Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Of A Feather
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Lozenge
As part of the "From Where I Sit" series, a hazy Summer sunset, one where the sun turns into a hot pink lozenge. This is just as the sun starts to lower itself to where it changes color, into the haze. A million different paintings, I swear, could be done from my front porch. Probably from everyone's front steps.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
WIP
Monday, August 17, 2009
Tranquility, 30x40
I've been using Blogger for ... what, almost 3 years now? And I still forget that the order in which you upload your photos is the OPPOSITE of the way they show up! OK, the Big Picture is at the bottom, with the details coming first - sorry about that!
This is another tranquil (hence the name) sunset from my front porch. A west facing view. If I ever show these together (and that's kind of why I'm keeping to the 30x30 and 30x40 gallery wrapped canvases...) I mentioned that I'd call them "From Where I Sit..." because each of these big skies is one seen from my front porch. And, yes, I'm grateful. So very grateful.
This is another tranquil (hence the name) sunset from my front porch. A west facing view. If I ever show these together (and that's kind of why I'm keeping to the 30x30 and 30x40 gallery wrapped canvases...) I mentioned that I'd call them "From Where I Sit..." because each of these big skies is one seen from my front porch. And, yes, I'm grateful. So very grateful.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Another WIP and A Good Lunch Location!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
By Jove, I Think I've Finished (most of them, anyway!)
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Two Things
This, more abstract, seascape is one I'd wanted to do for a long time - sometimes in the fog, the land masses are just hinted at. The water and the sky are so close in color and value - it seems the whole world just melts together. This on is 9x12, painted over an old non-working painting.
Friday, March 20, 2009
WIP Update
Monday, March 16, 2009
Birthday Weekend
Above and below are the work of Thomas Sgouros, a Providence painter who had a show in the Bristol Art Museum opening this past weekend. I went on my birthday with Tim, just because we happened to be walking by - and I was blown away - these are huge canvases, maybe 6'x6', and the colors are to die for - the camera distorted the shape and color, and not having the image in front of me, I couldn't adjust it! I dragged my son Conor over to see it while the lasagna was baking (yes, I ended up overcooking it) and we walked into the aftermath of a talk by the artist - COOL - on his way out the door I couldn't resist telling him how much I enjoyed his work - and got a photo of the 2 of us in front of one of his pieces! I saved the lasagna with a little extra sauce, and ended up eating way too much of it (I forgot Tim had made his famous German Chocolate cake, too)!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Sunset #2, 24x30
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Next Pass at the Sky
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
More/Better Photos and a WIP
Everybody UP!
I'm trying to get my studio less cluttered. I mean, it's 1,200 square feet, and you can hardly MOVE in it! So. All the framed pieces that I don't HATE are going up. The framed pieces that I do hate are coming out of frames, frames stacked in my big built-n drawers, and they're getting painted over. That's it. And the hundreds of paintings that I actually don't like are going to get painted over or tossed. THEN the ones that need or may benefit more work will go in a special bin.... and those I'm reserving for history (heh heh! - in other words, pieces that have a sentimental value to me, even though they may not make the grade right now) will go in other bins, against the wall. Here's some bad shots of what the back end of the studio looks like. There's so much light (yes, there is a thing as TOO much light) that everything is back lit and hard to photograph!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Re-Do of the Callas
Monday, February 16, 2009
February 2009
Above I'm working on a Paris view - a lot looser then I usually work, just full of energy and feeling.
I started this piece below of Mexican pottery last week with Paula Villanova (she may just post her take on it on her blog)
Two daily paintings and work on 2 bigger pieces on my first day back at the studio. I took a walk and saw someone you might know (below...).
Thursday, January 29, 2009
January Happenings
The 'wall' of Daily Paintings in my studio...
Walking The Dog On The Beach, needs just a leeeettle bit more....
Almost done with the Bay of Fundy Sunset...
And THAT's what I've been working on aside from my Daily Paintings!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Artist In Residence - Marshfield
This was the demo (mine)...
Last Friday I spent the morning at the Furnace Brook Middle School as an Artist In Residence, along with Mary Sheehan Winn and Sally Dean - how cool was that? Extremely. The kids were so interested, with good questions on technique, and the teachers were very supportive - they have an exhausting job - the art teachers have no time to do anything but set up and take down between classes - and Middle School kids are..... energetic. Here are some shots - I set up a panel for me and one for them, and displayed some Daily Paintings, and explained basically what that is and why I do it (did I ever say it on my blog?). Mary and Sally were wonderful to be with. Afterwards we went to lunch and chilled - joined by our friend Jeanne MacFarland, another wonderful artist (who has yet to launch her website!). On Mary's Daily Painting blog she posted a picture of me with one of the kids.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Parrsboro Painting Trip
A couple of photos from the trip, what a sunset!
Gone to Nova Scotia to paint with Mary Sheehan Winn and Joan Brancale. Mary's DH gave her this week as a treat, and Joan & I were the lucky ones who did not have a studio sale, teaching schedule or other work to keep us here. We've been exploring the pink sands of the Bay of Fundy and painting and gobbling up the culture. The tides here rise & fall 50 FEET every day. Amazing. It looks like a tsunami when the tides out! What a treat.
We do look a little 'paint-logged', though, I think! All week eating, drinking and sleeping painting! We've discussed every aspect of painting there is, when we were not actually doing it (or climbing down and up massive cliffs to inspect the view). Here's some photos...
Friday, September 26, 2008
Carol Marine Workshop Girls, Song #1
Monday, September 15, 2008
Plymouth Art Guild Festival 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
You're Not Getting Older, You're Getting Better, 11x14 Oil
Yesterday I happened to be on the Cape and I dropped in on my friend Joan Brancale. Of course I had to see what she was painting these days and she is in a very industrious phase right now... my favorite piece being hydrangeas, which are past the 'blue' stage. I never thought to paint them at this point... never really saw the beauty in them, till I saw Joan's rendition, very Thomas Buechner-esque, hers was subtle drama, and it took my breath away. So this morning I gathered a couple of stems and attempted to paint them, too. Always I though I wouldn't paint hydrangeas because of all the petals, but I tried Joan's method of wiping off the blocked in color and just suggesting the petals. I may try them again. This weather is unbelievable. I hope everyone's enjoying it....
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
A Pause That Refreshes, Little Compton, 18x18, oil
Today 2 friends came to visit & paint, Paula Villanova and Jody Regan (both have links on my Daily Painting Blog). We drove down the Main Road and spotted these cows & calves taking a dip in their little pond. What fun it was to try and nail a composition while they were leaving and coming back, getting back into the water, leaving, etc.! I remembered Peggi Kroll Roberts saying "Be a Designer!" And Ken Auster saying "Be Inspired by Nature, but Not Held Hostage By It!". We had a picnic lunch, but it was HOT HOT HOT in the sun.... and on the way home we had Dell's frozen Lemonade - perfect end to a perfect day!
Labels:
cows,
farm animals,
farms,
little compton,
Rhode Island
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Isolated Shower, 24x24, Acrylic
This is a work up from the little Daily Painting I did of it last week. Easier and harder. Easier because the composition is all done for me, harder because it's boring to copy, and at least with the values, you have to. This was, I think, the most difficult painting I've ever photographed. Under ever light it appeared much darker than in real life. Then when I got it lightened, the colors were all washed out. Or too purple. Or Green. Grrrr.... This is a little vapid compared with the real thing.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Portsmouth Farm II, Oil 12x24
This is the second work up of a farm piece - love the light on the buildings. I can't say I won't take the brush to this one again, but it's going to sit a bit then I'll look at it afresh. That is how I often handle the 'finished' painting. I hang it up or display it in the studio so I can't help get a fresh look at it. Usually after a couple of days, but it's sometimes as long as a couple of months when I look... stop dead in my tracks and say to myself "Of course! That roofline is off!" or "Yes, the shadow side of that cheek needs to be much darker!!!"... Or even - "That's just right." You never know...
Monday, July 28, 2008
WIP, Hull View 18x24 Acrylic
Did a little more work on it (see above) and thought I'd post the progress....
Friday Paula Villanova (check out her cool blog) and I visited the beautiful home of our friend Janet who lives in Hull, MA (right near Oceanside 17 Gallery, which you should DEFINITELY check out). We painted from the small juliet balcony which had a panoramic view of the Bay in Hull. She served a wonderful lunch (so why does painting make you so hungry?) So much to choose from to paint! I chose this view down the hill looking out towards World's End in Hingham, a Land Trust Preseve which is open to the public with wonderful walking trails and views from Hull to Boston. Painted there last Fall.
Anyway, it was hot as blazes, and I had to leave before it was finished, but this is what I got so far. I will work on the distance, and shore up the shadow areas, but I like the view! Thanks, Janet!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
The Barns in Portsmouth, RI, acrylic 14x18
We painted Plein Air at Judy Chaves' house yesterday in the late light. We were waiting for the cows to come out, which they did, as we were packing up to go home & cook dinner :( Apparently the cows (which are dairy cows, but I don't know that that matters) like the grass to nibble, but not these tuft-y weeds, so they grow, while the grass gets nibbled down. Loved the light on the barn and out building.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Pembroke Arts Festival, August 1 and 2, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Opening at the Ventress LIbrary 7/14
A young art lover....
Paula Villanova and Nina Villanova being so kind, after hanging the show, to come to the Opening, too....
Tim and I, trying to get a good photo of both of us...
Sunday, July 13, 2008
New Stuff
These paintings are what I've been doing on my 'week off' after my show got hung last week. I swore I was going to give myself 2 weeks of 'no-painting', to lie fallow, so to speak, and rest from the (exciting) goings on of putting up a one-person show. To repeat my Daily Blog - my show is at the Ventress Library, in Marshfield, MA through Mid August. The show is sponsored by the North River Arts Association, and I am eternally grateful for this opportunity. Photos from the Opening will be posted later this week. The Opening is July 14, Monday, from 7 - 8:30. No alcohol is served inside the Library, and there will be light refreshments inside. But my car will be serving a Tailgate Party! So to paraphrase Ernie Boc the car dealer ... "Come On Down!"
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Off On Another Adventure
This week I visited Phyllis Adams in Truro at a wonderful 'cottage' just a few houses up from Edward Hopper's house on a huge bluff overlooking the Bay.
Here's a painting of the cottage we stayed at:
Denise Zompa and Trish Hurley were there for the whole week, too - so much fun! This was an amazing 60's 'cottage', a real party house with it's own place in the Art History of Cape Cod. I think the room I had to myself could have slept 7, and all together I think the house could have comfortably fit 20 or so. First night there a storm rolled over the bay (didn't touch us) and we all painted it, here's mine:
and in the afternoon visited Provincetown, and gallery hopped, then painted at Days Cottages (see my Daily Blog for that painting). This morning we had a terrific breakfast at the Wicked Oyster (see happy faces below), and I headed home, refreshed and renewed!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
AWOL
Portsmouth Art Guild Figure Show
I have been 'quiet' for a while, and want to explain. Spring is the time when there are hosts of juried competitions, as well as some applications to juried art associations. I've been really busy submitting, and have been dealing with, well, the agony of defeat. ;) I know, everybody has their ups and downs, and truly, I'm one of those people who don't want to belong to any organization that would let me in! More on that later.
