Painting Shiny

Vermeil Cup

Class Demo

I'd like to say that I'm setting the world on fire here in Naples, but the fact is, I'm on island time. Sitting, reading, eating out and touring South Florida with Don and generally lazing about.
However, I have my students to keep me on the straight and narrow!
Tuesday, I painted this shiny silver cup. It's not metal but a soft vermeil kind of finish and it was extremely difficult to paint. Linda watched me sweat through my demo and then took on the task. The big issue with this finish was that it doesn't reflect mirror like images of the surrounding area as metal would, only color and shadow. We are going to go after it again next week which is the best way to understand it.
Meanwhile, I read a bunch of books including, The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank by Ellen Feldman, The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian, The First Phone Call from Heaven by Mitch Albom, The Selected Short Stories of William Faulkner, Local Girls by Alica Hoffman and Some Girls Some Hats and Hitler; a true love story by Trudi Kanter. They were all good in an "okay" kind of way, but I'm still looking for that really great read.

Painting Glass

Glass Demo

6x6 oil 

I've been teaching every other Friday at the Von Liebig and have the most wonderful students. Fearless and full of enthusiasm, they tackle anything I throw at them. 
Yesterday's lesson was painting glass which is difficult but not as difficult as one would think. The point is to paint the masses and the shapes. 
The lessons are quite advanced but it's a good learning experience, much like my early classes with John Kilroy. He threw us into the deep end of the pool and really made us "see". Those classes, as I like to say, "broke me out" from a rut, where I was painting subjects that were beyond my abilities at the time, and ending up having a lot of unfinished paintings hanging around the studio. From that experience I feel that it's better to teach the same fundamentals to all levels of painters and give them the tools they need to advance.

Linda's Painting.

I think she's got it!

Orchid Dance

Orchid Dance 
12x16 Oil on canvas board

I feel for my homies in New England who can't even get out of their houses for the mountains of snow that are piling up there. There's a limit to one's patience in the face of needing to get to work or even just out and about. Most streets are now only wide enough for one car, including in my little beach neighborhood. Snow is so high you can't see around corners and driving is dangerous. Stay safe and warm is all I can offer.

Meanwhile, my classes at Von Liebig have been well attended and my 'girls' are coming to my home studio once a week to paint! 

I wanted to step out of the box and do a larger painting with a more complicated subject and so I set up my orchids. This is on a 12x16 canvas panel and I did a drawing first, trying for accuracy and taking my time. It took quite a while and I'm not completely satisfied with the result but I don't hate it either. There are areas where I need to do more on the flowers and I lost some freshness in the greens (put it down and leave it). I'll go at it again after it dries some and then do another with maybe just one orchid. It's all about practice. I really enjoyed it, which is the point.

drawing

initially I had more leaves (another plant) 

behind the left hand flower, but they didn't work so I eliminated them in the end. I also may rethink that permanent rose background. It may have been working against me.

my setup

Love and a Blizzard Story

"Love"

4x4 oil on panel

Feeling fortunate to be in Florida as winter storm Juno wreaked havoc and destruction on coastal Massachusetts. 

I have first hand memories of the Blizzard of '78 which caused the same kind of devastation. 

My sister and I were living in Humarock, a peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the South River and I say with no exaggeration, escaped with our lives.

Blizzard of 1978 ~ Humarock, Massachusetts

This photo, which ran in the Boston Globe shows my sister's Ford truck, which we abandoned when it began to float, resting on about 10 feet of sand. There was no road to drive out on but we tried anyway. The whole thing was surreal.

On a lighter note. The quintessential flower of love is the rose. Check out Girls Just Wanna Paint for other interpretations of "love".

Back to White

White Dove

6x6 watercolor 

Here are two value studies I did of this little dove. The difference between them is that for the watercolor painting, the dove was lit only with ambient light from a table lamp and the oil study was lit with a spotlight.

For me, white objects are fun to paint and a great way to study value and temperature.

There are a few spots left in my class at Von Liebig on Friday. 

Sign up here.

White Dove

6x6 oil on panel 

Von Liebig Classes

Garlic

6x6 oil on panel

Eight brave souls took on the the world of values, shape and color in my first class of the season at the Von Liebig Center for the arts, last Friday, and we all had fun. I discovered that many of them are going to be repeat students so I'm going to have to stay on my toes!
This is my demo and yes, the edges of the shadows should be a tad lighter ;)
My next class is scheduled for January 30th and you can book it here.

