Winding River Studio

Light of a Summer's Day, oil on panel, 16 x 24

2012-09-23T19:27:00.001-04:00

Summer has come to a close in Vermont...and what a summer it has been! This painting was one of the pieces I completed earlier this summer and was part of a show at the American Museum of Fly Fishing in Manchester, VT. It is probably one of my favorite all time painting locations on the Mettawee River just at North Granville, NY. I thought it would be a good piece for the show as many times when I am down there sketching there are folks doing some fishing. At times, there are even some cattle that are in the water...it makes for a beautiful scene no matter the season. Now that the leaves are changing, I am going to have to make it over there to see the variation of color. I think I have just created tomorrow's assignment. Light of a Summer's Day Oil on panel 16 x 24 sold www.andreworr.com

Raging Rapids, oil on panel, 16 x 24

2012-03-12T18:24:00.003-04:00

This painting was both challenging and exciting create. I really enjoyed the contrast between light and dark tones in the water not to mention painting the rocks and the trees. The challenge was in trying to replicated the intensity of light on the scene which I felt when I saw this area in early autumn last year. Additionally, I wanted the viewer to almost feel the spray of the rushing water over the rocks. It took several weeks to complete and I think the time was worth my effort. In fact, I am finding that the more time I take on each painting, I not only enjoy the process but feel that I am completing paintings which more complete in their overall impact. The key is in balancing the spontaneity of the beginning, the labor of the process and the excitement of heading towards the finish.
www.andreworr.com

artsteph1@aol.com

Peaceful Autumn, oil on canvas 16 x 24

2011-11-29T10:57:00.003-05:00

A recently completed painting of the warm autumn days. We have been lucky with beautiful weather for the last several weeks....I am sure however, snow is on the way. This painting is another piece in a more realistic style and I am quite happy with the result.
Peaceful Autumn
oil on panel
16 x 24
available through the Bryan Memorial Gallery, Jeffersonville, VT
www.bryangallery.org

www.andreworr.com

Summer Morning at the Quarry Pond, oil on canvas 20 x 24

2011-11-19T08:58:00.003-05:00

Earlier this summer I was asked to have an exhibit of my work at the Slate Valley Museum in Granville, NY. (www.slatevalleymuseum.org) It was an honor to be asked to have a selection of paintings for an event which was scheduled in early October. I began working on several paintings with a strong focus of the area, including some paintings of the old slate quarries which dot the hillsides in this particular region of Vermont. To some these expanses of rocks are just that, piles and piles of rocks and scrap leftover from a time when slate was a very common material in the building industry. I look at these piles of rocks and see interesting colors, light patterns and in the case of this painting, some amazing reflections in the quarry ponds. When I was asked to participate, I had no idea that I would find so much material from which to work. I am always amazed that the best paintings are often found within a few moments from home. The museum sustained some significant damage from hurricane Irene, but they were repaired and ready to go by the opening in October. The opening event held a very celebratory atmosphere and I am very proud to have been a part. Recently, I submitted this painting for the 128th Annual Member's Exhibition at the Salmagundi Club NYC. This painting was awarded the Arthur T. Hill Memorial Award for a landscape by an artist under the age of 45.
www.andreworr.com

The Gentle Arrival of Autumn

2011-09-27T08:52:00.004-04:00

It seems this will be a year where we slowly ease into the autumn season. Hopefully it will last for a good while this year! The area and this pond was a recent discovery after a morning of pancakes and maple syrup at our favorite local sugar house. Not sure which I enjoyed more, the pancakes of finding this beautiful location.
The Gentle Arrival of Autumn
oil on panel
16 x 24
www.andreworr.com

Summer Afternoon, Sudbury, VT, 18 x 24

2011-09-05T15:34:00.004-04:00

I find this somewhat of a challenging post. With the destruction of so much of Vermont, after hurricane or tropical storm, Irene, I would think my time would be better spent trying to help those in need as opposed to posting a photo of a painting online. I think however, in the midst of the chaos of the floods here in Vermont, it is important to focus on the brighter days, the future and those moments which, in the challenges of tragedy, remind one that all shall be well and truly, time heels all wounds.
So I present this posting of a painting which I recently completed. When I see the piles of debris around the state and read of the heartbreak so many have faced after the floods, it is the scenes such as the one depicted in this painting which bring to me a sense of calm and peace, the thought; all shall be well, in time.
Maybe through viewing this painting you will be somehow lifted and hopefully reminded, all shall be well.

