Yellow Rose of Texas 6"x6" #229 oil

This painting was a direct result of the assignment I gave myself last summer to do a painting a day. We drove to Boston and back with things to do in the middle, and it was a really early and long day so I knew I only had energy to quickly whip out a painting in 1/2 hour or less. It is also a response to Qiang Huang's Daily Paintworks challenge of painting a rose, something I have seldom done. So, armed with a 3/4" brush and a 1 1/2" brush I did this very loose rose thanks to my friend Dan Hale who grows exquisite roses. It didn't turn out how I imagined it would, but I love the big, loose and direct brushstrokes.

My Zippo 6"x6" oil #228

This was a challenge painting on Daily Paintworks initiated by talented painter Michael Naples. My rendition is loose and edgy, but it took me a lot longer than I expected because I did that "hard looking" thing which

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 is both exhilarating and exhausting at the same time...a bit like skiing and white water kayaking! I also reworked the background on yesterday's painting and like the results.

Bear Mountain Bakery oil 6x6 #227

This is part of my Farmers' Market Series. I was drawn to the three unique characters in this scene. There is something so personal about shopping in a small town Farmers' Market. The growers (in this case baker) are so caring about their product and so friendly.

Free Range II oil 6"x6" #226

Chickens...why not? I took this photo on one of the most spectacular days ever...rain, sunshine, rainbows, warm, cold...it had it all. These chickens have a determined look....like "let's get away from the woman with the camera."
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Squash Anyone? oil 6"x6" #225

Looking straight down on this grouping of squash and a tomato creates sharp edges, especially in the shadows with direct overhead light.

I also reworked my "Mother Nature" painting and am happier with it.




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Roots III oil 4"x4" #224

This is the third piece in my Roots tryptic. I really like this series and am glad I did it. It is kind of abstract yet is based on an idea that makes sense to me. The photo is horrible but I tried numerous times to get a good one and was unsuccessful.

Roots II oil 4"x4" #222 and FemSumo ink #223

This is my second rendition of roots with moss and pine needles, my homage to an early spring. I am going to do a tryptic of them. The second image is from my life painting group. I haven't been since mid Dec. and I could really tell. I was out of sync. I wasn't happy with the materials so I went to find a crayola marker and a kid's paint brush and this drawing turned out pretty good. I called it FemSumo because she reminded me of Sumo wrestlers. I looked it up online and there is a whole sport of female Sumos but I couldn't find a specific term for them.

Mother Nature 5"x7" oil #221

I was challenged with the paint on this one. It is not at its finished state because I need to let it dry a bit and rework a couple of areas. Usually it is the oil paint's ability to slide around that I like, but I had trouble with the features and getting the color right and it got to where the paint would pick up on the brush rather than lay down. This was a new experience for me. The other issue I have is that my brushes are completely worn out and I keep procrastinating at getting new ones. This is really not smart as brushes are a critical tool. I like the composition and the background suggestion.

Roots 4"x4" oil #220

I wanted to try something kind of abstract. When all this snow melts, one of the first signs of photosynthesis is moss growing around the roots of trees in the forest. The pine needles form little islands of reddish brown at the edges of the moss. I just read an article about how you shouldn't put red and green together because it looks seasonal. I always manage to break the rules.

Diner 6"x6" oil #219

One of the fun things about diners are all the kitsch items of nostalgia. This is from the Dream Diner in Tynsboro, NH. My favorite piece is the lunch box that looks like an old TV set complete with the image of Elvis playing the piano.

Valentine's Day oil 6"x6" #218

Valentine's Day...a day to celebrate love. My husband and I met on Valentine's Day, a long time ago. Salt, pepper, sugar and in the background, a bottle of vinegar (for the french fries) these can represent what marriage is all about, and a date at the diner (or MaidRite, or A&W). This was a very fast and loose painting, and maybe I should have given it more time and attention....like a good relationship requires. Have a really loving day today!

Rodeo Feet 4"x4" oil #217

These boots are made for walkin"

Strangers oil 6"x6" #216

Three people on a bench against a wall share the space but not a friendship and yet there is an intimacy in it. The colors are a bit off in this photo. The reds in the girl's clothes are bright but the reds in the floor are actually much more brown...I tried to adjust it, but I couldn't come up with a better result. I like the composition which makes the shadow and negative space equally as important as the figures.

Dinner at Home Tonight Feet 4x4" oil #215

These feet were on the Staten Island Ferry in warm afternoon light. I loved the different patterns made by the chain link fence and the browns of everything else except the decidedly purplish shadows. It think it has a nice complimentary feel to it, although not strictly so.

Traveling Feet oil 4"x4" #214

Another mini-size. Compared to these little ones, 8"x8" seems large! I like how loose this is. I certainly could have worked on it more to smooth it out and add more detail but I quit when I got a loose impression and I think it is fun. I am going to do more feet paintings, re-photograph them and put together a book about feet. I am saying it here because then it becomes an assignment for me to complete. I have to play games with myself to stay focused and disciplined. I like the story that feet tell.

