Current Paint Adventures by KCM

I can't believe it's been, like TEN Months!

2010-12-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

Work In Progress

24x48 inches Oil

This is how far I've gotten in my commission of the Ptown Harbor panting. Man - there are so MANY layers on this - I am getting some great depth, though. Pretty much now I've got all 'goodies' to do now. Nice thick layers of paint with just hairs of the brush streaking gorgeous colors, highlights, tiny details - you know, eye candy, as Ken Auster would say.

The couple who commissioned this wanted the pier, the commercial fishing boats, the breakwater. It is a completely horizontal view, but their space required a tall, narrow canvas. I'll try to remember to post when it's finished!

Works In Progress

8x8 inches, Oil

These are 2 versions of a still life of a pizza, italian pastries and a local (to New Haven) soda. I included the menu, too. Although in the bottom one, someone I showed it to thought it was a view through to the kitchen door! So somehow I have got to put actual words on the menu. This is the composition I like better. Plus, the glass in this one is full of bubbly soda, and I like the way it came out!

Next...

I know, kind of different for me! it's a 24x24 inch square gallery wrapped canvas. It's acrylic. I am working it up from a photograph I took at Rockefeller Center 2 years ago. I am going to try to keep it kind of silhouette-y. I'm also going to coat the background with layers of white tinged with different blues, then finish it off with an iridescent white, that I'll make skating marks in, to show through to the blue-ish white underneath. It is for the 100 Women Artists show in Vancouver, Canada.

Old Degas-Wannabe

2010-03-09T15:01:00.000-08:00

I think I posted this a few years ago I painted it for a Fakes and Forgeries Show in Newport, RI. I am actually glad it didn't sell, as I still love it. For a time it graced my husband's wall at work, now it's at home in my studio.... Such grace...

Abstract 6x6

2010-03-03T04:37:00.000-08:00

IRL this is SLIGHTLY more olive colored in the left bottom section and SLIGHTLY more yellowish in the left top section. I, who never much thought of myself as an abstract painter in any way, am truly enjoying the freedom I'm finding here. I realized that these sorts of paintings (I have a few going in the studio, are actually a ZOOM view of my 'bubbles', along the edges of the bubble line. Interesting.

The Meetup, 12x9 Oil

2010-03-02T05:23:00.000-08:00

Lots of layers on this. In it's other life it was a perfectly nice painting of a seascape. That's what I'm doing now with all my 'perfectly nice' paintings. Turning them into interesting paintings. *sigh* Although I AM enjoying the journey!

Angels Among Us, 10x10 Oil

2010-02-26T19:33:00.000-08:00

Here, I've added a nice layer of atmospheric blue with some texture, and deepened the rose color under their little chins... 3/2/10

This is a WIP. Sorry the posting seems to be a little Lax... I've been so busy since the 1st of the year, with my first Workshop, my painting trip to Texas, and my talk at the Duxbury Art Complex, I've been mostly doing Daily Paintings. But this is a whimsical piece I've had in mind, and I'll put more layers of 'atmosphere' in, with little color shots on the angels.

Abstract Series - Foam/Bubbles

2010-01-21T15:18:00.001-08:00

You know how in Close Encounters of the Third Kind everyone keeps drawing, sculpting, and thinking about the mesa? I think that's what you call it. Well I can't stop thinking of foam... the sea-foam that forms when waves reach the shore. These are all paint-overs of paintings that didn't work out. They're in oil, usually 6x6,, 6x8, 5x7 or 8x8, but I have one more I'll photograph tomorrow that's 10x10 done in acrylic. Crazy, I know. Sometimes I let some of the painting beneath show though, and sometimes not. I'm not an abstract painter, but these are pretty unusual for me!

Of A Feather

2009-10-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

Raw day today. For the first time in NINE months I don't have an 'agenda', or something specific to paint for. I don't know what I'll do with this, it's 12x12, I just love sparrows. I have a photograph of lots of sparrows on a bare tree, and I like to pick certain ones to paint. This painting was a lot about layers of color applied, then scraped away, as well as a note of forlorn, like a November day, although it's not quite that month!