The Portsmouth Art Guild took two of my paintings, above, into their juried show. One, you'll probably see on my Daily Painting Blog, the Skaters, the other is, well, different for me. It came after a particularly stinging rejection of all my pieces into a show I really wanted to get into. It's called "The Rejected Artist" and I took inspiration from Courbet (yes, Courbet the realist) and his "Desperate Man" painting. I took my canvas and my acrylic palette into the bathroom and set up in front of the mirror, tried to strike a similar pose to 'Desperate Man', dried my tears (I'm an easy crier) and let it all hang out. DAMN it! I SHOULD have gotten in to that show! GRRRR..... I'll show them! AUUGGGHHHH!!" etc. Oh, yeah, the next week I got rejected from an art association for membership, so I have plenty of 'models' for my crazy artist paintings.... but truly, you win some and you lose some.... can't let the losing be the emphasis of your life, right?
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Another Amazing Sunset, 11x14 oil
Here in my little piece of heaven, the sky is glorious almost every night. Every day is different, and after a whole day of churning, heavy clouds the sunset arrived pure and cloudless. At my side of the broken stone bridge (hence the 'Stonebridge Studio') a lone fisherman stood patiently waiting for a bluefish to grab his line. Yellow, lavender, azure... ahhhh... I tried to be loose, yet blocky, simplifying once again, to emphasize the purity of the design...
You know, I've been struggling with quite a few rejections in terms of my art this past month. I have to say that initially I get miffed (OK, gut-wrenchingly so..) but now I think I'm just freer to try new things, and listen on the wind for my own voice, and maybe I'll get it right soon. And there are just enough good things happening (like I got the piece called 'Everybody knows Everybody' below into the Cape Cod Art Association National Juried Show) to keep me going. So I'll continue to prepare for my show in Marshfield (more on that later) at the end of June, and continue to try new ways of looking at color and design. All in all I can not complain - life is good.
Dramatic Sky, Hingham Harbor, 12x12 Oil
So today looked like it might be a washout, but I was so very inspired by Rich Bowman's new work on his website, that I HAD to paint the dramatic skies today. And since I had to drive up to Quincy to Tim's office anyway, I swung by Hingham because the Harbor is so pretty, and I thought the sky might be 'big' there. And it was. So I had to work quickly, but this is what I got in about 2 hours. Tried doing mostly 2 directions (vert & horizontal) in my brushwork, and simplified, simplified, simplified....
Perfect Day..Sun, Sand & Sox on the Radio, 11x14 oil
1st of the Irises, Acrylic, 16x20
Coffee in the garden led to a beautiful sight this morning - the first group of irises, bearded, I believe they are called, were all in bloom. Before the sun even hit them I had my paints out, and Tim took this photo of me digging in to the painting - don't you love the chain link fence? It KIND of keeps the cats in (when we're there, anyway) and it gives us a sort of boundry because we are in a triangle of streets - all 3 side have people walking by, zooming by, and always interested in what we're doing in the yard!
This painting was fast and loose, and I was channeling Ros Farbush.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Large Clamscape, 18x24 oil
Obsessive? Possibly. Dangerous? Only if I forget the clams where I'm painting them and they die and start to smell... I didn't, though. I'm loving the textures and surfaces, wet & dry on these babies. Maybe I should have submitted clams and only clam paintings to the Art League of Rhode Island, who rejected my application for admission to their club today.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Clam-o-licious, Oil, 22x28
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Everybody Knows Everybody, Oil, 20x24
Tiverton Quohogger, 14x18 Oil
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Tools of the Sandcastle Trade 11x14 Oil
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Beach Road Flower Stand, oil, 20x24
On the way to the town beach - on Neck Road - there's this flower stand in the Summer with a blue umbrella. The person who arranges it really has a good eye for design, as well as a green thumb. Just wanted to paint the vibrant grass and the shaded flowers with the blue umbrella. Oh, the stone wall was fun, too, and sorry about the glare there. This painting is done in Happy Colors, and almost looks like it was done in acrylic. I believe I suffer from MSD (Multiple Style Disorder), an affliction of emerging ;) artists, when they roam from style to style - sometimes very realistic, sometimes impressionistic, sometimes contemporary... Whatever the painting calls for, is what I say!
Thunderheads From the South, 20x24
I wanted to keep this loose, but was intrigued by the flat reflection of the curved shape in the water. This was going to be submitted to the South Shore Art Center's juried show last week, but it's a Windsor Newton canvas, and it wouldn't fit into the standard frame. This time, I was not AT the framers (where I could pay $25 extra for them to shave some of the inner frame off) so I tried to hammer it in to the frame. Let me save you the $$ - that does not work. I completely shattered a nice $60 frame. Now I have no frame and had to put something else in to the show. I'm hopeful, but not really - I get into this show about 1 in 4 times.
Our Scraggly Tulip Garden, 12x12 Acrylic
When I went to Holland to paint, about one year ago, I bought what I thought would be enough bulbs to make a spectacular tulip garden - over 100 bulbs! The pictures, and live samples were huge, hardy and vibrant. Easy to grow! Well, we planted them (and by this I mean Tim planted them where I wanted them) and look at the pathetic examples of tulipkind! Tim's chalking it up to young bulbs, but I don't know. We did everything we were supposed to do, and our tulips bought in the US are gorgeous - in other spots. I didn't want to mix them because I'd forgotten what the Dutch ones were supposed to look like and didn't know if they'd look good together! Also, they were scheduled to bloom consecutively - but they all bloomed at once. And they were supposed to be different heights, but they are all pretty much the same! Oh, well, they're still better than NO tulips! :)
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Tug On The Sakonnet, 12x12 Oil
This is a larger piece I did from the little one done last Summer. I like the looseness of the island in the background, as well and the more defined island in the foreground. Believe it or not, there was little drawing on the tug, I was channelling Ken Auster in the finishing of this painting, taking his advice to "Reward people for looking at your painting".
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Orphan's Day Out, 12x12 Oil
This one is a nostalgic image of my mother and her twin sister (Alternate name: Patsy and Mickey, but I wanted to save that for another painting I'm doing) on an outing. They got some time away from the orphanage during the summer, and they both treasured that time. I THINK I'm done with this. As usual, the hardest part was my mother's face - which I had to make a random face. I wonder if I'll ever actually be able to paint her. She's been gone now 12 years. Does it ever get easy?
Breakfast in Bed, oil 12x12
Gild and Lilies, 24x24 acrylic
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Ranunculus in a Mexican Vase, oil 12x16
This vase is so great. Another Mexican souvenir (apparently I only managed to buy stuff for myself this time :0). These cheerful orange, yellow & white ranunculus flowers are perfect colors for it. Flowers are so hard. I think you have to ignore what their shapes really are and just paint what they FEEL like. Well, to me, today, this is what they felt like.
Crazy Harry, 6x12 oil
Monday, April 14, 2008
Tiverton Getty, 14x18 acrylic
This started as a plein air piece from last Summer. It's been kicking around, and I liked it and I didn't, you know? So today when I got in from my outdoor session at Grinell's Beach I 'warmed up' inside by playing what I call 'Doll Hospital' - I grab a painting that just isn't 'right', and perform surgery on it - working the color, correcting the drawing - whatever it needs. This one needed lighter lights and a kick in the color dept. Now I like it. Too bad the people who owned the gas station last summer are gone - these were their trucks in the painting!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
For The Birds...
The top image is from a sketch I call "Visiting Hours". The pigeon on the right is injured in it's leg, and is unable to walk around and peck for food. This was in San Miguel, and the children were relentless in making it fly instead of leaving it alone. I had to leave myself, or get in an argument with the parents. These other two pigeons stuck with this injured one, where ever it landed, and kept it company. You can't tell me they don't understand what's going on.
The bottom image is the one I dreamt about. The Friday version I did at the studio was very stilted and the birds were all dead-on frontal. The wings were very stiff. In my sleep I painted them like this. Thankfully Tim felt like walking the Bristol Bike Path today and we went over to my studio and I just dived in and re-worked it. Maybe still not 'final' but definitely getting there.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Plein Air Falmouth, Marshfield and Norwell, MA
Yesterday (I have no idea why this is all underlines, and I can't undo it!) I was on Boston's South Shore for a 'blonde-ening' and I went early and painting this acrylic painting of the marsh off rte 3A between Marshfield and Scituate. Then after the hair appt I met up with my friend Nancy Colella and we painted the North River in Norwell, this time, I used oils.
This Week's Figures, oil
I did go to a figure class this week - it's one of those drop-in... no instructors classes, and the model was good, so here's trying to keep the lessons at learned at Peggi Kroll Roberts workshop in mind...
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Self Portraits
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Featured Artist - Phyllis Adams (Block Dog Art)
Monday, March 31, 2008
A Cottage Called Al-Fred, 9x12 oil
This little gem of a cottage is on Cape Cod, and my friends and I paint there a couple of times a year with my dear friend Joan Brancale, who is a fabulous painter. (She's been featured in magazines, and her art has been advertised in American Art Collector). This painting started out as a plein air painting, and I worked on it in the studio to fine tune it a little bit. I love the feeling of crispness of the air, when I look at it I can smell the salt water off to the left. I wanted to sit on those red adirondak chairs and watch the water!
Oh, and we were so curious as to the whole 'Al-Fred' sign - turns out that the couple is something like Aline and Fred, hence Al-Fred, :)
Sunday, March 9, 2008
A Wild One
For me, this is a HUGE oil painting. It's something like 30x36. I painted it one morning on the road to the old studio, when I was passing a field just as the sun was about to rise over the trees at the back of this yellow field of grass. Everything was on fire, and as soon as I got to the studio I set to work. It's not quite finished, but I thought you'd like to see something a little different for me.
Glow At The Quarry, 20x24 Oil
This is finally finished. It went through many phases, but it was done from a plein air sketch that I did just before sunset one night last summer. It is a good thing for me to see often, because it reminds me of how blessed I am in this life. I was painting at this spot where there are always people fishing (for food, not for relaxation). There was this large Cambodian family there, and upon seeing me set up my paints, the grown up urged the many children to go watch the artist (and get out of their hair for a while). Why does everyone do this? I was a little annoyed, because many times I've had to babysit kids and I really didn't have much time to paint before the sunset. Anyway the kids stayed for a while and asked a million questions which I tried to answer patiently. They straggled off, all except one girl, 12 years old, who watched with such intensity, I thought, maybe she'd like to be an artist someday. So I stopped and talked to her about her future. Which turned out to be bleak. In two years, at age 14, her parents were sending her to care for her aging grandparents and living in Cambodia. When they pass away she has other older relatives that she's got to care for before she can come back. She accepted it with aplomb, but refused to let herself hope for a wonderful future for herself. Wow. No more belly-aching from me. I don't want to hear 'poor me' from any of my own children, either!
Cloud Dance, 20x24 Oil
Well, OK, this may look bizarre, but occasionally the little tufts of clouds seem to 'dance' down the river. Here, one night at sunset, they caught the rosy colors cast into the sky, making them look like little flames. No apologies. If you can't believe it, you are welcome to visit my corner of the world and see it for yourself sometime. :)
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Another Sakonnet Sunset, 14x18 oil
I'm now finished with #2 in my Sakonnet Sunset series. The colors are SO not true, but the painting's at the (old) studio, where I worked on it today instead of packing. I do this every time I'm moving. I plan, then fiddle faddle around when I'm supposed to be packing, so I end up doing it all in a rush. Anyway, till I can get the right lighting, here's the gist of it.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
My Sorolla 'Forgery', oil, 22x28

