Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Vignette

A small vignette...I like the way the orange
bled into the shadow. I love the ooziness of
watercolors..is that even a word? Well juicy
like a nice orange would be! I should go out
and get some Valencia Oranges...they make
the best juice! Plus having a bit of Florida in
a glass can't be beat...especially if you are in
damp, fall weather Northern New England!

Monday, September 29, 2008

Orange and Orange

Orange and Orange...color of the week! I'm going to run
out of colors soon...well maybe not, but at least as a
dominant theme in my paintings. So next week will be
back to "normal", whatever that means. I'll post some
paintings that are in area shows and I'll update you on
what shows I'm in. That way if you are near any of those
spots you can pop in and see for yourself.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Birthday post

This sunflower stands tall..as does my
oldest niece...she might have me beat by
half an inch...but anyway this post today
is a shout-out to her because she's fourteen
today! So happy birthday sweet sweet girl!
Love you lots. Stay tuned for my entry in
the different strokes blog...white pumpkins...
you thought painting white flowers was hard. GULP.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Permanent Yellow and others

"Sunflower Grandeur" 22" x 30"
Permanent Yellow, Gamboge, Aureolin...those are
but a few of the yellows I use. My palette changes once
in a while..with so many new and exciting colors out
there, why not experiment. The location of them on my
palette never changes though..you should be able to reach
for them blindfolded...but alas I don't think I'll be attempting
to paint with a David Blaine attitude...not that painting
blindfolded is like being suspended from a wire for three
days, or being trapped in a block of ice, but hey, as artists
we stare down that white sheet of paper and have to be brave
enough to put down those first marks!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Row of Sun

"Row of Sun" 10" x 22"
And we come to Wednesday...An in your face kind of
painting! Sunny side up. Speaking of sun...it's shining
again today. We've been very lucky up here in the Northeast.
Does this mean we'll be in for it this winter? Oh, don't go there
yet...Thanks again for all the comments...as far away as Israel!
Stay tuned for another Different Strokes entry later this week.
It's fun anticipating what Karin will come up with each week.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

See you in September

"See you in September" 22" x 15" private collection
Day two of "yellow" week...this painting was done
at a time in the season when sunflowers were at their
peak...I love painting that way...what's available.
There was a comment linked to yesterday's post
asking if I mask or paint negatively...I've taught some
workshops on this technique and I always say:
"There is nothing negative about negative painting!"
...so there is the answer...alot of negative painting.
I love the way it makes the foreground pop...and if you
are careful with your transparent pigments you can build
up quite a few layers. The lily buds in the upper right hand corner
of this painting were done that way as well.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Harvest of Sun

"Harvest of Sun" 15" x 11"
This painting is one of five currently on display
at the Round Barn Show in Waitsfield. The opening
was last night and it was a great party. This week will
be yellow week...and maybe a double whammy of all
sunflowers? The chill is creeping up towards New England
and Fall has descended upon us...literally! So happy first
day of Fall. We are supposedly in for a b-e-a-utiful week.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Red conclusion

"Red Barn" 15" x 22"
This concludes the "red" week...with an image I did while
out in the field several weeks ago. It was the only landscape
painting that was predominantly red...well at least one that
was on my computer already...there might be some unphotographed
ones in my flat files. Monday rings in the first day of Fall, so I
hope you get out there and enjoy all the fall happenings, from
picking apples, to mulling cider, carving pumpkins, making soup,
hiking through fallen leaves and oh yeah...maybe some plein
air painting tucked in there as well. What "color" should next
week be?

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Red Shoes

Here is a fun image from my sketchbook...one night sitting
on the couch with brush in hand and journal close-by...I was
searching for some inspiration and right there on the floor
in front of me....kicked off shoes. Goes to show that a suitable
model just isn't that far away. And ofcourse they are RED.
I am participating in a new blog called Different Strokes from
Different Folks...started by a Texas artist named Karin Jurick.
Every Wednesday she posts a new picture for folks to try their
hand at their own interpretation...so go to my blog to see my entry
each week and from there link to her blog.

