Happy New Year

"Freshly gathered" 22" x 15" Fabriano Artistico 140 lb. CP

I wanted to go out the blogging year on the DSFDF portrait,

but that seemed way too long between posts...so here I am,

back from a short break. It's time to get ready for a new year.

Organize the studio, clean it up (!), file all the paperwork for 2008,

think about taxes (!), plan out shows, plan out vacations (!), gush

over new journals and sketchbooks, make a resolution to fill more

of them (!), take some workshops, teach some workshops, PAINT(!)

and hopefully enjoy a happy, healthy, productive and creative 2009.

WISHING YOU ALL THE SAME AND MORE!

End of year DSFDF

This was the end of year assignment from the Different

Strokes from Different Folks blog. We all got an anonymous

portrait sent to us that we had to paint and your photo went

to the person who's portrait you got...an even swap. Click the

link here to go to Paula Cravens blog where she has my portrait

posted...It's a great painting and I think it is awesome! She did

such a fun rendition. I enjoyed painting her portrait as well and

I hope she likes it. Be sure to check out the DSFDF blog to see all

the entries...I guess there are 130 participants, plus the blog is

getting a mention in the January issue of Southwest magazine!

Joy and Peace

This was my holiday card this year. Had alot of fun

painting it. It's the second year I made "snow" on the

image. A toothbrush comes in very handy...but it was

hard trying to find a tube of white...it was buried under

all the other tubes and had to be dusted off since it doesn't

get squeezed out on a regular basis! Poor white...always gets

dissed on the palette. Hope your holiday is white and bright.

I might take several days off from posting, so I'll wish you all

Joy and Peace!

Cooking inspiration

Today's post is for the lemon cranberry bread I'm going

to make. It seems I'm on a food kick lately and pairing the

paintings with that inspiration. Maybe after the bread is done

I'll do a quick watercolor of the end result. Could be fun.

We're in for some more snow...the next week is supposed

to be filled with snow days. We get every other day off to

clean up and finish shoveling!

Spiced orange marmalade

"Spiced Orange Marmalade" 11" x 15"

This watercolor is one I painted about 9 years ago for a

Holiday card. It featured this painting, plus the recipe for

spiced orange marmalade. I set up the still life on the kitchen

table and painted the ingredients needed for the recipe. A fun

challenge...I should try that again sometime. I never heard from

any of the card recipients if they actually made the jam! To be

perfectly honest I never tried it myself..I was more interested

in the process of painting the ingredients! Maybe this year, who knows.

Jaunty Jay

"Jaunty Jay" 7.5" x 7.5"

Here is another feathered friend of a different variety.

I did this painting for a specific group show that was all

about birds and feathers. Something a little unique for me.

I haven't seen alot of jays lately..don't know if they head

south for the winter. They are very loud and seem to be

the bully of the bird world. I'm going to dig out some older

holiday cards this week so I can show you an archive.

I've just finished sending off all my mailing list cards and

friends and family cards...more than 350 in all! Phew.

Blue Vase

"Blue Vase" 22" x 15"

An abundance of flowers, flowing forth from a

footed floral vessel. Say that three times fast!

I've been noticing tulips at various flower shops..

Is this unusually early or are we jumping the seasons

as a result of greenhouses or better, faster transportation,

so we can get things from across the globe in a matter of hours?

We used to have to wait until at least February or March

to see those first tender spring bouquets. But I guess it's

a good thing for a floral painter like myself. I do try to

stay a little seasonal, like now the amaryllis are blooming

as are the paperwhites...

Asiana

"Asiana" 22" x 20"

My orchid is getting ready to send another

spray of blooms out. I always thought they were

a tough plant to maintain, but this one obviously

likes where it is and seems to be rewarding me for

whatever it is I am doing for it. Which isn't much

besides just watering it once a week! The art season

has wound down a bit and I am thinking about my

workshop schedule for 2009. I have had several

requests and need to organize a few two or three day

stretches. As soon as I know I will post a notice along

the right hand side of my blog.

Menu

"Menu" 30" x 22"

'Tis the season for parties! This painting makes me

think of all the upcoming holiday parties and various

celebrations. Good food, fun with friends and family

and lots of festive sounds and cheer. It is also the time

of year for soups and stews and big helpings of turkey

with gravy, mashed potatoes and all those comfort foods.

I must be hungry writing this post! Have a great weekend!

Curvaceous

"Curvaceous" 15" x 22" at Green Mountain Fine Art Gallery, Stowe.

Red is the color of the week it seems...It is all around us

this time of year. Red stockings, Santa hats, holly berries,

wreath ribbons, Amaryllis blooms and Rudolph's nose!