Lozenge

2009-10-04T17:59:00.001-07:00

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.

WIP

2009-09-12T19:18:00.000-07:00

One more magnificent sky painting I'm working on for the 'From Where I Sit' series. Sold one and now have to replace it. I'm determined to get the 8 I need for the series, as well as paintings for my Tishman Speyer show in 2 weeks. Will be a painting machine till then! :)

Tranquility, 30x40

2009-08-17T07:04:00.000-07:00

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.

The sun and its' reflections

Texture in the water

a bit of cloud

The whole enchilada.

Another WIP and A Good Lunch Location!

2009-07-07T16:51:00.001-07:00

Almost done with this sunset - I don't know.. sometimes it takes a turn at the end.... it is 30x40.

And I met Kelly Milukas, a terrific friend as well as a terrific artist, for lunch at 121 in Providence. It's a very cool - fresh, local type food - restaurant in a ... well what kind of neighborhood sells LAVENDER shoes? THAT kind of neighborhood. Gorgeous renovations to the restaurant building, though, and food to die for.

By Jove, I Think I've Finished (most of them, anyway!)

2009-04-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

SOLD

Thinking of titling the group "From Where I Sit" because all of these views are from my front porch. #3 and #5 are southerly views, #1 is south east, and #2 and #4 are western views. The other one in the group (and I don't know if I'll really include it, as it's from Canada) is the Parrsboro sunset, which is eluding me, but I'm not giving up.

Two Things

2009-03-26T03:57:00.001-07:00

First, this one from Parrsboro is finally done. Man, I lifted and lowered those big dark clouds, I lightened and darkened them, I made the water more blue, more yellow, more pink, more gray, I made the cliffs taller, shorter, wider, greener, bluer, I made the orange sky brighter, duller, yellower and pinker - BUT I think I finally got it. For better or for worse.

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.

WIP Update

2009-03-20T17:07:00.000-07:00

These three are almost done! I'm very excited - they're huge (for me), I think they're 30x36 - although I can't measure right now because I'm home. The middle one needs the most work - the pink sky has got to be a much warmer pink. I also think I'll adjust the size of the island to be shorter, and bring the second (larger) island down a little too.

Birthday Weekend

2009-03-16T05:33:00.000-07:00

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)!

And below, I've shown a little detail, and the whole of the mother-and-child painting done from a photo at the beach last summer. The little red haired boy was so fun to do with his big diaper laden swimsuit! Once again, they were silhouetted. I'm not finished with this, but all I'm really going to do is put in their reflections, which will help them 'stand up' in the water.

Sunset #2, 24x30

2009-03-04T17:20:00.000-08:00

This is one of the beautiful sunsets that I see from my front porch. I am always inspired by them, and wanted to do some skies just to see how they look together.

Next Pass at the Sky

2009-02-26T15:42:00.001-08:00

Getting close to the end of this painting. I want to layer in more colors in the water, and soften the land formation. I will probably add a little more color in the lowest strata of the sky, although it is a very dark section. I am working off a photograph, but after you get the basic values, and the general colors, you have to, in the words of Karin Jurick, whom you all may know from her art, "paint the scene, not the photograph".

More/Better Photos and a WIP

2009-02-24T16:47:00.000-08:00

The sky is almost done - still left is the land and the water. This is 30x30.

Got more paintings up ( then had a minor collapse when a bunch came flying off the wall - the top painting slammed into two others on the way down - fortunately they were UNframed! I LOVE my studio!

Everybody UP!

2009-02-24T04:04:00.000-08:00

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!

Re-Do of the Callas

2009-02-17T16:05:00.001-08:00

I tried a different vantage for these Valentine's flowers, but it didn't work out. They probably look more like Callas, but the point of view is weird. I consider this one a failure. Nice flowers, bad painting... This is just to show one of my failures to you.

February 2009

2009-02-16T16:51:00.000-08:00

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...).

January Happenings

2009-01-29T18:13:00.001-08:00

The 'wall' of Daily Paintings in my studio...

A larger work up of a small painting from a farm in Bristol...

Walking The Dog On The Beach, needs just a leeeettle bit more....

Almost done with Brasserie Lipp .....