I wish I'd been able to see the two images close together like this while I was painting it, oh, well.... It certainly is a learning experience when you copy from a master. It is, however, still just copying, and when you paint alla prima you have to make each decision for yourself.. is it cooler or warmer, darker or lighter, is the drawing right? Measure, measure, measure, and through all this, you learn.
Labels:
copy,
interior,
mother and child,
sorolla
Monday, February 4, 2008
Sakonnet Sunset, oil, 22x28
This painting is hot off the easel. I decided that since I am entranced at dawn and sunset by the light hitting the clouds, giving the skies glowing colors, I would paint a bunch of skies from my own view. Here's #1. I'll be putting it in the Members' Show at the North River Art Association, Marshfield, MA, which I have belonged to for a very long time. It's a great group and they have a number of venues to display your work. Anyway, hope you like it.
Labels:
original oil painting,
Rhode Island,
river view,
Sakonnet River,
seascape,
sunset
Monday, January 14, 2008
My Own Personal 'Salon'
Actually this is just 3 of the 4 walls with my paintings in Tim's office. This is a safe place for me to keep my favorite pieces. Yes, safe. I've actually stepped on, into and through canvases stacked against my studio walls! My husband is gracious enough to safeguard my work and I like getting to come into the office to add/subtract and rearrange!
My 2008 'Forgery'
It seems like only yesterday I was doing LAST year's Forgery for Spring Bull Gallery's "Fakes & Forgeries" show! This year I'm going to try to paint the Mother & Child from Joaquin Sorrolla. I was fortunate enough to see this painting in person last Summer and it blew me away. It's very tonal, mostly all white, with notes of flesh color for the faces of momma and baby, and dark hair on the mom. Should be VERY challenging, but if I do a good job, I've got one of my favorite paintings in the WORLD to look at every day (or rather Tim will, as it will most likely end up in his office!). I'll post further developments of this oil painting as I go along. This is the initial sketch. When I get to the studio again I'll give it a very critical eyeball... looking to see if I got the relationships right.
Labels:
drawing,
forgery,
kelley macdonald,
sketch,
sorolla
Update on 'The Birds'
A while ago I started this painting of small birds, and since then I've asked for criticism and/or comments from lots of people, then foolishly tried to respond to each suggestion. I feel I've lost the original intensity of the piece, and am unhappy with this result. I don't even feel like I can bring it back, but must start again (and don't know that I will...) But this is one of the pieces I'm working on in the studio.
Labels:
birds,
kelley macdonald,
original oil painting,
sparrows
East Beach Date, Oil 18x24
In Westport, MA there are a few great beaches. Some are great to swim in, some to fish in, some to walk, or just take in the view. East Beach is a place where a lot of people just go to feel the sun and the breeze and gaze at the beautiful horizon. One day last Summer when I was painting there, this couple showed up at lunchtime just to sit and talk. The red jeep and young people enjoying the day was just impossible to pass up, and I had to take a picture. I knew this image would make a great painting, and there's an upcoming show about the color red, which I mentioned in my Daily Blog. So.... this was painted fast and furiously, in one fell swoop, and hopefully the energy I felt painting it can be felt by the viewer.
I also used a few new colors that I'm enjoying from a trip in to Cambridge (Pearl Paint)... Carribean Blue (Old Holland) and some of Gamblin's Radiant Colors.
Labels:
beach,
Jeep,
kelley macdonald,
original oil painting,
summer,
Westport
Thursday, November 29, 2007
I'm No Van Gogh!

