Cat Nap #2 oil 8"x8" $150

This is a larger version in the same format as the previous one, but it is a bit less abstract.  It was an interesting challenge from dailypaintworks.com.

Cat Nap #1 oil 6"x6" $100

This is part one of a two part piece using a photo of a sleeping kitty.  It was a dailypaintworks.com challenge.

Round the Bend 8"x8" oil $150

This is what I am hoping to do this weekend!

Hollyhocks 6"x6" oil

My mom and I both painting this scene and what a difference there was in the final results.  My mom's palette favors using neutral grays and she favors more detail and works on large stretched canvas.  I loved her piece, but this one is kind of cute too.  Sorry for the glare...I left the painting in SC so this is my only record of it.
SOLD

Daisey Trio 6"x6" $100

Tricky Vase 6"x6" oil $100

This was a tricky vase to paint....which is why I named it that.

SOLD

Awnings 6"x6" oil $100

I spent the last week in NC with my fabulous mom.  We painted  and painted and painted and also went to a Dreama Tolle Perry workshop.  It was so awesome to spend Mother's Day with her doing what we love.

SOLD

Community 4'x4'x1'acrylic on sculpture sold

This is side 2.

SOLD

"Community is the Heart of Rutland" 4'x4' acrylic on sculpture

This is a 4 foot by 4 foot sculptural heart which is part of the "Hearts of Rutland" project.  This shows one side of the heart.  I will post the other side tomorrow.  My theme is community.  It was sponsored by the Regional Hospital and will be auctioned off in the fall to benefit local recovery efforts for hurricane Irene.  It felt really good to get back in the studio and do some work.
SOLD

Poetry 8"x8" oil #377 figurative

Had a good day...felt good and my friend inspired me to paint, so I did.  Stuart Davis is an interesting painter...I see the visual poetry in his work although I don't really "get" it.  I may paint this one again with a different palette.

Angelique 5"x7" oil portrait sold #376

It seems like forever since I have painted.

SOLD

Rusty 17.5"x17.5" animal oil sold #375

This was a commission and the folks who bought it teared up when they saw it....what a wonderful feeling.  I have been really missing painting and need to rearrange my life so I can do it daily if possible.  Lisa Daria is over 900 on daily paintings...having painted at least one painting every single day for the last 900 or so days....mind boggling!

SOLD

One Step In Front of the Other oil 2.5"x11" #374 still life

I have had some challenges lately that will be going on for a while so I won't be able to paint every day.  This is a dailypaintworks.com challenge.  I modified the challenge and started at the top spending 5 minutes on each shoe.  I used my granddaughter's shoes because I wanted to illustrate the idea of putting one foot in front of the other....sometimes the only way to get through your challenges in life.
SOLD

It's Free oil 5"x7" #373 figurative

A deal that can't be beat is the free Staten Island Ferry to get a view of Lady Liberty.  I love her stylish but relaxed pose(the tourist and also Lady Liberty).
SOLD

Alle'e Joyau 8"x10" oil #372 architecture

Quebec City has eye candy around every corner.  Today was a linear day so I painted architecture.

The Little Shopper 4"x4" figurative oil #369

One of the things I really like about the dailypaintworks.com challenges is that when I have a few days or a week when I don't do the daily paintings, I can go there and get an instant idea and do a quick warm-up that gets me right back into painting in a very freeing way.  This challenge focused on a photo with a very busy background and the challenge was about how to handle the background.  I cropped the photo significantly so I didn't have much background to deal with and just kept the whole thing loose and suggestive (which works in painting but not so much in personal actions).  Carol Marine liked the little girl's dress.  I was fascinated with the universal concept of a little girl going shopping and mimicking her female adult shopping role models.  My granddaughter grabs her little purse and assumes the posture of the shopper.  I cut out her face, because I didn't really like the facial expression, and it sticks with the universal theme here.  $60 +SH

Ragazza Sulle Scale 4"x4" oil 368 architecture

dailypaintworks.com challenge...I wanted to see what I could do with the given photo in a 4"x4" format  $60 + S&H
SOLD

Jackson 1 oil 6"x6" animal portrait sold #367

This was a commission from a long-lost friend.  So was the last post of Toby.  They are adorable grand-dogs and were really fun to paint.
SOLD

Toby 1 oil 6"x6" animal portrait #366

This was fun to paint.  I will probably be doing more of him so I called it Toby 1.
SOLD

"Puk" Mask mixed media #365

This is a little different...it is a mask to benefit out local arts organization, but it took me all day to make it.
SOLD
This painting, "Sunshine Balcony" is being auctioned off at http://dailypaintworks.com/Buy/Auction/17362 all proceeds will go to feeding starving kids in Africa...it is a chance to do some good in the world and also get a lovely painting

Hands oil 4"x4" figurative# 364

This was a dailypaitnworks.com challenge to paint your hands.  I have very thin wrists if you are wondering why they look that way.  I got the idea when I was playing around with some of the features of the imaging software.  So I painted the background with a bullet effect and it makes it look like praying hands or something spiritual...kind of cool.

After Bourguereau acrylic portrait 12"x16" #363

I have done this exercise one other time, in a different format and on a different surface.  I am fascinated by the creaminess and blending of skin tones that Bourguereau was able to accomplish in his paintings.  Neither come naturally to me.  I really struggled with the limited colors I had, but it was fun anyway.



not available

AG at Three acrylic 12"x16" portrait #362

This is my niece who now goes by AG, at least at her volley ball games.  I always think she is precious but her mom swears she was a terror at 3.  There are no traces of this left in her personality, but she will stand up for herself and she is a fine athlete and scholar.  She makes us proud. Oh, she is quite beautiful too (inside and out).
SOLD

Fog Rising acrylic 12"x16" #361 landscape

The fog hasn't yet lifted today, but hopefully we will see some sun before the end of the day.  This was a dailypaintworks.com challenge.