We are fine, the studio is fine and thankfully we sustained no damage to our home or property. Thank you for reading this post and for your keen interest in my work.
Andrew

Calm Evening, oil on canvas 11 x 14

2011-08-04T20:45:00.003-04:00

There is something that seems very fitting when thinking about the beach and summer. While we are in full summer mode in Vermont, and while I love the beauty of the verdant hillsides, I still very much enjoy a summer trip to the ocean. Happy Summer!
Calm Evening
oil on canvas, 11 x 14
sold
www.andreworr.com

A View North, Middletown Springs, VT oil on canvas 16 x 20

2011-07-21T19:17:00.004-04:00

Summer is truly upon us here in VT. With this painting I wanted to focus on the beauty of the distant hillside. I wanted to convey a feeling of a warm, New England summer day. With many more days such as these, I'll be ready for winter!
"A View North, Middletown Springs, Vermont"
oil on canvas
16 x 20
www.andreworr.com

Join us for a painting workshop at the Bryan Memorial Gallery, Jeffersonville, VT. August 16-18, 2011. For more information contact Mickey Meyers at the Bryan Memorial Gallery www.bryangallery.org

A Summer Stroll in Orwell, Vermont

2011-07-15T13:47:00.004-04:00

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

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

2011-06-09T17:43:00.003-04:00

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

The Start of Summer

2011-06-01T12:52:00.006-04:00

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

Summer in Vermont, oil on canvas, 20 x 24

2011-05-27T12:52:00.004-04:00

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

Lazy Days of Summer, oil on canvas 16 x 20

2011-05-17T13:44:00.003-04:00

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

Single Peony, oil on canvas, 8 x 10

2011-04-22T15:26:00.003-04:00

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

A Quiet Place, 20 x 24, oil on canvas

2011-04-15T08:16:00.004-04:00

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

Adirondack Evening, oil on canvas 16 x 20

2011-03-14T07:58:00.003-04:00

Recently, we headed down to visit some friends in Massachusetts, taking in the Spring Bulb Show at Smith College. On rather cool and blustery March day, walking into the greenhouses at Smith, which were filled to overflowing with every spring bulb imaginable, was truly amazing. Once inside, seeing the colors, taking in the scents and the warmth of the atmosphere it did, indeed, serve as a reminder that spring will come, in spite of the snow which is still heavy on the ground. Painting summer scenes also helps to serve as a reminder that the cold days of winter will soon be replaced by the warm days of summer. This recent painting of a river in the foothills of the Adirondacks portrays a quiet summer evening just as the sun is starting to set. Some have called this a painting with a "spiritual feel." I look at it and think soon, I will see the grass in the yard, the flowers in the garden and the warmth of the summer sun. Guess I am ready for spring!

Adirondack Evening
oil on canvas
16 x 20
artsteph1@aol.com
www.andreworr.com

Breaking Light After a Morning Storm, oil on canvas, 18 x 24

2011-02-16T07:12:00.005-05:00

After what seems to have been a very snowy and cold winter I must admit I am ready for some warmer weather. We have had however, some beautiful winter days. When I look back over photos of paintings I have completed in the last couple of years, I have been amazed at how many views of the Poultney River have been completed. I did a smaller plein air painting of this same spot last summer so this winter it was interesting to do a comparison of the area in a different season. There is something about the tree on the left that seems to balance the trees on the right and the day I was down there the light comimg through the trees seemed to give the affect that I was hoping to achieve. I like to paint winter scenes where the snow hangs heavy on the tress, I like use of back lighting in a painting, I liked the shapes of the trees and as you know, I enjoy painting water. All in all, I would say this was a painting that was great fun to pull together with many of the elements I truly enjoy painting. No matter how much fun I had doing the painting....no matter how much I like winter...I am still ready for the thermometer to reach 32 degrees.

