Sunday, December 30, 2007

Ambiance

The warmth of a wonderful restaurant
at the holidays is always pleasing. If the
food is also great, then all the better.
I like taking shots of such scenes and
then see if I can conjure up a painting
that captures what attracted me to it in
the first place. I am also attracted to
the pristine look of glassware and utensils
before anyone has begun their meal...
There is a sort of expectation about the
whole thing. Good title: "Expectation".
Stay tuned.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Abundance of wishes for you

This is my Christmas table, all set for
a lovely dinner. I was pleased that it
turned out so well with the available
light! I wish you all the best of times
in this season of family and friends.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

What else?

This is the best I could do! I was on
a winter lights tour and there was this
bear all lit up in the dark painting! So
I took the photo out my car window,
trying to hold as still as possible to get
it as clear as possible! Hoping you are
having a grand holiday!

Sunday, December 23, 2007

Merry Christmas Mantlepiece

Here is my mantlepiece, a sort of long-line still
life ! I did the painting for myself over several
years, adding the sledders last year. The dolls
are from my collection and my Mom's. As a child,
my sister and I would help our parents put away
all the things that were on shelves and the piano
top (a baby grand) and then the wonderful doll
collection would be lovingly unwrapped and set up
all over the room on all possible surfaces. It was
magical and I have tried to re-create some of that
feeling here in my own home.
Do click on the photograph because you can
really see the things up close!
Merry Christmas!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Out my studio window behind my easel

Posted by PicasaOK, so first here is the scene I look at that is
behind me as I paint. I offer it to you in the
spirit of this lovely season. This was last week
however, and now we've only got rain, but hey,
it put me in the spirit for sure!
Secondly,
I've been noting my artist friends who have
been 'tagged'. Then I got tagged and
didn't do anything about it. So here goes with
5 little-known things about me:
1. I have a poster of Marilyn Monroe (the one
smelling Chanel #5) on the wall of my garage
next to the American flag that once flew from
the back of my Dad's boat, the one he had when
I was a child.
2. I get my collection of phaleonopsis orchids to
rebloom for me (mostly) and my prize one is now
four feet tall and blooming. Two years ago I counted
40 flowers and buds on it!
3. I really don't care about chocolate.
4. When I was a teen, I was at a church retreat
in New England and skated on black ice. You could
see all the way to the bottom, scary and amazing!
5. Art was my first boyfriend. (Make what you like
of this one.)

Tagged

I've been noting my artist friends who have
been 'tagged'. How neat is this?! So I got
tagged and then didn't do anything about it.
But for some reason, I am having deja vu about
this...did I already post this? Hmmmmm.
Well here goes with 5 little-known things about
me:

1. I have a poster of Marilyn Monroe (the one
smelling Chanel #5) on the wall of my garage
next to the American flag that once flew from
the back of my Dad's boat, the one he had when
I was a child.

2. I get my collection of phaleonopsis orchids to
rebloom for me (mostly) and my prize one is now
four feet tall and blooming. Two years ago I counted
40 flowers and buds on it!

3. I really don't care about chocolate.

4. When I was a teen, I was at a church retreat
in New England and skated on black ice. You could
see all the way to the bottom, scary and amazing!

5. Art was my first boyfriend. (Make what you like
of this one.)

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Waiting for Santa

Here she is at the window, but now in my
painting. I hope you like it and I wish
everyone of you the happiest of holiday
seasons.

Monday, December 10, 2007

He Just Keeps Growing!

Posted by PicasaI just returned this painting
(having varnished it) to the owners
who commissioned it last year. This
young fellow sits proudly in front of
his image, but he is so much bigger now!
His mom commented on how much
brighter the colors look with the varnish
applied (Gamvar - the same varnish
used by the National Gallery of Art
in Washington, D.C.)
I got to hear this young man, not quite
six years old, play the piano very nicely.
Wow, I was impressed. Then he told me
about work he'd seen at the National
Gallery on a field trip, artist's names and
all. Very impressive.
Sorry about the flash marring one's view
of the portrait...it was really a 'grab shot'
as my photographer Dad used to say.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

"Magic Time" in progress

So I've begun this challenging piece. The
softness of the photo makes it very much so.
The whiteness of her fur will be glazed once
it is dry...a golden colored glaze to capture
the glow from the candle. I am seeking to
capture the mystery of the season, of waiting
at the window for Santa? For friends?
For another cat?

