Eden Compton

Upcoming Landscape Exhibit

2016-10-04T10:01:00.001-04:00

It's that season again! The Fall shows have started everywhere. I will both be showing a variety of "Landscapes at the Landsakes" Annual Exhibition to benefit farmland conservation. It promises to be a beautiful show . The show is open to the public at the Maple Ridge Gallery, 172 State Route 372, Colia New York from October 8th through 10th. You will see a lot of beautiful work from some great artists. Join us if you can!

Connecticut Pastel Society

2016-08-16T07:50:00.000-04:00

"Summer Moonrise," Pastel, 9 x 12

I am pleased to announce that my little moonrise pastel has been selected to appear in the Connecticut Pastel Society's "Renaissance in Pastel" show. The show will be open to the public from October 7th to November 12th at the Slater Memorial Museum in Norwich, CT. If you are in the area, please go! Summer has been very hectic this year and I have been traveling a lot, as always. I have been working on some new cityscapes the last couple of months and should be able to post them soon. Fall is going to be BUSY. I will have 10 pieces in the Landscapes for Landsakes fundraising show in Saratoga Springs NY in October. I will also be at the Saratoga Arts Festival with my portraits on September 17th. So if you are in Saratoga on that date, please come by Congress Park and say hello!

Saratoga Springs Art in the Park

2016-06-20T10:37:00.001-04:00

"Amelia" Oil on Linen, 8 x 10

This portrait will be on view at the Saratoga Springs "Art in the Park" event on Saturday, July 9th. Stop by and say hello if you are in the area. Thanks to Alice Corey for the photo reference of her beautiful little girl Amelia. While I prefer to work from my own sketches and reference photos for children's portraits I will work with other people's photos if they are well taken. Head on over to Alice's website to see some really beautiful photography!

Portrait of a Super Hero

2016-06-07T09:09:00.001-04:00

This is a detail of a painting I have been working on a for a while. I think I am getting close to the finish line. I still need to refine some color relationships and tone down the background. I love these superhero poses. Children have such active imaginations at this age. Too bad it doesn't last forever!

Times Square Glow in New York City

2016-04-29T17:33:00.003-04:00

Times Square Glow, 12 x 12, Pastel on Sanded Paper

I am pleased to announce that my pastel "Times Square Glow" has been accepted into the International Association of Pastel Society's annual juried exhibit. This painting will be on view at the Salmagundi Club in New York City from June 6th through June 17th, 2016. Stop by if you are in or around the city in June!

Super Hero Abstraction

2016-04-25T08:07:00.000-04:00

"Super Hero Abstraction", 6 x 8, Oil on Paper

Another little study in my super hero series. I am eager to take some of these studies and make some bigger paintings out of them. I love the pose here. The issue will be to make the composition interesting but still simple and somewhat abstract on a larger piece. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Misty Newport

2016-04-05T08:33:00.000-04:00

"Misty Newport", oil on panel, 6 x 8

I realized there are quite a few studies from last several months that I neglected to post on my blog. So, you will see them now! This is a little plein air done in Newport last summer. I like that combination of deep summer green shrouded in mist. That is the tony private school St. Georges in the distance mist. Click on the button above to go to the Daily Paintworks site for purchase/auction.

Blue Hippo

2016-03-31T19:30:00.000-04:00

"Blue Hippo", 6 x 6, oil on linen

Lest you think I am only doing portraits these days . . .! I am still working on my landscapes and small still lifes though not as much as I was in previous years. This is little ceramic sculpture that was done by my father when he was five years old. I've always just called him Blue Hippo. He may not actually be a hippo.... who knows. This piece is available through the Daily Paintworks website. They manage art sales and auctions for artists. I have been a member for a long time but haven't actively used it so I am looking forward to finally getting involved with them again.

Study of Zoe

2016-03-13T17:22:00.000-04:00

Study for "Zoe", oil on linen, 8 x 8 (cropped)

Another children's portrait for you! I am updating my website this week to reflect the new portrait business and feature some more recent examples of my portrait work. Please forgive the glare in this. I only have my iPhone right now and have to shoot outside so it is difficult to get correct color. This piece is actually based on an old black and white photo that I have had for a long time. I am going to offer small pieces such as the one above for people who are not in my area or want an affordable alternative to the larger, full commission portraits. These pieces will be done from client provided photos and will not involve a photo shoot or life sittings. I will describe what constitutes a "good" photo on my website under the "commissions" heading. Please visit my website for more information.