And no photographer, obviously, either! Sorry for the shadow on the top of the canvas. This is a very bad photo, too 'mustard-y' but I'm very bad with Photoshop, too (OK, am I listing my faults here, too? I'm disorganized and NO housekeeper! On the 'plus' side I am loyal....) OK, back to the art, these are the 'black' irises, though upon close (and I mean really close) inspection, they're dark purple, navy and magenta actually. And this isn't done, either. When it is I'll re-post.
Labels:
black flowers,
flowers,
garden,
irises,
kelley macdonald
At Long Last!

This is a work-up from a smaller painting I did last winter. I love, love, love sparrows (and so do my cats, but not in the same way!) and enjoy watching them. Last year I did an 'all-blue' piece of a gathering of sparrows in silhouette, this time I've added a slight bit of background, and sunlit ground - pavement or concrete. Since I took the photo, I couldn't resist enriching the birds a bit, lightening the blue in the background, and thickening the sunlit ground. I like their interactions. I'm thinking of calling it "Politics As Usual", or "And THEN She Said..." but I'll take any suggestions on this one, from sublime to flip...
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Trying Something New... be patient
DOUBLE CLICK ON THE ARROW... to see the video. Let's see how this works... Harry & Izzy during a 'truce', and in the background on the left you can see my painting taboret that is taking over the dining room with piles and piles of paintings... Oh, and Harry has a cold (no runny nose, but a lot of lip-smacking)...
This is in preparation of videos from the workshop I'm going to next week... stay tuned!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
New Studio!
This is the view from my window at the new studio - downstairs there's a bookstore and a cafe, a bead store and a yarn store. Very nice!
Here's my initial setup. I've added a couple more tables, etc. to get comfortable.