Almost done with the Bay of Fundy Sunset...

And THAT's what I've been working on aside from my Daily Paintings!

Artist In Residence - Marshfield

2008-11-10T14:31:00.000-08:00

This was the demo (mine)...

Every child got to put brush to the painting...

We talked about values and color...

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.

Parrsboro Painting Trip

2008-10-09T12:32:00.000-07:00

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...

Carol Marine Workshop Girls, Song #1

2008-09-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here's Robin and Lois from the workshop, singing about painting.... shadows & light, stepping back, etc...... They were fun and great painters... as a whole it was a fabulous workshop that I would recommend - it's about Daily Painting, but there were no shortcuts to a good painting. Carol made us toe the line, it was hard, and it was tremendously rewarding. And the GROUP - well, let's just say we BONDED! Everyone was so nice, supportive, and encouraging. And these gals can PAINT! We are thinking of doing a group blogging project.... I'll keep you updated!

Plymouth Art Guild Festival 2008

2008-09-15T14:39:00.001-07:00

SOLD

I got 2 pieces in this show which runs through Sept 21st in the center of Plymouth, MA at the annual Festival. The Path To The Beach, 12x48 in oil, won Honorable Mention. I'm thrilled.

You're Not Getting Older, You're Getting Better, 11x14 Oil

2008-09-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

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....

A Pause That Refreshes, Little Compton, 18x18, oil

2008-08-19T14:57:00.000-07:00

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!

Isolated Shower, 24x24, Acrylic

2008-08-07T09:30:00.001-07:00

SOLD
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.

Portsmouth Farm II, Oil 12x24

2008-08-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

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...

WIP, Hull View 18x24 Acrylic

2008-07-28T06:18:00.000-07:00

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!

The Barns in Portsmouth, RI, acrylic 14x18

2008-07-23T06:06:00.000-07:00

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.

Pembroke Arts Festival, August 1 and 2, 2008

2008-07-22T18:43:00.000-07:00

Today I heard that I got 3 pieces into the Pembroke Arts Festival Juried Show. I'm thrilled that "Atheena Ballerina" won an Honorable Mention Award!

Opening at the Ventress LIbrary 7/14

2008-07-18T13:04:00.001-07:00

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...

Well, the 'Opening' finally happened. Monday night, with a light turnout. My family & friends were there, however, and I think the show looked good. Here are a few photos.

New Stuff

2008-07-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

A 'Toulouse Lautrec" inspired model...

A sunset on a "Hot Summer Night"...

And a Potato Field at "Wingover Farm" in Tiverton...

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!"

Off On Another Adventure

2008-06-19T13:15:00.001-07:00

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!

AWOL

2008-06-10T05:03:00.001-07:00

OK, so I went to NYC last week, and while I didn't get to gallery hopping (do you really want to know the details of a day spent recovering a cell phone left in a cab?) I DID get to 'visit' the Statue of Liberty! Back to painting now!

Portsmouth Art Guild Figure Show

2008-06-10T04:50:00.000-07:00

SOLD

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?

Another Amazing Sunset, 11x14 oil

2008-06-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-01T18:04:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-01T07:57:00.001-07:00

I sketched this lounger last summer at the beach. The game was on, his Dunkin Donuts iced coffee nearby... he got a little more sun than he probably should have. I like the way everything was compartmentalized....

1st of the Irises, Acrylic, 16x20

2008-06-01T07:46:00.000-07:00

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.

Large Clamscape, 18x24 oil

2008-05-29T17:03:00.000-07:00

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.

Clam-o-licious, Oil, 22x28

2008-05-23T11:34:00.000-07:00

At this size, maybe I've got clams 'out of my system' - ahem.... Seriously I did have such a blast painting these - I used, rose, sevres blue, indigo, cad yellow medium, cobalt, a hint of orange and alizarin - this is not your mothers' still life!

Everybody Knows Everybody, Oil, 20x24

2008-05-22T15:40:00.000-07:00

This is a little beach community with those gorgeous summer homes with porches facing the ocean, and next week they'll all be moving in, cleaning up and 'Opening' the houses for the season. I love the 'Hopper'-y feeling of this.

