Happy Thanksgiving

Eden

6"x6"  oil

This is Eden. She is a really pretty dog who is an inky black.  I haven't met her except through photos.  She was a real challenge for me to paint because the photos didn't show a lot of variation or detail.  After I thought I was done, I looked at it through a mirror.  I frequently forget to do this and it is such a great tool for seeing what isn't right.  I immediately saw a place I hadn't drawn quite right.  I highly encourage you if you are an artist to use this tool, especially if you are struggling with your work.  This was a commission and is SOLD.
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Weston

9"x9" Oil

I did this a while back for the DPW challenge to paint water.  It was also something fun to paint on a day when I was really stressed.  It is right next to the Weston Playhouse in Weston, VT.  I am noticing that my image is not quite straight.  The waterfall has a horizontal top...believe me.  It is the photo that is off.  I love the colors of this. The blue seems almost too blue but when the sky is really clear that is what you get here.  This is a lovely spot, and the Weston Playhouse is really a wonderful theater.  Weston is a destination spot and has lots of fun places to visit.
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Book Illustration - Flying

9"x9" acrylic

I think this is the most fun I have had with these illustrations.  At Grandma's house we have a big blue flying chair and the kids have gone all around the world on grandma's flying chair.  Being at Grandcamp means using your imagination and taking a ride high up in the sky when you can.
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Book Illustration- The Magic of Balloons

9"x9" acrylic

Give a child a fancy plastic toy and it will end up broken on the floor.  Give them a few colorful balloons (with adult supervision), or some tape, or some magnets and they will be enchanted and busy for longer than you would image.  This child has the biggest eyes and they are always expressive.
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Book Illustration - The Climber

9"x9" acrylic

What I especially like about this one (besides the fact that I painted my beautiful granddaughter) is the composition.  I love all the crossing and angled lines.  I thought a long time about what colors to use and I think it worked out well.  This little one is really a climber and an explorer.  Nothing is safe from her probing fingers and she hasn't yet grasped the concept of "fragile."  It is so fascinating how kids from the same parents can be so different.

Book Illustration - Sledding

9"x9" acrylic

Do you remember the first time you went sledding.  I do.  I just remember a blur of color.  It took me many years to figure out what that memory was attached to.  I still like to go sledding, only I do it a little differently.  I hike up the mountain with snowshoes, then put them in a pack and ride down on a shovel sled (also known as a butt sled).  Thinking about it makes me feel excited about winter.  My husband just built a fire so I think I need to go sit by it with some hot chocolate.
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Book Illustration - The Mermaid

7"x9" acrylic

She is a mermaid and is totally immersed in the joy of being in the water.  She can play mermaid until she is purple with chattering teeth!  Grandkids allow us old folks to travel again to the land of make-believe and that is magical!

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Book Illustration - Skiing with Grandpa

9"x9" acrylic

Skiing has started in our part of the country.  It is one of those things that make living in a snowy climate so appealing.  Actually it was snowing at my house this morning.  We have been having a very long and mild fall with incredible colors and we are due for the season of anoraks, tuques, mukluks  and shades of white.  One of the cool things about skiing with Grandpa is that there is sure to be a chocolate covered waffle from the Waffle Cabin thrown into the deal if mom and dad approve!  Kids around here start skiing from pack on dad's back and progress to little skis as soon as they can walk (there is debate about the safety of this method). The following photo was taken on Tuesday.

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Book Illustration - Reading With Grandpa

9"x9" acrylic

One of those special and rather universal moments with grandchildren is curling up with a book. In this case Grandpa is doing double duty while reading two books at once.  Since the kids know where Grandma's books are, it is one of the first things they run for when they come to visit. And.... that is one of the things you can do at Grandcamp.
 I suddenly have several deadlines and I am feeling the crunch.  I love the feeling of working towards goals and accomplishing a lot, but I vacillate, wanting to have no constraints on my time.  Are we ever truly satisfied?  I guess there are fleeting moments and we need to just embrace those.
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Book Illustration - Paper Hats

9"x9" acrylic

Newspapers are good for so many things, such as:reading (sometimes) starting fires, making boats, making paper mache, putting in bird cages, use as packing material and making funny hats!  This painting really looks like this!  It occurs to me that it looks a lot like a digitally produced painting.  I guess that is a case of art imitating art imitating art, or something like that. I do think there are very talented digital artists though.  What can you do at Gramcamp?  You can make paper hat, take a photo of yourself, and have a tea party!

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Book Ilustration "Music"

9"x9" acrylic

My grandson loves playing my violin.  I may have to get my bow restrung, but that is a small price to pay to see how much he loves fiddling around.  This painting was inspired by an evening when he and his family were visiting.  He was playing the fiddle, his brother was gingerly tapping the piano, his dad was playing the guitar and singing, and his mom was playing the penny flute.  It was a cacophony of lovely sounds as of course they were not playing the same tunes!  Am I having fun?  Yes I am!

