In Transition

Abba and Wolfie looking skeptical

Just so you all know, I didn't just hang it up after getting a record amount of comments on this last painting. I spent last week getting ready for the trip North which takes a lot out of me. I'm not a good transition-er.  Each year I swear I'm not going to take too much stuff to Naples...yeah....right. We left Friday morning, spent two days on the road and arrived home Sunday afternoon. Initially the girls were a bit anxious. I never saw cats pant before so I released them from their cages and that calmed them some. All those big trucks going by was a new experience for them. It was a good trip and we're home and it's Spring!!

Beach Boys

 SOLD

I actually began this painting months ago and had almost completed the figures and most of the foreground sand and water when I stopped to do some domestic diva stuff like cook dinner.  It seems ridiculous now because the FOF factors, Fear of Finishing and Fear of Failure, took over like they do and it languished. Anyway, I took it to the finish today.

I'm not sure if I am satisfied with the area above the heads of the kids. Is it interesting enough or does it need a tweak? You tell me. From now on when I'm on a roll I'm going to call in sick to the kitchen ;)

Funky Monday

I've been funky this weekend. Everyone is going home and I'm feeling the pull of my studio and my 'homies'. Hubby doesn't want to leave early but we've been here for three months and I have work to do. Sometimes you just have to go to the beach and sit there until the sun drops into the Gulf of Mexico. Naples is beautiful. You really can't beat that. I came home refreshed.

Sanibel Lighthouse II

 

From the beach side of Sanibel Island. Man it was beautiful out there. White sand and lots of boaters moored in the shallow water. If it weren't so darned hot here in Southwest Florida, I could be tempted to 'live the Florida lifestyle' as they say in the Bealls ads ;) Don and I went to the beach yesterday. Low humidity and a Gulf breeze made it a perfect day.

Don't forget to visit my friends at the 4th Floor Artists Spring Open Studios this weekend.  

Sanibel Lighthouse

 

SOLD at the Art Boutique at Tin City in Naples, Florida

 Last weekend we took a ride up to Sanibel Island on a beautiful day. I took this shot of the lighthouse from the bridge as we were leaving.  This is the first of two paintings I did today while I listened to a replay of Blog Talk Radio featuring Carol and David Marine. It's absolutely true that if you paint several in a row they get better and better. Stay tuned.

Provincetown Sunset #3

Still working on my Provincetown watercolors which are great fun to do. I've been asked what materials I use so I'll give it up. Any good sketchbook or watercolor pad will do. I'm using an Aquabee 6x12 (I like the long skinny format) 93 pound sketch paper. The paper has very good 'lift' quality even after the paint is dry for a while. I draw the sketch in pencil and then do some pen over it with waterproof Faber-Castell and Pigma-Micro pens. I then use liquid masking on the shoreline where I've indicated the buildings. I'll paint over them later. I also do a little masking in the water to keep some of the white which I can alter later if I choose. If it needs more pen after the paint I'll add some. In a sketch of a well known place with a recognizable skyline like this is, you must make the proportions and placement of the key buildings correct. From the left they are the UU Church, the town hall, the former Methodist Church which is the new (fabulous) library, the Pilgrim Monument and the two water towers.

Shell Game

$100.00 plus $10 S&H

Where's the pea?

Once in a Blue Moon over Provincetown

 $110 plus $10 S&H

In 2009 the moon was full on both December 2nd and December 31st which is the blue moon. I was visiting my friend Irene who lives on the edge of Race Point and Provincelands. We took a walk in the dunes and on the way back I shot photos of the moon which was visible before the sun set that day. There's just something about the moon that enthralls us.

I am busily working on paintings for my Provincetown gig but I do want to give a heads up about the 4th Floor Artists Open Studios this month. I'm not back from Naples until the 10th of May so I won't be able to participate.

Awaiting Summer 6x6 WC

$110 plus $10 S&H

Our challenge subject for Girls Just Wanna Paint  is 'three'. I kept thinking literally, three flowers, three jars, three lipsticks etc., but while I was painting this I noticed something. This old fashioned summer cottage sports three old fashioned Victorian Shutters. Sly? Yup, but it works. If you're in the area my GJWP 'homies' are painting in Hingham Square this weekend at White Magdelena House. Meet the artists, watch them paint and share some refreshments. For information on locations and hours go here.

Beach Point Sunset 8x8

 

Beach Point Sunset

8x8 oil on panel

SOLD

It doesn't seem possible for a sunset to be so bright or so colorful but trust me....I was there. This was done from a photo I took from Beach Point in Truro on September 14, 2001. There's a story there but you've all heard it so I won't repeat myself. I did three paintings today and this was the only one that I liked ;) One point I'd make is that the blue in the water photographed much brighter than it actually appears in the painting. Thank you all so much for your comments and visits. It's what makes blogging so much fun!!