Cat Challenge ~ Atticus

"Atticus"

8x10 graphite on paper

Buy with PayPal

I plan to do a painting of Atticus the "Catticus" but, decided to do a graphite drawing of him last night while watching Shark Tank.  He lives in Missouri and loves to sit on the bathroom sink, as do my girls. It's a cat thing.
If you'd like to see your favorite feline here, please send me a good photo and I will do my best.

Atticus

DPW Judge's Pick and a Ramble

Jackson and Reagan

12x12 oil on panel

commission ~ SOLD

Out of 107 entries, I am one of the Judge's Picks in the December 2014,  DPW Monthly painting contest! Such an honor. This painting of Jackson and Reagan was a commission for a dog lover friend of mine. Check out the winners here.

Also, my class at Von Liebig will be on FRIDAY, not THURSDAY as I have previously posted. Check it out here.

Don and the girls and I arrived in Naples, Florida late yesterday afternoon. The good news is that everyone lived, but we were all very tired ;) 

Stay tuned for my cat challenge paintings.

 my Auntie's cat, Cleo

 

Happy 2015!

Wendell

6x6 oil on raymar panel NFS

The last post of the year is for our GJWP painting challenge blog, the topic of which is 'memory'.
From many cherished memories, I chose this painting of my dearest, much missed boy, Wendell. 
I am a total cat girl and am about to embark on a cat painting challenge. If anyone has any cat photos they'd like me to try my hand at, please send them to me at wendl15@verizon.net. 
In the meantime, every day is a new day to start over. To be better. To reach a goal. To change what you can and accept what you can't. Happy New Year to all of my family, friends and supporters. I wish you the best in 2015. 

Winter Sky

"Winter Sky, Brant Rock"

6x6 oil on panel

This time of year brings dramatic dark skies and glowing early sunsets. It's this particular combination that makes an old fashioned and quite ordinary cottage look amazing! I love how the shadows carve out the abstract shapes in the picture. I've been very busy doing some commissions which I am unable to post lest the 'surprise' factor be jeopardized. 
Wishing everyone love and blessings and a Merry Christmas.

Magical

Truro Full Moon

6x8 oil on panel

This month's Girls Just Wanna Paint topic is 'magical' and what is more magical than a full moon over a  Cape Cod winter marsh?  
Please be sure to check out my show at Bella's restaurant which is up through January 4th.  Small 6x6 framed paintings are priced at $200. Think Christmas gifts :D

Open Studios Weekend

Party Lights 

Open Studios is Christmas-like in terms of anticipation and preparation and then the guests arrive!  I promise to reward all who chug up 4 flights of stairs with refreshments, and wonderful art!
Coinciding with this weekend,  I have a show of 26 paintings in ''The Little Bar" at Bella's Restaurant, 933 Hingham Street (Route 228). They aren't open for lunch but you may ask to see the show at any time and I recommend staying for dinner because the food is great.
My studio is at 83 East Water Street in Rockland, MA 02370 for you GPS users and we are open from 12-5 on Saturday and Sunday. See you there!

Bella's Opening this Sunday 5-7

My Bella's Show is finally up. It was beautifully hung by my artist friend and bartender extraordinaire, Viv Harlow, who manages the art shows there. Come visit with me and other artist friends in the Little Bar on Sunday from 5-7.
Also, Open Studios is the following weekend! 

Stonington Cove

Stonington Cove

12x16 oil on cradled hardboard

I painted this on Sunday while the wind howled and rain and snow poured from the sky. Painting against a deadline doesn't usually produce good work but there are exceptions. I'm pretty happy with this one, which is an example of the kind of brushwork and color use that I'm trying to achieve. This painting will be in my Bella's show.
On a different note, my hubby had a small natural gas "wood" stove installed in our living room last week as a backup in the case of power outages. Wouldn't you know we were out for an hour Saturday night and I was unusually calm, cool and collected. We weren't out long enough for the house to get too cold but it was nice to know that if it did we could be fairly comfortable for a while.

Taking one for the Team

Happy Halloween

this painting will be sent to bed without any supper and thrown in the trash asap

Our GJWP topic this month is 'Neighbor'. This house is across the street from my studio and always had an elaborate Halloween display but it's been scaled down to just the gravestones.
Sometimes I see a painting and I think to myself, "that should never have made it out of the studio." and this one is a good example. It's pretty bad but sometimes you have to take one for the team.
I spent the day down at Green Harbor painting boats on a cold and cloudy day. It was a struggle to get my drawing correct even though I was using a viewfinder but I ended up with a passable study. The fisherman were abuzz pulling boats and traps out of the water for the winter pressed by a Nor'easter in the forecast for this weekend.

Progress

Winter Storage

24x24

Apologies for the glare-y photo, I think it's done. 
The opening for my Bella's show will be on Sunday, November 16th from 5-7 PM.