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Magic Time

It snowed here today. All kinds of
beautiful! I was on the front porch
in the dark trying to make photos of
the house with Christmas lights across
the street. Then I saw my Lucy
watching me and THAT was the
photo to take. Maybe it will also
become a painting...

Sunday, December 2, 2007

My Beauteous Moon painting for the 3rd time

Well I just didn't like how brown the
tree mass appeared between the sky and the
lake. So here it is, posted for the third
time! It still looks rather brown in that
portion, but better.
I do love how the painting turned
out. It is on a panel and is 11x 14 inches.
Enjoy!

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Another kind of art

My prize orchid has begun blooming yet another
year. I am delighted that I figured out how to get
these gorgeous additions to my life to flower each
year. I have about a dozen of them. This is my
oldest one and it is so big this year I can hardly
believe it. There are 12 bud on the main stem and
if you look closely, you'll see two other flower stems
coming off of this one. Then I have noticed yet
another flower shoot coming out of among the flat
leaves below. Wow. One year I counted 37 buds,
let's see how this year's crop is - for just this guy!
Maybe I should name him. Her?

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Posing

Ah the elegant lines of a cat. Here she is, my girl
waiting for another drip from the tub faucet.
I need to do some more paintings of her. She is
quite the poser (poseur?).

Friday, November 23, 2007

O Beauteous Moon

An artist's eye never rests. So last
night, after having a lovely T-Day
with friends, I went to bed. Got up
around 4, looked out the window and
there, through the newly bare branches,
was the moon shining its light on the
lake. You cannot see the lake in summer
as it is a tree-house effect here. So I
look forward to this sight.
I went back to bed, and then
started thinking about how it would
be to do a painting of such a scene with
beauty, but oh so little light in it. Hmmm,
where is my camera? I scanned the house
and low and behold I recalled it was just in
the next room, not in the far reaches. I
got it and propped it on the window sash
and there you have the best result I got.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Meow!

Posted by PicasaOK, so here is my caption for this photo of my
Lucy sitting on my studio desk. "I've already
read this one."
Isn't that the look of sheer boredom?

Sunday, November 18, 2007

The Art Show

Here was the view I had as I was
doing the demonstration in the post
from yesterday. These two lovely
girls had just greeted each other and
were catching up. You can see the
free-standing wall behind them that
makes it possible to show the work
of over 40 artists that participated
this time. We do this show twice a
year.
Check out The Art League
of Germantown for more information.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Demonstration

Today I did a demonstration for an art group I
started nearly 25 years ago. We hold our shows
at BlackRock Center for the Arts and it is a
gorgeous space. You can get a bit of the feel of
the large gallery and its light in this picture.
The art behind me and to my right are by fellow
members. It is always so enjoyable to talk to
people about what I love to do.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Banner #2

Here's the second banner for the school
I spoke of a few posts ago. Here you see
it in my workroom where it was drying.
I am doing these in acrylic and varnish
them with polyeurythane (sp?). I am
trusting that they will stand up to the
elements over the next few months as
they are being displayed on a structure
outside the school.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

My early work, VERY early

OK. Now this is to inspire anyone who is
just starting out. Persistence will pay off.
Just keep doing what you love and you
will get very good at it. Maybe I was 8
when I did this? It was part of a card I
sent my Grandmother. There are more
things to see in this card. I will post them
in the next few days, then I really have to
get back to being a grown-up artist....

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Color chart of my paints

I decided to make a new chart of all the oil paints
I own. I did this a few years ago but now have
a lot of new brands and colors, so I have begun
the task again. Here you see the beginning of
the new one. It is 18" x 24" and I am not yet
certain if all my paints will fit! I am applying the
colors with a small painting knife and blend them
into white so I can tell the subtle differences better.
With the raw full strength colors, it is not always
easy. This is especially true of the reds.

Friday, November 9, 2007

Banner!

I have had a soft spot in my heart for
many years for this small private
school in Springfield Virginia. Years
ago I actually taught art classes there.
Every year I donate artwork to their
fund-raising auction and with this being
their 30th year, I "cooked up" the banner
idea with a dear friend on the staff there.
So here is the first one. It will go on a
structure built by the parent of a student
there and I can't wait to see how all the
banners will look. There will be 7 in all,
one put up every month....