Red and Green those opposites on the color wheel. No

wonder they go so well together. We are in for a big storm

this evening into tomorrow...so hopefully I will be able to

paint some winter scenes. Does anyone go out and paint

en plein air during the freezing months? Or have they devised

some ingenious set-up in their cars so they can stay warm?

I'd like to give it a try this year. "They" say there's no such

thing as bad weather, it's how you dress for it!

Country Santa

This was an image I created specifically for a

Christmas card many moons ago. It had to be

at least 7 or 8 years ago. This country santa was

my cousin's favorite. This week 3 years ago, he

lost his battle with brain cancer and I do miss him so.

But this Jolly St. Nick will always remind me of him.

Cadmium Red Cardinal

This painting was in preparation for my Holiday

card last year. I posted the actual holiday card in

July this year..click the link to check out that post.

This image has since been changed by adding some

snow spatters over top. We actually have a cardinal

couple residing in our cedar hedge. One year they

had set up residence in the evergreen outside the front

door and we saw their nest full of squawking little baby

cardinals. I think 3 in all. It's nice to see that striking

red color against a snowy backdrop, which we actually

have received in the last two days. Several inches of snow

and bitter cold! Winter's here...

DSFDF entry

"These boots were made for working"

My latest entry to the Different Strokes blog. I really

enjoyed painting this. Such an unusual subject but it

really made for a great still life. I worked the paint alot

by scrubbing back the highlights...especially along the

top rim of the blue lining. The journal I use is filled with

Canson paper and really takes well to lifting. This was

another two week challenge, but as promised I was going

to get to these "assignments" a little earlier. I'll leave last

week's post in my sidebar for a little while longer. I also

used my new favorite brown...Burnt Umber. It came in my

little travel sketchbox, but I have since added it to my

regular palette.

"Check me out"

"Check me out" 7.5" x 7.5" original watercolor

The above painting is for sale on Ebay. I am going to try

to list one painting a week like this. Check out the link above

to go to the auction page. Just a reminder for those of you who

are not familiar with my website. I have two gallery pages on

my site, one for original paintings and one dedicated to

Giclee prints which are all for sale and have a direct link to Paypal.

I'm reminded of this because an old friend from Highschool

just placed an order the other day...it's fun how the internet has

a way of connecting people...we don't have to wait for school

reunions anymore to be in touch! (which may be a good or bad thing)

Simplicity

"Blue patterned vase" 15" x 22"

Simple shapes, pure color and an unobtrusive background.

Doesn't usually happen in my paintings...ha ha! I like

negative spaces and filling those up with lots of color. It's good to

stray from the norm every once in a while. I recently

bought some pears and oranges, maybe some inspiration for

a new painting? Actually one pear turned brown within the

day, but remained rock-hard..a lemon perhaps in the pear world?

I just got some new colors and am thinking of overhauling my

palette..start clean and fresh, dig the old, crusty, tired and overworked

dollops of pigment out of my trusty large white palette, rinse it all

under the sink and voila...renewed energy, which hopefully will

reflect itself in some new work!

Holiday cards

It's that time of year to start thinking about sending

out Holiday cards...This was my card four years ago!

Can't believe the time flies so fast. I'm working on this

year's card as we speak. I have close to 300 people on

my mailing list and try to send out something at least

twice a year if not three times. I always do a Holiday mailing

and will announce shows and other news during the rest

of the year. Hopefully the cards make it to the fridge or

some other place for a while, where people can look at them.

I know I save artist's cards and announcements that I like and

hang them on a big corkboard in my studio. There is a group

show opening this Friday from 6 - 8 p.m. at the Furchgott and

Sourdiffe Gallery in Shelburne...for any of you local folks who

might want to stop by...I just dropped off some paintings

yesterday for the show. Maybe see you there.

Hydrangea Shadows

"Hydrangea shadows"

This is this week's (actually it's a double week assignment)

for the Different Strokes from Different Folks blog. I post

a link on the right side of my blog whenever I finish my entry.

I've been on the tail-end of the weeks lately...I will try to finish

my painting earlier so it will have a longer time on my blog.

It's been a challenge to participate, but exciting just the same.

I always look forward to Wednesdays to see what Karin will

post for a new assignment. If you haven't checked out the

blog and especially the links to see all the work together on

one page, it's well worth it. All the different interpretations, plus

the varied media that's being used. A great idea.

Strength in numbers

"Strength in numbers" 15" x 22" at GMFA in Stowe

I really enjoy painting irises...you might have been able

to tell from previous postings. They are a very versatile

flower and I often use them when I teach my workshops...

I usually start the first day with a simple assignment, compose

an entire painting using just one flower that you turn and twist

in your hand so you record various "poses" of the single bloom.

It's not as easy as it might sound...actually quite the opposite,

because it forces you to really think about composition, relationships

between shape and size and overall design. Try it sometime!