Painting at the Von Liebig

#14 Oranges on Blue Ground

5x5 oil on board

10 intrepid painters joined me for my second class at Von Liebig Art Center. I am always amazed at how well my students handle the exercises that I give them. I'll let my demo stand in for my 30 Paintings in 30 Days.
Here's one painting from a student who hasn't painted in years and wanted to break out of her artist's block. She did!

Student, Sue Riger "Teapot"

Drive By #13 Bonita Srings

Drive By #13 "Bonita Springs"

5x5 oil on board

It looks like I'm going to make only half of my 30 Paintings in 30 Days but Leslie did say that there were no rules and that we should have fun with it, which I have. I've been non stop teaching and visiting family and doing since we arrived here two weeks ago and I need to slow down.
This is the water tower at Big Carlos Pass in Bonita Springs with some Florida clouds. I'm loving the Drive Bys and I'm also working on some paintings of Naples for The Art Boutique at Tin City. Right now, I'm off to teach my Painting A Day class at Von Liebig......Stay tuned....

30 in 30 #12 Miss Piggy

"#12, Miss Piggy"

6x6 oil on panel

Yesterday, my two fabulous ladies came for their first painting lesson this season and we painted the white pig for the value lesson. They said that they'd lost their skills after all this time, but they hadn't. This is my pig demo which is standing in as today's 30 Paintings in 30 Days entry.

Drive By #11 GW Bridge

"Drive By #11, George Washington Bridge"

5x5 oil on board

Why do I choose such complicated subject matter when I'm under pressure? No answer for that.....I'm behind....with my 30 in 30......gotta go!

30 Paintings in 30 Days #10 Piggy Bank

30/30 #10 Piggy Bank

5x5 Oil on Board

Yesterday was my first Painting a Day class at Von Liebig Center for the Arts and 12 adventurous Ladies showed up to paint with me.  One thought she was in over her head and was about to bolt when we talked her into staying. She ended up surprising herself.

I must say that they were fearless and unaware of their abilities and, we had fun which is the prerequisite in this class.

I did this demo of my dollar store pig which counts as 30 Painting in 30 Days as I'm sure Leslie Saeta would agree.

Drive By #9 Yellow Truck

"Drive By #9 Yellow Truck"

6x6 oil on gesso board 

I took an extra day to recover from the big drive, but here's the first make up in my 30 Paintings in 30 Days painting challenge organized by Leslie Saeta. This cool overpass is at the beginning of a decent into the Newark, New Jersey area. The yellow truck was the big score in this photo from a previous trip. This time it was foggy.

Naples

I am itching to make up the Drive By paintings which have been on my mind for this entire drive by. I did snap 424 photos along the way, like I'd never seen any of it before, but, it's about the light and the light is always different.
We had a great trip, except for 12 hours a day in the car with each other ;) and two cats who were intermittently vocal, and the ultimate 'Pet friendly" DIVE (think cooties) of a room last night. Just kidding. You have to have a sense of humor to be doing this, and we do. 
We toasted our 10th season here in Naples as though we had never been here before and it was a new adventure, which, it kind of is.
I am setting up the studio tomorrow and will be ON these paintings, which as I've painted them have spoken to me in that way that makes me want to paint many more views of life on the road......so stay tuned...
Thank you all for following my 30 Paintings in 30 Days  journey, it keeps me going ;) ;)

Drive By #8 Road Signs

Drive By #8 Road Signs

5x5 oil on panel

The real Drive by begins early tomorrow morning. Car is packed. We are pooped and I will probably be doing some make ups with my 30 in 30. We'll see. Thanks for all the great comments. I know you all love a road trip!
* photo taken in lamp light and is not the best.

Drive By #7 The On Ramp

Drive By #7 'The On Ramp"

5x5 oil on panel

The 30 paintings in 30 days challenge is working pretty well considering I'm about to embark on the annual Drive By, haven't packed a thing, or cleaned the house, have to work today, etc. etc.. 

The point of this is to act and when I finish one I choose the next one and block it in. Decisive and committed. Wow, who knew?

Drive By #6

"Drive By #6 Mystic River Bridge"

5x5 oil on panel

There was no traffic on the Mystic River Bridge that day. Really.
See the 30 Paintings in 30 Days painting challenge at Leslie Saeta's blog.

Drive By #5 In the Bronx

Drive By #5 

5x5 oil on panel

I don't know if this was really in the Bronx but I like the sound of that word. Bronx. So let's say it was.

This is #5 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days. 

Drive By #4

Drive By #4 5x5 oil on panel

* I am currently unable to create PayPal buttons. All of my available paintings are in my DPW gallery

Somewhere along the Jersey 'Pike heading North. You know I love industrial scenes and there are plenty of them along there. Railroad tracks and bridges. Again, I had to invent color because the photo is quite monochromatic and I removed some phone poles that were in the foreground after deciding that they added nothing to the composition.
Check out 30 Paintings in 30 Days to see the rest of the work. 

