Garden Wall

This painting was done several years ago

for a Garden Tour poster. Always a nice way

to get your artwork out there and seen, give

a local organization the right to use your work

for their publication. This company made outstanding

posters and put them all over town to announce

their event. My three hour workshop went well last

night. A change for me, but none the less, lessons were

learned. I think taking a variety of workshops with

different artists is always good. It keeps the artistic

muscles limber. And might provide a new way of

looking at things.

Urban

Today I will be taking a quick three hour workshop here

in Northern Vermont. It's on painting Urban scenes...a

bit of a stretch for me, but should be fun. This was one

urban scene I did some time ago from my photograph of

Brugges, Belgium. Not immediately the "urban" we all

have in mind...I normally think of downtown Manhattan

or some other skyscraper city...so wish me luck and maybe

I'll have something to post and share, or hide and shred!

White as a color

"Glorious" private collection

Painting white flowers is not easy...I actually do not paint

them that often. You really have to use the background

to shape them or invent colorful shades within the flower

to define the white. I've done daisies and this white poppy,

some tulips, peonies and roses. That takes me back to when I first

started painting with watercolors and leaving the white

of the paper was such a challenge. I really layered on the

colors and before I knew it I had created mud! But what

"they" say is true, practice, practice, practice.

Dates in history

"Green and Gold"

It was time to post another feathered friend.

My college colors were green and gold, so this

painting always reminds me of that. Not that

I played on any of the school's teams...I just took

the mandatory gym classes, which resulted in me

tearing my ACL in my left knee during racquetball class.

That twenty year anniversary I coming right up. It

happened a day after 8/8/88. This year the Olympics

will debut on 8/8/08...as will my watercolor workshop

in Woodstock!

Same fabric, different day

"Side by side slices" 7.5" x 7.5"

Another painting on the black and white cloth. It's nice

to have a recurring theme that connects one painting

to another. Years from now maybe I'll look back on this

time and think "oh yeah that was the time I painted that

one napkin in almost everything I did!" The curators of

the famous museums will be able to estimate when I painted

a particular piece :) It seems unknown Rembrandts and

Picassos still turn up at garage sales and flea markets!

(not any of the ones I visit, though)

Red Barn

"Red Barn, Shelburne"

Another outdoor adventure from about two weeks ago.

I think I need to invest in an umbrella, because standing

in the hot sun is no picnic! Actually the hardest part of

painting along-side the road is finding a place to stand and

to park your car so it's not in the way of traffic. Maybe the

next "en plein air" event will be on a secondary road and not

a major thoroughfare...This was done on Route 7 South.

Once I accumulate a few more landscape paintings

it will be fun to frame them and enter them in some shows.

More Tall Stalks

Private Collection

Here are some more tall stalks...the gladiola
are out and also available as cut flowers in the
stores. So many colors to choose from. Right
now I have a bouquet of peachy ones in the house.
Yesterday was spent in the field once again and
I will post a painting from one of those days soon.
Unfortunately lately we've had to dodge severe
rain storms around here..I'm ready for an extended
sunny stretch!

Tall stalks

"Garden Sentinels"

The hollyhocks are just about finished

blooming around here. Boy were they

tall this year...or is it every year and I

just forget. The neighbors have the most

awesome yellow ones and I saw some

really beautiful deep purple pink ones.

I took some pictures, so who knows they

might blossom up in some paintings in the future.

Arte Y Pico Award

Arte Y Pico award

This award was given to me by Myrna Wacknov, click

her name to go to her wonderful blog "Creativity Journey".

Here is an explanation of how the award works:

Arte y Pico is a blog from Uruguay whose blogger

has come up with this award.

To quote from the Arte y Pico blog: “What is the meaning of the expression?

Basically, and ironically, it translates into a wonderful phrase

in Mexico, “lo maximo.” It will never find its counterpart in English,

but if it HAD to, it would be something like, Wow. The Best Art. Over the top."
The rules:
Pick FIVE blogs that you consider deserve this award

for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also

for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language.
Each award has to have the name of the author and also a

link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.
Each award winner has to show the award and put the

name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.
Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link

of “Arte y Pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.

So this on-line honor has come to me...and since I have only been blogging for

a very short time, my list of visited blogs is short.

Here are my favorite five: you will find their links on the right side

of my blog.

Susan Abbott, a Painter's Year: a Vermont artist with wonderful

posts of her various paintings and sketches.

Carol Marine's painting a day blog. I am normally drawn to

other watercolor artists, but this oil painter takes the cake! Her

beautiful daily paintings are a joy to behold.

