Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Resort work

"The potting shed" 15" x 22"
This was such a fun subject..landscape and flats of plants, plus
a structure or two, everything I enjoy painting! Every year a local
resort here in Vermont hosts artists to stay for a couple days and get
inspired by their surroundings. In turn they are asked to create two
works for a show in August along with their "regular" work. It's always
fun to see the results. This painting was done for that show many years
ago and the potting shed was actually quite hidden from view, but
walking around the property I spotted it and thought it would
be a different and unique perspective.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Juried show

"Oriental Coral" 22" x 15"
I thought I'd give you a sneak peek at a painting I just dropped
off at the Shelburne Farms Coach Barn for their annual "Envisioned
in a Pastoral Setting" show. The show will run from October 2 - 25.
I love being a part of this show! I will have 5 original watercolors there
and also a big bin full of my limited edition giclee prints. Hope you have
a chance to stop by. By the way I think I may have committed a
blogging faux pas! I realized I had posted the Brugge rooftop painting
sometime last year already! OOPS, sorry, but thanks for the great
comments! Sometimes double or nothing is okay!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Full circle

"Brugge rooftops" 18"x24"
Twelve years ago while attending the wedding of one of my
oldest friends in the Netherlands, we took a side trip through
various other European cities and this was the view from our
hotel window in Brugge...so from a photograph I later produced
this painting and I think a couple from Belgium bought it at a gallery
here in Vermont and took it back with them...I might be making all
that up, but I'm pretty sure that's what the gallery owner told me!
Talk about full circle!

Friday, September 25, 2009

Early mixed bouquet

18" x 24"
One of my earlier forays in mixed bouquets...I guess the
negative painting has always been there to a certain extent.
I think I started loosening up after I had bought a bunch of
paper and decided that that was exactly what it was...just a
piece of paper! Standing while painting is another way to loosen up
and let the paint drip and dribble. You use your whole arm and
can get a little further away from your work. Try it some time...oh and
bigger brushes!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

French tower

15" x 22"
This painting was done from a photograph I took of a house
in the french countryside..it was also done after I had taken
my first workshop with Mel Stabin. Workshops are so valuable.
You get to paint for full days...be it 3, 5 or if you are lucky
14 days in a row and you are surrounded by other creative
types, plus watching the teacher demonstrate is priceless!
The tower on this house actually served as another inspiration...
it later became the inspiration for an addition on our house
and now we have our very own "french" tower.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Early scallions

7" x 10"
This was an exercise from a watercolor class I took at the
local community college way back when...It was a valuable
exercise to work with objects on fabric. I still enjoy painting
fabrics and went on to do many more paintings with veggies,
fruit and colorful napkins, table cloths etc... That collection
of cloths has grown quite a bit as well over the years.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Early sunflowers

11" x 15"
Looking at this piece brings back so many memories
of working(actually struggling) with watercolors! I thought,
like many people, that watercolors would be easy! HA! I find
out something new about them every time I paint. Maybe it's
because as kids we are given these colorful disks in nice metal
tins with a worthless plastic brush and we scrub away to pick
up some chalky color to then deposit it on some typing paper
and attempt to paint a refrigerator worthy masterpiece!
Almost impossible...it would be an interesting exercise to put
my hands on one of those children's sets and see, just see if
I could produce anything worth looking at. It's a poor craftsman
who blames his tools! Ah, but sometimes we just have to blame something!

Monday, September 21, 2009

Early poppies

20" x 30"
This is RETRO week...the paintings I'll post this week are
from 10 years ago or more! Doesn't seem like that long ago,
but when I look at them I realize that practice, practice, practice
does have it's rewards...I've learned to handle the paint differently
and become braver with color choices. Most of these paintings
are in happy homes all over the place...I'm glad I have pictures of
them though.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Seasons change

"Chick me out" 10"x7"
On the cusp of the seasons, I'll fast forward and
momentarily skip fall by posting this wintery scene.
Living in Vermont it wouldn't be unusual to have this
image happening sometime in October, though!
Leaves are gone, a few stubborn berries are refusing
to let go and an early snow descends on the landscape.
So enjoy this last weekend of summer everyone!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Sunflower multi