Work in Progress

Work in Progress

24x24

I don't like to post WIPs but I will take a chance here and give you a sneak peek of my large paintings.
I've mentioned that I will be showing my work at Bella's Italian Restaurant beginning in November and through the first of the year. Because the space needs larger paintings, I committed to working much larger than I'm used to and let me just say that from 6"x6" to 24"x24" is a jump.

Here are a sequence of photos of my process in enlarging a small painting. My process is to grid a printout of the original painting and draw it onto newsprint. I then chalk the back, along the lines of the drawing and transfer it to the toned board. I'm using Ampersand unprimed hardboard which has a 2" cradle to eliminate the need for framing, although the buyer can always add a frame. I give it three coats of gesso, sanding lightly between coats and tone it with an underpainting that will enhance the color harmony of the final painting. There is a lot of blue in this painting so I chose an orange ground. 
For those of you who've emailed me about taking my Painting from Photos workshop, I will be scheduling it for after Open Studios which is November 22 & 23 from noon to 5 PM,the weekend before Thanksgiving. 

Also, this weekend is The Hingham Arts Walk featuring my GJWP homies. Please stop by and visit Kelley MacDonald, Paula Villanova and of course Page at the studio of Page Pearson Railsback, at 35 North Street from 12-4 on Sunday, October 19th.

drawing

traced onto board

Classic Oldie

"Classic Car"

8x8 oil on Pintura panel

$225 click to buy

There's a little garage near my studio, where some 'car guys'  restore classic cars. I've been driving by it for years and have always wanted to paint this beautiful peridot green car. Now that I'm posting, I realize that I should know what kind of car it is. But, I'll have to tell you next time.

The Pink Cottage

Pink Cottage

8x10 oil on canvas panel

$225 Click to Buy

I love color and pushing this pink into a glowing 'presence' was really fun! I can see cropping this differently and painting a few different versions of it. 
I've been invited to show my work at Bella's Restaurant, which is a local favorite serving Italian cuisine. They've been supporting area artists in the 'Little Bar' gallery for at least a decade and I am psyched to have this opportunity. I need to do some LARGE paintings for this show and I'm ready. Stay tuned.

Expression

"Wendell"
9x12 watercolor abstract 

The topic for our GJWP Challenge this month is "Expression". There are so many ways to interpret that word but for me, it's all about my art. This is a watercolor/abstract painting of my Wendell.

Jersey Shore

Sunflower and Garret

6x10 watercolor

We are leaving Atlantic City today after a fabulous week in our 31st floor digs on the Jersey Shore. I think I might be a Jersey girl at heart. Who knew?
I did this little study toward a future painting of my garret which is the last window at the top right.

our awesome aerie

Monhegan- View from the Garret

"View from The Garret"

6x10 watercolor

I began this sketch the day I checked into my garret. It was an overcast day so there isn't much contrast. 
This week I'm in Atlantic City on the 31st floor of the Flagship Hotel. Love the sound of the ocean and the wind. Don and I have been keeping the sliding doors ajar all night so we can enjoy it. 

Monhegan Panorama

"Monhegan Study"

5x9 watercolor

Spending a few glorious days on Monhegan Island with my painter friend Bobbi Heath.
We ate a fabulous meal at the Island Inn where not only did they allow us to split an entree, they plated it separately as well and we walked home enjoying the spectacular starry sky, which is so much more dramatic way out here.
I did this little study of Manana and the harbor from the sitting area just outside my top floor 'garret' at Monhegan house. I have always wanted a garret! Life is good ;)

the garret 

More Morning Glories #3 of 30 in 30

Morning Glories

8x8 watercolor on Arches

This is my third painting for Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 challenge. My greatest pleasure during the amazing summer of 2014 has been the incredible weather with low humidity, temperatures consistently in the 75-80 range, and hardly any mosquitos.  WHAT?!
Next to that, which was pretty big for me, I've been loving sitting on my deck enjoying our little slice of oceanside nirvana and painting. Our 'Heavenly Blue' Morning Glories are in full bloom and I cannot get enough of this beautiful shade of blue. 
The painting is much lighter and cleaner than I can reproduce in this photo. Back at it again tomorrow.

Morning Glories

"Morning Glories"

6x12 watercolor

My second painting in Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 challenge is this tower of morning glories which I grow on trellises inside ceramic pots on my deck. The 'heavenly blue' shade of these flowers is almost impossible to paint, but I tried. I so love sitting on my deck painting these gorgeous flowers! This has been a perfect summer and I hope this is a trend in the weather.