Haunted weekend

"Dutch Vignette" 22"x10"

Another spring image before the weekend...I guess with November on Sunday I'm thinking bulbs...I should take the time in the next few weeks to dig some bulbs into the ground. Speaking of time..I'll probably be a little sporadic with my postings next week, so bear with me. Trying to reorganize the studio, take some new pictures of my work and just taking a little break..Have a great weekend and a very Happy and safe Halloween...enjoy the haunted happenings!

Gardening?

"Spring faces" 13"x5.5"

It's bulb planting time...I planted some daffodils last year and it was such a pleasure to see them come up this spring...I hope they are just that much stronger and maybe even multiplied this spring. I'd like to get some tulips and get them in for some early color next year. It's hard to think about "gardening" when everything outside is getting ready to take a long winter's nap.

show season

"Star studded" 15"x15"

The show season has wound down to a slow trickle...I have one piece in an upcoming VT Watercolor Society group show at the Southern Vermont Arts Center, that opening reception is on Halloween from 2 - 4 p.m., but I can't make it to that one and then the small picture exhibition at the Mary Bryan in Jeffersonville has an opening reception on Sunday November 1st from 3 - 5 p.m., which I'll try to make. It's always bitter sweet, but now I'll start to plan for next year...actually December, when there is a winter group show at the gallery in Shelburne...so I guess there's still work to do!

Mixed media

"Building Blocks" 22" x 15"

This is my contribution this week to the Different Strokes blog. Interesting assignment. I wanted to try my hand at doing the painting on a large sheet of paper, instead of doing the dsfdf work in my sketchbook or journal. I also allowed myself some other materials...I used watersoluble crayons from Stabilo. They are these stubby crayons that are really rich in color and you can wash them out with a wet brush. I also used regular prismacolor pencils in a couple different places. All in all a good time to experiment.

"Daydreaming"

It's Monday night figure session time...I haven't been in a while, seems the end of summer, beginning of fall brings with it lots of things to do and clean up and put away, but hopefully tonight, if there is a class I'm going. The above image was done earlier this year before they stopped for the summer. On another note..for those of you who know my watercolor roosters...I'm now painting some feathered friends in oils and showing them on my other blog. Today's post is the first in a bunch of roosters I've done.. check it out and click this LINK. Let me know what you think and how they compare to my h2o-colors.

Looks like a duck

"Just Ducky" 15"x22"

One more decoy still life from Charles' summer workshop. He said the teapot in the lower right corner was his mother's! It's nice to have such personal items in a set-up. I guess it makes us want to capture those items in the best possible light, to do the memories justice. It's funny what you associate with a particular artist and I guess duck decoys will always remind me of Charles Reid. I was at an antiques show a couple weeks ago and one dealer had a whole bunch of old wooden decoys. I didn't buy any for future still lifes...I left them for Charles!

Public tv Pekoe

"Orange Pekoe" 11" x 15"

I donated this piece to our local public television fundraiser a bunch of years ago. It's nice to give back...I certainly spent many nights watching British comedy on their station...so it was only fitting to give them something to do with tea. Quite proper..ha ha..I hope whoever owns it even likes tea or british comedy for that matter. Not many people like the dry humor or sometimes very outrageous humor like Fawlty towers! love it...anyone remember Red Dwarf?

meeting fun

"Ruffled Feathers" 15"x11"

Today it's photograph artwork day...it's sufficiently gray here so there shouldn't be any interference from the sun! I'm also getting ready for the Fall meeting of the Vermont Watercolor Society this weekend. It'll be nice to catch up with other watercolor artists from across the state. We are rolling out our new website, voting in new Board positions and one of our members is presenting an alternative surfaces demonstration on Yupo. All in all it should be informative and fun.

"The Soft shoulder"

7.5"x7.5"

I haven't been to the weekly figure session in a while, so I'm posting something I did earlier this year. This piece is actually in a small works show in Jeffersonville VT. The show has been up for a while, but the opening reception is on November 1st at the Mary Bryan Memorial Gallery. I decided this year to put two figure pieces in...instead of roosters. Shake things up a bit. Don't want to get too predictable! I had a comment at my solo show last month where someone wrote.."ok flowers and roosters, what else you got?" So I guess I'm showing what else I got...I did have some landscapes in that show, but I guess they didn't rate.