Breaking Light After a Morning Storm
oil on canvas
18 x 24
www.andreworr.com

Stillness of Winter, oil on canvas, 24 x 30

2011-01-18T12:53:00.003-05:00

After what seemed like weeks with little to no snow, the hope of a mild winter has indeed faded and given way to thoughts of a snow shovel, snow blower and yes, even spring. The snow is falling as I write and has been so for several hours. There is a softness to the tender grays I can see in the trees outside of my studio window. When the snow stops, the gray skies will hopefully give way to a clear, bright winter blue sky and the snow clinging to the trees will glisten in the bright light. This painting is somewhat related to the painting in my last post. It is of the Poultney River, but closer to Middletown Springs, Vermont. It depicts the bright sunny light radiating from the snow after a fierce storm. This painting was a true challenge, but thoroughly enjoyable. I hope you will enjoy it as well.

As part of a group of other snow paintings, this painting will be on display with the Bryan Memorial Gallery through February 27 in Jeffersonville, Vermont.

Stillness of Winter
oil on canvas
24 x 30

Today's Legacy
Bryan Memorial Gallery
180 Main Street
Jeffersonville, VT 05467
www.bryangallery.org
January 21 through February 27, 2011

Looking to the North, Middletown Springs, Vermont, oil on canvas 18 x 24

2010-12-16T05:53:00.003-05:00

It has been a while since I last posted to my blog. Maybe posting more often should be a New Year's resolution. This painting was recently completed, from photos and sketches I made along a road in the hills around Middletown Springs, Vermont. I was trying capture the feeling of mid morning light coming through the trees on a warm summer day. The past few weeks have been somewhat busy. I won an award for a painting (my previous post) from the American Artists Professional League exhibition in New York as well as another painting which won the Arthur T. Hill Memorial Award for a landscape by an artist under the age of 45 from the 127 Annual Member's Exhibition of the Salmagundi Club, also in New York. I am truly honored by the receipt of this award. Finally, I wanted to post some information regarding some upcoming workshops. I will also have another oil painting workshop in the fall, information on that will follow. Have an enjoyable holiday season.

Andrew Orr painting workshops:
painting the still life in oil
Tybee Island, Georgia February 19-24, 2011
www.gaseimnarsbythesea.net

one-day workshop, painting florals
Southern Vermont Arts Center
Manchester, Vermont, April 16, 2011

one-day workshop, painting trees
Southern Vermont Arts Center
Manchester, Vermont, April 30, 2011
contact: Rmadison@svac.org
www.svac.org

Golden Evening, oil on canvas 20 x 24

2010-09-15T09:16:00.004-04:00

It has been a long while since I made my last post. It has been such an incredibly busy summer, I simply haven't taken the time to do so. Now, I have stacks of material to post, so I should be putting more up in the weeks to come. The summer started off with a great show at the Southern Vermont Arts Center, then a plein air class in Iowa. After the class in Iowa, I spent some time painting in Nova Scotia, spent some time in Dallas and then back home for an outdoor show. I just finished up with the North Bennington Plein Air Competition in Bennington, Vermont where one of my painting placed 2nd in the overall competition! I have participated with shows at the Guild of Boston Artists, the Bennington Center for the Arts and will have a painting in the National Exhibition of the American Impressionists Society. The painting in this post will be included in the 82nd Grand National Exhibition of the American Artists Professional League, to be held at the Salmagundi Club in New York in November. Wish me luck!
Golden Evening
oil on canvas
20 x 24
artsteph1@aol.com
www.andreworr.com

Mettawee Reflections, oil on canvas 20 x 24

2010-06-22T20:51:00.004-04:00

I realized it had been some time since my last posting. I have been working feverishly for my show which is now on at the Southern Vermont Arts Center. Its a marvelous facility and I feel fortunate to have a solo exhibition of my paintings now on display.
Andrew Orr
New Works on Canvas
Southern Vermont Arts Center
West Road
Manchester, Vermont
www.svac.org
The exhibition runs from June 19 until July 20.

