Loading Dock Oil 8x10

I wanted to keep this painting fresh by not overdoing my paint application. I like an orange underpainting (which was dry) because it really vibrates the sky color. I used a mixture of Ultramarine, Viridian and Alizarin to lay in the dark shapes in one take. For some reason, I have strayed from this mixture and it feels like coming home to use it. It's a very versatile transparent dark and you can lean it towards any of the three colors. By adding white and some orange you get beautiful harmonious grays throughout the painting. I used an appropriate amount of red in my greens to push them back in the frame, and applied my paint stroke by stroke, wiping my brushes in between to keep the color fresh. I was never a one brush painter because some colors just need to be separated, but there is something to be said about limiting brushes to a few to keep the color harmonious. My husband thinks that the building needs some windows on the right side, but I just want to darken it with very carefully placed brushmarks to set it back more. It's too light to be the shadow side of the building. Maybe another stroke on the truck too. What do you think?

Cedgie 8x10 watercolor

This is a little Brussels Griffon doggie named Cedgie who belongs to my friend JoJo.

The Daily News

I did this little watercolor in conjunction with Karin Jurick's Different Strokes from Different Folks blog. Go on over and check it out. See my paintings for sale at Daily Painter's Marketplace.

Loading Dock Watercolor 8x10

Another homage to old factory buildings. I can't help myself. Anyone want to weigh in on the tree shape in the middle? It started as a tree from the foreground and I later realized that it wasn't as logical as I'd like it to be. So I cropped. This is a scene I'll do again when those trees start turning.

The Full Monty

This sweet little cottage colony in Dennisport, Massachusetts, started out as tents in a campground, circa 1940's, and morphed into charming one or two room seasonal cottages. Here I am trying to work the cloudy gray day into a marvelous painting. Didn't happen, but I had fun. The real highlight was meeting Monty the sweet bulldog, whose photo I also posted at Not Really A Cleaning Lady.

The Ocean State

The great thing about New England is that the entire six state region is about 70,000 square miles which is only a bit larger than the State of New York. You can drive to destinations by the ocean or to rivers, lakes, mountains and forests in a matter of hours . It's all here. Yesterday was a picture perfect day to paint in Rhode Island, about an hour South of my home. Tiverton and Little Compton are located along the Sakonnet River. which abounds with rolling farmland with river and ocean views, incredible stone walls of yesteryear, old barns and sheds, Farm stands, harbors with boats, lots of livestock and rolled up bales of hay. We spent the day like tourists exclaiming over the light, the views, the animals, the water! I managed to get this small (2.75 x 2.75) sketch done before the boat pulled away from the dock and later on I managed to just catch the sunset over the marsh using a real cigar box palette that I picked up at a tobacco store. No set up. Put your stuff on the trunk or open hatchback and stand there. I keep it in the fridge in between uses. This was a perfect day.

Sunflowers #3 Oil 9x12

I started this one last summer and stayed up half the night putting a finish on it after practicing Sunflowers all week. This beautiful embossed pitcher was a bargain at Nobles Camera and Gifts in Hingham last summer. I love it.

Sunflowers in Aqua Glass Pitcher W/C 8x10

My Sunflowers are still robust after a week. I am trimming the stems every other day and using the flower crystals, but really, a week is long for Sunflowers. That being the case, there was only one choice of subject matter today.

Sunflowers Watercolor

I started this watercolor a few days ago and finished it this morning. The sunflowers that are modeling for me are spectacular. I bought them last Thursday and the heads are still magnificent. So I better paint faster. I'm listing this over at Daily Painters Marketplace.

Guitar Man 5x7 Watercolor

I was so exhausted by the fanfare surrounding my award that I haven't been able to paint . Just kidding ;) Saturday evening I went to an outdoor party where a band was playing. This guitar man, caught my eye as a perfect painting and I took a bunch of snaps of him. The red spot lights set the mood. I included a detail from the initial sketch just for the heck of it.

Art y Pico

The bloggers are a generous lot, passing out compliments and awards to their bloggie friends. I don't know what else to say after getting the Art y Pico Award from both Kelley MacDonald and Jeffrey Boron, two of my fellow artist bloggers. Thank you! :::::::taking a bow:::::::::: This means I get to pass it on to five other bloggers and believe me, there is no shortage of terrific painters and artists out here in the blogosphere. I can't wait to share these blogs with you.

To quote the originator's intent in creating it, "The Arte y Pico Award has arisen from the daily visits that I make to many blogs which nourish and enrich me with creativity. In them, I see dedication, creativity, care, comradeship, but mainly, ART, much art. I want to share this prize with all those bloggers that entertain and enrich me day to day. Doubtlessly, there are many and it will be hard to pick just a few."

