Page Railsback Workshop

Zinnias

20x20 on gallery wrap

$300

Two things. 

The Painting from the Heart workshop with Page Railsback was awesome! I got to experiment with acrylics and loved the texture of the paint. So different from oils. Loved painting a large painting and being able to scumble over passages that dry so quickly that added layers of color can shine through.

The other thing is that I'm in Maine and it doesn't get better!

Page Railsback checking out the contour paintings

Maine - the way life should be 

Edward Hopper Rooftops

"Edward Hopper Rooftops"

6x6 oil on Raymar panel
$125

This month's Girls Just Wanna Paint challenge was to paint like a famous artist. 
Having just visited Pittsfield, Massachusetts, an old mill town whose Main Street is pretty much lined with stately old brick buildings, I chose Edward Hopper because I was reminded of his wonderful paintings every time I drove through the city.

Birds in Flight Triptych

birds in flight 

This little sketch is a preliminary workup to an idea I've been incubating. It's micron pen and watercolor with touches of metallic marker throughout. I'll probably leave the bird in the top center white because it was more powerful that way. 
Meanwhile, we are vacationing in the Berkshires and loving it!
Yesterday we drove to the summit of Mount Greylock. 
Wow!

fabulous views from Mount Greylock

Finial House Provincetown

"The Finial House"

8x8 oil on panel 

$150

My gal pals and I headed out Wednesday for our "jeep trip" to paint in Provincetown.
It was a glorious day and although it was a bit hot, once we set up to paint this awesome cottage, the breeze off the water and the shade changed everything. 
P'Town is known for being one of the original art colonies with a roster of who's who artists and as the Provincetown Trolley kept passing by, we could hear the driver saying, "and here are some artists", making us part of the 'show' so to speak which is just as it should be :D
We topped it off with an early bird dinner at Fanizzi's, which is my pick for dining in Provincetown and we all, if I may say so, got 'keepers' which was a bonus. 

Last Tomatoes

"Tiny Tomatoes"

6x12 watercolor

Summer is officially over but you wouldn't know it on this 96 degree day. I'm off tomorrow for a "Jeep Trip" with my two Amigas. It will be a leisurely drive to Provincetown to paint. See you back here. Stay cool.

Nanny's Beach House

Nanny's Beach House

8x8 oil

SOLD

This is from my recent painting trip to Humarock and yes, I've been to this fabulous house! 

South River Summer

South River Summer

6x12 oil on panel

$250

I took my butt off of the deck and went out painting in our beautiful neighborhood. Big puffy cumulus clouds filled the sky and the breeze was strong enough to keep the bugs away.

This area between the South River and the Atlantic is called Humarock and offers the best of both worlds. Sunrise over the ocean and sunset over the river. 

Although I drove here, (of course with all my "stuff" I'd have to anyway) I could actually walk here through the dunes from my home beyond the distant tree line. 

Most of this painting was done on site but I tweaked it a bit in the studio today. There are still lots of fabulous old cottages along this beach just begging to be painted! I'm sure I will have to oblige.

Herring Run

Herring Run

8x8 oil on canvas board 
$100

I spent the day painting at the herring run in Pembroke on Saturday. There were many beautiful dragonflies which I've discovered to be ebony jewel wings. Very inspiring for some work I've been planning which will involve abstract collage. The subject, dragonflies. Stay tuned for that.

Painting Award!

Stonington Cove

12x16 oil on cradled panel

SOLD

My painting, "Stonington Cove",  received second place in oils in the Pembroke Arts Festival which is very exciting! The show takes place next weekend on the town green and in the Community Center. Lots of art and food and music. Go!

Fog

Cape Blomidon 

8x8 WC on Arches Cold Press

A little peek of a fair weather sky over Blomidon which is shrouded in fog. The mist actually rolls down the sides of its cliffs like whipped cream on an ice cream sundae.

This is our July Girls Just Wanna Paint challenge. Our 6th year anniversary!

Cheers to all of our GJWP artists past and present! 

Oh Canada

Patriotic in Parrsboro

8x8 oil on panel 
$150 
special shipping price to Canada

I only recently discovered that my Mama had a Canadian flag in her eclectic collection of this and that. I don't know where or when she acquired it but, it's mine now and I was delighted to be able to fly it off the railing at the cottage in Parrsboro. 

We do, after all, have MacDonald roots from Antigonish on my mama's, mama's side.

While racking my brain for something to paint besides water, boats and trees I suddenly hit on a novel idea. The flag!

