Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Switchplates

Here is another licensed imaged being produced into
switchplate covers. Click the link to see what's available.
They have 4 of my images that they are producing, three
florals and one rooster. Can't wait to walk into a store and
see them on display...but that probably won't happen anytime
soon, since alot of business is being conducted over the internet.
I was recently contacted by someone who googled my name
after seeing my work in the Coldwater Creek catalog. It's amazing
how you can instantly be in touch with someone who is on the web.
Amazing...I'm taking the rest of the week off from my blogorama
for Thanksgiving...so enjoy all, be thankful.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Waitsfield Farm

"Waitsfield Farm" 15" x 22" at Green Mountain Fine Art in Stowe
I just delivered this painting to my gallery in Stowe..the
first (recent) landscape to be shown! Can't wait to find out
what the feedback is. I need to start thinking about a holiday
card...might even be a little late with that, but hey a mere
mortal can only do so much. I didn't see Twilight this weekend,
but I hear vampires can fly and make lots of teenage girls swoon!
I'm trying to remember what movie hottie was out there when I was
that age...maybe John Travolta in Grease? Anyway, that doesn't
have much to do with painting and I actually got to put some paint
on some paper yesterday! Maybe my efforts will be revealed to
you sometime soon. I have not been able to go to the figure sessions
lately, but hope to pick that up again. Maybe some self-portraits
in the meantime? I've tried that before and it's amazing how much I
don't look like me.

Friday, November 21, 2008

"O Solo Mio"

"O Solo Mio" 7.5" x 7.5" click here to bid
Okay it's official...I have my first painting for sale on Ebay.
You can click the link above to go to the auction page. As
this is a work in progress I am sure I will be encountering
some new obstacles. I will start to list my ebay paintings
with a label of "available" and will update my blog as they
get sold with a "sold" label. Seems simple enough, but we'll
have to see. Again, I will start off slow and see how this
new adventure progresses. I know Ebay has been around
for a long time and artists have been successfully selling their
work through their site...so here's hoping I'll become one of them!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Hearts of Gold

As you can tell I work alot with the color wheel when
I design my paintings. This one showing the blues and
purples and then complementing them with oranges
and yellows. I love playing with color that way. I think
they "POP" more. I will be framing today to get ready to
drop off some new paintings in Stowe at my gallery there.
I don't know if anyone has been trying to get in touch with
me via my website, but the "contact" link wasn't working...
I don't know for how long, but it is now fixed...so for those
of you who thought I didn't answer my emails...I apologize,
but the problem seems to be fixed now!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Online woes

private collection
For those of you keeping track...yes I didn't
get to post yesterday, because my cable was
down and I couldn't get online all day! It's
amazing how the computer rules the world!
Well...maybe not, but if you are used to getting
your emails first thing in the morning and then
posting to your blog and that doesn't happen!
Watch out, change in plans for the day, run around
thinking it's your modem, call the cable company
(after you've gone there to switch out your modem),
come to find out there is a problem in your neighborhood
with your service...AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH! But anyway,
I'm here and posting again! I want to thank everyone who
has been commenting on a regular basis! I love reading
all your comments, keep 'em coming! Tomorrow I continue
my quest for selling on ebay or etsy as some of you have
suggested.

Monday, November 17, 2008

The Letter

"The Letter" 15" x 22"
This painting was a study in oranges and reds...obviously.
But it was also a combination of shapes and textures, lost
and found edges, soft and hard edges, overlapping shapes
and some negative space. I just got two potted amaryllis
bulbs and they are already shooting up their tall heads. One
is orange and the other a candy cane stripe. I have some
paperwhites ready to go as well, but I need to put those in
some sort of vessel and put the marbles around their bases.
I really like seeing their roots twirl around through the glass.
So I am growing some new subject matter, right here in my
living room!

