Farmstead

This is Ruth’s farmhouse. Ruth is a very nice elderly woman who let me wader around her farm and paint at will. The farmstead is a former Dairy farm that she inherited from her family. It is a great place to paint, for there are friendly farm dogs to offer love and I was entertained as Ruth drove around the place on her tractor.

This is one of a half-dozen paintings that I've created there.

It's up for grabs at my Etsy shop.

Things I Don't Do Anymore

I painted this Litchfield Road in oil several years ago. The original painting has long since been sold and all that remains are a few offset lithograph cards that I had printed, and the memory of taking the photograph from which it was painted.

I don't paint from photos anymore. I haven't for many years now. I much prefer the joy and challenge of heading into nature to capture the image as I perceive it and not as the camera sees it.

Just my preference now. Nonetheless, this painting was quite nice. I was happy with it.

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And thanks to everyone who left comments on the Wee Goddess post - I really appreciate it! Great food for consideration!

Wee Goddess Figures

The first goddess figure I made, the largest one pictured above, was for my wife. She wanted a pocket goddess to carry and have for one of her many tiny altars around the house. I enjoyed the process of creating that first one so much that I've made a few more.

These are made with layers of epoxy resin over a copper armature. Each layer is sanded and detailed until it is finished. Then I stain them with oil paint and finish with an oil-based varnish.

They are tiny, and I'm not sure what to do with them. I may gild a couple. I might put a them on little stands or apply pin findings to the back of them for jewelry. I dunno ...

What do you think?

Vernal Memory

This is me painting in Cornwall Hollow, CT at the vernal equinox with canine companion, Dakota. The painting I'm working on here is currently hanging at the Greene Gallery in Guilford, CT.

Cat in a Window

This is Herb sitting in my old studio window. She was good, extra-large cat. She had blue eyes and a black smudge on her forehead. She was a little on the serious side, but nevertheless good
company.

I painted this watercolor from life, in one sitting. Herb was a still cat, and for that reason I did many drawings of her.

Fire Bush

Some days I don't want to travel, and those days inspire me to appreciate the beauty that's right in my own backyard.

That is how this painting was created. With only a few steps out my own backdoor I was greeted with this lovely scene, layered with crabapple, forsythia and fire bush.

Pond Laurel

Anyone local might know this spot, if they've ever wandered the trails at Burr Pond state park.

The trail around the pond is very active, as it was the day that I painted this landscape. I wandered with them, easel on my back, until this spot called to me. An elderly gentleman asked if I was going camping. Mind you, an easel looks nothing like a backpack and there is no camping at this park. This is one of the things I love about open air painting: The people you meet and the lasting smiles they give you. That and the giant rocks you can set up on to capture such reflections of nature.

This painting is offered for sale at RickDerwitsch.etsy.com

Where to Begin

I paint. I draw. I carve. I sculpt. I create. I mow the lawn.

I play classical guitar. I write music. I drum. I even dance around fire on occasion.

I make airplane models. From plans. Sometimes my own. I fly them. I watch them soar. I watch them crash. 

I walk the dog. I chop wood. I make ale. I sweep the chimney. I enjoy a good meal. I kiss my wife. 

I am Rick.

This is my blog. Whatever that means . . .