Little Cabin In the Woods

8"x12"  oil

Three Barns and a View

6"x6" oil

I tried this for a 3 color challenge for Daily Paintworks.  I used blue, yellow and red.  It really was a challenge for me and I so wanted to throw in some other colors or even more shades of the three I chose.  You could also use white and black and I did use white but not black.  I like it better after coming back to it.  There is a lot of texture.  It is a grouping of barns near where I live  A couple of years ago they painted the traditional red barn a deep yellow.  Actually it is more of an ochre color but I chose cad. yellow light, so it is a brighter tone than the real barn.  I love that you can make up your own world when painting and sincee we can't compete with the real one, we might as well!

Facing the Stage

7"x7" oil

Nature plays out her drama in vivid colors in this early fall foliage pageant.  I was going to call it "Dressed In Red" but really this is one of those perfectly staged scenes put together by naturally occurring elements plus a few chairs!

Washed Up

8"x10" oil 

First some complaining...I had a really hard time getting good photos today as everything has a glare.  I am re-doing, fixing up, or repainting some things I have previously done.  Although I don't necessarily solve all the problems, I am learning a ton from the exercise and am much happier with the results.  Some artists just stop when it isn't working and start a new painting, but I tend to prefer to work on it until I apply enough of what I know to make it work out satisfactorily, at least to my current standards.  Hopefully the bar will go up in my expectations over time.  This is from one of our gorgeous lakes in a state park and now I don't think it is all washed up! 

Autumn Crossroads

7"x7" oil

This was a challenge for our art group for this month.  We are having a meeting later this month and will share our results.  It is from the center of the crossroads in Chittendon, VT.  Like so many Vermont towns, it is a lovely community made up of crossroads and various  roads winding through the mountains.  One of the coolest PK-8 community schools is located here.  It is an old school built in 1933 that has been added to in an architecturally consistent way, maintaining its charm.  It has a fabulous playground that has a premier view of the surrounding mountains.  I think the kids must adore playing in this environment. 

Lost and Found

11"x11"  oil 

I called this one "Lost and Found" because it is another resurrected painting from my box of failures.  I do think that failures or wipe-outs are good educational tools but it is also fun when I can salvage them.  I originally painted this plein air but it didn't have any punch which was so disappointing because it was such a lovely place to paint on a cool, but sunny day.  This has a nice play of tight and loose which is nice.  I am not very good at painting architectural features accurately and also with a fresh looseness mainly because I can't draw a straight line.  Have you ever heard that phrase?

Resurrection

8"x10" oil

I decided I needed to thin out my loser box.  That is where I put paintings that just aren't right and make me uncomfortable.  Using a razor blade I scraped off edges of the brushwork that showed.  I did this instead of sanding to reduce dust, and breathing toxic chemicals.  Then I painted a solid color over them.  A few of the paintings I decided had good enough starts to try and resurrect them, and this was one. Originally I painted it plein air (outside on the spot) but I finished it in the studio letting the painting tell me what to do, instead of looking at a reference photo.  I am pretty happy actually with the results.  It is a small church in a beautiful and picturesque town in southern Vermont. It is for sale by auction on Daily Paintworks.  Click to bid on the button under the image.

Panorama

4"x10" oil

After not painting for days, I did a complete wipe-out painting. It may also have had to do with the fact that I have been doing only watercolors for the last 5 weeks. So I had to get back on the horse and I did this little "Panorama" with limited brushwork, to warm up, and I really liked the muted foreground. Not something I would normally do.

Remembered Landscape #4 Going Over the Pass

                                                                         4"x6" oil
Almost everyday I drive these mountains and am filled with their beauty, but I am also busy driving, so, although simplified, this is the impression on a cloudy day of the autumn colors changing the landscape. But beyond the heavy layer of clouds is a blue sky.

