Painting Out 2012

Inspired by Matisse 6x6 

Another year goes over the cliff....Oh, wait, I'm listening to too much radio if I'm talking that way ;)  

I deem 2012 the year of the over used cliche.

Anyway, I have had the busiest December ever, including a second trip to Maine, this time to see the Winslow Homer exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art. In case you've never been, it's a first class Museum and very easy to get around. 

It snowed that weekend and my pal Sally Dean and I had a ball, slippin' and slidin' on the sidewalks of the city.

Be sure to visit Girls Just Wanna Paint tomorrow to see our Matisse inspired works. Here's a sneak peek of mine but I must say that the girls outdid themselves with this one!!! 

I also signed up to do Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days beginning...well, pretty much, right now.

The View from the Irish Pub overlooking the Portland Ferry docks.

Happy New Year all and thanks for all your love and support. It's much appreciated!

The Farnsworth Museum, Rockland Maine

I took a ride to Rockland, Maine to see the Frank Benson exhibit at the Farnsworth Museum which is also the home of the art of the Wyeth's. 

When I think of Benson, I think of women in white dresses painted against the backdrop of the Island meadows of Maine. These famous works are luminous in carved and gilded frames that I so wanted to photograph, but it's not allowed. 

The real surprise was that Benson was painter and printmaker of shore birds of all kinds. Eagles, ducks, gulls. Having recently painted gulls, with plans to expound upon the bird theme, I was treated, in a short film, to a lesson of him etching plates of copper and limestone and pulling prints. His composition is impeccable.

There is also a Jamie Wyeth and Rockwell Kent show of paintings of Monhegan Island. Jamie's birds carry meanings that are metaphorically representational of human foibles such as the seven deadly sins. Kent's paintings are strong land and seascapes of the island on which he lived and worked.

The Museum itself is a gift from the Farnsworth family through daughter Lucy and is delightful.

I was there for almost 4 hours and it was exhilarating!

Bird's Eye View

"Bird's Eye View" 6x6 oil on panel

I like to drive out over the beach road between Marshfield and Duxbury and paint or take photos. Part ocean beach, part tidal marsh, there's always lots of action there and the view includes Powder Point Bridge and the Myles Standish Monument as well as distant views of Plymouth. 
For this little painting I combined the birds from different photos flying toward the distant marsh. 
It also sparked an idea which I'd had (and then it eluded me) for a 24x24 canvas that is toned and has been waiting in the studio. I had hit upon an idea and didn't really ruminate on it long enough to 'set' it and it evaporated, but when I began painting this, I remembered that it was about birds. I made a solid start and just need to bring it to completion. So....stay tuned.