Drive By #3 Late December Light

"Late December" 4x4 oil on panel
SOLD

I painted this view, looking up my street, in watercolor once before and from that study, I did this, for day 3 of the 30 in 30 challenge. Problem is, I couldn't paint yesterday because I was working, so this is going up on day 4.  Leslie has it worked out so that we can add our paintings to the previous days posts within an allotted timeline. BUT, it has to already be posted to the blog, or it can't be uploaded. So I'm posting it and uploading it and getting right onto days 4 & 5 :D

Are you confused yet?  

Oh, what I love about the late winter is the fiery afternoon light.

Drive by #2 New Jersey Turnpike

"Jersey 'Pike" 6x6 oil on panel

Somewhere in New Jersey, I snapped a drive by of this power plant. It was not as easy to paint as I envisioned when I took the photo. I'm shooting through the car window which creates a distortion in color, thus I have to invent. I really love the look of backlit industrial smoke and this is my first painting of the many photos I've taken of the subject. This survived the wipe off stage, barely. Be sure to go over to Slices of Life to see today's paintings for the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge.

Drive By #1 On the Road

"On the Road" 6x6 oil on panel

This painting is part of my 30 in 30 challenge. I've always been a road girl and as many of you know, my hubby and I are about to pack up the cats and embark on our annual trip to Naples, Florida. These overpasses near DC were inspired by Karin Jurick's from Georgia to NYC and back series.
All of the paintings are for sale and you can find them in my DPW gallery the day after they post here. 
*  for some reason my PayPal button isn't working so please use email instead. I will figure it out ;)

Painting Out 2012

Inspired by Matisse 6x6 

Another year goes over the cliff....Oh, wait, I'm listening to too much radio if I'm talking that way ;)  

I deem 2012 the year of the over used cliche.

Anyway, I have had the busiest December ever, including a second trip to Maine, this time to see the Winslow Homer exhibit at the Portland Museum of Art. In case you've never been, it's a first class Museum and very easy to get around. 

It snowed that weekend and my pal Sally Dean and I had a ball, slippin' and slidin' on the sidewalks of the city.

Be sure to visit Girls Just Wanna Paint tomorrow to see our Matisse inspired works. Here's a sneak peek of mine but I must say that the girls outdid themselves with this one!!! 

I also signed up to do Leslie Saeta's 30 Paintings in 30 Days beginning...well, pretty much, right now.

The View from the Irish Pub overlooking the Portland Ferry docks.

Happy New Year all and thanks for all your love and support. It's much appreciated!

The Farnsworth Museum, Rockland Maine

I took a ride to Rockland, Maine to see the Frank Benson exhibit at the Farnsworth Museum which is also the home of the art of the Wyeth's. 

When I think of Benson, I think of women in white dresses painted against the backdrop of the Island meadows of Maine. These famous works are luminous in carved and gilded frames that I so wanted to photograph, but it's not allowed. 

The real surprise was that Benson was painter and printmaker of shore birds of all kinds. Eagles, ducks, gulls. Having recently painted gulls, with plans to expound upon the bird theme, I was treated, in a short film, to a lesson of him etching plates of copper and limestone and pulling prints. His composition is impeccable.

There is also a Jamie Wyeth and Rockwell Kent show of paintings of Monhegan Island. Jamie's birds carry meanings that are metaphorically representational of human foibles such as the seven deadly sins. Kent's paintings are strong land and seascapes of the island on which he lived and worked.

The Museum itself is a gift from the Farnsworth family through daughter Lucy and is delightful.

I was there for almost 4 hours and it was exhilarating!

Bird's Eye View

"Bird's Eye View" 6x6 oil on panel

I like to drive out over the beach road between Marshfield and Duxbury and paint or take photos. Part ocean beach, part tidal marsh, there's always lots of action there and the view includes Powder Point Bridge and the Myles Standish Monument as well as distant views of Plymouth. 
For this little painting I combined the birds from different photos flying toward the distant marsh. 
It also sparked an idea which I'd had (and then it eluded me) for a 24x24 canvas that is toned and has been waiting in the studio. I had hit upon an idea and didn't really ruminate on it long enough to 'set' it and it evaporated, but when I began painting this, I remembered that it was about birds. I made a solid start and just need to bring it to completion. So....stay tuned.

Paint Like VanGogh

Pictou Hay Bales 
6x6 oil on panel
click to buy

I chose this month's Girls Just Wanna Paint challenge which is Paint Like VanGogh. I used my photo and this is my result. I kinda like it and want to do another one.

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!