Painting Safari and Blogging Workshop

My late afternoon painting from last Friday in the dunes. This weeks Painting Safari is going to take place again on Wednesday on the River side of the Rexhame Beach parking lot. I hike out about 400 paces to the edge of the river. Sounds like a lot but I travel light by setting up my palette before hand and using my tripod Coulter Easel. Class is $15 and we meet at 9:30 until 12:30. I will do a demo and give individual instruction. Email me for more info and directions.

Also, if you want to learn more about starting an art blog check out Kelley MacDonald's Blogging workshop on Thursday evening at North River Arts Society GAR Hall. 

Painting Safari

It has come to my attention that when my blog is sent out it appears against a white background making my text all but impossible to read because my blog template is set to a black background and I use light colors against it for readability. If this is happening to you click the Just Painting link at the very bottom left corner of the email which will take you directly to the blog. Who knew? Also, blogger is sending out a post I made from Sedona in May. Huh?
Today's Painting Safari was held in the dunes on the River side of the Rexhame Beach parking lot. Glorious day! Here is my demo. 

first block in (that's a shadow on the top edge)

Mid Stage

Finish

A visitor named Brady. I meet so many people and dogs out here!

Step by Step Marsh and River Demo

Using my new viewfinder I lightly grid my canvas and sketch in the larger masses.

 It takes me three strokes in the sky to get the value correct. 
The sky and the water are the lightest values.

The light on the distant marsh is lighter than it seems

The grass is a middle value and I've lightened 
the far tree line to push it back

The final touches

The painting in grayscale

Thanks for all the emails about the Painting Safari!
Tomorrow looks like it will be clear so meet me in the Rexhame Beach parking lot at 9:30 for an out door demo and painting session.Fee is $15 per class and we will paint until 12:30.

Value Studies in the Dunes

 Prompted by the value challenge on DPW this week, I headed out into the dunes near my house to paint some landscape studies using my new Picture Perfect value viewfinder. This painting was done on Monday in the late afternoon. I didn't do a step by step demo on this one but I'll show you that on the next post. Altogether, I did three paintings out there this week at different times of day. I'm taking a page out of my friend Kelley's playbook and doing a Painting Safari class out in the dunes between Rexhame Beach parking lot and the South River. Email me for times and details.

Bear and Badger & Kelley's Show

  Bear and Badger are rescues from Curly Tail Pug Rescue whose Human was their foster dad until he was unable to resist their charms and adopted them. They sometimes stop and visit on their walk  down to the beach and I feed them unhealthy dog biscuits and take pictures of them. 

The painting is a donation to "A Spirited Affair" a fundraiser for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute  which takes place at the Cyclorama in Boston on Friday, September 16th. 

Coincidently, I was at TJ Maxx after dropping off the painting and a sweet woman shopping the racks with me mentioned unselfconsciously that she is a cancer patient and was rating the clothes for their softness or lack thereof. When you have cancer she said, things like heavy seams or scratchy tags (that we all hate) are unbearable on sensitive skin. She remarked that she was determined to keep her sense of humor while enduring the side effects of chemo. Her honesty and courage were touching and again, I realized that any problems I have in my life pale in comparison. Gratitude.

I must post this great photo of Kelley and me last night at her Opening at 'Nest', a little boutique on High Street in Dedham Square. Here we are in front of her fabulous paintings. It was wonderful!

Surfer Boy

 Surfer Boy
8x8 oil on panel

In New England you can't count on the weather (can you anywhere?) and these last two weekends were perfect beach days. I was lucky to have my little boys visiting both weekends for which I am so grateful because they're growing up way too fast. As I was walking down to the tide pools I saw this tiny little boy surfing. I complimented him on his surfing prowess and asked how old he was and he told me five and a half! I took enough shots to make sure there'd be a good one to paint from and then joined Ryan and Colin and my brother Tommy at the tide pools where we spotted lots of crabs and shrimp and snails. Perfect Day!