Friday, November 14, 2008

Orchid offering

"Orchid Offering"
I will be picking this painting up from the
Middlebury Frog Hollow this weekend. It's
been on display for a while and it's time to change
things up. I am also going to be part of a winter
Shelburne. The show opens with a reception
on Friday December 5th. I am still thinking about
selling a few pieces from my blog. By no means would
this be a daily thing, but an occassional thing. I've
followed some daily painters blogs and I think just
listing each entry, plus the painting, the shipping
and mere organization would become a full-time job!
So stay tuned...I might delve into this a little further
next week. I'll start simple and slow!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Tulips and friends

"Tulips and friends"
This is another 7.5" x 7.5" image completed in the last
several months. As you can see I've tried to paint it like
one of my larger pieces and get a lot of subject matter on
the paper. I've been thinking lately that I might start to sell
some of these smaller paintings through this blog?? Any thoughts?
I think what I'd do is go through the older posts and see which
paintings I have available and then add a label "available" that
you can search for. Let me know what you think. Ofcourse
my Giclee prints are available right now through my website
and I have a link to paypal...maybe I should just add a page
to my website?

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Pink Orchids

"Pink Orchids" 7.5" x 7.5"
These small paintings are fun to do, but sometimes can be
challenging. I'm so used to working on a half sheet (22" x 15"),
that switching to a small piece of paper can be difficult. I really
enjoy working with large brushes and lots of pigment, but I am
forced to change it up for these "micro" paintings. Smaller brush,
but I can still manage a lot of color and lots of water. I find myself
using this format often for my roosters. This Sunday is the Fall meeting
of the Vermont Watercolor Society...it should be a fun one! Plus I am
going to stop by the Middlebury Frog Hollow and change up some
paintings, so they have some fresh work of mine heading in to the
holidays...two birds with one tank of gas!

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Class work

I thought I'd share something I did during a class this past
summer. I really enjoy taking workshops and wish I could
participate in more of them on a yearly basis. It's great to
learn from different teachers. Everyone has something new
to add. With so many different styles and philosophies out
there you are bound to pick something up. Plus it's also nice
to paint in a group and have someone else come up with an
assignment! That's why I like the weekly Different Strokes from
Different Folks blog by Karin Jurick. I'm working on this week's
shadows project(not completed yet)...but check out the blogs.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Lemon twins

I thought I'd continue the lemon theme for another day.
The post on Friday was painted at the same time as this
double study. Take advantage of your stilllife set up before
it goes bad! I have started to use fake fruits and veggies
in my floral set ups..they provide the shape I need and
won't go bad! Unfortunately you can't cut them! This way
I save a little in the way of wasting money on something
that'll just sit on a table in the studio for a couple days. I
find that I never use whatever it is I'm painting in any meals!
Unless it's a quick sketch of something that I am cooking.
(see previous posts of basil and bok choy!)

Friday, November 7, 2008

Pigment power

A little sketch of a solo lemon slice. I like it when my paints
are really juicy and I almost put too much color on the paper.
Like in the background here. The pigments always look so good
when they are wet, but always dry just that much lighter. It's hard
to strike that balance between transparent color and working with
the white of the paper and just killing the sparkle. Maybe that's why,
once I frame my watercolors behind shiny glass that they look
finished, almost like they've been varnished with a gloss.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Museum dreaming

"Graceful Forms" actual size: 22" x 15" museum size: very big!
Several blogs I check in with have been posting
their art on museum walls...this is done through
a website called dumpr. So I thought I would visualize
my art on a museum wall as well and wonder what that
would look and feel like. Very impressive, especially
when it's so large and with such a lovely gilded frame!
Make room on the walls Rembrandt and Picasso..well
maybe not quite yet, but hey you never know! We can
dream right and dream big we do!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Stepping out

"Stepping out" 7.5" x 7.5"
Well and step out we did to the voting booths across
America. Thought this red, white and blue rooster was
appropriate a day after electing a new president. Big happenings
across our nation. I'm trying to get back into the swing of painting.
I am looking at redoing my palette and scraping off dried bits
and reinvigorating the colors. Sometimes when the colors have
been spritzed, rewetted, dried and reworked over and over, they
start to look a bit tired and that can translate to your painting.
So with fresh, juicy colors I can tackle some fresh and juicy
paintings...hopefully!