Compton Portraits

2016-03-08T11:30:00.000-05:00

"Coltrane", Oil on Panel, 16 x 20

Hello to anyone who is still left out there! Hard to believe it has been a full four months since I have posted to this blog. A lot of you know that I post primarily on instagram these days as do a lot of other artists. It is an easier platform and can be done more quickly than blogspot. That said, I do like the blog format for announcements and other things that require more than a one line description. I am still painting though my focus has been shifting from the plein air landscape work of the past several years to more personal subject matter. I have decided to start my portrait business up again in the upstate New York area (though I can do portraits for people in any area of the country). Some of you may remember that I was the artist in residence at a resort in the Florida Keys where I specialized in children's portraiture. I will post more information on my portrait process in future posts. Hopefully some of you are still around to read my blog!

And Now For Something Completely Different . . .

2015-11-22T11:38:00.001-05:00

"Sunflower", Oil on Panel, 16 x 20

I took a little break from the drizzle of my rainy cityscapes to revisit my Caribbean market ladies. I did a series of these paintings in pastel several years ago based on our trips to the island of St. Martin. We have not been back to St. Martin in several years so I more or less abandoned this subject matter. But, I was feeling like doing something a little different so I pulled out the reference files. This is probably a little more contrasty and saturated in some areas than the actual painting but I am pleased with it overall. Shout out to Greg Little for the helpful advice!

Cityscape Work In Progress

2015-11-04T19:38:00.000-05:00

I don't usually post works in progress because it bothers me to see all the things I need to fix but it has been two weeks since the last post and I wanted to post something! This is an 18 x 24 oil on linen cityscape of NYC on a late September afternoon. There is a lot of scumbling, scraping and repainting here. I like to build up texture slowly with thin layers which is why it takes so long to finish these paintings!! Hope to have the finished version in a couple of days.

Time Square Nocturne

2015-10-17T08:15:00.003-04:00

Well, it has been a long Summer and Fall! I have just finally been able to get back into a regular painting schedule after several months of personal obligations and travel. I did manage to get a workshop in with Donald Jurney last month in the Adirondacks in the midst of everything. I will post some of those paintings in the coming days. The painting above is finally finished! it is the oil version of the pastel study posted back in July. It is 20 x 20 and looks great in my new gray green frames from Randy Higbee in California. I am happy to be back painting and back to blogging! Hope some of you are still around ; ) !

New Cityscapes

2015-06-16T17:25:00.000-04:00

"Times Square Glow", Pastel, 12 x 12

I'm finally getting some new work done and should have a few new pieces to show over the next couple of weeks. This painting is a study for a 20 x 20 oil on linen. I like the soft glow in the distance. I hope I can keep that effect! Stay tuned.

The Human Connection

2015-06-13T09:02:00.002-04:00

I want to share a comment I received in an email about one of my paintings. The little study above, “Rain on Broadway”, was one of many paintings featured in a silent auction to benefit the Saratoga Preservation Society in Saratoga Springs the other night. All of my paintings sold but this one sold during a preview showing and was not available during the auction. When I got home I received a lovely email from the owner of the store that is featured in this painting. Here are a couple of lines from her email:

this is my corner, this is my store, this is a piece of my life. . . this moment you captured just stopped my heart. That quiet rainy evening on the corner where so much of my life has unfolded. If that corner could talk!!

I have to say this is one of the best emails I have ever received about my work. It is so richly rewarding in so many ways. And it encapsulates why I love these kind of scenes: the stories, the history, the human connection. Needless to say, I hope to create another piece that will touch her in the same way!

Hope and Memories

2015-06-01T11:18:00.004-04:00

I am pleased to announce that two of my pastel paintings will be on view at the Adirondack Pastel Society's National Exhibit this summer. There will be a reception on July 11th at the Shirt Factory in Glens Falls NY. This painting was really done on a whim after finding an old black and white family photo while cleaning out my storage unit. I love the facial expressions. They seem so young and optimistic, don't they? Hope to see you in New York this summer!

