Friday, July 31, 2009

???

Dark and sultry, the iris beckons from the
shaded garden corner...so begins the newest
romance novel..ha ha, but doesn't it sound like
that? I don't have a title for this one and thought
maybe you all could send some suggestions my way..
Remember I like alliteration...thanks and looking
forward to seeing what you come up with...

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Poppy duo

Just a quick posting today...we're painting poppies
in class today...at least I will be and I have tons of
photos of other flowers for people to choose from!
Should be fun, bold and bright, loose and free.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

"Buddies"

My oil painting blog has been all about the pears lately,
so I thought I'd follow suit right here. These cozy little
fruit friends tucked away on a festive plate make me happy.
Had a great first class yesterday with a LARGE group of painters.
We were tightly squeezed into the room, but everyone got a
spot, paint and water to do some fun, colorful florals. I had
raided the local farmer's market and various other flower shops
for a wide variety of blossoms to use as inspiration!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Blush of pink

Hollyhocks have been on the brain..I've taken some
pictures around, because they are out and blooming
right now...I got a new camera for Christmas and it's
small and compact..you can put it in your pocket, so I
find myself hardly ever without, which is a good thing for
recording the seasons of flowers. My reference file is growing
and I should be able to get through the winter with plenty of
material to paint...winter, winter, it's just starting to look like summer!
(as one fellow blogger pointed out the other day...some of you are
enjoying winter right now!)

Monday, July 27, 2009

Red, White & Blue

My rendition of the latest Different Strokes challenge.
This was done on a 7.5" x 7.5" piece of paper. I usually
do them in my journal, but decided to use my "regular"
watercolor paper and see if I could apply my "regular"
painting approach. Journal paper is quite different and
doesn't take as well to the watercolors...it works great to
just record you sketches, but for layering...not so.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Winter Chick

Winter in July? Well it hasn't been much of a summer here,
so I guess I can post an image of a chickadee in the snow...
I did some snowy/holiday images of birds for my publishing
company earlier this year..so who knows they might end up
on cards or wrapping paper? For those of you in a heat wave,
maybe this visual of a stark blue sky and the thin film of snow
on the branches cooled you off!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

sorting pix

"At their peak" 15" x 22"
I tried to post yesterday, but my picture didn't upload.
I assume it was an issue with Blogger...anyway here I am
today and getting that much closer to my workshop week!
I did this painting from a photograph and one of
the workshop days we'll work from a floral reference
picture. I'm sorting through all my photos so I have a nice
grouping for folks to choose from. I have a HUGE stack of
peony ones from my June workshop, so that bloom is covered!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Still life with fiskars

Yet another still life painting from my workshop
with Charles...it's so nice to spend uninterrupted
time painting and being with other artists. Something
we all should give ourselves as often as we can!
Next week I'll be on the other side of the easel so to
speak and teaching some floral classes at the Holbein
Vermont Art Event.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Tulip Tapestry

"Tulip Tapestry" 18" x 24"
Phew! Back from missing a few posts at the end of last
week! It seems it might be like that for a little while.
Lots of stuff coming down the pike..but I'll try to keep up.
Hope everyone is enjoying their summer..as I post such a
"spring" painting :) This was done during an artist residency
program back in 2000. I can definitely see that my negative
spaces have gotten more defined, but I do like the almost
softened stained glass effect of this piece.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Tomatoes & Pears

Sorry for the flash reflection on this one!
This was a painting I donated to our local theatre
fundraiser years ago. I had put together 4 separate
paintings in one frame. This makes for a bigger
impact, larger piece overall and allows you to work
in a series or tie together work you might already
have around in your studio.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

made-up

Since I posted the landscape yesterday I wanted to share
with you some work I did in acrylics(!) some long ago time.
I had a fun time inventing these imaginary landscapes and
smushing the paint around, even with my fingers! Guess I
won't apply that practice to my newly found oil passion...
even though I think some artists do get that tactile with their
chosen medium.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Show choices

"Big sky, Red Barns" 10" x 22"
I just sent off four images for a show in Southern Vermont and
this was one of the quartet...I'll find out by the end of the month
if any of the paintings were chosen for inclusion in the show. I'll
let you know. It's a show of "New England" work, scenery, animals
etc..to be found around NE. Yes, I did enter some of my "flock"
(roosters that is:)

Friday, July 10, 2009

Feathered Friend

Just a quick post today...another "Feathered Friend"
to start off your weekend...

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Amaryllis Bouquet

I keep posting work from several years back..
this gives you the full spectrum of my work..a road map
so to speak of where I've been and where I'm going (maybe).
I do think there's a common thread throughout my
watercolors...I guess it's true for everyone, your personality
can't help but shine through...it's inevitable.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Sketch-time

Back to my time at the Charles Reid workshop and a
quick sketch I did of him while he was working his magic.
I had this view quite a few times during the week and made
some other sketches as well. It all adds up to practice and
a model who is in the same pose (even though he's working).

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

DSFDF week

"Boater Floater" 6"x8"
Another week, another Different Strokes challenge.
I've placed the boater in a Lake Champlain setting.
She was originally billed as a Lake Michigan rower.
That's the artistic license we all have in our wallets!
Lake Champlain is celebrating it's Quadricentennial
this year..thanks to the discovery by Samuel de Champlain.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Show opening

"Walking the Plank" 15" x 15"
This weekend was the opening reception of the first
awards show for the Vermont Watercolor Society.
The show is in Grafton at the Hunter Gallery of Fine Art
and the Phelps Barn, which is attached to the Old Tavern.
The epitome of a quaint Vermont town. My painting won
an honorable mention merchandise award! The show looks great
and there is a wide variety of work, subjects and techniques.
(Through August 2nd)

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Inspiration

From tulips to irises...I sure do jump around a bit..but
That's the way I paint as well...sometimes I'm raring to
jump into poppies because I want to use red..other times
I spot a bouquet at the store of beautiful purple irises and
start a whole series of those blooms..keeps life interesting!
This piece is from at least 8 or 9 years ago...time flies.
Will post again after the weekend...enjoy your Fourth!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Crowded together

Just a quick post as I dash out the door to a meeting.
A flash of spring bulbs to brighten your day!