Chinese New Year Offering

I'm way late with the Chinese New Year theme but it's not really about that. This was supposed to be a "simple" drapery study using only ambient light ;) which turned out to be not about drapery at all. For those who paint from photos, take note here. Look how far you can push color in the shadows. It took me forever to learn that shadows aren't dark colorless holes.

Tangerines on Blue 6x8

I finally have this ready to post. Of course, while setting up my tangerines with the Keeping it Simple, idea in mind, I instead put the tangerines and slices on a dark blue fabric with lighter blues and oranges woven into it. What was I thinking?

Cherries Jubilee 3x5

I wanted to call this post, the ones that get away. Instead of keeping it simple (sound familiar?) I added the glass bowl to the setup. Usually I find glass fun to paint and fairly 'easy' but hanging the bowl off the edge like I did gave me problems getting the elipses right. I learned long ago that the paintings speak to others differently than they do to me. I have expectations, which is this case were not met. Doesn't mean someone else won't like it.

Looking for My Paints

I looked in all the cabinets for these paints which I was SURE I'd left here in Naples. Luckily, I'd brought my 'car kit' with me so I did have paint but I've been puzzling over the missing paint and looking in closets and drawers over and over again. I discovered it after I used up the food my loving sister Anna Marie had laid in for us before we arrived. She enjoys buying flowers and stocking the fridge for us. So, as I used the last of the food piled on the middle and least visible shelf I found the paints! Since I played hookey at the pool today and didn't post a painting , I'll finally reply to Joyce Washor's tag and list five things about myself and tag five other bloggers to do the same. This is a way of getting people to visit other blogs and of course let others know a little more about you. My five things are: 1. Never been to Disney. 2. I stopped reading as much as I once did when I got a computer. 3. If I'm not painting I'm reading. 4. I view everything as a painting whether it's the highway through the windshield or the produce at the market 5. I'm a gypsy in my soul and I would go away 3 times a month if I could. These are my taggee's, Pablo Villicana Lara, Karen Appleton , Janette Jones , Kelley MacDonald & RDL. Check them out.

Motif # 1 Damons' Point

This little 'shack' has been perched precariously on an island near the mouth of the North/South River confluence forever. It washed away during the Blizzard of '78 and was rebuilt. It's recently been remodeled to be more of a house with a gabled roof. I'm glad I have many photos of it 'before'. I used to know a lady who lived there.

Rexhame Beach Dunes Study 7X9

SOLD

I consider this more of a study than a finished work. Using the limited palette gives it nice color harmony.

Sandpaper Factory Studio

This is the before and after at the new studio. It took forever to sand this floor which was a grimy gray paint. My nephew, Win and I spent Saturday and Sunday all day and Don and I spent another 10 hours between Monday and yesterday. The results are well worth the agony of such a project which, I'll never be doing again :D This is the 4th floor of the building which has fantastic skylights over the entire roof. This is one of the very few remaining buildings of its kind in this area. I was lucky to get a space here.

Anna's Cottage 8x10 oil on board

I've been so lax in posting but I don't think anyone's hanging on my every word ;) I've had family togetherness since Saturday, beginning with a lobster cookout at my mama's house, in Brockton, with all the sibs and significant others. On Sunday, my baby bro Tom, his wife Anne and their toddlers Ryan, 3 and a half and Colin 2 came to stay until late yesterday afternoon. We had lot's of fun at the beach during a super high moon tide on Sunday and exploring tidal pools yesterday morning at low tide. Awesome to have these babies in the family after so long without young ones. I am working on another watercolor which I'll post in a day or two. With all the Codman trauma, some paintings never made it to the blog. I painted this 8x10 in Nova Scotia in June. I call it 'Anna's Cottage' after one of 3 sisters who owned the cottage. After I did the painting I found out that one of the sisters, Joy, had just passed right when I was painting it. Everyone who knew her said that her name, perfectly described her. She was a young woman of 72 :(

Five Islands 6x8

This was painted in Nova Scotia on a misty summer day in June. I stood outside with my palette on the hood of the car and painted this on canvas paper mounted into a little cigar box I picked up at the tobacco store. I love the landscape here. Sorry for the lag in posting. I'm sure with the move to the new studio, I'll be energized again.

Beacon Hill Art Walk

I am participating in the Beacon Hill Art Walk tomorrow. I'll be tucked away on Rollins Street. I hope it doesn't rain. Also, I can't get my eBay link to work right now, so if you want to see the paintings I have listed there I have added a link here #170117543371, that goes to eBay but you need to type in this number when you get there. I'll fix that soon. Here is the Hull Depot painting which looks like Edward Hopper having a flashback ;) It's very rough and I'll try it again soon. I have a better idea, now what it will take to capture this place. Also, the truck stood in for a fantastic red jeep (which kept coming and going) which will be in the next version of this painting.

Practicing Avoidance

I swore I'd have a bunch of stuff in the trunk by this evening but I just couldn't put the studio away until I painted something. This 12"x12" panel has been waiting for me for to get started, although I've had the rough drawing on there for too long to mention. Not quite finished but I'm kinda liking it. The Winter Studio is officially closed as of tonight.

Snow on Mt Washington

This painting of Mt Washington was done in Brownfield, Maine. A little snow squall broke out on top of the mountain while I was painting. Way down in the left hand corner you can see a little white farmhouse, which gives this piece some scale. Yesterday I drove myself nuts trying to paint olives on that octagonal white plate. What was I thinking? But, I am not going to stop trying until I get that thing right!

Back to Painting

Last night I worked on this Matlacha (Mat-la-shay) piece. I'm focusing on keeping it very painterly and loose. I love that these folks gave me such a hot color scheme to work with. This is stage two and I won't be able to get back to it until tomorrow. I'm living my last few weeks of Florida Retiree lifestyle before heading North. My latest adventure with our grandsons is over on Not Really a Cleaning Lady. I also read and would like to share this title with you. The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle. I compare this book to Old Yeller and The Red Pony. It was with me for days.