Below are the new Studio Roommates: L-R Marge, Judy and Phyllis. Missing is Carol.

Now that I'm happily ensconced in my new studio there is NO excuse - feel free to remind me of this - not to get my work done! I'm moving right along in my commissions, and hope to have the bulk of them wrapped up before I go away this Sunday for a workshop with Peggy Kroll Roberts in Scottsdale (Yahooo!).
Here's my initial setup. I've added a couple more tables, etc. to get comfortable.
Below are the new Studio Roommates: L-R Marge, Judy and Phyllis. Missing is Carol.

Now that I'm happily ensconced in my new studio there is NO excuse - feel free to remind me of this - not to get my work done! I'm moving right along in my commissions, and hope to have the bulk of them wrapped up before I go away this Sunday for a workshop with Peggy Kroll Roberts in Scottsdale (Yahooo!).
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Bristol Ferrytop, 8x16 Acrylic on Board

This was the second painting today at the Ferry Landing in Bristol, RI. The first painting was a complete throw-away, but I liked the shape of the ferry top. It's far from perfect, but a fun little study before I headed over to my new **studio** :) I'll post some photos of THAT soon. Still moving in. The first painting day there I got locked out when I went use the restroom - a disaster! But was rescued by my new studio roommate, Judy Chaves - wonderful girl!!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Candy Cottages, Hull, Acrylic 11x14
SOLD
I've painted these houses in Hull a couple of times, and I always think "Well, NEXT time I come I'll do this or that instead.." So this is one more, with a badly cropped photo, sorry. They stand up against a sea wall, with just the Atlantic Ocean in front of them. Way, way at the very tip of Hull. So perhaps it's the waters of Boston Harbor, actually. You have to love being 'away' to live here full time, as it's about 20 minutes or so just to get out of town, and there's no conveniences down here, either. But it's beautiful in it's isloation, and it just 'feels different' to be here.
I've painted these houses in Hull a couple of times, and I always think "Well, NEXT time I come I'll do this or that instead.." So this is one more, with a badly cropped photo, sorry. They stand up against a sea wall, with just the Atlantic Ocean in front of them. Way, way at the very tip of Hull. So perhaps it's the waters of Boston Harbor, actually. You have to love being 'away' to live here full time, as it's about 20 minutes or so just to get out of town, and there's no conveniences down here, either. But it's beautiful in it's isloation, and it just 'feels different' to be here.Dunes of Westport, 8x16, oil