Classic Chevy

 Click to Bid

 This fabulous Chevy lives in my neighborhood near the beach. The Massachusetts plate is My 54 and the 'just for fun' plate on the front says Beach Bum. I love painting these beautiful cars from days gone by.

I'm feeling sad today about the misfortune of my dear friend and inspiration Carol Marine who lost her home in the Texas wildfires. We all have our pain and difficulties but things could (almost) always be worse. Today I will be grateful that my life is good and that I am not facing tragedy or misfortune. My heartfelt thoughts go out to those who are. 

Also, our sweet but very short summer is ending and I'm never ready for that.

Sittin' it Out

6x6 oil on board

Ok, so I left you hanging but not intentionally. The power came on Monday night while I was cooking dinner by battery powered lamp and feeling so great about scoring 6 bags of ice at a liquor store that had just opened about an hour before and still has some left. Yup, 6 unnecessary bags of ice but WHATEVER. We have electricity. We're so spoiled, really but those long dark nights are just nasty.

This little cow creamer is sitting down. Don't ask me why but I bought a sitting pig creamer and a sitting duck creamer. Don't tell Don ;)
Check out Girls Just Wanna Paint for the latest posts from the ladies.

Goodnight Irene



Black Eyed Susan 6x6 oil on board

I'll make this short and sweet. We have no power and although things could be much worse it might be a while before we are plugged in again. The storm for us, wasn't all that bad although we lost our favorite shade tree. No biggie. Sitting in a dark house at night is a drag. Reading by candlelight doesn't work for me because two curious cats are way intrigued by the flickering candles. This little painting was a one stroke at a time exercise that I did on Saturday.
I'll be back. Really.

Nantasket Beach Sunset

8x8 oil on Gator Board with Black Wood Frame 

 Last week I was invited to paint and dine with a gracious friend who has a seaside condo with a sunset view. SO BEAUTIFUL. Pam is an interior designer so you know her home is 'done up'. We arrived in time to have some wine and munchies and chat but soon set up to catch (and I do mean catch) the sun setting. I was only able to get in a few color notes before the show was over but I had photos and have finished it from those. I will take another crack at this in a larger format now that I've gotten the composition and some color harmony worked out because I think I could loosen it up just a bit. To the left is the main boulevard with the lights of passing cars and street lights. Pam served us some fabulous food and we had a great night laughing and talking all things art.

Classic Bug and Painting Classes

12x12 oil on Birch

 

I couldn't resist painting a much larger version of this classic Volkswagen with the Peace sign in the back window. Fabulous and really fun to paint! Some paintings seem to paint themselves.
I've also revamped my look here using Blogger's new template to add one of my favorite features, the blogroll with thumbnails. How can one resist those images? So tempting. It isn't complete yet so if you aren't on there it's because it has to be edited one blog at a time and I have a lot of links. Now you can add up to 10 pages on your blog so check out my Paintings for Sale and Sold Work pages. I also have a class planned for which I'm working out the details. Stay tuned......

Gallery Opening!

6x6 oil on board

I've been most fortunate to have been invited to join Homegrown Arts and Crafts a new gallery opening in Duxbury on St. George Street right across from Far Far's ice cream shop.

Lisa Mackin is the owner and an artist in her own right doing fabulous "baked" bead jewelry and intricate scratch board drawings. She has an eclectic mix of arts and crafts including jewelry, paintings, prints, photos, fabric, sculpture and glass. Lisa has the 'touch' as I call it for display and presentation. I think her fabulously decorated little shop will be a one stop gift destination when people begin to hear about it. May I say that the pricing is extremely affordable? I have some prints there as well as a selection of my small paintings such as this little 6x6 of 'The Gem' (again, a commission). Check out the opening this Sunday all day.

Pilgrim Monument History Lesson

 

   It has long been believed and stated in history books that the Pilgrims first landed in Plymouth Massachusetts, however history may have left out a stop in Provincetown.  Pilgrim Monument was built to commemorate the Pilgrim's landing in Provincetown and the signing of the Mayflower Compact there. The tower is impressive and can actually be seen from here in Marshfield on clear days. The distance as the crow flies being only 17 miles. Driving distance, 97 miles. Lots of other things getting in the way of my painting including a few wipers. I just realized that I never posted this one done a few weeks ago. Jackpot!