Gerbera Daisy

12"x12" oil

This gerbera daisy was a gift for my recuperation.  I have a great indoor spot for it and it just keeps on producing lovely blooms.  I have been really struggling physically after my surgery and I finally feel like I am starting to gain strength.  This painting reflects the joy I am feeling about that possibility.  I feel so grateful to be able to paint, and to have the ability to see, feel, smell, breathe and soon, walk.  It is so easy to take those things for granted.  The greens in this image appear much more intense and uniform than they are in the painting, and the background is a variety of darks (not just black).

East Meets West

11"x11" original oil painting

So...this may not be my most brilliant painting, but I learned a bunch doing it. I think I achieved the feeling of the place, even though I beat it to death with my paint brush back in my studio. I wish I had photographed it along the way because I made so many changes including removing a barn, numerous boulders and added a few bits too.  What I can say is that it was a really beautiful spot that is hard to capture...not impossible, but it offers plenty of challenges.  I would love to know what you think!

To find out more  or to purchase this painting go here.

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.

Sumac Triptyque

7"x12" original oil painting

I love Sumac! I love its bony structure that casts beautiful shadows, its horn-like berries sticking up on top, and its brilliant red in the autumn!  Today is a typical early November day in Vermont, meaning it is cold, rainy and very gray.  This explains why this photo looks so dark.  I shoot my images outside and the weather affects the result.  I should have tweaked it in editing before posting it.

Wash Day

8"x10" oil

I love how these sheets have this spectacular view!

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Bridge

original oil 11"x11" 

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The morning was chilly and I stood in the shade painting and shivering.  As soon as I finished I stood in the bright sunshine all afternoon trying to warm up. I didn't pay much attention to my location, other than facing directly into the sun, but this is what I saw: a lovely bridge with flower baskets over a beautiful river lined with rocks and boulders.  It was a good afternoon!

Chairs By the Pond

original oil 8"x8"

This was painted at the end of Sept. when the brightest of the trees were just beginning to change.  Now, only the yellow leaves are clinging to the branches.  It was a very chilly day so I kind of rushed this one and had to do some re-dressing back in the studio.  Everywhere you look there are Adirondack chairs in Vermont.  I think we should come up with a variation and call it "The Green Mountain chair!

To find out more or to purchase this painting click here.

11"x11" oil

This is a view to wake up to!

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Side Yard

original oil 11"x14"

 Recently I was wishing for some time to be bored.  Be careful for what you wish.  I realize that there are a few things that will guarantee having boredom time, one being getting the flu.  I don't recommend it and being bored is overrated anyway.  I just felt like I was over-scheduled and over-committed. The only way to slow time down seems to be having lots of time to do "nothing."  Apparently being confined to bed is my only option at this point.  This painting was from a workshop I did with Randall Sexton.  His advice helped push me to make bolder strokes.  It was a plein air (outdoor) workshop in Vermont just prior to peak foliage.  This day I was enchanted by the way the light fell on this hilly back slope of a beautiful colonial house right in town.  I set up my easel in the shade of the house and proceeded to freeze all morning painting this.  In the afternoon I moved into full sun and finally was warmed up.  Honestly painting, particularly plein air painting, stops time if only for a few minutes.  It is one of the reasons I love to go to that place...the zone.

For Purchase information go here.

Patterned Pears

8"x8" acrylic

This painting was inspired by Nancy Colella's patterned painting exercises.  I am not sure I got it right, but it was fun to try and I do like the graphic effect.  The idea is to flatten the colors and values so that they are represented by a specific shape and then use lines to add compositional interest.  I think I will try this again tomorrow.

To purchase this painting click here.

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Star Spangled Geraniums acrylic 6"x6" #319

This was for a Daily Paintworks challenge. It was to go outside and paint a plant with a focal point defined and looseness to the rest of the piece. It had to be done with just cad yellow and red, ultramarine blue and white and had to be finished in 1 hour. I was downtown this afternoon with limited opportunities to find plants, but I found a potted geranium with no blooms, but adorned with an American flag, so that is what I painted.