Thursday, November 8, 2007

Drawing from Life

Drawing from a live model is something
I haven't done for a long time. I'm not
counting portraits I have done over the
past few years. What I mean is going to
a session where there is a model and folks
like me work earnestly and quietly, hoping
not to embarrass ourselves with our quick
two minute sketches, then the longer ones,
and so on.
This was the last pose, the 40 minute one.
I decided to do just his head and marvelous
hat and was happy with the results. Yes, and
I know who he looks like....
Currently I am working on banners for a
private school that is celebrating its 30th
Anniversary. So the 'art' is on hold for the
moment.
Oh and good news! A gallery has invited me
to show! We're still in the talk-it-over stage,
but nevertheless, it is a happy thing for me!

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Thank you all!

Many thanks to all who availed themselves of my
special offer for my small paintings. I have now
got quite a depleted supply and will have to resume
painting the little beauties again soon!

Monday, October 1, 2007

Work in progress-Stage 2

Posted by PicasaIt is the tones of the scene that are most
challenging. However, getting the color of the
sand that is not grey, not brown but a sort of
taupe has been interesting. I confess to using
Gamblin's medium Portland grey with raw umber.
That pretty much nailed it. Now for more work
on the water and perhaps another pass over the
pale sky, some details in the sand ripples and
it will be done! At this point, I consider it about
half done because the small stuff takes as long
as the overall big stuff.

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Work in progress

Posted by PicasaOil 28" 32"(I think) and not yet for sale!
If you have followed my early small paintings
on this blog, then you will recognize this scene.
I so loved this view of the Pacific Ocean that I had
to paint this larger. Now it is 28" x 32" instead of
5' x 7". The trouble is that now I want to paint the
scene even larger!
The fun of it is that it takes me back to the beauty
of that day on the beach with my son's girlfriend.
Windy and sunny and wild, it was late October and
people were actually sunbathing!
I will post the update on this painting as it develops.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

The Artist's Life - What it is

First I admit to being influenced to consider this subject and
share it with all of you. My friend at www.thepaintedjournal.com
is my inspiration on this, and she got hers from yet another
artist-blogger. I so love the grand influence we have on each
other as artists.
My artist's life begins in the mornings with me coming into
my office with my bedhead and smeared mascara. BUT what I
get to look at on a sunny day as my computer boots up is the sparkle
of prisms moving all over my walls which are red and yellow- shades
of those colors very carefully chosed to energize me when I am doing
the dreaded UN-artistic paper work that never ends. I have a solar
powered crystal that turns when the sun shines in my window and
the walls are a moving delight of colors. Sometimes I imagine there
could be a planet with OTHER colors than what we have, but then
my brain explodes with the effort of imagining that and I stop.
Basically, I look for what is beautiful. I look for it ALL THE TIME.
That is my point of view. I see it everywhere because it IS
everywhere. Of course one has to have that realization in order
to see it.
Last night, on the way back from picking up paintings I had in
a show, the moon was out and nearly full. OOOOOOOOOOOH.
Glorious moon. On the way over to the place, the moon was in a
twilight sky that was a delicate barely-blue fading into rose, then
grey at the horizon. Then as I returned home, it was just this big
ivory mottled face of the moon in the dark sky. Beautiful.
During the day I admired everything except my kitchen sink
full of dishes. See, that is another thing. If I can't admire it, then
I have to FIX IT so I can admire it. Clean up! Put in order.
Order is beautiful. Especially when the things that are in order
are in themselves beautiful.
It wasn't all that long ago that I realized that I see things in a
way that most others do not. I PUT beauty there, I expect it to
be there. Therefore when I look at you, YOU are beautiful!

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Tree Most Exquisite



Posted by Picasa24" x 36" Oil Contact me for price

I thought you should see the finished
painting after showing you the earlier
stage of it. I have had a wonderful time
painting it because it took me back to
this lovely and romantic place, almost
like something out of a movie. It is
part of the grounds of a beautiful
Inn in southern Maryland.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Information on my working style

For some time now you have seen my more traditional oil painting style. It is realistic and based on the physical universe around me. I either work from life, or from photos that I take myself for the purpose of painting from them.

I haven't posted my abstract work until now because I wasn't interested in confusing anyone with the wide range of things I can do. It has been a more traditional view that an artist "should" develop something steady and recognizable as theirs and then pretty much stick to that. Well I just don't do that!

When I paint abstract work, it is much more demanding of me than traditional realism. EVERYTHING in the piece comes from ME! And so there is no relying on how it is in the "real" world, only relying and drawing on MY world. To do it, I have to be in really good communication with the harmonics that I have decided will govern the piece. Sometimes I have to let considerable time pass while I look at and let develop what I want and need to do next.

