Figuratively Speaking - Serena in Gold Shawl

12"x16" oil Price $480

I am tall.  When I was young and healthy and relatively cute, some people would say to me, "you should be a model."  No one ever said, "You should be a jockey.  You should be a gymnast.  or You should be a airline stewardess."  I am so glad I didn't attempt to be a model.  I am sure I would not be where I am today if I had and I really like where I am at today.  No one ever told me I should be a doctor or lawyer or dentist or airplane pilot either.  Honestly, all I ever really wanted to be was an artist.  I wish I had been mature enough and believed in myself enough to have pushed to go to art school and to have been driven enough to succeed.  Problem is, I wasn't.  So if I had gone, I probably would have blown it.  I needed to go through all the trials and made all those stupid mistakes to have learned how to appreciate the opportunities I was given.  I definitely learned from the school of hard knocks.  I wasted a lot of wonderful opportunities and got derailed by my bad choices, but somehow it all worked out. I learned to work hard and be frugal as a young adult by living on "The Farm," an alternative farming community. Later I became a teacher so that, as a single mom, I could see my kids during the day.  Being a teacher was certainly an opportunity to fly by the seat of my pants, but I did learn to be disciplined and efficient.  I learned to identify the objective and find different ways of communicating it.  I ended up being a fairly decent teacher and I learned to love much about the job. Honestly my chance to be an artist came when I married a very stable, honest, man with integrity who played by the rules and had a good  and stable job (pretty much the opposite of me).  It also really helped my parenting.  So when anyone asks me how long it takes to do a painting, I can answer them honestly and say it took a lifetime.  Go Figure!

Reading

11"x11" oil  Price $300

This is some of what I learned from the Nancy Boren workshop I attended:  find the mystery in the subject, once you establish the center of interest you can destroy the rest, and it is important to find the hard edge and soften the rest.  This was my most successful painting of the workshop. We had a lovely model who was willing to pose anyway we wanted.  She set up outside under a blue umbrella.  It was fabulous to paint with such talented artists.

Days 11, 12 and 14

Connected    oil    6"x6"

Up On the Roof

8"x8" oil 

I was having a discussion with another artist yesterday about those paintings that just keep nagging you to do something.  I know a lot of artists ditch them when they don't behave, but I am of the inclination to just leave them hanging around until I figure it out.  This is one of those pieces and I am glad I didn't give up on it, because I like where it took me.

Music

2"x6.5" acrylic

These abstracts are a result of a Mareva Millarc workshop I attended.  I titled this one "Music" because it has order and rhythm and little singing notes!

Artist's Studio

original oil 11"x11"

I started this one plein air and finally finished it in the studio, after making some changes.  I find I really enjoy just letting a painting tell me what to do.  If something isn't working, change it or eliminate it.  This really gives me a feeling of creative freedom.  When I look at this I can remember how it felt to be there;what the temperature was and how the air felt. 

To find out more or to purchase go here.

First Time

10"x12"  oil

My good friend from high school, Karen Thomas, graciously gave me permission to paint from  a photo of her grandkids.  I lived down the street from Karen for a few years when we were younger and we remained friends throughout high school.  Karen has one of those lovely stories about marrying her high school sweetheart and they have raised a lovely family together.  I titled this "First Time" because it is the first time I have ever drawn or painted a deer and of course because it tells the story for the kids getting to feed the deer.  The photo captured that magic moment and I hope my painting brings it to life.

Why We Live Here

8"x10" oil

I am selling this painting with all proceeds going to help a young man (former elementary student of mine) finance a trip to Haiti to help build an orphanage.  It is $225 plus $10 shipping and I am selling it framed.  The painting was inspired by a painting I saw of Italy, but I decided to do my home state of Vermont with Camel's Hump in the background, a colonial style house, Rosa Rugosa in the foreground and field of rape seed which is the source of canola oil and is being pressed in New Hampshire and sold in Farmer's Markets.  Trials on growing rapeseed in Vermont have been studied by the University of Vermont, but sunflower growing seems to have taken hold throughout the state.  Both sunflowers and rapeseed make for a very picturesque landscape! Email me if you are interested in purchasing this painting which will aid Josh on his humanitarian adventure.

Artist In the Woods6"x9" oil

6"x9" oil

I like this one because I did it under stress....waiting for the rain to lift so that I can go set up my tent for Art In the Park tomorrow.  I kept it loose and had fun with it.  It actually helped me keep from feeling a bit nervous. If you are in the Rutland, VT, area the next couple of days, please drop by.  It is a really nice event.  I am a newbie.  I hope you enjoy this painting too.

To purchase this painting go here.

To sign up for my newsletter go here
To "like" my fanpage go here
To go to my website click here
To see my DPW gallery go here 

Drawing

9"x7" oil

I like this painting because of the composition.  The dark shadows are like an object in itself.  I mixed purple with a very dark blue to get this color, but on the monitor it looks black.  When I showed my husband, he commented, "Oh it's your mom."  He is right, it does look like her, but she wasn't my model.  It was from a drawing class I taught.  I photographed this lady from a balcony, looking below to her.  I am not completely satisfied with the skin quality or tones, so I will probably go back in and rework them when it dries a bit.  I am scrambling to get everything together for a big art fair this weekend, so I my not paint every day, or like this one, it might be a bit rushed.

To purchase this painting go here.

To sign up for my newsletter go here
To "like" my fanpage go here
To go to my website click here
To see my DPW gallery go here 

Me 5x7 oil

Someone sent me a photo of myself drawing. I had to add it to my group of artist working. The perspective really makes the hand look small...I may have to enlarge it to create a more realistic design. I guess I should have done it before the post, but that is the nature of posting each day I think. #88

Koko 5x7 oil

This is James Kangoroti. James is known as Koko at the Carving Studio and Sculpture Center (www.carvingstudio.org). He is a wonderful Kenyan artist who did a residency there this summer. Mostly he sculpts exquisite pieces from wood, like this abstracted horse. He also is a really nice, and funny guy and his trip to Vermont this summer was his first outside of his native country. It was a challenge for me to get the texture of the wood right...it was still at a "choppy" stage. #87

First Stroke - Carol Marine 5x7 oil

This is a portrait of another fabulous artist, Carol Marine, who was kind enough to post it on her blog. #86

Lemon Trio 4x4

Carol Marine's workshop was fabulous. It is so impressive that such a young woman has not only the skill and vision for her work, but is such a good instructor and is so organized. This was my first attempt on the first day. I was happy with it, but I think my final attempt of the class shows improvement. I will post it in a couple of days. #64