Changing temperatures

"Porch Shadows" 15" x 22"

From one set of shadows to the next. These in a landscape/building painting where the roofline gets defined by a strong cast shadow and hard edges and the porch glows with the soft reflected light bouncing back. There is also contrast in temperature of the shadows, cooler violet greys vs. warmer yellow.

shadow anchors

"Tea-time" 15"x11"

Warm sun streaming in to light up a simple still life. I like the way the shadows anchor the objects to the surface they are sitting on. I guess that's the whole secret to having a believable composition and not having your still life objects floating in space...although I'm sure there are successful paintings out there that challenge that statement...for sure Magritte's floating apple in front of the bowler-wearing man's face! ("Son of Man", 1964)

Laundry day

15" x 22"

Fresh laundry drying outside on the line...is there anything like it? Somehow the clothes feel fresher, you can add all the bounce and dryer sheets you'd like, but there's nothing like sun and air-dried wash. Unfortunately in busy lives there is hardly time for it. We'd save alot of energy, though...anyway an interesting subject with the criss-cross of cords and the daisies in the foreground. Could have kept the colors of the towels a bit less muddy...hmmmmm....maybe they need another wash!

Stonehenge?

15"x9"

This was a fun composition..working with a long rectangular vertical piece of paper...the property we were painting included these HUGE boulders on the top of this hill...I wondered if the owners unearthed them during construction of their road or their house or actually had them trucked in to place them strategically as their very own replica of Stonehenge! Again working with a limited palette, more water for lighter washes and less water for the strong darks...

Summer scenery

The Vermont summer landscape as seen from a hill looking down towards a valley. I didn't get to do too much painting outdoors this year, but I have a few from a workshop I took that I'll share with you this week. This piece is about 15"x11" and was done with a triad of primaries. I think I used Aureolin, Ultramarine and Alizarin Crimson. Fun to limit yourself to just a few colors, makes things easy and difficult at the same time!

Out with the old

"Abstract Poppies" 15" x 11"

So next week I'll post some more current work...seems like I've been unearthing the historical pieces for quite some time now. I actually haven't painted much with my watercolors lately...but had a full week in the studio with my oils..stay tuned for a whole series of roosters that I'll post on my oil blog! They've been alot of fun, but today it's clean up the oils and make way for the h20-colors...don't want to get too rusty.

Dutch Windmill

This painting was a birthday present for my Dad...oh I don't know how many years ago. I had actually been to this windmill and taken a bunch of photos...the building on the left..you can barely see the brown edge had a fantastic pancake house. Not the same pancakes we eat here in the States, but big dinner plate sized with savory filling, but also some sweet. Yummy! Several years ago I visited another windmill that was actually a "paint" mill, where they ground the pigments instead of wheat...how cool is that?

Tea-time

I was just starting to question if I had done something wrong in regards responding to your comments, because I have not had too many lately...but lo and behold this morning there were 7 comments to moderate, so I'll turn that frown upside down! This is an earlier piece done during a class of a fairly simple still life set up. The fabric scraps and textures really appeal to me. My brush work and color selection has gotten bolder over time...I'll chalk that up to being less timid and just jumping in to the watercolor pools of color with both feet!

Fifth and Final

"Burgeoning Blossoms" 15" x 22"

Here is the last painting in the line-up of my latest show here in Northern Vermont...This one is quite bright, but also very drippy and spontaneous. I actually painted the entire painting with a flat brush, which is very unusual for me, since I mostly paint with a number 12 round. I set up my easel in this wonderful Peony garden, where I have taught a workshop these last two years...I'm trying to figure out the date for the 3rd annual peony painting workshop for 2010. It has to coincide with the peak season of the flowers being in bloom and then I also have to keep in mind the possibility of bad weather and securing the indoor classroom at the church where they have the lovely peony gardens...Hopefully in the next two months I'll get it organized.

Number four

"Slices of life" 15" x 22"

I had a comment not too long ago about centering my text under the picture and it seems I've been clicking the wrong button and worrying about having it centered manually under the piece...I think I've got it figured out and maybe this will be the new way of posting..we'll see. Let me know what you think either way. This is number four in the show in Shelburne...now you folks in other parts of the world will have seen the show as well, even if you couldn't visit it in person! (the last one tomorrow)

Listening in...

"Flower Power" 22" x 15"

Number three of the five in the show...Last night was the opening reception and it was again wonderful! My paintings are hanging on a long wall with great lighting. It's always fun to hover in the background a bit and listen in on people's discussions of my work..It's not like I'm anonymous...I have my name tag on :) overheard: "ooh too bright for me", "she's gotten better over the years", "wow, great colors, happy work". I know what you all are thinking, because you leave the nicest comments!

Feathers on display

"Majestic" 22" x 19"

Another painting that I brought to the show in Shelburne.

When I was accepted to the show for the first time more

than 6 years ago, I had put a rooster painting in that was hung

right over the sales desk and sold on the opening night...since

then I've had other roosters in that show, but last year was

the first year I didn't put any feathered friends in and many

people asked where they were...so to meet somewhere in the middle

I've decided on this guy to break up the floral bunch!