Open Studios

 

My fabulous studio!

Come and visit!

12-5 this Saturday & Sunday

83 East Water Street

Rockland, MA 02370

"Standish Shore" 8x10 oil on panel

One of the many painting available at studio sale prices.

Most between $50 and $150

Open Studios Weekend

Come visit from 12-5 Saturday and Sunday, 
November 21 & 22. 

Over 70 artists and artisans in two buildings.

Stop into the Sandpaper Factory at 83 East Water Street in Rockland, MA. Enter through the left side door and you'll find me at the top of the stairs on the 4th floor!

my studio

2 Buildings

2 Days

We've had a facelift
I miss my windows :(

83 East Water Street 

Rockland MA 02370

My Studio Lights

Ship Model

"Ship Model"

8x8 

It's that time of year again and we are all scrambling to get ready for Open Studios which is next Saturday and Sunday from 12-5. 

There are many new artists in the Sandpaper Factory and our new owner and steward, Alan, has really spruced up our building with siding and new windows. 
Bring your family and friends and have a blast. Maybe pick up something wonderful for someone on your Christmas list!

This is a little painting I did a few weeks back while visiting my friend Bobbi Heath at her cool house in Maine. 

This weekend in New Hampshire to celebrate my nephew Ryan's 12th (gasp)birthday. 
Guess what he got from his Auntie?

Girls Just Wanna Paint Monthly Challenge

"Standish Shore"

8x10 oil on panel
$250

I thank all of you for the emails and comments sharing your experience and advice on how you all stoke your creative muse and move through the normal ups and downs of being an artist.

The weather has been fantastic and I've been bringing my watercolor sketchbook out onto the deck with me while I have my tea each morning and doing contour drawings just to enjoy the process. All I really need to do when I feel like the well has run dry is to take a look at the work of the wonderful artists I have featured in my sidebar, and that is only the tip of the iceberg. 

I'm reaching into the archives for this painting of the local scenery for the Girls Just Wanna Paint challenge which is "Marsh".

"That's Classic" Yellow Volkswagen

Classic VW 

8x8 Oil on Panel

SOLD

Since posting my original VW painting I've met so many people who have had a love affair with the classic "bug". This particular model was an inexpensive but cool car for those of us who got our driver's licenses in the late '60's. Mine was a 1963, baby blue VW with a "sunroof" which was a folding vinyl thingy and opened the entire roof. 
My niece and 'soul sister' remembers us taking her to the Avon Drive In in it when she was about two years old, with the roof open and her little self happily camped in the back. Yes, the back seats could be folded down into a space the size of a playpen.

It was classic and remains my best selling painting and commission. 
One fan wanted it in yellow as a gift for his wife who had one. "back in the day". 
Meanwhile, here in Naples I am painting a bedroom. Washing with tsp, priming, spackling, sanding and of course the ceiling :(  
Very time consuming but the end result will be worth it.

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

$650

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.

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

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 

Palms

Everglades Palms

6x6 oil on panel

Had a sweet day painting by the Marco Island bridge yesterday. This is just a sketch of the shoreline at the edge of the Everglades.

It was a bit overcast and windy which is my favorite kind of Florida weather! 

Perfect Pair

"Perfect Pair"

3x5 watercolor on arches 140

More watercolor sketches of my back yard birds. I am really enjoying the winter here at home. 

Maine Fish House

Stonington Maine Fish House

4x4 oil on panel
Click to Buy

I began this painting in Maine a month ago and attempted to finished it yesterday. I wanted to call it " The Good, The Bad and The Ugly", because it contains a bit of each but the good news is that tomorrow is another day. For which I am thankful ;)

Hot Time in Gloucester

PKR (center) with workshop gang

Last week I joined a great group of artists on site at the Castle Manor Inn, in Gloucester for a week long workshop with Peggi Kroll Roberts who never faltered during five days of 90 plus degree heat, topping out at around 98* on Friday! 
These are a couple of exercises I did in class and of course a group shot. (missing Susan Dragoo Lembo).

Model in sunlight

value exercise in grayscale and in color

Standish Shore, Duxbury

Standish Shore 8x10 oil on Pintura Panel
Click to Bid

I went to the studio today with the idea being to paint something from a photo I had hanging around the studio. Anything, and not procrastinate and look at every photo and become overwhelmed. This was done from a photo of a painting I did years ago of an old house and a little shed on the shore of Duxbury's Bay Road. In the distance is Cordage Park, an old rope making factory in Plymouth from the ship building days. Mission accomplished.
Don and I arrived home last Sunday to crisp sea air and lilacs in full bloom! It is great to be home :)

Open Studios Weekend

Come visit from 12-5 tomorrow and Sunday. 

Over 70 artists and artisans in two buildings.

Stop into the Sandpaper Factory at 83 East Water Street in Rockland, MA. Enter through the left side door and you'll find me at the top of the stairs on the 4th floor!

Winter Woods Hurricane Sandy Fundraiser

Winter Woods 5x5
SOLD @ DPW Hurricane Sandy Fundraiser

I did this yesterday while the wind howled and the ocean roared. Another Nor'easter, making the lives of those ravaged by Sandy even worse. My heart goes out to these people. I had a similar experience during the Blizzard of 1978 when a huge storm wiped out the house I was living in (on a skinny barrier beach) and sent me into a bout with homelessness. Of course, I had places to stay, but no home and that is a lonely feeling. 
Carol and David Marine of Daily Paint Works are holding a fundraiser for the victims of the Hurricane and my painting has sold, so I'm going to put up another one. They are the most generous souls so go over and check out the paintings and help out.
Another fabulous art sale happening this weekend is at North River Arts Society. Their annual holiday sale draws crowds so get there early both days.
In true MSW fashion, I missed the deadline but will have all my small works priced right at my Open Studios NEXT weekend, Saturday and Sunday from 12-5.

Artists in Residence

Every Fall local artists are invited to participate in the Artists in Residence program run by the parents of the Furnace Brook Middle School here in Marshfield. Artists set up in the school lobby and demonstrate their skills and as the kids pass between classes they can stop for a visit.
Last year I tried out a color mixing exercise that let the kids be 'hands on' and they enjoyed it so much that I repeated it today.  
I was joined by Mary McSweeney (in the background) who was doing her beautiful charcoal drawings of dogs. 
A big thanks to the parents and teachers and the kids at FBMS for their enthusiastic warm welcome. Keep making art!

Just Show Up

Almost Winter 6x6 oil on panel

I had the most fabulous time Saturday at BookStock, a meet and greet at the Winslow House featuring panels of  authors which included readings with a plethora of local writers. I had no idea!!
Meanwhile, I put in some studio time and realized again, that all I have to do is show up and the work gets underway. It's a delicious feeling for an artist. Thanks for your visits and comments. They make my day.