Purple Door

 SOLD

This painting was done for a buyer who saw the original posted on September 30, 2010. The door belongs to my good friend and fellow painter, the doyenne of the art scene and founder of Girls Just Wanna Paint.....Kelley MacDonald!

Matlacha Ice Cream Shop

It's amazing how many photos I have of yellow cottages and buildings. This little place is in Matlacha, Florida a teeny town between Cape Coral and Pine Island. All of the little shops along the main road are painted bright colors. I love it.

This morning I went on an Orchid Tour at Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge out in the Everglades. The Guide who led the tour is a wildlife biologist and photographer who also works at the Naples Zoo. He knows everything about the flora and fauna and it was a fabulous trek through the swamp, which is very dry at the moment. Afterward they gave us a nice lunch of hot dogs, chips and a soft drink while we listened to another guide talk about the work they're doing to save the panthers. A single male panther needs about 200 square miles of habitat. The whole tour was fascinating and it is free. You just have to sign up ahead of time. If you're a Florida voter they need your support. 

Can you see the gator?

Maine Cottage

SOLD

Don and I took a ride to Goodland, a tiny fishing village at the Northeastern tip of Marco Island which is a mixed bag of newer and older (funky) homes and trailers. One tiny lane across from Old Marco Crab House is on a skinny peninsula with houses on one side and a canal on the other side so despite the small no trespassing sign at the end we drove up there to look at the view and turn around. Of course I had to get out and take some photos and that's when I was bagged by Mr Important who came out of his house and berated me for trespassing mentioning that he owns both sides of the street and didn't I think I should knock on someone's door and ask permission blah blah blah and 'we don't want....this....." I think he meant to say 'interlopers like YOU'. He did say, spreading his hands "we pay money for this." That never happened in Maine when I was photographing the beautiful cottages in Stonington. People are very friendly there.

This is a larger painting (8x10) of the Downeast cottage. 

California Palm

$100 plus $10 S&H

This fabulous scene from the mountains of California was painted from a photo by one of my blogger friends, Shelley Smart who kindly allowed me to use it as reference. Shelley is originally a Maine girl who resides on the West Coast and paints and photographs the beach out there.

I am enthralled by the beauty of the greenery against the snow capped mountains. I rarely do this but I'm posting two photos of this because much of the subtlety is lost in the photos. One is untouched and is warmer and one is Photo Shopped for contrast and it cooler. The actually painting is somewhere in the middle.

Photo Shopped

Stonington Cottage

SOLD

This little summer home is perched on a ledge of rock in Stonington, Maine which is at the 'down-est' part of the Downeast Deer Isle peninsula. It's one of my favorite places in the world and there are many. Yesterday I did another 'booth sitter' gig at the Mercato Fine Arts Festival which was wonderful.  This very cool residential neighborhood is built around shops, restaurants, a movie theatre and Whole Foods.  I brought home delicious macaroni and cheese and Swedish meatballs from the vast hot food bar there. Awesome day!!

Naples National Art Festival

Here I am with a couple of (wax) characters at the Festival on Saturday. I'm a volunteer booth sitter and my niece Chrissie joined me and snapped this photo. We had a blast and the art was awesome. Over three hundred artists!!

I am mesmerized by these mobiles made of wire by Artist Michael Gard of San Francisco

 

 

 

Emilie Pritchard fiber artist

My Chrissie and her Tugboat

Be sure to check out the Girls Just Wanna Paint Challenge and see our magazine spread :D

Beach Sunset

I go to the beach later in the afternoon and I always wait for the sun to set which is a big deal here. The West coast of Florida is like an Island where the sun sets into the Gulf of Mexico. People start showing up with their coolers and dinners and beach chairs around 5 o'clock and everyone settles in for the show. Here's a little sketch from the beach last Wednesday and a shot of the star of the show.

Coffee Break

 

My husband and I often muse aloud that we wish we'd started a coffee shop (gold mine) ;) Who knew that people would leave their homes in the early morning to go out and buy coffee at $2-$3 per cup and furthermore would continue to refuel all day long at the ubiquitous Dunkin' Donuts and Starbuck's coffee shops that have sprung up everywhere. Starbuck's keeps their coffee drinkers on site by offering WiFi and  den like shops with reading material, comfy chairs and nice lighting. Marketing genius. We have our own little gem in Marshfield called the Coffee Shack which has the best glazed jelly donuts in the world. This is my submission for my rockin' Girls Just Wanna Paint blog. Check out our magazine article over there.

Zippo

 

I'm catching up with myself. Yesterday was a painting marathon and I have a few finished pieces and one that needs a tweak. This one is the current 'challenge' on Daily Paintworks.  All of the paintings are for sale there as well as here ;)

DPW Challenge '55 Chrysler Imperial

 

This classic Chrysler Imperial was the first subject of the Daily Paint Works new painting challenge thrown out to the artist community by Carol Marine. It's an exciting opportunity to participate in a high profile group of painters. Check it out!