Saudades

"Saudades" is a Portuguese word that has no direct translation in English.  It describes a deep emotional state and a melancholic longing for an absent something or someone.  It is "a recollection of feelings, places, experiences and events that once brought excitement, pleasure, well-being which now triggers the senses and makes one live again.  It brings sad and happy feelings all together, sadness for missing and happiness for having experienced the feeling."

I grew up in the beautiful country of Portugal.  It's been over forty years since I left there to come to the United States to live and yet I still find some of my greatest pleasure in painting Portuguese subjects.  I suppose you could say I have "saudades".

A window in the quaint Portuguese town of Óbidos.

"Lace Curtain"   29" x 21"   Watercolor

Óbidos, Portugal - Chapel

Another in my series of paintings of the medieval town of Óbidos, Portugal.

"Chapel of Our Lady of Montserrat"   12" x 9"   Oil

The chapel is located just down the cobble-stoned street from the hotel where my wife and I stayed.

White In The Sun

One of my favorite things is to try to capture the feeling of white in the sunlight - with all of its variety of warm and cool colors reflected from the earth and sky.

"Daufuskie Sunrise"   12" x 16"   Oil

This was painted on Daufuskie Island, off the coast of Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Portugal - Doors

Over the years I've returned to this subject many times.  Here are a few of my paintings of rustic doors in Portugal.

"Portuguese Door #88"   18" x 12"   Watercolor

"Green Door - Óbidos"   21" x 14"   Watercolor

"Portuguese Door (#21)"   18" x 12"   Oil

"The Green Door"   15" x 10"   Watercolor

"The Blue Door (#7)"   36" x 24"   Oil

Óbidos, Portugal - The Colonnade

Óbidos is a quaint village in Portugal dating back to the 1100's.  It is entirely encircled by the walls of a 12th century castle and within those walls is enough subject matter for a lifetime of painting.  Here's one of many paintings I've done there.

"The Colonnade"   20" x 30"   Oil

Oil Versus Watercolor (Lamppost)

I sometimes get the urge to paint the same subject in both oils and watercolors.  Each medium has its strengths and challenges and I find it refreshing (and sometimes frustrating) to switch back and forth between the two.  The subject here is a street light in Portugal - the country where I grew up and for which I still have great fondness.

OIL

"Lamppost - Southern Portugal"   16" x 20"   

WATERCOLOR

"Lamppost - Southern Portugal"   14" x 19"   

I did these smaller versions before beginning the larger paintings above.  (I got to know this lamppost quite well!)

OIL

"Study for Lamppost"   12" x 9"   

WATERCOLOR

"Study for Lamppost"   14" x 10"

Salmagundi Annual Member's Exhibition

I've shipped this painting off to New York to the Salmagundi Art Club's Annual Members Exhibition.  Due to Tropical Cyclone Sandy, the Salmagundi is currently without power but hopefully things will be back to normal for the show November 14 - November 30.

This church on a hill in Arraiolos, Portugal is one I've painted several times and I always enjoy trying to capture the feeling of sunlight on its whitewashed walls and the reflected light in the shadows.

"Portuguese Church - Late Morning"   12" x 24"   Oil

Below is the original composition.  When I placed a long, narrow frame over the painting I discovered that I liked the composition much better that way, so I cut off the excess canvas on the top and bottom and re-stretched it to its current panoramic format.