I redid the painting on the right because I wasn't happy with my color choices. I like it better now, especially the posture of the lady leaning in and the suggestion of expression on the other lady's face.

Teething Is Hard Work 4"x4" oil #213

I needed to do something different so I chose this portrait of my grandson. I love this little 4"x4" format. It is just so cute! I prefer non-smiling portraits because they look more natural, but it was difficult for me to find a photo that really showed his personality and a reasonable likeness. I associate his features with smiles, but when he is teething his cheeks get red and he gets this set-jaw look.
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Naptime oil 8"x8" #212

I knew going into this one that it was a compositional risk. It has two focal points separated by an empty room. I went ahead and painted it thinking I pull it off if the two sides balance each other. I played with the idea of putting a another person in, but didn't. I am hoping to get some opinions on this one. I really like the sleeping figures and I find the gentleman giving a passing glance at the painting interesting, but I am not sure the whole painting works. So if you have a thought, let me know.

Mind Boggle 8"x8" oil #211

Optical illusion art objects are always fun for museum goers who like modern art. People are really good with their hands or they touch everything. Mostly I think they are aware of how close they come to objects and it always makes for a good pose.

Discovering Bonnnat 8"x8" oil #210

This is a favorite image of mine which I have painted once before, but this one is in a square format and the colors are lighter and cooler. For some reason I tend to go with a particular palette for a number of paintings and then switch to another one. I may do a lot of warm yellows or cool blues or tend toward lavender grays or greens. I am not sure why I do this so I am just going to call it "my personality style showing itself." I like the figures in this painting but I really am paying tribute to Bonnat's Roman Girl at the Fountain, which I think is an exquisite painting.
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On Closer Inspection 5x7" oil #209

I struggled with the colors on this one...trying to balance the warms and cools and choosing the right color for the walls and clothing. Those struggles are good because they make me really think about what I am doing. Sometimes it just comes easy and it turns out right, but even if I struggle and I don't get it just right, the struggle is productive. This has a cooler temperature than many of the museum paintings I've done and I am not sure I like that, at least for this one. I do like the way they are studying this and the tension in the arm that is being held back...it is clear she has an awareness that she doesn't want to touch this art. She is holding back her bags so they don't swing forward.
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Tiffany 5"x7" oil #208

This Tiffany window at the Met is breathtaking. There is something so special about light shining through colored glass. I like the way her clothes and the walls and floor are similar in hue and value except for the dark jacket. I really tried to give the window painting a glow. This one works for me and I think it follows Carol Marine's recommendation for a primary value, a secondary value and a smidge.

The Virgins 5"x7" oil #207

Sometimes titles come easy and then sometimes I can't think of a good one at all. I love the atmosphere in this environment and the kind of humble but hopeful and maybe awe-filled posture of the young woman.

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one of my paintings was chosen for "the painting of the month"...I am honored

Where Are We? 8"x8" oil #206

I like groupings of 3. There is something pleasing about the arrangement. This scene is as common in a large museum as those of people looking at art. Where are we and how do we get to the.....Egyptian art??? the bathroom??? the cafe???? where that famous painting is???? or in the case of the Met, to the roof!

one of my paintings was chosen for the artist painting of the month for the facebook page of American Artist Magazine's Artist Daily. You can see it at http://www.facebook.com/?tid=1011686820728&sk=messages#!/pages/Artist-Daily/132267586788585

 

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Undecided oil 6"x6" #205

This is from a gallery opening and Sculptfest at the Carving Studio and Sculpture Center in West Rutland, VT. The patron and fellow sculpture is admiring a welded steel piece that is covered in rust of a high wire acrobat on a unicycle. The patron has wine in a paper cup which seems to be pretty common in less high brow openings. This is one of the big events at CSSC which has been called "The Carrara of America."It is a sculpture center located in a quarry.

Lost Moment oil 6"x6" #204

This is one of those lost moments in life. I think there are several possible ways it is lost....the grandmother is wistfully looking at the Degas of ballerinas...there is the lost youth...her granddaughter is pulling her to go on....is she losing the opportunity to see such a wonderful piece of art?....or is the grandmother so enthralled with the painting that she is failing to recognize the ballerina tugging on her.I revised this painting today because I did not like the way the little girl looked, although I liked her posture. So she got black leggings instead of a long dress. I like the contrast between the way she looks and the way the grandma looks. I made other changes too.

Lessons from Matisse oil #203 6"x6"

A young artist learns from one of the modern masters who reduced the lessons of his formal training into areas of flat color shapes, somewhat like a child's work. It gives pause to the concept of 'who is the master?' I put a lot of work into the Matisse painting of "The Young Sailor II" then realized it was drawing all the attention and I wanted the focus to be on the two patrons, so I kind of grayed it and mushed it together....not as representational but it works better for my painting.