Let me know your views on this in the comments you can make on this blog! Thanks!

Monday, September 3, 2007

Magical Spaces II


Posted by Picasa24" x 36" Acrylic $600.

This is the other one of the pair that is at the

restaurant. When a work with metallic paint is

photographed, you do not get the shine. To the

right of this painting is an area that appears to be

grey, but in fact it is silver! And at the top right

is an slash of gold! So you will just have to imagine

how it really is, or ask me for the name of the

restaurant and go see it yourself!

Magical Spaces I


Posted by Picasa24" x 36" Acrylic $600.

This is one of the pair that is hanging in the restaurant

I told you about yesterday! It has gold and silver

as the 'undercoat' and that adds a certain extra

something when you see it in different lights.

I would love to know your response as this is

not the usual thing that I post. I do abstracts

from time to time and have developed a way of

getting the effects I want in a variety of ways I

have invented.

Photograph of my work at local restaurant

Posted by PicasaI have had my work on display at an Italian
restaurant in my town for over eight years. It
is privately-owned and so the care and interest in
my work has been good in comparison to a franchise
sort of operation. The two center paintings are mine.
I show my work with an artist friend and her two
pieces are on either end. Tomorrow I will post
close-ups of my paintings shown here.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Work in Progress

Posted by PicasaOil 24" x 36"
Well I was feeling guilty for not
posting for so long. I did explain, but
now I decided to put this up for you
to see one of the things I have been
doing. This is of the most idyllic pond
and trees I have ever seen. It is a
place in Maryland across the Bay Bridge
that takes you from Annapolis to the
other side of the Chesapeake Bay.
The house on this property is now a
B & B and is a great old huge brick place
from the 1800s. It was in October and
the trees and grasses were in their last
beauty before loosing their leaves and
blossoms. I will post the completed
painting. Lots more to do with the
water and reflections.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Art Update!

I have been working on several large pieces as well as a commission that is 3' x 5'. So I have put aside my small works for a while in order to devote my studio time to completing these works. I am happy to have done 8 pieces since the end of May. This is a production record for me! The 9th painting is mostly done and is sitting on my easel ready for the finishing touches.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Bench with flowers

"SUMMER INVITATION"
4" x 6" Oil $75.00
There is an old home in my town that was saved
from razing some years ago. This is a bit of that
place and I am happy it is still here to be graced
with a porch full of summer geraniums and a place
to sit on a hot afternoon.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Beach Scene

"COLORS OF SUMMER"
4" x 6" Oil SOLD
A sort of summer still life as everyone is in the
water! Loved these chair colors which is why
I wanted to paint the scene.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

The Chorus - photograph

Posted by PicasaOK, before I post all 87 shots I took this afternoon,
I will end with these girls singing out loud for you!

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Quiet Corner

Posted by Picasa24" x 36" Oil
Here it is, the completed painting
that you saw in its early stages a
few posts ago. I do not like completing
my paintings because I have so much
enjoyment in the process of doing them!
I will post this on my website soon, along
with the price. If you want to know more
about that now, just contact me via this
blog.

Monday, July 9, 2007

Quintessential image of the Fourth!

Posted by PicasaOK. So I HAD to do yet one more for you of
my fourth of July in Annapolis. Didn't the flag
cooperate big-time? Just the right position and
all. It was a day when boaters of all descriptions
with their families/dogs were out on the water.
Everything from a hand-made wooden sailboat
to kayakers well into their 60s and 70s. How
neat a spectacle it was and I had a front row seat
thanks to my Sis and her husband.

Sunday, July 8, 2007

Photo of my subject matter

Posted by PicasaHere is a photo of the house I painted from my last
post. What a gorgeous place. Lots of people showed
up there later in the day of the 4th for a party on
the lawn. They came in big boats and tied up at their
dock and then you could barely see the house anymore!

Friday, July 6, 2007

Across the water-Fourth of July

Posted by PicasaDid this in my watercolor sketchbook on the
4th of July. I was in Annapolis with family members
who have a lovely boat! Lucky me. Across from
where we were tied up on Spa Creek was this
gorgeous home. Tables and chairs were set up on
their lawn and soon after large boats arrived and
tied up at their dock. Guests poured out and stayed
into the evening to watch the fireworks. We did
the same thing, but from the dinghy where we
had a front row seat! Wonderful!