Tiverton Quohogger, 14x18 Oil

2008-05-22T15:37:00.000-07:00

You know, I'm making up the size here. I KNOW it's more than 12x16 but it COULD be 20x24 - it's at the studio, I'm home. I painted this subject before, and think I did a better job this time...

Sun Hanging Low Over Dunes, 9x12 Acrylic

2008-05-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

This is the new photo - a bit sharper.

Tools of the Sandcastle Trade 11x14 Oil

2008-05-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

This is the painting that I ruined my camera for! Gale force winds and I needed to get 'lower' to paint and not have my easel fly away - lost my balance getting onto the sand and when I leaned over to right myself my camera dug into the soft beige sand. Many trips to the wonderful folks at Mid State Camera (how long a drive can it be to get to 'mid state' in Rhode Island?) and I'm now 'sand free'. I hope. I liked the looseness and playfulness of this painting, and the Happy colors. Reminded me of days at the beach with my kids.

Finished (and I mean it this time) Flower Stand

2008-05-21T15:34:00.001-07:00

Beach Road Flower Stand, oil, 20x24

2008-05-07T04:28:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-07T04:21:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-07T04:15:00.001-07:00

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! :)

Tug On The Sakonnet, 12x12 Oil

2008-05-04T05:43:00.000-07:00

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".

Orphan's Day Out, 12x12 Oil

2008-05-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

He's bringing her breakfast (or, since birds get up at the crack of dawn and this was about 10 a.m. it was probably lunch). I have every hope that it's because she's getting heavy with eggs, not because she's sick. The foreground is much more purple IRL.

Gild and Lilies, 24x24 acrylic

2008-05-01T09:43:00.000-07:00

More flowers. These gorgeous lilies were from Tim, the vase was a Christmas present from our daughter, Molly. My favorite color, and glass to boot. I made the window sash behind them gold, just because I felt it would give the painting a little pizzaz.

Ranunculus in a Mexican Vase, oil 12x16

2008-04-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

I did some sketching of my orange boy, Harry, the other day in the garden. At the studio on Sunday, this showed up on a canvas - how'd that happen? I like the playfulness of this, and it's definitely not 'serious', but I love the bull's-eye on Harry's side - it's really there!

Tiverton Getty, 14x18 acrylic

2008-04-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

SOLD
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!

For The Birds...

2008-04-13T16:57:00.000-07:00

I've been sketching birds, from life and from photos (mine and 'found' photos). I like to study them as they're sitting, eating or just hanging out. It seems to me they have a very complicated system of communication. I have great empathy for them, and contrary to many people, find them 'lucky' and 'good omens' rather than the reverse.

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.

Plein Air Falmouth, Marshfield and Norwell, MA

2008-04-10T14:02:00.001-07:00

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.

Tuesday I went to the Veterans Cemetery in Bourne, MA and while I was there I stopped at Old Silver Beach in Falmouth. It was unbelievable. The water was aqua! I don't like the composition, but you know what they say about a bad day of painting....

This Week's Figures, oil

2008-04-10T13:56:00.000-07:00

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...

Self Portraits

2008-04-03T14:23:00.000-07:00

I'll give you a laugh today. I've been doing self portraits for the past week - they're really difficult. Honestly, I'm much better looking than this ;)

The last one is a work in progress, not done, but I thought I'd include it so you could see how I destroy these paintings slowly...

Featured Artist - Phyllis Adams (Block Dog Art)

2008-04-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

Let's see how this photo looks, as I 'cut & pasted' it. I'd like to introduce Phyllis Adams, a Tiverton artist and blogger, whose blog, Block Dog Art is a fun and adorable land of dogs of all kinds. Phyllis is active as well on Etsy and Ebay, and to say she just started this a few months ago, has been very successful! Check out her blog for some canine fun!

A Cottage Called Al-Fred, 9x12 oil

2008-03-31T05:41:00.000-07:00

SOLD

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, :)

A Wild One

2008-03-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-09T15:11:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-09T15:03:00.000-07:00

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. :)

Another Sakonnet Sunset, 14x18 oil

2008-02-19T16:35:00.000-08:00

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.