SOLD
This was a piece done in Westport, MA yesterday while I was painting with Denise Zompa and Phyllis Adams. I had a short amount of time, but wanted to just knock in the values. Standing in a sun-drenched dune, looking out to the light filled ocean, listening to the sound of the waves... it was a warm wonderful experience. The grass holding the dunes in clumps reminded me of camel's humps, or waves.
I've been busy with home repairs (weighing in on, not actually DOING), moving out of my studio, and trying to work on some commissions. Of course when you have all of this stuff to do, what I usually do is ESCAPE, which is what I did Monday - just hopped the train to NYC to bask in the energy of the city, check out 47th street shops without anyone expressing disbelief that I wasn't BLIND yet from the bling, and meet Tim, who had meetings in NYC Monday, for dinner at my favorite deli. Oh, the things he does for me! We had a great time and I was anxious to get back to painting with some fresh ideas, and new photos to paint from of the City.
Labels:
beach,
Horseneck Beach,
ocean,
seascape
Friday, September 28, 2007
Edward Hopper's House, Acrylic, 14x18
On Tuesday, a gorgeous summer-like day, I hit the road with these guys in search of Edward Hopper's house in Truro. We wanted to paint it before the McMansion ("Hey, they paid $16 million dollars for it- they can do what they want!") next door goes up. We don't oppose anyone's freedom to do what they wish, but if you look at this area, it seems the wiser choice would be something more seamless in the pristine landscape. Here is Mary Sheehan Winn (see blog link, right) and Ros Farbush, and Paula Villanova (blog link on my Daily Painting Blog), posing with Hopper's house in the background. The house sits on a HUGE bluff, which drops away to Cape Cod Bay, with gorgeous views from Wellfleet to Provincetown. Being here you can see how his surroundings influenced his art.

This is my piece, which I'm fairly happy with. I may go back in and work on the house a little, but I'm going to let it sit before I decide.

And here is the work of the day from the group. Top right - Ros Farbush, lower right - Paula Villanova, bottom left - me, top right - Mary Sheehan Winn.
And this is Paula Villanova's hand, holding Ros' painting :)
Labels:
Cape Cod,
Edward Hopper,
Hopper House,
plein air
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Pizzeria Regina, 9x12, Oil
This painting took 1st Place at Fall River Art Juried Show 6/08 - my very first 'Blue Ribbon'

This was done on location on Margin Street in Boston's North End on Friday. I thought a weekday would be kind of quiet, but I guess it's never really quiet there... at least that's what some of the 'natives' told me! This is my favorite pizza spot in the whole world (and that's saying something). The pizza crust is thin with a crunch to it, the sauce is flavorful, and the cheese is tasty but not too heavy! Painting this, about a thousand (yes, I'm exaggerating..) people asked me where this or that landmark was, where a good place for dinner was, where the subway was, how to get to Quincy Market, etc., etc,. etc. The dogwalker weighed in on the painting, the tourists did, and some older man stood looking at it silently, then 'harumphed' and walked away, muttering that it was 'almost professional'. :) Plein Air... you can't beat the experience!
Labels:
Boston,
North End,
pizza,
pizzeria regina,
plein air,
urban landscapes
Monday, September 17, 2007
September at the Snack Shack, Oil, 11x14
Today I painted at Horseneck Beach in Westport, MA. There were litereally less than a dozen people there, although it was a gorgeous day. It seems so barren and forlorn, with the empty parking lot and the deserted snack and changing area. I loved all the picnic tables piled up against the back of the Snack Shack, and the pay phone. While I was painting I thought... geez, it seems everyone has a cell phone today, I wonder if they really need that.... and just as I was packing up a woman rode up to it on her bike and made a bunch of phone calls.... although WHERE she was riding from, and how she knew there'd be a phone there is kind of mysterious.... Anyway this was painted on pastel board - what do I know? I thought it would just be a lovely ground, but the board sucked up all the liquid from the paint as soon as it touched - made for VERY tough painting! It was wrestling the whole time, and between that and my two tubes of dried out Permalba White Paint... well, it made me question the joy of Oil Painting quite a number of times.... Off to Utrecht tomorrow, I promise myself!Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Sunset Race, 8x16 Acrylic
SOLD
This was the work up of the plein air study done on the Cape of Bass River at sunset (funny, I painted this one as the sun was coming UP!). It's acrylic, with a loose feel to it. Tim has already 'claimed' it for his office :) which is one of the 'perks' for being married to an artist!
More Cape Paintings
This is the first painting of the trip. We were sitting in a cemetary in Dennis, I believe, looking down a slope, across a marsh, to this little house which was catching late day sun. I've painted in this location before (even lost a favorite earring here), and there's really only one view worth painting (IMHO), and this is it. It was a good way to jump-start the painting trip.This is a 12x12 oil... the last morning on the Cape...the epitome of late Summer by the sea. I loved the collection of buoys hanging on the shed and the heavy headed sunflowers.... I want to halt time right here in early September because everything is just so perfect and beautiful. I call this one "Oh, Buoys!"
Friday, September 7, 2007
Cape Cod Plein Air Week


I painted this week on the Cape and the weather was AMAZING. What a sendoff for the end of Summer. This painting was the first, at the Dennis Landing. We met a nice woman who was involved with developing this area for public use, as there had been some abandoned buildings there. But I'd painted this same area last year, and really liked the piece, so I tried again. I may do this on a larger canvas, as it is a 9x12, oil painting. We 'marathoned' it, 3 paintings a day - WHEW!
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Tiverton Lagoon, 6x12, oil

