Contemplating the Tree of Life 5"x7" oil $100

This is at the Southern Vermont Arts Center, with a lovely museum and entertainment facilities.  The background painting is by Susan Abbott....I didn't remember the sculptor's name.

Saturated oil 9"x9" oil $175

The oranges look very uniform on my monitor when in fact they are more varied.  This was a Daily Paintworks challenge, but it was fun to do a landscape after so many portraits.

Juli 4"x4" oil sold

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Multitasking 7"x5" oil $100

Some days everywhere you look something is interesting and beautiful.  I snapped a photo of this street lamppost one gorgeous blue day and when I revisited the photo it just looked like "Multitasking" to me.  It was fun painting this simple composition.  It sorta looks like a robot tourist with lots of luggage!

Holding On 6"x6" oil sold

I painted this from a black and white.  The things I loved about it included the way little Marilyn is holding her mother's dress ribbon and both of their expressions.  It is a portrait, but it was fun to do something larger and more involved than the little mug shots I have been doing.
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Emily 4"x4" oil sold

Julia 4"x4" oil sold

Winding down...I only have about 4 more of these little portraits and then I am moving on to other subject matter.

RoseMarie 4"x4" oil sold

My granddaughter and the sweetest baby this side of Greenland.
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Mom/Grandma/Greatgrandma 4"x4" oil sold

This is another version of my mom..this looks more like her.
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Sammy 4"x4" oil sold

I already did this portrait  and I really liked the facial expression and pose, but it looked a bit harsh and she is a beautiful woman so I softened it and brightened it.

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Tom 4"x4" oil portrait sold

Tom is a sweet man who smiles perpetually...well, most of the time.
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Patty 4"x4" oil portrait sold

I think the hardest portraits I did were of my sisters...too much to capture I guess!
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AG 4"x4" oil portrait sold

Painting a beautiful face is a lot of fun, but it adds its own pressures.  I have found that using a really good reference (either photo reference or painting in person) helps me relax and feel more confident.  Poor reference photos can sometimes encourage me to keep it loose and not sweat the details, but more than likely, I find myself fiddling with it.  Poor photos of people or animals that I do not know, seem to work better than for more familiar faces.
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Jordan 4"x4" portrait oil sold

This young man is going to marry my niece and I haven't met him yet so it was a lot of fun doing his portrait as I didn't have any emotional feelings tied up with and confusing my vision.  I played his hair really loose and fun and all in all, I am happy with it...I also hope it resembles him, but the jury is still out on that!

In another note, I got scammed, or rather was almost scammed by someone posing as an interested purchaser of my artwork.  I was pulled in fairly deeply before I realized it was a scam and I felt pretty violated by it.  Hopefully there will be no other repercussions from it, but I did learn an important lesson and will be more cautious in the future.  I would like to warn other artists of this possibility.

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capturing retro 7"x7" oil figurative

This is a re-do of a painting I did recently and wasn't really happy with, so I changed some colors and clarified some things and I like it much better.

Marley 4"x4" oil sold

Another beautiful niece who is getting married in Oct.  I love you Marley!
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Rich 4"x4" oil sold

I liked the loose free strokes I used for this one.
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Topher 4"x4" oil portrait sold

Talented and handsome!

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Ben 4"x4" oil sold

Ben is sparkly!

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Father of the Bride (Matt) 4"x4" oil sold

Matt has 7 kids and he is one terrific and dedicated father and his kids are awesome!

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Sharon Smiling 4"x4" oil sold

I tried several unsuccessful times to repaint the portrait I did of Sharon and finally filed it in the trash.  I think in part that I was using a really bad reference photo and secondly, I couldn't get it out of my head what I wanted, instead of what I saw.

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Jonathan 4"x4" oil sold

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Rebekah 4"x4" oil sold

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New Dad (Josh) 4"x4" oil sold

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Isaac 4"x4" oil sold

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Installed "Community: Heart of Rutland"

The heart I created for the "Hearts of Rutland" project was installed in front of Rutland Regional Hospital.  It looks pretty cool! 
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Sarah 4"x4" oil sold

New Mom Sarah...

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Sharon 4"x4" oil sold

Sharon is a beautiful woman, and I honestly don't think I have fully captured that, although I do think this looks like her.  I tried scratching into the paint as a technique on this one....I may have to re-do or re-work this until I am satisfied.

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Linda 4"x4" oil sold

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Ja'Nae 4"x4" oil sold

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Eddie 4"x4" oil sold

Something I have been thinking about.....painting, for me, is  like an itch that I have to scratch.  For a long time I had that itch and I ignored it, then I discovered the daily painters "movement" and it gave me the kick-start I needed.  Then life got in the way, and I took a hiatus for a few months and when I returned to daily painting, it felt like a wonderful friend that I had been neglecting.  The lesson for me in this is to pay attention to those nagging feelings and attend to them without making excuses why I can't do it, or why I shouldn't make it a priority.  I feel this way about yoga, eating right, and my family and friends....that makes for a full life in my estimation.  I used to be a teacher and when I was that, it was my priority and I am thankful I had that career and met so many wonderful students, parents and fellow educators.  My creative energy went to that then, but I always knew I needed to attend to that itch to paint.

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Barb 4"x4" oil figurative sold

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Pop 4"x4" oil sold

My dad died 2 years ago.  I am doing family "mugshots" and decided to do my "pop" in a way that we frequently saw him....at his computer, trading stocks or sending out a strongly opinionated email.  He wore dress shirts and a baseball cap...and I really loved him.
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Come On, Guys! oil 6"x6" animal, figurative $100

The intense shadow caught my eye...and the story represented...I kept this really loose.

A Ray of Hope 6"x6" oil $100 figurative

Spring Meadow 6"x6" oil landscape $100

The Wall 8"x8" oil $180

This is a re-do as I was never happy with the first run, but I like this much better.  it is NYC from the Highline with a view of the lower west side towards the Meat Packing District, which is undergoing a renewal.

Quiet Conversation 8"x8" $180 figurative

I re-worked this one because I really liked the postures of the 3 people, but I had to do something with the background.

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.
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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.

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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.

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Community 4'x4'x1'acrylic on sculpture sold

This is side 2.

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"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.
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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.

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