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Book Going to the Circus

9"x9" acrylic

I have taken a bizillion photos of the circus.  I love the athleticism of performers.  I know there is great talent in those who work with animals, but I much prefer watching acrobats, trapeze artists and such.  I would love to be able to fly through the air.  Wouldn't you?  Seriously I have photos I have taken all over the country at different shows, big and small but this is actually the first circus painting I have ever done.  It too is for my book about going to Gramcamp.  I have enlisted a friend and avid poet, Randy Zimmerman,  to help me with the writing so I am excited about that.  This painting has such a compelling composition I think, but that is part of the artistry of the circus.  One of my favorite circuses is Circus Smirkus, which is a kids camp which performs in the summer.  Awesome.  Of course Cirque du Soleil is always spectacular.  I just read that a performer on the "Wheel of Death" fell and was hurt.  I always assume that they are so good they never get hurt, but that is just unrealistic.  I can fall taking a walk!  Maybe it is my lack of natural grace that makes me so appreciate these artists.

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Book - King of the Mountain

9"x9" acrylic

What can you do at Gramcamp? 

 You can climb on a rock or maybe a hill. 

You can talk to the squirrels and sing to the birds.

Command all the world and never sit still.  

  Or just be so quiet and not say a word.

OK...I admit it, my rhymes need work.  But you get the idea!  I am just painting the pictures now and will add the poems when I am all done.  Next time, I may write first and then paint.  Somehow, that makes more sense.

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Book - Apple Picking9"x9" acrylic

9"x9" acrylic

I have been working on a project to do paintings for a children's book.  I started it a few weeks ago and posted three of the illustrations.  I am doing this in what I call "coloring book" style.  I wanted them to look simple and childlike.  I must admit that I am enjoying doing them.  I have used my grandchildren as models for many of the illustrations and I always love painting them.  This was a really beautiful day when we went to the apple orchard around the corner and picked apples and had a picnic in the orchard.  Good memories.

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Snack Time

7"x9" oil

I wanted to see if I could do a figurative piece that had the same kind of color "pop" as the floral pieces done at Dreama Tolle Perry's workshop.  This is more subdued but I still think it has some of the pizazz I like.  It is a method I think I will continue to explore as I am more drawn to painting people and children than I am floral scenes.  Although, I do love flowers and gardening and certainly beautiful paintings of idyllic scenes...but I will leave it to others to do those subjects, at least for now.  Does this piece have appeal to you?  I am not related to this child, but she is a bit universal I think...round and sweet and curious.

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Window Box

7"x9" oil

This is a little painting I did using my image and the transparent underpainting technique.  Of course, I like the abstract quality to it, and the texture of the thick paint of the flowers.  It is a small painting and I quickly did it at the end of the workshop I went to with Dreama Tolle Perry.  I think when you work in time constraints it can either result in a rushed feel to it, or surprise you with capturing just what you need.  I am pretty happy with the result of this one.

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Cupcake

8"x8" oil  

This painting is the result of "Musical Easels" from Dreama's workshop. I started it and finished it, and then revised some things, and in the middle a lot of other people did something to it.  I think it would look great in a kitchen or in a bakery. It is a reminder of sweet things in life.  I have a question for other bloggers.  Do you find that it is difficult to have a consistent on-line presence and also have time to look at the work of others, or to make comments?  This is a challenge for me....staying connected in the myriad ways available.  I should go paint!

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The Wall

9"x9" oil

This is another painting I completed at Dreama's Workshop.  I came away from that workshop with a couple of reminders and realizations.  I try not to remember everything because I find I just feel confused and constrained when I do, so I choose to focus on just a few things.  One thing that really left its mark was that each participant's paintings retained their unique signature style even though we were painting the same image with the same palette and technique.  This kept coming back to me.  Another thing which I really wanted to latch on to, was how to get the brilliant color and little pops of color which is so evident in Dreama's work.  I feel like I achieved that in this painting.  I need to really think about what color combinations excite me and make that a priority in my work, if that is what excites me. 

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Inviting Window

9"x9" oil

I am back!  Hope you missed me.  I have been modem-less for the last couple of weeks and it has been just short of traumatizing for me!  Honestly I am embarrassed by how attached I have become to internet.  It is along the lines of indoor plumbing, electricity and telephone.  If you are familiar with Dreama Tolle Perry's work, then you will recognize this window.  I went to a workshop a few weeks ago and this was one of the exercises.  If your monitor does not show this as a vibrant, warm color scheme, then imagine it is, because her palette is the makings for lovely color.  She is awesome and her workshop was awesome and the other painters were awesome.  We (my friend and fellow painter, Heather Shay) had a great time!

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