Delicious

"Delicious" 15" x 15"
More red...but this time with some complimentary colors
of greens and teals. Yesterday was the delivery for the Round
Barn show and spying a few of the other artist's works it's
going to be a great show! They actually solicited over the
web and received a number of entries from out of state.
One as far away as Portland, Oregon! The show will always
be predominantly showcasing Vermont artists, but this way
they mix in some potentially "never been seen in this area" work.
Now it's time to finish my prints for the Shelburne Farms show.
Dropping off my work for that next Monday...Yikes, busy.
Thanks everyone for your lovely comments along the way. Keep them coming!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Soft in the Shade

"Soft in the Shade" 11" x 15"
Another entry for my red week. I am getting ready to
deliver my work to the Round Barn show in Waitsfield
today. This is always a beautiful show with a killer opening.
The food is outstanding! The show opens on Sunday from 4 - 7 p.m.
The entry fee for the opening is $15.00. The show runs
through October 13th. It is a beautiful part of the state for
those of you who have never been. Well worth the trip and
several great farmstands along the way. It's pumpkin season!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Red coffee cup

Okay, so I thought I'd try for a "red" week.
So all my postings this week will feature the
dominant color red. I'll finish off the week with
one of my plein air paintings from last Thursday.
Hurricane Ike has roared its way up to Vermont
with winds up to 40 miles per hour. We don't have
the rain, but the winds are impressive. You'd really
have to hold on to your easel if you were outside today!

Friday, September 12, 2008

painting outside with friends

This little painting closes out the week. Another "pretty
in pink". I painted out in the field yesterday with friends
and we had a super time. Beautiful weather, picnic
lunch with wonderful food, lovely relaxing afternoon and
the most magnificent dinner with fresh silver queen corn!
How sweet it is. I'll post some of my efforts next week.
I was trying for the most paintings in a day(personal record!) and
I think I threw pigment on about 6 pieces of paper! Hey
why not...it's only paper and paint, right?
Thanks, Jan for a most spectacular day!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Pink peonies

Pink peonies from a summer class session...with some
studio tweaking done later. Always fun to revisit paintings
in the limbo stage and try to finish or approach them in a new
way. I think we might be bolder with our colors or our intent
if we've decided the painting wasn't going to get out of the
paper drawer again. Today I am visiting with friends and
we are going outside to paint...the sun is shining and today
is supposed to be the pick of the week weather-wise.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Pink Pop

"Pink Pop" 7.5" x 7.5"
Okay so instead of continuing with the stargazer theme,
I'll finish out the week with a pink theme. The Vermont
Watercolor Society is having a group show at the Walkover
Gallery in Bristol, Vermont. The show opening is this Friday
from 5 - 8 p.m. If you happen to be in the area please stop
by...I have a piece in the show....nothing pink, but something
with feathers :) Hope to see you there.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Gaze upon pears

"Gaze upon pears" 22" x 15"
Another stargazer painting...I guess a theme
is being detected. I just realized I've reached a
blogging milestone...I've surpassed 100 posts!
I don't know if that means anything, but hey I've
seen mention of it on other blogs, so maybe there's
something to it. Weather is stormy here. We've been
lucky lately and have had gorgeous weather for a few
weeks...so today it's all the hurricane action from the
south finally making an appearance here.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Gazing Glory

"Gazing Glory"
Here are some stargazer lilies...I will paint them
on occassion, because they are always easy to get at
the florist. I have been preparing for my upcoming
shows and have not been in the studio very much!
Hopefully that will change this week. I've been working
on matting prints, making cards and organizing paper work.
All stuff that needs to get done. I am thinking about freshening
up my blog and adding some extras to the side of the blog.
I will need to scout around and figure out how to do it all
and what other bloggers are doing. A slide show might be
nice...or some updated links..hmmm more work that'll
keep me from the studio. Like I said I'm only thinking about it.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Formidable

"Formidable" 7.5" x 7.5"
I am posting this rooster today in rememberance of a
family friend who passed away last week. She loved my
roosters and had one of my early originals plus last year
her husband got her a print of another one. This one kind
of reminds me of her...she was a formidable woman, quite
dapper and always ready for fun...I'll miss her.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Wine and food

I'm back! My computer wasn't the problem,
it was my modem from the cable company.
So reinstalled, back on-line and hopefully that
will be fixed for a long time to come. Sorry I've
missed so many days. Hope your labor day was
filled with barbeques and family and friends. The
image above was created several years ago for a local
organizations' Fine wine and Food festival. Very high
quality posters were created announcing the event so
my work was on walls all around town and beyond, plus
I got to go to the event to sign posters and eat good food!