No, there are no actual lagoons in Tiverton, RI, but in this little cove there was a couple of vine-covered straggly trees that 'became' palm trees as I painted them. It's actually Jack's Cove, and I MAY turn the trees back into 'scrub' trees, but for right now I'm liking the whole palm tree thing. WISH I WERE THERE! :)
Friday, August 24, 2007
World's End, Hingham 14x18 Acrylic
SOLD
Yesterday I went to Hingham's World's End with Denise Zompa, Phyllis Adams and Trish Hurley to paint. I did 2 14x18's, and truthfully, they came from somewhere inside of me that I don't recognise! They're very simple, graphic pieces that showed more of how I felt there than anything else. I eliminated all superfluous details, moved trees that were in my way. This painting originally had a path that curved off the page - I repainted it far into the night when I came home, then this morning just took it out. This was the piece looking UP the hill. Tomorrow I'll post the view DOWN the hill, which includes a bit of Hingham Harbor, and, I believe, Crow Point, with Quincy in the background.
Yesterday I went to Hingham's World's End with Denise Zompa, Phyllis Adams and Trish Hurley to paint. I did 2 14x18's, and truthfully, they came from somewhere inside of me that I don't recognise! They're very simple, graphic pieces that showed more of how I felt there than anything else. I eliminated all superfluous details, moved trees that were in my way. This painting originally had a path that curved off the page - I repainted it far into the night when I came home, then this morning just took it out. This was the piece looking UP the hill. Tomorrow I'll post the view DOWN the hill, which includes a bit of Hingham Harbor, and, I believe, Crow Point, with Quincy in the background.Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Beach Sketch, 14x18 Acrylic
Windy, windy, WINDY day yesterday - I had to weigh my easel down with a full bag of beach stones. I was supposed to be keeping my daughter company while she surfed. Truth is, I'm terrified to watch her surf in wild waves. I could tell she was quickly tired out from the frenetic waves, and it made me nervous - the lifeguard had left (although I think he actually enjoyed watching her for the 1/2 hour before he left!This is obviously done plein air... with a quick, sketchy feel - literally a half dozen people were at the beach, lifeguards gone for the day at this point, hazy and humid and wild. Perfect day, actually. Molly did surf and I did paint and dinner was pizza and salad - really, a dream day for me!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Westport Plein Air
Monday, August 13, 2007
Sunflower Blitz, Acrylic 16x20

Better? I think it's getting there. My family is wondering if I'm going to fill the house with sunflower paintings, I think. They just keep getting more jubilant and loose. I was painting listening to a CD by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole a guy from Hawaii, who died as a young man, with a gorgeous voice. So gentle, peaceful. Listen to his work if you can. He brings to mind, in a different sort of way, Eva Cassidy.
Labels:
flowers,
still life,
summer,
sunflowers
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Big Babies, Acrylic, 11x14

OK, between you and I (I mean between you and ME - sorry Sister Eugenia Margaret!!!) ... I'm CRAZY for sunflowers. They are not quite up there with my roses, but they have such personality! I wanted this to be very loose, like you feel when it's so hot and humid out (and the sunflowers love that weather, I think!) and colorful. Used acrylic for this one, and the photo is less orange-y in the sunflower petals than in real life.
Labels:
bouquet,
flowers,
still life,
summer,
sunflowers
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
THE SHOW IS HUNG!!!!!
Today finally Denise Zompa and I hung our show at Westport Rivers Vineyard. The show will run till Sept. 10th. The opening is this Friday from 5-8 (of course you are ALL invited!). I don't what's harder...painting for a show or hanging it and getting all the other little odds and ends (postcards, advertising, etc) organized! Our show will be included on the South Coast Studio Tour on August 19 and 20, we will be there both days. I believe on the Sunday at the Vineyard there will also be a Shakespearean play. The Vineyard is a beautiful place, and a nice stop for a wine tasting as well. Already I'm remembering a lot of names that didn't make it to my 'postcard' list...... oh, well....
http://zompamacdonald.blogspot.com/ - to see our blogsite....
http://zompamacdonald.blogspot.com/ - to see our blogsite....
Saturday, July 28, 2007
The Challenger, Oil 14x18
I worked this painting up from a Daily Painting. My show is going to be hung in 5 days and all of a sudden I'm thinking I have NOTHING to put on the walls! So I'm going back through all my 'inspiration images' and trying to do something with them. It's stressful, but also a good motivator, and I WANT to paint these paintings anyway! So when I saw these two pecking around Wesport Point (which is a working harbor, who knows where they come from!!!). But I loved their coloring, and attitude. They were definitely hanging out, yet it seemed an uneasy truce! In real life the paint is a bit thick, but I"m playing with Carol Marine's recipe for Medium, so it was wonderfully slippery and smooth, too. No frame, this painting is on a 'Gallery Wrapped' 1 1/2 inch thick canvas, which adds to it's contemporary look.
I was SO looking forward to hanging this at the show, but while I was putting the little screw eyes on the back I must have put it down on something sharp, and I made a slice through the canvas (to the right of the front chincken's feet) about an inch long. "Good!" said Tim, "Now I get to keep it!".......
I was SO looking forward to hanging this at the show, but while I was putting the little screw eyes on the back I must have put it down on something sharp, and I made a slice through the canvas (to the right of the front chincken's feet) about an inch long. "Good!" said Tim, "Now I get to keep it!".......Monday, July 23, 2007
Japanese Irises, 14x18, acrylic