Laurelines drawings and paintings is a very special peek into

a tremendously talented artists' sketchbooks.

Laura's watercolors blog is one I check out on a regular basis to

see what Laura is painting. She challenges herself with various

"assignments" and encourages dialog.

Karin Jurick's blog is one I found through Carol Marine's links.

Another wonderful oil painter with great subject matter.

So there you have it...tomorrow back with a posting of

work I've been doing lately! Check out the other blogs if you

have a chance!

Garden view

I missed yesterday's post, because I was visiting a beautiful

spot for breakfast and then walked around their magnificent

gardens and property. It doesn't look like this painting, but

seemed appropriate as an association. The hollyhocks were

about 6 feet tall and the view to Lake Champlain is gorgeous.

It is also a site that hosts a wonderful art show in September.

Okay I'll give up the information...it's Shelburne Farms! I was

juried in to their show this year and I am really looking

forward to being a part of it again. Click the link to see what else

is happening at the Farm.

Announcing

"Unfurling" 30" x 23" framed

This painting is going to the Bennington Center

for the Arts for their Impressions of New England

Show. I also used the image on my postcard

announcement to my mailing list. So those of you

who are on my list should have gotten one by now.

The postcard had all my upcoming shows and

miscellaneous information on it. I send out about

3 mailings a year, including a holiday greeting. For anyone

who wants to get my mailings, send me an email...

getting snail mail sometimes is nice too.

Lusciousness

"Lusciousness" 7.5" x 7.5"

This painting is at the Small Works Show at the

Bennington Center for the Arts. I will be going down

there this week to drop off two more pieces for their

"Impressions of New England" show. The Center has

beautiful galleries and wonderful shows and also a

sculpture garden and a summer theatre. Quite the

destination location to visit sometime. Click the link

for more information.

photo finish

Whenever we record our travel memories, be it in a

sketchbook, with a camera or just by absorbing the

sights, sounds and smells in our brains, it is always

nice to revisit those memories. This sketch was actually

done several years after the trip from one of many

photographs that I took. So, photographic reference

can go a long way towards recreating the feel of vacation!

Summer heat

My French sketchbook week is coming to an end...

Summer is in full swing and the humidity broke at about

3 a.m. this morning, so the air is cool once again and

the wind is stirring the trees. It's amazing how slow

one starts to move in that kind of heat. Plus it doesn't

do watercolors any favors in the drying department.

It's incredible how atmosphere affects the painting process.

Today should be a better painting day!

Vive la France

Les bateaux d'Antibes....Maybe it's the visiting French

Canadians or just scouring different blogs of artists

who are posting their sketches made in the French

countryside, but I wanted to add to the flair and post

my "je ne sais quoi" sketchbook entries. Or am I just thinking

of the wonderful time spent sailing several years ago

at exactly this time in July? Aaaahhhh memories!

Les Couleurs

Sometimes travel sketchbooks can capture more than

an image...they can bring back a sense or feeling of the

place visited. This entry was done while standing by a

fountain (which I used as my water source!) and I tried

to grasp the colors I had seen around St. Tropez that day.

Later, while perusing a french magazine, I added the names

of colors I thought went with the swatches in my book.

Island time

Aaaaahhhhh Bermuda! What a treat it was to be able

to paint on this fantastic little island. The architecture

is so unique and the water so so blue. I must have vacation

on my mind and will post sketches from one of my travel

journals this week.

Red, white and blue

"Primary Colors" 7.5" x 7.5"

Happy Fourth of July! This rooster profile has the red,

white and blue of the holiday represented..so I thought

I'd share it with you. Enjoy the fireworks, throw a burger

on the grill and relax! I'll skip my posting tomorrow and

take the day off like the bank, post office etc...see you next week.

Basin Harbor show

This painting was done several years ago for a

show that is held annually at the Basin Harbor Resort

on Lake Champlain. It is a fun program that invites Vermont

artists to submit their work and then they invite a select

group to come and stay at the resort for a few days to

gather up inspiration. At the end of the summer Basin

Harbor displays the works that were created as a result

of that stay. If you are around at the end of August its worth

a visit. I didn't submit work this year, but it's nice to see

what other artists' interpretations of the resort are.

Snow in July?

"Snow Cardinals"

I just signed a new licensing contract yesterday using

this image. The company is going to use it for paper

products, like gift bags and cards. Thought the image

might be refreshing for anyone topping 90 degree days,

or serve as a reminder that summer is short and to get

out there and enjoy it before we see the snow fly again!