A Cottage Called Al-Fred, 9x12 oil

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

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. :)

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.  

My Sorolla 'Forgery', oil, 22x28

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

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'

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.

Update on 'The Birds'

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

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!

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!

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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 :)