Happy Memorial Day

2015-05-25T08:42:00.000-04:00

I know it seems like I only post on holidays but I have taken an oath to post more often! I actually do post new images on instagram and newyorknorthfineart.wordpress.com so you are welcome to follow on those sites as well. It has been a busy few months and Spring seemed to have lasted only a couple of weeks this year! It went from snow to 80 degrees in the Northeast and then back down again in one month. Hopefully summer is here to stay now. Hope you are all enjoying your holiday weekend!

Happy Easter!

2015-04-05T20:33:00.003-04:00

Hope everyone had a great Easter! This was my Easter project for my nephews. It took a few days but was fun to do. My nephews definitely enjoyed the deconstruction project after dinner!

Not sure about the real eggs: prefers the chocolate ones

Egg decorator extraordinaire

Now back to painting. . .

Frost's Woods

2015-03-24T07:41:00.000-04:00

I have started a series of posts about Visual Poetry which you can follow over on the New York North Fine Art blog where you can read some great posts by my friend Rita DiCaprio as well. I have started a series of paintings that are based on poetry. These are not intended to be literal translations but are visual ideas that hopefully communicate a particular mood or emotion in a poetic manner . My first artist is Robert Frost (you will also be able to follow on instagram with the hashtag #robertfrostproject but there are only two so far!). The poem referenced above is Stopping by the Woods on A Snowy Evening:

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village, though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sounds the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

Golden Dusk

2015-02-28T15:21:00.001-05:00

Golden Dusk, Oil on Linen Panel, 11 x 14

Hope everyone is staying warm! I am thinking of summer as you can see. I can't complain really since I've been in Florida for most of this terrible winter and am returning next week. I am working on several new cityscapes and landscapes and hope to finish them before I leave. Stay tuned!

Early Morning on the Beach Path

2015-02-07T08:24:00.000-05:00

"Early Morning on the Beach Path", 9 x 12, oil on panel

This is a larger version of a 6 x 8 plein air oil sketch done earlier this winter. It is on the grounds of the Bonnet House facing the beach. I reworked this a few times and in doing so lost the transparency of the dark areas. I like it overall but wish I had held off on those darks in the foreground. I had to resort to opaque paint to lighten those dark shadows. Lesson learned (but I will probably do it again . . ).

Intertwined

2015-01-25T17:01:00.001-05:00

"Intertwined", oil on linen panel, 9 x 12

The Bonnet House in South Florida has beautiful Melaleuca trees lining the drive to the main house of an old 1940s estate. It is a beautiful spot to paint. This was done in three sessions over a week or so. Sorry for the poor photo - iPhone!

Moonlight Nights

2015-01-08T07:05:00.000-05:00

"Moonlight Nights", 18 x 24, Oil on Panel

This painting is still a work in progress but it is mostly done and I have put it away until I can look at it with fresh eyes. There is a group of really fine artists who post their work on Instagram and occasionally there is a "challenge" of some sort. This was done for "the poetry of place" challenge which was started by Donald Jurney and has continued on for the past few weeks. A poem is posted every Friday and the participating artists design and execute and a painting based on that poem. This weeks poem is from Bernard Howe:

The clear sky seems to glow,

with the moon so big and bright.

Lighting up our hill sides,

with an iridescence light.

The shadows hide amongst the trees,

whilst I listen to the gentle breeze.

A night time opera in front of me,

a magical moment under a grand marquee. - Bernard Howe from "Moonlight Nights"

Happy New Year

2015-01-02T21:18:00.000-05:00

"Chinatown Morning," 9 x 12, oil on panel

Hope everyone had a great holiday season! It is hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone and here we stand in 2015 already! I am eager to attack my long list of art goals for this year which I will discuss in more detail in subsequent posts. My work process has evolved over the past year or two and I am trying to be more deliberate and focused in the development of the concept, the design and the execution of an idea. My plein air paintings are primarily used as a studies right now and I have been doing a lot more drawing in the field which I enjoy. I do still love the cityscape genre so you will be seeing more of these this year!

New Online Gallery

2014-11-16T07:05:00.000-05:00

I am happy to announce the launch of a new online gallery called Spa City Fine Art. This is a new venture that will feature the work of regional artists in the upstate New York area. All the work included on this site is available directly through the respective artist. These are paintings not offered at other galleries or venues so check here frequently for new work!