Blue Ridge Parkway 12"x16" #360 oil landscape

This is a notable bend in the road on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  It was designed to have almost no impact on the environment.  They built the road so that it sits on pillars instead of chopping out the side of the mountain.  As I was painting it I kept thinking about the mountain roads at home in VT that were so suddenly and unexpectedly washed away during hurricane Irene.  The day after I painted it, the local NC paper published a photo of this same spot during fall foliage....too funny.

Quiet Kayak Morning acrylic 12"x16" #359 landscape

quiet, chilly autumn morning wrapped in a kayak doing the paddle dance to the sound of the loons 

Big Bend 12"x16" acrylic #358

I have been traveling for the last few weeks, first to Quebec then to NC.  When I arrived in the south, I was sneezing etc., and thought it was allergies, but found out soon enough that I had a really bad cold.  As a result, I didn't do anything but paint with my mom when I felt up to it.  My mother is 87 years old and she paints almost every day.  She had been working from a photo on this beautiful scene of Big Bend Park and finished it while I was visiting, so I did a small quick version of it early on (mine is the first photo).  My mom was a huge help all week in critiquing my work.  Her style, approach, materials, tools and surface are different than I normally use, so I had some obstacles to adjust to, but it was a fun process.  Her painting is 30" by 40" and is destined for a chiropractic office in Colorado.

Mini-rose 2"x3" oil floral #357

I have been having fun with a few mini-paintings.  They are so approachable because they are so small.  I have to admit I don't feel totally confident with flowers but I guess if I keep at it, I will figure it out.  Roses are hard to paint!

Sunshine Balconey 6"x6" oil on linen board #356 architecture

This was a group project we did at the recent workshop I attended.  It was like musical easels and everyone had the opportunity to paint on each others' paintings.  It was timed too.  I wasn't a very good sport and had trouble getting into the spirit of the activity.  When all was said and done, I came back to my easel, wiped off the work and redid it with some variation.  It looks like a confetti garden!

Ready and Waiting oil 6"x6" landscape #354

This was the last painting I did at the workshop.  You just can't beat a beach scene.

Guinguette de l'Air oil 8"x10" #353 sold

This was the third painting I did.  I really like this one and sold it at the workshop.  What a fun subject.

SOLD

Shade 6"x6" oil #352

This was the second painting I did at the Dreama Tolle Perry workshop.  I love the luscious colors.

Italian Window oil 6"x6" #351 landscape

I went to a Dreama Tolle Perry workshop and this is the first painting I did.  I loved the workshop and learning how to use transparent colors for an underpainting.  She is a great presenter with loads of useful information.  It was at the Parish Center for the Arts in Westford, MA.  Laurie, our host, is awesome.

Early Mud Season 8"x8" acrylic on canvas, landscape #350

SOLD

Morgan's Horses acrylic on canvas, landscape, 8"x8" #349

SOLD

PIG oil 6"x6" animal 348

This is a life size ceramic pig of whom I am very fond.  I did this for the Dailypaintworks.com challenge.  I tried to apply the technique I learned at the workshop except that I painted it on a black background and I didn't add the final touches of thick paint and palette knife scrapings.

Eggs For Sale acrylic on canvas, landscape 8"x8" #347

SOLD

Disappearing Landscape Acrylic on canvas, landscape, 8"x8" #346

SOLD

Retirement acrylic on canvas landscape 8"x10" #345

Mini-Landscape oil 3"x2.5" landscape #344

This is the smallest painting I have done in oils.  Fun, fun, fun!

Old Truck transportation oil 4"x4" #343

This is a new subject for me.  I am attending a workshop with Dreama Tolle Perry for the next few days.

Rusty animal portrait oil 4"x4" #342

Cheryl 4"x4" oil portrait #341

My daughter-in-law, and expectant mother, Cheryl who is also mother to Samara.
SOLD

Carl 4x4" oil #340 portrait

It is really hard to catch my husband n0t smiling. I threatened him with no dinner if he wouldn't sit for a couple of seconds and not smile...so he was staring at the computer screen and working hard at keeping a straight face.
SOLD

Cloe oil 4"x4" #339

This is the newest member of our family, Cloe. She is my niece's first child and she is a beauty. We will have 2 more by Christmas....such a joy!
SOLD

Samara oil 4"x4" #338

This is part of my mug shot series, only I am painting mug shots of my family instead of the accused. This is Samara, my granddaughter, who brings such joy into our lives. She is full of fun and giggles and is 2 years old and potty trained, which is even better. She loves to dance and sing and say "good morning" to the sky and "good night" to the moon with her grandma.
SOLD

Self Portrait 4"x4" oil #337

This was a challenge for Daily Paintworks. The idea was to do a painting using rectangular brushstrokes. I decided to do my favorite self portrait pose and kick the color up to comic proportions. It is a fun process and it torques your usual perceptions.

Big Hat Big Waves oil 6"x6" #336

What do you do when you are 2 years old and mom says the water is too cold because you are turning blue? Rather than get the blues, you sit on the edge and excitedly anticipate the waves taking over your seat. This is my grandson wearing his grandpa's sizable hat. I don't think I have ever seen him so excited as he was at the beach in June. The waves were big and they were really cold!
SOLD