I found the sunflower multi-study, but I'm looking for
the other ones..between old slides converted to jpegs
and stacks of old cd's it's quite the chore...might not be
soon, but I'll put my hands on them! I had a comment
about sizes and I'll try to be more diligent about listing
the sizes of paintings. These studies were done on half
sheets of watercolor paper...so 15"x22". Thanks for all
the nice comments, it's great hearing from all of you!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Pears everywhere

Another multi study..this time of pears.
I did this format with plums, oranges with green backgrounds
as opposed to yesterday's post where it was oranges and blues,
pansies, sunflowers, lemons etc...I'll dig around and see if
I have pictures of all those.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Orange multi study

As promised the multi study series of oranges. I had done
a whole bunch of these about ten years ago when I was at
a week long artist residency. I had set up a still life and then
divided a half sheet of watercolor paper in random squares
and rectangles with artist tape, trying to vary the shapes
and sizes. Then I painted across the paper focusing in on
different sections of the still life, while trying to think of all
the smaller images as still part of a whole and make the
composition(s) work. Color, design, shapes etc..
It's a workout for your brain and brush!
I've tried this exercise with some of my workshop participants.
It's fun to try..somehow it makes you less concerned with
trying to end up with one "finished" painting.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Different Strokes

"Sweet Treats"
My contribution to the latest Different Strokes Challenge.
Karin Jurick suggested we check out a video of Wayne Thiebaud
and try to channel him...well I was lucky enough several years
ago to see a retrospective of his work at the Phillips Collection
in Washington D.C. I was overwhelmed and super excited, since
we had practically stumbled upon the show not knowing it was
there and I had been a huge fan for years! A great day.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Orange you glad?

Orange you glad it's still summer? Just a little more
time to enjoy the surf and sand...I had this orange
painting from a series I did about ten years ago and
couldn't resist the opening sentence. :)
I'll post the whole series next week...you've seen the
individual paintings over the last several months, but
it'll be nice to see them all together.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Nestled together

A cozy little portrait of two birds that stay in
Vermont for the winter! It's very exciting to see
that splash of red against the white of the snow and
the green of the pines! Talk about perfect complements in nature!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Oranges with Sunflowers

This is a somewhat older piece. My attempt at
a colander...at least I got the holes. This should have
had more lighting..something stronger to cast some
shadows. I'm going to venture out today to knock on
some farms' doors to see if they have outstanding chickens
and roosters that I might photograph...I'll start at the farm
that offers eggs for sale...always a good indication of fowl! :)

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

proper proportions

I can't wait for the open figure sessions to start
again next week at our local arts center. I don't
want to get too rusty. I call this piece "why the long
face", because she is somewhat out of proportion.
Both in the face and the shoulders compared to the rest
of her...So I need to get back into the swing of things.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Outside looking in

Happy Labor Day to you all!
I did this painting at a workshop last month and really
enjoyed the time spent at the farm. There was a litter
of kittens and I had to keep telling them that their little
teeny meows wouldn't talk me into taking one of them
home! By the end of the workshop we spent the last
afternoon back at the farm and almost all had found
homes! Now the chickens on the other hand...
I just paint them, I don't have any :)

Friday, September 4, 2009

plein air painter

I've missed my Thursday postings a couple
times now...I don't really know why, but so sorry.
So when you've exhausted the scenery and are not
super inspired by another building or tree...paint
someone else painting! This was done in the workshop
I took last month and I loved the colorful umbrella!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Set up

This was a picture I took after I painted the bouquet of
purple tulips...I have a pencil box full of creative implements
and a teeny watercolor travel set. It's about all you need.
Off to a board meeting for the VT WC Society today..
getting ready for the fall meeting next month.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

New Work

"Voluptuous" 22"x10"
This piece is in my solo show at the
Southern Vermont Arts Center. I also
changed my profile picture to one that
was taken at the opening of the show of me
standing next to this painting. It's interesting
how it gives the perspective and how large
the piece is compared to my head! ha ha...