed out on the rocks. It was the perfect, beautiful, sunny way to end a long relaxing, exciting, art-filled week.

Otter Cliffs : Oil on Board. 9″x12″ 2013. painted on site.

Best of all, I got a great painting out of it and I learned that, when standing in direct sunlight, your colors are probably darker than you imagine 🙂

Also, there were a few other sketches that I did from around the island.

The Rocks at Seawall : Pencil. 5″x7″ 2013

Upper Hadlock Pond : Pencil. 5″x7″ 2013

Some Notes on Waves : Pencil. 5″x7″ 2013

View of Little Long Pond : Pencil. 5″x7″ 2013

View From Beech Mountain : Pencil. 5″x7″ 2013

Acadia Painting 2/5

Posted on 09/03/2013 by adamleveille

So before August of last year I hadn’t done much oil painting since I graduated college in 2002. As Lance and I were packing for Acadia in 2012 I decided, on a whim, to bring along my old box of oil paints and some masonite panels. The first full day of vacation Lance and I hiked along the edge of Somes Sound – the fjord that cuts up the center of Mount Desert Island.

After a few hours of hiking we cut down to the water level and I decided that if I was going to paint, that was the time. It was awkward and windy, and the first result was clumsy, but it started me down the path to where I am today. (click photos to enlarge)

Somes Sound : Oil on masonite. 9″x12″ (NFS) Painted on site.

Last week I revisited the spot to repaint it on the one year anniversary.

The Flying Mountain trail winds along the edge of a steep embankment a few hundred feet above the water. The trail is literally cut into the rock face in parts, and offers dramatic views up the Sound and across to Nuremberg and Parkman Mountains.

Setting up my easel on the edge of Flying Mountain. 2013.

I was able to get a glimpse of my original painting site (the nearer of the two points on the right), which was under water due to the tide, so I decided to stop where I was, perched on the edge of a giant granite boulder tumble, and set up my easel.

I spent about 2 peaceful hours there. Almost no sounds except the occasional boat motoring up the fjord. I spotted an osprey hunting below me, and was visited by a remarkably curious/fearless red squirrel. The resulting painting perfectly captures the late afternoon feeling. It’s a little sweet, and the water on the right side got muddied with some stray orange, but overall I’m happy with it.

Somes Sound Overlook : Oil on board. 9″x12″ 2013. painted on site.

Earlier Tuesday morning Lance and I had gone to Sand Beach, on the eastern-most part of Mount Desert Island. The beach is a tiny channel with steep cliffs rising on either side, and a stunning view of the Beehive Mountain directly behind it. I spent a good amount of time sketching the cliffs.

Looking out from Sand Beach : Graphite 5″x7″ 2013

Looking North from Sand Beach : Graphite 5″x7″ 2013

Looking out from Sand Beach : Graphite 5″x7″ 2013

Acadia Painting 1/5

Posted on 09/02/2013 by adamleveille

August is incredibly busy at my job, and the month ended with a much needed, and much enjoyed vacation to Acadia park in Maine. For those who are unfamiliar Acadia is on Mt. Desert Island – a weird and beautiful place, complete with dramatic mountains, rugged cliffs jutting into the ocean, gorgeous boreal forests, a fjord, and truly breathtaking views.

It is a landscape that inspired artists such as Edward Hopper, Frederick Church, and Fitz Hugh Lane. And me. I brought along my painting kit and my sketchbook again this year and spent 5 of the seven days making art.

First up is Seawall, painted on Monday morning. Seawall is a cobble beach on the lower east side of the island, staring off into the Atlantic ocean and the outlier islands. Across the road are tall, eerie pine forests and quiet marshes.

Painting the ocean is challenging. It’s always moving. It was foggy one moment, and sunny the next. By the time I finished drawing, mixing colors, and started painting the rocks in the bottom of the painting had half vanished under the tide. An hour later they were completely submerged. And, of course, the composition is a little bland, with the horizon cutting just about halfway through the painting. But still, it was the start of a very productive week!

Seawall : Oil on board. 9″x12″ 2013. Painted on site.

A panorama of the marsh behind Seawall beach.

Graphite studies of the rocks, waves, and vistas of Seawall beach. 5″x7″ 2013

Erased Selfie

Posted on 08/04/2013 by adamleveille

I drew a selfie and then I erased it…

Selfie : Graphite on paper. 5″x9″ 2013

Yellow House

Posted on 07/29/2013 by adamleveille

Its difficult to photograph a wet painting and not get a bunch of glare so…sorry for that.

New idea I’ve been playing with. You saw the sketch last week. Here’s the finished (almost) product.

Yellow House : Oil on board. 9″x12″ 2013

House in Streetlight : Pencil 3″x4″ 2013

Sketchbook drawings

Posted on 07/24/2013 by adamleveille

A pair of small drawings from my sketchbook. I usually do a value/composition drawing before I start a painting. First is the house across the street in the glow of a streetlamp. Second is a prep drawing for my last painting.

House in Streetlight : Pencil 3″x4″ 2013

Farm Drawing : Pencil. 3″x4″ 2013

10 Landscape Sketches

Posted on 04/06/2013 by adamleveille

These are little thumbnails I do as warmups before actual painting. I usually work from photos on my phone and the corresponding sketch is about the same size – usually in the 3-4″ range.

: Davis Square

: Great Cranberry #2 Pencil on Paper. 3″x5″

: Great Cranberry #1

: Pownal

: Random Field #1

: Random Field #2

: Random Road #1

: Random Road #2

: Swan’s Island Sketch #1

: Swan’s Island Sketch #2 Pencil on Paper. 3″x5″

More old stuff

Posted on 02/17/2012 by adamleveille

It’s 9:30 on a Thursday and I’m having a glass of wine and listening to some music (The Album Leaf) and sifting through some old drawings I had scanned to see what’s worth posting. I have dozens and dozens of sketchbooks filled with old figure drawings but I feel like throwing some naked men up on the screen is a cheap way to drive traffic.

So cheap it is!

I used to attend a figure drawing session nearby that was borderline legit. Which was fine, some of the sketchiness (no pun intended) appealed to me, and the models were generally very good. Unfortunately the host of the group let it devolve into a shit-show, so I ended up not returning. However, I did get some good drawings, including one of my favorite models: Edward. I have some sketch pages of him, and a nice finished drawing that is very reminiscent of the Barberini Faun.

adam's art work

the website of adam Leveille

Tag Archives: pencil