These are my favorite irises. When they bloomed I painted them, and put a pink background because my view of them was against the road behind our house. But it wasn't working for me and today I tried some bright grass green. I like it better!
Oh, and the background is actually BRIGHTER than shown - Molly says "Too bright" Tim says "Just right".... you can't please EVERYONE!
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Little Compton Community Show
The Little Compton Community Show runs this weekend, 7/21 and 7/22 at the Community Center in Little Compton. These two pieces of mine will be shown there. It's a nice little venue, and the first piece I submitted, the Pardon Gray piece, was TWO INCHES too wide. They have a rule about size, and 36 inches was the limit for any one piece. Could I have begged.. said that my OTHER piece was only 8x10????? Anyway... I'm frantically getting ready for my Westport Rivers show, and I'll let you in soon on what's going to be there!
SOLD
Monday, July 9, 2007
Approaching Storm, Oil, 12x12
This is my submission to the "Oil On Water" show at the Spring Bull Gallery on Belleview Ave in Newport. The show runs through July. I loved painting this piece, as it's my favorite time of day and the sky and the water have so many colors in them. It's very thick paint, mostly done with a palette knife. Thanks for checking in... it's good to be back! This is now hanging in the Westport Rivers Show through Sept. 10.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Sakonnet Point Road, acrylic, 16x20
At The Waterfront, Hull, acrylic 14x18
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Bristol Museum, 9x12 oil
Painted plein air today in Bristol, and this is the back of the museum where we painted today. At least I THINK that's where we were! It was very beautiful, with this gorgeous house/museum and these black wicker loveseats with statuary and plants, and these amazing black and white striped outdoor curtains! So to photograph this wet oil painting I put it on the ground at home and the wind blew all these grass clippings and spirea leaves all over it! Hopefully when it dries I can just brush them off! I also worked on another, more colorful piece, which is only halfway done, I'll post it when it's complete.Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Saturday, May 19, 2007
More Tulips, 9x12 oil on board
This photo actually looks dull compared to the painting... I'm not so good at Photoshop that I know how to fix that yet. The sight of the fields in bloom are a shock to the eye - the tulips en masse are so vivid and luminous you can't even believe it. I will try a larger piece based on this one at the studio.
Labels:
flowers,
Holland,
landscape painting,
tulips
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Swayback Barn, 11x14 Acrylic
Hanging now in the Westport Rivers Show through September 10.
This is just a plein air sketch (1 hour) done yesterday on the Cape with Denise & Phyllis when we went to check out the Cape Cod Art Ass'n Juried show (from which I was rejected :P). It was a good show and the ice cream cone which followed sure took the sting out of the rejection! Then, after determining that the beach was way too windy, we stumbled upon this lovely (in my opinion - I could have bought the property and moved in in a heartbeat) old 1/2 cape with a swaybacked barn. We were all 'taken' with the setting and quickly determined that nobody lived in the house, so we set up to paint! I'll also upload a photo of the barn. Yes, I 'extracted' colors, but I think I'm just seeing this way these days! "Doctor!!!?"

This is just a plein air sketch (1 hour) done yesterday on the Cape with Denise & Phyllis when we went to check out the Cape Cod Art Ass'n Juried show (from which I was rejected :P). It was a good show and the ice cream cone which followed sure took the sting out of the rejection! Then, after determining that the beach was way too windy, we stumbled upon this lovely (in my opinion - I could have bought the property and moved in in a heartbeat) old 1/2 cape with a swaybacked barn. We were all 'taken' with the setting and quickly determined that nobody lived in the house, so we set up to paint! I'll also upload a photo of the barn. Yes, I 'extracted' colors, but I think I'm just seeing this way these days! "Doctor!!!?"
Adamsville Landing, 8x16 Acrylic on Board
This is a larger piece (though on the computer it looks smaller!) based on the plein air study on my other blog - http://kelleymacdonalddailypaint.blogspot.com/ and it just tweaked the colors a bit. It seemed to call out for a more horizontal format. It's such a serene place, I think for sure it's as good for high blood pressure as 2 prescriptions! Hanging now in the Westport Rivers Show through September 10.
Labels:
landscape painting,
marsh,
summer,
Westport
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Ptown Perfection, Oil, 9x12
This one won an Honorable Mention award at the Art League Assoc. Member's Show!OK, so now I'll shut up about never being able to win an award :) This was a plein air piece done on location in Provincetown, MA. It was a wonderful day, and the guys who owned the house were so wonderful and gracious, and it is my intention to send them a print of this in thanks. The show is at Gallery 297 on Hope St. in Bristol, RI for the month of April.
Labels:
architecture,
cottage,
plein air,
Provincetown,
summer
Monday, April 9, 2007
Baaaa-aa, Acrylic on Board 11x14
These curious sheep are at Coggeshall Farm in Bristol, RI. I love the springy shapes of sheep and their skinny little legs. I may work more on this one, but for now it's 'done'.
Labels:
farm animals,
landscape painting,
sheep
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
City Hall Bride, oil, 6x12

This painting was done from my mother's wedding photo. She was married in a small civil ceremony in the early 50's. Her only 'wedding photo' was a little snapshot in a tiny book like they used to bind them. Black and White. I painted it and was happy with everything but her face. So I spent one entire day repainting and repainting it. Today I adjusted the background and a couple of other things and attempted her face again. After a dozen (or more) wipe-offs, I said to myself "This is NOT my mother!" and voila - well, it's not my mother, but it's her outfit and stance. And it's a human. Which is more than I can say of some of the efforts! :)
This is now hanging in the Wesport Rivers Show through September 10.
SOLD
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Corina, Corina, 16x20 acrylic on board

I'd been dying to paint my friend Corina forever, she's so elegant and self-possesed. Monday my friend Paula Villanova (who's my travel-painting buddy) and I invaded Corina's house and forced her to pose. This is just a first-pass, and I'll post the refinements later.
Labels:
black tie,
evening dress,
figure,
toast,
wine
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Pardon Gray 20x24 Oil
Accepted into the Art League of Rhode Island Associate Memeber's Juried Show!This is a scene from a local Preserve, called Pardon Gray. It's a beautiful space, former farmlands, with a distant view of, I believe, Fogland. The light is amazing here, and I liked that there were so many 'roads' you could take. I have been working on this one a while. I believe it is 'fini'! If you are interested in this painting please email me at kcareymac@hotmail.com
The Kayaker (finished version)
OK, I fixed the reflections of the trees, added some depth to the water, highlighted the oars and enriched the back end of the kayak with bright red. Now I feel the peace of the moment on that warm summer day, and not the blustery freezing weather we have right now!Email me if interested in purchase at kcareymac@hotmail.com
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
Green Boat, Bristol, 9x12 Oil on Panel
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Monday, February 5, 2007
Wind Energy, Westport 9x12 oil
Sunday, February 4, 2007
In The Cafe 18x36 oil

This painting was done for the 'Fakes & Forgeries' Show at Spring Bull Gallery in Newport, RI. The original was done by Charles Alexander White and was in the 'Americans in Paris' Show which I saw at the MFA. It was so fun doing this and I felt I learned a lot, too. I loved painting her lace scarf and the feathers on her hat!
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