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!".......

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!

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!

Lonely Boathouse, 18x18 oil

Walker's Farmstand, 8x10, oil

SOLD

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.

Sakonnet Point Road, acrylic, 16x20

Here I was intrigued by the sun on the road. All the colors you can make it in your mind's eye. Once again, my BACK was to the water! Beach roses in bloom... you can just stand there and drink in the perfume!

Hanging now in the Westport Rivers Show through September 10!

At The Waterfront, Hull, acrylic 14x18

This was done last week with Mary Sheehan Winn and Ros Farbush in Hull, MA. I stood with my BACK to the ocean and painted the area with the arcade shops (all closed up still). It has a 'Ros' feel to it, I think.

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.

Harry Loves Tulips, 12x16, Acrylic

Once again my Harry is the subject of a painting. He just LOVES flowers, and here he is sitting on the morning paper taking a whiff of the tulips (do they really smell?). I went for a stylized look here. Anyone who lives with a cat knows their preferred seat is whatever you're reading...

Prudence Island Ferry, 16x20 Acrylic

This is a plein air piece done at the Prudence Island Ferry Landing in Bristol, RI. I'm attracted to the shapes of the Ferries and the day was irresistable!

Hanging now in the Westport Rivers Show through September 10.

More Tulips, 9x12 oil on board

SOLD

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.

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!!!?"

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.

Pansies, 14x18, acrylic

The garden is really shaping up. I took advantage of 'no wind' yesterday morning and started in on this view of one of the urns that boarders the vegetable garden. Don't you just love how cheerful pansies are? Whenever I look at them they make me smile!

Westport Dunes, 18x18, acrylic

It was a sunny, warm day, and I couldn't resist heading for the beach! Love the way the dunes fall away from each other. I wanted to make this a cheerful painting, more expressionistic than realistic.

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.

Baaaa-aa, Acrylic on Board 11x14

SOLD

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'.

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

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.

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