From Plein Air to Studio

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I was busy working on 2 large paintings inspired by 2 small plein airs that I did over the summer. I know that 24" x 30" isn't large by some artists' standards, but for my current mode of working, it really is.

"Stockton Bridge"
8x10 oil on panel

Here's an 8x10" painting I did on location back in August. I'm standing below the Prallsville Mills, looking down the Delaware River towards Stockton, NJ and Center Bridge, Pa.

Often when I do a larger studio painting from a plein air, the studio work takes on a life of it's own and comes out quite different. You think I'd be in complete control of this but that's not how it works for me. Sometimes I think it's good that they're so different but this time I was really happy that they're not. I think (I hope) that the larger version captures the same beautiful summer day feeling that the smaller version has. Here's the studio version:

"Stockton Bridge (large)"
24x30 oil on canvas

My second subject

"Under Stockton Bridge"
8x10 oil on panel

was based on a plein air that I did in early September. At the time I painted this one, I really wanted to be higher up on the river bank, but street level wasn't a good place to setup, and part-way down the bank was simply way too steep to stand on so I painted down by river level. Which was a nice place to be, but not exactly what I had in mind. The painting did capture the feeling and colors of that day, but in my studio version, I used some photographs in addition the plein air painting, to do the painting that I really wanted to do that day. The plein air painting was my reference for color and mood but the photographs were necessary for the big change in perspective. This is what I came up with:

"From Stockton To Center Bridge"
24x30 oil on canvas

Stockton is a nice little river town, and the Stockton Inn is good stop for food & drinks. The iron truss bridge I painted here was the site of Edward Redfield's famous painting "The Burning of Center Bridge", where the wooden covered bridge on this spot went up in flames one night in 1923. (Center Bridge, Pa is the town across the river from Stockton, NJ.)

Garden State Magazine Winter 2007/08

Garden State Town & Country Living magazine has an article about me in their Winter 2007/08 edition, out on newsstands now through the beginning of March 2008.

Every issue features an artist in their Gallery section, and of course it was quite a thrill when they contacted me and asked if I'd be interested. Arts reporter Cathie Viksjo felt that my work has "a beautiful realism that our readers will like very much".

Since it's the winter issue of the magazine, one of my snow scenes was chosen to accompany the article - Amwell Valley Winter - a painting currently hanging in my solo show at the Triumph Brewery in New Hope, Pa., which runs until Dec 17.

I must say that I thought the article was a bit too flattering, but a friend said it describes me perfectly. One minor thing I'd like to correct though, is that when bicycling across the country, I rode pretty much straight west from Virginia to Colorado - not to Chicago as stated in the article - that would be crazy! From Colorado, we followed the Rockies north to Montana, then west again to Oregon. And it was a road bike, not a dirt bike. Other than those very minor points, I suppose the article sums me up pretty well:

You can read the rest of the article here on my website.

Cloudscapes and Roadways

Here's a return to one of my favorite subjects - roadways. But instead of quiet country roads, how about a 4 lane divided highway:

"Route 202 Cloudscape"
16x20 oil on canvas

This is a drive I take very often - Route 202 approaching Lambertville, NJ, right before the highway descends into the Delaware River Valley. And needless to say, it's not plein air!

I've been so busy with my shows and other things lately that it's been a while since I've painted, so it was nice to get back into it and I had a lot of fun doing this one. Here are some closeups for the painters out there who like to see brushwork / knifework:

Images of the Mills 2007

I have one painting in this year's "Images of the Mills" show at the Prallsville Mills in Stockton, NJ. The main criteria for entering this show is that the work be an image of the mill or the area immediately surrounding it. Here's my entry, a scene looking down the D&R Canal towpath behind the mill:

"Prallsville Sunset"
18x24 oil on canvas

The show runs Nov 14 to 21, 2007 and is open daily from 12 to 5 pm.
Opening reception: Friday, Nov 16 - 6 to 9 pm.
Prallsville Mills is along Rt 29, on the northern edge of the town of Stockton, NJ.

20% of all sales go the the Delaware River Mill Society to aid in the preservation of the historic Prallsville Mills complex.


It occurs to me that between this show, my solo show at the Triumph, "The Road Not Taken", and my 3 regular galleries, I have 56 paintings hanging out in public right now - I think that's a record for me. I've heard some artists talk about the difficulty of simply keeping track of where all of their paintings are, and I'm beginning to appreciate that problem!

Views Of The Valley

I'm having a solo show entitled "Joe Kazimierczyk - Views Of The Valley" running from Nov 6 until Dec 17, 2007 at:

Triumph Brewing Co.
400 Union Square
New Hope, Pa 18938
map & directions

Opening reception: Wednesday Nov 7, 5:30 - 7:00 pm.

The Triumph is a brew pub with good food and beer, and they will be providing some beer and hors d'ourves for the opening, so it's worth stopping by for that alone. :-)


I'll be showing about 35 paintings - my biggest show to date. It'll be a mix of older work and some very new work. Here's a new one I'll be showing for the first time - a scene behind the Prallsville Mills in Stockon, NJ:

"Behind The Prallsville"
10x8 oil on canvas on panel

This show was arranged and sponsored by New Hope Arts, Inc., and I thank them for this opportunity to show! New Hope Arts is running a national juried exhibition entitled "Works In Wood", just across the street at The Center, and they felt that my natural and structural landscapes would nicely compliment the Works In Wood sculpture show. Visit their web site for more details on that show.