My Sorolla 'Forgery', oil, 22x28

2008-02-12T05:30:00.000-08:00

February is the month for the "Fakes & Forgeries" show at Spring Bull Gallery on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, RI. This year I chose one of my favorite paintings by Joachin Sorolla, titled "Mother". It not only depicts such a tender moment with a brand new baby, it's a study in subtlety. I knew it would be difficult, but I didn't anticipate just HOW difficult. I wish I'd had another week with the painting. Anyway, it got a great spot hanging front and center at the show, I was very pleased.

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.

Sakonnet Sunset, oil, 22x28

2008-02-04T15:27:00.000-08:00

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.

My Own Personal 'Salon'

2008-01-14T20:45:00.001-08:00

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'

2008-01-14T20:27:00.000-08:00

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.

Update on 'The Birds'

2008-01-14T20:13:00.001-08:00

This is now on view at the James Library in Norwell, MA at the Codman Building Reunion Show, through February, 2008

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.

East Beach Date, Oil 18x24

2008-01-14T20:03:00.000-08:00

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.

I'm No Van Gogh!

2007-11-29T11:20:00.000-08:00

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.

At Long Last!

2007-11-29T04:55:00.001-08:00

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...

Trying Something New... be patient

2007-11-01T05:19:00.000-07:00

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!

New Studio!

2007-10-31T12:54:00.000-07:00

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!).

White Pumpkins, oil 12x12

2007-10-31T12:50:00.001-07:00

Working on some ideas for an upcoming show. Loving LOVING my new studio. These were two tiny white pumpkins on a white cloth and I was just trying to be loose... let it be painterly. I think I may have another run at this, too. Maybe the paint is too thick.

Bristol Ferrytop, 8x16 Acrylic on Board

2007-10-27T14:12:00.000-07:00

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!!

Candy Cottages, Hull, Acrylic 11x14

2007-10-03T09:22:00.000-07:00

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.

Dunes of Westport, 8x16, oil

2007-10-03T07:39:00.000-07:00

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.

Edward Hopper's House, Acrylic, 14x18

2007-09-28T07:57:00.001-07:00

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 :)

Pizzeria Regina, 9x12, Oil

2007-09-23T04:40:00.000-07:00

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!

September at the Snack Shack, Oil, 11x14

2007-09-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

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!

Sunset Race, 8x16 Acrylic

2007-09-12T06:20:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-12T06:14:00.001-07:00

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.

SOLD

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!"

Cape Cod Plein Air Week

2007-09-07T07:06:00.000-07:00

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!

Tiverton Lagoon, 6x12, oil

2007-09-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

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! :)

World's End, Hingham 14x18 Acrylic

2007-08-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

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.

More On That Last One...

2007-08-21T05:08:00.000-07:00

SOLD

Worked on this for a while today. I've given the sky more depth, articulated the lifeguard chair, worked on the ridge of rocks, added the seaweed. May be finished... I'll have to live with it a while.

Beach Sketch, 14x18 Acrylic

2007-08-16T06:54:00.000-07:00

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!

Westport Plein Air

2007-08-14T18:54:00.001-07:00

Today Denise Zompa and I painted at Westport Town Beach/Allens Pond Wildlife Preserve. The sky and water were picture perfect, low humidity and warm, but not hot. No wind to speak of. Perfect plein air day. We both painted in oils, and took a lot of reference photos.

On the easel... the day was gorgeous, and the light changed rapidly as the clouds started coming in.

I can already see some things I have to change, but it gives a pretty good 'feel' of what the day was like.SOLD

Sunflower Blitz, Acrylic 16x20

2007-08-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

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.

Big Babies, Acrylic, 11x14

2007-08-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

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.

THE SHOW IS HUNG!!!!!

2007-08-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

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....

The Challenger, Oil 14x18

2007-07-28T03:28:00.000-07:00

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!".......

Japanese Irises, 14x18, acrylic

2007-07-23T14:49:00.001-07:00

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!

Little Compton Community Show

2007-07-18T08:43:00.000-07:00

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!

Lonely Boathouse, 18x18 oil

Walker's Farmstand, 8x10, oil

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