Mettawee Reflections
20 x 24, oil on canvas
sold

www.andreworr.com
artsteph1@aol.com

Frosty Morning Along the Poultney River, oil on canvas, 20 x 24

2010-05-06T20:40:00.003-04:00

It has been a very long time since my last post to this blog. For the past several weeks I have been teaching a series of painting workshops in New Zealand; what a truly, lovely part of the world. I so enjoyed my time there and very much enjoyed every moment with the participants of my classes. Home for a few days to get the peas and lettuce planted and off to Michigan to teach another workshop. So this will truly be my last winter posting for a long while! This piece is again of my beloved Poultney River, only a bit further down the river than in some of my usual painting places. It had snowed the night before and the snow was heavy in the trees. The beautiful and soft morning light seemed to cast a pale lavender tone throughout the entire scene and I tried to balance the cool morning, heavy snow and the early morning light in very cool tones of lavenders and blues. I am so eager to get back out into the field and very eager to work on some paintings with the spring greens. The light is lovely this time of year with little to no humidity. Guess before I head out, I better plant a few more rows in the garden. Happy Spring!

Frosty Morning Along the Poultney River
oil on canvas, 20 x 24
for purchase inquiries, please contact me directly
www.andreworr.com
artsteph1@aol.com

Last Snow of the Season, oil on canvas, 12 x 16

2010-03-27T14:54:00.003-04:00

Seems as though I have been burning the candle at both ends and maybe even in the middle last couple of weeks. I haven't had a chance to post as often as I would like. At any rate, after what seemed like a winter of very little snow, in this part of the country, we finally had a good storm a few weeks ago. I had an opportunity to get out on a warm sunny day and this piece is the result. It will be my one of my entries into a show co sponsored by the Bennington Center for the Arts, The Bryan Memorial Gallery and the Nature Conservancy. The area where I painted this piece is a lovely spot along the Poultney River, right near the New York border. I have just recently discovered the Nature Conservancy and am amazed by the concept of the preservation of natural habitat for plants, animals and for the enjoyment and respect by all.

Last Snow of the Season
oil on canvas
12 x 16
please contact me directly for purchase details
artsteph1@aol.com
www.andreworr.com

Along a Winter Morning Walk, 16 x 20, oil on canvas

2010-02-23T14:33:00.005-05:00

While the rest of the country has seen some record breaking snow falls, in this part of Vermont we have seen relatively little in recent weeks. Finally, a few days ago we had a nice snowfall. I had some time the morning after the big storm and armed with my camera and sketch book, I went out for about an hour or two and took a large amount of photos as well as made several sketches. While I love working outdoors, plein air, I think sometimes an approach of spending time in nature, observing, watching, recording with pencil and paper are equally as important. This painting is the result of some of these direct observations from that day. I had walked down a road towards the Poultney River and when I turned around I saw the beautiful light streaming through the snow laden trees.
For purchase inquires please contact me directly.
Andrew Orr
artsteph1@aol.com
www.andreworr.com

Sunflowers, Apples and Copper, oil on canvas 16 x 20

2010-02-10T12:06:00.003-05:00

With the winter winds howling outside, it's nice to be able to think of the warmer days ahead while working in the studio. I think this still life grew out of the thoughts of those days which seem so far away. With this painting, I wanted to convey a sense of warmth and comfort through some very common objects. As with all of my paintings, a sense of strong light direction in combination with lost edges was a focus.
Sunflowers, Apples and Copper
oil on canvas, 16 x 20
please contact me directly for purchase details
artsteph1@aol.com
www.andreworr.com