Drawn In oil 8"x8" #202

The lady on the right was inching closer and closer to this painting. Her arms were raised and resting on her large flat bag, but she looked like she wanted to touch it. The other lady held back a little nervous about being "Drawn In" too close. It is of interest to me the huge bags that people carry in NYC. There are lots of tourists from everywhere and they seem to haul around everything they might ever need. This woman's macrame bag is a perfect example. It must have weighed a ton. You can tell that it is affecting her posture by the way her left shoulder is slightly raised. The colors are a little faded in this photo and there is a glare.

Finding the Story #201 oil 8"x8"

It feels so good to painting in oil again. I am a bit rusty, but I still like this overall.
What drew me to this person is how she unconsciously held her hands in the same position as the painting. I have noticed this a lot in observing people looking at art. Sometimes they try and take a pose, but more often it just happens. Both women are dressed in pink but Modern Girl has leggings and a purse and of course her hair is down and her skirt is short.
People seem drawn in to some paintings and they will walk around and then return to one, maybe several times. This young woman kept coming back to this one. It felt like she wanted to talk with the woman in the painting and hear her story.
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Grapes of Wrath acrylic 8"x8" #200

Got home late tonight...a post...what can I say. Hopefully I will be back to oils tomorrow.

Preghiera di Lily 6"x6" acrylic #199

This young lady's name is Lily...it was painted from a photograph that caught this interesting image of Lily in a prayerful position adjacent to these lillies in Florenze, Italy.

Italian Laundry 8"x10" acrylic #198

This is from a photo my daughter shot and was a gift for her. I also did a version for her brother who really liked it.
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Sibs 6"x6" acrylic #197

Little people in the snow.

Home Made acrylic 6"x6" #196

I like the warm neutrals in this and it is just a very homey still life with the pewter plate reflecting the warm wood and the home made bread.

Morgan Show 6"x6" acrylic #195

This was painted from a photo I took at the Morgan Horse Show at the Morgan Horse Farm near Middlebury, VT. This young lady was getting ready to enter the show ring with her beautiful horse. My grandson is becoming my best fan. The other day he came in and saw a painting I had done and so enthusiastically said, "I love this!" with such honesty and emotion it made me want to cry. I consider myself to have "made it" based on his reaction. It is really important to consider who your critics are and who you are going to listen to and believe. To bring such joy to him fulfilled what ever goal I ever had of pleasing the public! He loves horses and lives across the road from a beautiful horse ranch, so this one was done for him.

Jericho Mill acrylic #194

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Portrait acrylic 4"x4" #193

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My 2 year old grandson thinks this should be called "Lambie" but it looks more like a school portrait to me! All day he (my grandson) has been making sheep lips. I actually never looked this closely at sheep lips. They are pretty impressive. It is such an interesting animal and yet, scraggly and scruffy and dirty and when they get shorn they look kind of weird and pink and naked...poor things. I am using a new camera and my daughter's computer and it has been a challenge. Everything looks too bright and over saturated. I am reposting two others in hopes that they look a little closer to reality.

In the Zone 6"x6" acrylic #192

I am still visiting at my daughter's which is giving me lots of lessons in painting and posting under difficult conditions. The computer I am working on has very limited abilities to edit the photos so this one appears in a much higher key than it is. It actually has very subtle color changes. So forgive how harsh this looks. I wanted to create an image of someone in their very personal creative zone. For me right now, that is my sanctuary.
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Open Door acrylic 5"x7" #191

This is the view from my daughter's old house onto her neighbors. I painted it from a photo I found that I had taken when my first grandson was born. Maybe I will paint her neighbor's in honor of the birth of my second grandson. I am going to change some things. I painted this at night in very bad lighting at the kitchen table and I need to fix some of the colors and some of the shadows, but mostly I like it.

Red Green pastel #190

Parking pastel #189

This was an exercise in arbitrary cropping. A fire hydrant in the foreground might have made it more interesting. I will have to think about that but there is a mystery to who is getting in/out of the car. Who are they and what are they doing? On a less productive but still artistic note, I went snowshoeing with my husband today (he came to visit us at my daughters) and I really studied how things looked and what I would do to paint them. I didn't have my sketchbook or a camera, but I really thought about seeing and not just about what I saw, but how do I translate that into 2-D with chemical pigments? I know this is what artists do all the time, but I really indulged today. It felt like a significant lesson.

American Family Icon pastel #188

My husband is crazy about British croquet. This is such a symbol of family life and back yards. In the winter, the best you can do is lay it out on a green blanket, which reflected a lot of warm green light. One new year's day my husband and I took our new snow shoes and hiked down to the park by the lake. While there, we witnessed a group of young women strip down and jump in to the subfreezing water, and then saw a bunch of hippies unload from a VW bus painted with flowers (of course) and proceed to set up a croquet game and play it in the 3 foot deep snow. I love living in Vermont!

Abstract Tools graphite #187

This started with a hand planer and moved into something kind of ocean-y and fun. Something different today.

Winter Lighthouse acrylic #186

I have painted this lighthouse in summer. This is my winter version from the same perspective.
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