The Rules:

1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award through creativity, design, interesting material, and also contributes to the blogger community, no matter of language.
2. Each award should have the name of the author with a link to their blog.
3. Award winners have to post the award with the name and link to the blog of the person who gave them the award.
4. Show these rules and the paragraph (above) explaining the awards origination. To quote her description of this award: The Arte y Pico Award has arisen from the daily visits that I make to many blogs which nourish and enrich me with creativity. In them, I see dedication, creativity, care, comradeship, but mainly, ART, much art. I want to share this prize with all those bloggers that entertain and enrich me day to day. Doubtlessly, there are many and it will be hard to pick just a few."

My Picks: Rob Ibjema's paintings are an exciting mix of abstract design and color that turn out to be cars. Frank Gardner is an American painter living in San Miguel, who shares lots of great info on his blog and his paintings are wonderful. Jennifer Bellinger paints the best lemons anywhere and her beautifully executed still lives, both large and small, are total eye candy. Liza Hirst is from Berlin and paints beautiful street scenes and still life. Jennifer McChristian, a California painter whose dramatic paintings say more with less.

Sunflower Study

I set up on the back deck yesterday afternoon and did a drawing of a pitcher of sunflowers right on the canvas. I managed to come up with a good sketch but the painting, not so much. I just couldn't get the colors right and it got a little muddy so, I wiped it off ;) Anyway, it was a great way to spend a glorious summer day. Our very short summer is slipping away so I'm beaching and reading and gardening here.

Sagamore Bridge pencil sketch 8x10

Just to stretch myself I did this drawing of the Sagamore Bridge, one of two identical bridges that span the Cape Cod Canal. I love bridges and would like to develop this into a painting. I'm going to step back (from the computer and the palette) and enjoy the beautiful weather we're having here on the coast of Massachusetts. It's all too fleeting.

Provincetown Kite Store 12x12

I've always wanted to paint the kite store but it was as scary as the mums ;) This was supposed to be my entry for the PAAM 12x12 auction but since it was still wet I opted for the Spider Mums. My new Princeton 6300 brights are just kickin' when it comes to putting paint in the stripes of the kites and such. I love them. Check out my other blog for some interesting and fun photos of Provincetown. There is no place like it. Trust me.

White Spider Mums 12x12

SOLD

Maybe another tweak on this but it's mostly finished. I think a subtle dark stroke beneath the lemons and plums to keep them from floating, This was another of my 'simple' still lives and I went through the valley of "this is not going to happen" before hitting the 'sweet spot' today, going for the finish. There's a mental moment in each painting where the struggle suddenly switches gears and you know you're on the right track. There are things I'd do differently here but over all I reached the goal. I used some great new brushes that Kelley gave me and I can see the difference from my usual bristle flats. Completely changed my edges. This is for Provincetown Art Association and Museum's 12x12 silent auction event which takes place August 1st through September 7th. Stop in if you happen to be visiting beautiful Provincetown, Massachusetts.

White Spider Mums 12x12

Just picked up the ole hammer and started hitting myself on the head again this morning. Here's my setup in front of what we call our bird window. Using natural light I am actually designing the painting as I go. It just happened that way but it's a good lesson. Had to make a run to the store for some more lemons and some plums and some cat food. Here are a few enticing 'details'. I always have a vase of white spider mums in the house. I've never painted them though. Too scary ;)

Crystal Vase Stripes 4x6

This study brings to mind that old joke about hitting yourself on the head with a hammer. It feels great when you stop. This was supposed to be a warm up for another painting I have due next week. A simple still life, as it were. You know what that means from me. Some needlessly(?) complicated set up. Yipes Stripes! Upon photographing this I can see how the values behind the glass of the vase are too light (the photo is not accurate in color no matter how many times I shot it) and the stripes are too static. I can only improve from here.

Parrsboro Pine Study 6x8

This is a late afternoon study of the trees outside the cottage window, from my trip to Parrsboro. I also included a detail. I'm feeling better about painting trees these days. I hope everyone is enjoying the summer. I am ;)

Hot and Hazy 8x16

This view of Boston Light and Graves Light was painted in Hull from the hilltop at Fort Revere, where there are 360 degree views of Boston and the harbor islands. I submitted it to a show at Oceanside 17 for a show called Heat which will run from July 18th through August 17th. Go visit if you are in Nantasket (Hull) and check out the wonderful display of painting, jewelry, glass and more. Hey, maybe even buy some art ;D

Out to Pasture WC 6x6

It seems that this little hatchback has taken its last ride. Now it's a painting subject. As usual, it was really buggy while I painted. My setup was on the hood of the car. If you like old cars as a subject visit Ron Morrison's blog and see his cool watercolors of really old abandoned cars.