Commercial Street Hollyhocks

 

Yes, the stars of the show here were actually the hollyhocks but I forgot to put them in the title. I took another shot at this because I needed the practice with such complicated subject matter. This on is 10x10 on a RayMar panel. Summer in New England is incredibly short but sweet and I'm enjoying the weather and the beach. Today my mama and I are going to lunch at the ocean side Fairview Restaurant. I'm posting this sneak preview of my painting in process. A 12x12 version of the Classic Bug. Stay tuned.

Kenny

Wow, it's August already. Summer goes too fast. Thank you all for your visits and comments. YOU make my day! and just because we have a cat subject, here's a photo of 'the girls' almost a year old. Abba on the left and Wolfie (Wolfamena) on the right.

This painting of Page's cat Kenny is our July subject for Girls Just Wanna Paint. 

Provincetown Hydrangeas

 I've been AWOL from my blog due to the move back from Provincetown and the re-entry if you will. I had a fabulous week at my shed on the Pier, though I was somewhat chagrined to find out that people would rather buy (imported) shell Christmas ornaments than real art. 

My Shed mate Eileen Counihan and I got along famously because we have the same (snarky) sense of humor about cheap goods from China among other things. She is doing something special with her wonderful night sky photos of "Starry, Starry Nights" so check them out at A Gallery in Provincetown if you're there.

Paula (click to see her paintings)

Wednesday, I went on the annual 'Jeep' trip with my fellow painter girlfriends to.....drum roll..... Provincetown. Yep, I can't get enough of this unique and beautiful place and the weather was perfect. We set up on the street and at one point Paula had to move the leg of her easel to let a car out of a driveway. Tight quarters there. I set up in front of a garden that I admire and photograph every summer but have never painted. This is the result. It was a perfect summer day! 

Provincetown

Here is my fabulous Trap Shed in Provincetown and a beautiful night shot. We are having a great time but my expectations for sales at the shed have not been met. Luckily my shed mate and I are birds of a feather in many ways including our 'dark' humor. We've been blessed with a good breeze which was more of a gale today and a beautiful view no matter how you cut it. My bother Lenny is also in town with his girlfriend Kathi and their dog Chandler so we've been busy eating out and drinking at the Old Colony Tap and people watching. Life is good. Notice Don in the background reading his book.

Night shot from my shed

Lady Gaga?

That's Classic

 SOLD

I once owned a VW just like this one. It was a powder blue, 1963 with a sunroof which slid open the entire length of the roof. It was classic and I did love it. I frequently see this car around Provincetown and think I gotta paint it. So I did.

Notice that I'm not putting up the buy now buttons as I have to hoard some of these paintings for my Shed Show which will begin a week from today :D   Maybe the owner of this car will come by and say "HEY, that's my car. Can I buy that painting?" and I'll say......"sure." ;)

Peace Sign (Detail)

Provincetown Shed

 Truro Gem 12x12

I've painted this iconic Truro cottage before because it is just too cool. This is one of the paintings I will be showing in my upcoming "Shed Show" on MacMillan Wharf in Provincetown. In addition to a great selection of paintings, including my daily 6x6 blog paintings I've also done up a selection of cards and matted prints of my work in various (easy to frame) standard sizes ;) 

The dates are Monday, July 18th through Sunday July 24th from 10-whenever. Stop by and see me!

Beach Baby

Beach Baby 6"x6" oil on Raymar panel

SOLD

Happy Independence Day! Last night Don and I took a ride around our neighborhood {prompted by a power outage ;)} all the way down to Brant Rock.  I never saw such crowds and lawn parties and the most fabulous fireworks display was taking place over the beaches all the way down the shore. SPECTACULAR! 
This is Colin last summer at the beach. He says it doesn't look like him ;)