I really enjoyed working the back and forth in the creases and I adore the RED in the Maple Leaf! 

Birds On a Wire

Birds On a Wire

9x12 oil on panel

This was started in the studio yesterday

 using a limited palette of burnt umber, alizarin crimson, ultramarine and white.

I honestly need some feedback on this one because I can't tell if I should go back on it or let it be.

I love when birds swarm around telephone wires and then land en masse!

"Bathing Beauties" Girls Just Wanna Paint Challenge

"Selfie"

6x9 watercolor with pen and ink
$100

These two fabulous BFF's were strolling on Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester and I was taken by their beauty, the contrast in their skin tones and their girlish delight in taking 'selfies' with their phones.
This painting is a bit of a departure for me as in, I drew the figures with a micron pen and then did the watercolor. My camera does not capture the depth in the water or the iridescent sparkle I used on the figures and in the sand.
Check out the Girls Just Wanna Paint Bathing Beauties!

Jetty Study

"Rocks and Waves"
6x6 oil on panel
$125

On my painting retreat I spent most of one day out on the back shore on the open ocean side of the "secret" hideaway, first painting the rocky island in the morning light and then turning toward this view later in the afternoon. 
I tried to keep a linear design in the rocks and just suggest the water and spray swirling around me. 
I was not going to include any houses until the light caught this house's red metal roof and gave it a lovely purple glow that seemed to add to the painting.
Glorious, is how I'd describe being out on the rocks painting all day. Nothing better!

Maine Rocks

Maine Rocks

6x6 oil on RayMar panel
$125

The title is a play on words. 

Maine does rock and the rocks in Maine are spectacular. 

This was painted off the back shore of the "secret hideaway" where there was a painting everywhere we turned. No need to even leave the property. My kind of place. 

My apologies for this poor photo, I will upload another in its place asap.

Lilacs in McCoy Vase

Lilacs in Blue 

9x12 oil on masonite
$250

My painting retreat was invigorating and enriching. 

The company of six women in an old Farmhouse painting, eating, drinking, talking and laughing for a week was just what I needed to break me out of my rut. 

The fresh scent of lilacs, which were out in abundance, filled the house and one rainy day we set up and painted them. 

I brought my favorite blue pitcher with me to use for still life and it was perfect!

Maine. 

The air. 

The surf. 

The pine trees. 

The rocks. 

I love it.

Pemaquid Lighthouse

Yes, I climbed all the way down the rocks to get the iconic shot. Worth it ;) 

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Painting Retreat

"Lilies"

6x6 watercolor
$100

I am off for a week of painting with a stellar group of fun ladies on the rocky coast of Maine. One week of focusing only on my art is exactly what I need at this time.
I did this watercolor in Naples a few months ago. In my quest for abstraction, what better subject than lily pads?  
I'll be posting more of these studies which never made the blog this winter and you can look forward to some paintings of beautiful, soulful Maine!

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".

Transitioning

Detail from mixed media WIP

watercolor, acrylic, ink on sketchbook 

Wow, where has this month gone?

We arrived home from Naples on May 10th and have been busy settling in and sprucing up our yard. 
It's great to be back in New England. The crisp ocean air and cool lilac scented breezes lift my spirits.

The Bird House

Speak of transitioning, I'm not particularly good at it.

I've long been itching to break out of my 'box' and do something very different. I love fiber and found objects and mixed media and pen and ink. So much stimulation, so little time.
I see wonderful art that speaks to me but when I think about doing something similar my inner critic nags at me about 'looking' like someone else, or copying other's ideas. It continues to hold me back and I know I have to wrestle it to the mat and just carry on.
I tell my students to be fearless and not to judge themselves. This is a case where I need to listen to my own advice without being concerned about the outcome of the piece. 

Here's a detail from something I'm working on involving herons and egrets using watercolor, ink pens and iridescent acrylic paint.  I love birds and am bursting to do abstract or mixed media with the bird theme. 
I'm not really sure where this piece is going so I'm trying to listen to the painting and let it tell me.

I'd love to hear how you all push past the blocks that derail your creative muse. Talk to me.

our beach 

GJWP Challenge "Bride"

"First Dance"

6x6 oil on panel

This month's Girls Just Wanna Paint challenge is Bride. Several of the 'Girls" have recent newlyweds in their families and one has an imminent wedding and another has a recent engagement. SO. We're celebrating Brides and Grooms and weddings and engagements.

Love is all around!